#Like the only way it couldn’t be true is if cloning technology was involved

[weirdo-with-a-potato]

Just a reminder that ne*l didn’t have much to do with dbda…our boys just sort of showed up in a comic he worked on and he didn’t do much of anything on the show…plus the sandman (both tv and comic) had way more people working on it then just him. Good omens (book) was much more terry Prattchet then him and the tv show is much more then just him. As for other works of his (ie. stardust) we just gotta suffer.

You can still, of corse, read the books but make sure to get them from somewhere like a used book store or lent by a friend. Plus there are always other places to read his books that don’t give money to him…

I know that a lot of people looked up to him and he helped many people to accept themselves and that it hurts to loose someone who you looked up to (I’m treating it as if he is dead because my previous image of him was brutally stabbed to death). But he is only a man and there are many other people in the world.

If any one wants to talk about this (wants to rant, wants to just keyboard smash in anger, wants to cry [however you choose to express crying digitally]) feel free to do so. Or if you have anything to add, you can talk about that too. I know writing usually helps me to get through emotions and feel a bit better. Maybe it will work for you too.

btw if you have any other creators who have caused a similar situation, feel free to talk about that as well.

[blazenka]

The Clone of Nick Cutter

Being the clone of Nickolas Cutter involves being manipulated by your ex wife, betraying your team and instructed to destroy the place you love. With only one day of life, can Cutter's clone make the right decisions? Fix-it for s3 e3.

Original source: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/6229989/1/The-Clone-of-Nick-Cutter

Chapters: 2

Published: August 12, 2010 - August 13, 2010

Words: 4335

Rated: Fiction T - Language: English - Genre: Drama - Characters: N. Cutter - Reviews: 3 - Favs: 3 - Follows: 2

Exported with the assistance of FicHub.net

Part 1: Initiating the Plan

Part 2: Post-Blast

Part 1: Initiating the Plan

A.N.:  This is a fix-it for s3 e3. Hope you enjoy.

The first thing he saw was Helen. The first thing he heard was her voice, her orders. The first thing he learned was to follow her orders, despite the feeling in his soul that said otherwise.

A soul- it was foolish to even believe he had one. He was a copy and, as Helen had said, they were not human without their free will.

It had been easy enough to follow Helen's orders at first. They were simple commands; the type you would give a dog such as sit, stand, and speak. Yet that day was different and he should have known then.

Entering the ARC was easy enough when everyone thought you were Nick Cutter. No one looked at him twice until he got to his supposed team members; he was like a ghost.

Lester and Jenny seemed to notice something was off but they would not figure it out. As soon as he heard Helen's voice, no one could stop her from entering the ARC. Helen's plan would be enacted and the ARC team could not do anything about it.

The Cutter clone marveled at the work his true self had completed. It was something to be proud of yet he felt envious of the man's genius. He was told he could not feel emotions yet this is what he felt.

The army of clones Helen had control over took the ARC over with a fierce force. Soon guns were being shot into the air while the ARC team was ushered to where they would be out of the way.

The Cutter clone made his way into the hallway to greet the team; especially Lester. He could not help but feel some sort satisfaction at being able to hold a gun to the man's head.

Yet, he followed Helen's orders once again when she told him not to kill Lester just yet. The team walked past and the clone felt the urge to look back, especially to gain a glimpse of Jenny Lewis, yet he remained expressionless as he moved away.

While they waited for the real Nick Cutter and the rest of the ARC team to return, Helen wandered into Cutter's office. Once again the Cutter clone was faced with the real Cutter's genius as he viewed the matrix and various equations.

"We should have worked on it together," Helen stated, while talking to the Cutter clone. "But what am I talking to you for?" she questioned with disgust as she held the artifact in hand.

He couldn't help but feel resentment towards… someone… as he quietly stood there. He continued to ponder over his supposedly non-existent feelings when one of the clones announced the field team had returned.

The Cutter clone moved through the door to the main room to find Nick, Connor and Abby all standing there. Abby and Connor's shock was evident as the clone appeared behind the real copy.

Connor stammered in his usual boyish tone, "It… it's you," as he stared blankly at the two men. Nick turned around to face his clone with the same shock Abby and Connor shared. The only thing the Cutter clone could do was blink as Helen instructed Connor and Abby to be placed with the others. Everything was going according to plan.

Nick Cutter walked around as he examined the clone of himself while Helen watched with a smirk. "You created this," Nick stated more than asked. "I… borrowed the technology from the future," she explained as Nick continued to look, "It's made from your DNA. Perfect in every physical detail." Nick stopped as he looked at her quizzically, "Physical?"

Helen gave out a mew in response as she continued to explain, "It has uh… limited intelligence, enough to follow basic instruction." "It's still a human being thought, right?" he asked with concern. Even though the Cutter clone continued to stare ahead he thought those had to be the kindest words he heard in his actual life, not within the memories he had from Nick Cutter.

Yet, Helen just had to open her mouth to contradict him and just shrugged, "Free will is what makes us human, Nick. This, um… creature  is… uh… nothing more than a living photo copy." She finished with a smile that seemed to unnerve Nick Cutter; it unnerved his clone too. He hated the way she had called him a creature when he had held her so high in regard for creating him - for giving him life.

"Please tell me you didn't do this to Stephen," Nick asked and it brought more memories to the clone as he remembered what Helen had done to Stephen and how he died. "No matter what they look like, they can never be the original," Helen stated with sorrow evident in her voice as she walked away.

"Why are you doing this, Helen?" Nick asked as he followed her. "Because I have seen the destruction of almost every living creature on this once beautiful planet," she began while obviously thinking about the future anomaly, "I can stop this, Nick. I can save…"

"Look, whatever is going to happen is going to happen and we have to leave it alone. You remember what happened the last time. You killed Stephen," he informed her. "I didn't kill Stephen," she argued, "You did."

However, Cutter's clone seemed to lose interest as the two continued to argue over timelines and morality. He was still frustrated with how Helen truly viewed him. She seemed only to be honest in front of her ex-husband. Nick brought up why didn't his clone kill him and it made him wonder, why hadn't he killed Nick Cutter when he had the chance? Then he could be the original.

After Nick refused to tell her about the artifact, Helen gave her order. "Give him ten seconds then shoot him," and he followed her orders like a good soldier as he walked straight to Cutter to hold a gun to his head.

The clone immediately began his counting and Nick tried to strangest thing; he tried to reason with it. It was idiotic, especially in Helen's and the clone's opinion. The clone had little reasoning, no free will and absolutely no soul with compassion or mercy.

"Don't do it," Nick reasoned but Helen countered, "You can't appeal to his feelings, Nick, he doesn't have any. Now tell me what this is." Nick continued his reasoning with his clone, "You don't have to do what she says, you know. You have a choice," Nick stated.

It could have been something instinctive, something to do with their shared DNA that made the clone hesitate for a moment and actual lower his gun. Yet, when Cutter closed his eyes in relief the gun instinctively popped back up with the counting continuing where it left off. Cutter eventually agreed to tell Helen what the artifact was. He agreed so easily the clone was compelled to keep the gun locked on Cutter until Helen demanded otherwise. Her order seemed to kill the notion in his mind of killing the original. Even though Nick Cutter probably did not realize it, Cutter's clone probably could not consciously kill his true self.

Suddenly Helen's voice filled the internal audio system with orders to stop obeying her. While her army clones seemed to obey the recording as they dropped their weapons, the Cutter clone seems to still have control and he began to wonder if he really did have free will like his true self told him her did. She was frantic as she tried to convince the other clones it wasn't her orders over the system but then she turned to her clone of Cutter. "It's over, Helen," Nick said but she still had hope for the plan.

"Listen to my voice," she ordered the Cutter clone, "Complete your mission," she demanded. The clone looked from her to the suitcase knowing if he did not listen she would come up with another way to destroy the ARC and possibly his true self. He knew Nick never in a million years you think Helen would use a bomb yet that was exactly what she had in the suitcase. So the Cutter clone tried to rationalize as he set down his gun and opened the case.

While Helen moved away to the exit, Cutter ran to his clone and tried to reason with him one more time. "Look, I know you can hear me. I know you can understand. You don't have to obey her," Cutter reasoned again.

"But, she made me," he stated back, it was the one issue that still bothered him - does any living creature ever dare go against its creator? "You're a human being, you have a choice," Nick retorted to his cloned self.

"Don't listen to him. Follow your instruction," Helen ordered. Nick glared at her and Cutter's clone wished he could do the same. It was always orders with her, she never talked to him like she did with Nick - to her he was nothing more than a creature to control.

"You're not a machine' you're a free man," Nick continued to persuade and the more Cutter's clone listened, the more his true self made sense. "You don't want to die," he argued but that was wrong, "I don't know what death is," his clone stated with his hand still above the trigger. "Trust me, life's better," he argued but could he trust him? Nick Cutter seemed to want to live but could there be two Cutters in this world?

"Don't listen to him," Helen yelled again from a distance this time as she moved farther far the bomb and towards the exit. Her cowardice and Cutter's logic conflicted in the clone's mind as he turned to the real Nick Cutter with a smile, "Save yourself."

Nick seemed confused and conflicted for a moment before understanding the words. At one moment he seemed happy that his clone had listened to him but seemed frightened by the idea he was still going to detonate the bomb. Nick quickly ran the way Helen did as Cutter's clone prepared to press the detonator of the bomb.

A.N.: Ugh, this was so hard to write and took forever but it was one of those ideas that would not leave me alone. I just had to write it and then, of course, post it.

Explanation: This was mainly brought on by the last scene during the episode. After Cutter takes off his jacket to hide the artifact you really don't see his pants through the rest of the episode. It would be hard to tell him and the clone apart since they both wore black shirts if it wasn't already inferred the clone died in the blast. Plus, when Cutter enters the ARC he's wearing blue jeans. When the camera pans up to him laying dead on the ground he's jeans are dark in color, like the clone's had been. Go ahead; watch the episode - right where the clone walks in after Cutter, Connor and Abby. You get a good look of both their outfits. Even though it's probably continuity issues of the part of the staff or Cutter's pants got dirty from the explosion and smoke, it gives the conspiracy theorist in me ideas.

So I really hope you guys enjoyed this little story. Thank you for reading.

[phoenixyfriend]

Uncle Ben and Little Luke

AKA we combine several types of time travel for maximum Soft Chaos, let’s go

EDIT NOW THAT I’VE WRITTEN THIS UP: jfc this ended up much angstier than initially intended uhhhhhhhhhh sorry

So a common enough thing I’ve seen in time travel fics is characters getting de-aged when tossed back physically, to neither the age they should be in that time, nor the age they were from the time they left, but whatever is most convenient. This is usually de-aging OT Obi-Wan into his TCW self, for reasons relating to, chiefly, removing the damage of Tatooine absolutely destroying his body alongside PTSD-driven alcoholism, but also because fic writers are horny, and Ewan McGregor playing a late-thirties negotiator is on average more appealing to people than Alec Guinness playing a vaguely feral desert hermit.

So, here’s how it plays out:

We take Luke and Ben from some point in the OT. There are a variety of options depending on how angsty we want it to be. My first instinct is ‘right after Owen and Beru die’ but I want to have that sweet angst where Luke knows that his dad is Vader and that Obi-Wan was trying to convince him to kill his own father without telling him that.

We’ll go with shortly after Bespin, and then they end up significantly before TPM. The Obi-Wan of the timeline proper is, eh, let’s say eighteen. Not really ready to be a knight, but old enough that we don’t have to worry about “if we go save Shmi, do we somehow wipe out Anakin?” which is absolutely a worry. Anakin is a toddler, and is in no place to be evil, on account of being literally two years old. He can’t even explode people with his brain yet.

Now, Ben finds himself mid-thirties, as is traditional. He’s not upset at this, because his joints hurt so much less than they used to! His knees aren’t exactly teenage-perfect, but by the Force are they better than they were in the years before he died! His hair has color! He doesn’t have arthritis! And, goodness, no physical withdrawal symptoms! The psychological aspect is still there, but nonetheless, he’s in much better shape than he last remembers being.

Luke looks like he’s about six. He was recently twenty-two. This is not an upgrade. Ben keeps having to carry him. He can’t see over the counter when they enter a bar for information. He can’t enter the bar in the first place. He’s very annoyed by all of this.

Ben is not annoyed. Ben is having a lot of emotions, actually, but annoyance isn’t one of them. He didn’t get to help raise Luke the way he might have if Anakin hadn’t lost his shit, okay, he sees a small Luke and he wants to hug him and cry.

Luke would like to be able to purchase a speeder part without the lady at the stall asking him if he needs his “dad’s” permission.

Once they figure out when and where they are, they need to decide where and how to leave. There are general shenanigans to gamble their way into enough money to hire a ship. They are in the ass end of nowhere, but definitely not Tatooine. There appears to be a jungle. There appears to be a significant variety of man-eating creatures. There appears to be a temple to the Force of questionable origin. None of this is actually helpful, except for the moment they find a “baby’s first lightsaber” in the temple.

Luke only has one hand and, being a six-year-old, his body is growing too fast for him to bother with getting a wired-in prosthesis the way he could as an adult. He can get a more basic prosthesis, but nothing that attaches to the neurons. He’ll outgrow it too fast.

He’s tiny and he’s not used to doing things with just one hand. He uses the Force to do what one hand can't, and every time someone tries to tell him he's misusing the Force he whaps them with the empty sleeve.

So, you know, they find out what year it is. Ben has a breakdown. Luke is upset that he left behind his friends. Ben admits to him that Leia was his twin. Luke stares in horror because dude, she kissed him, you couldn’t have mentioned this earlier???

Ben points out that Beru and Owen were keeping Luke away from him for nineteen years, and then they had about three days of awkward travel to find Leia in the first place, and then Ben died. He didn’t have a whole lot of time to figure out how to tell him.

(This sparks an argument that lasts several days. All onlookers assume that Ben’s son is throwing a tantrum. He doesn’t correct them, even though this is a very valid reason to be upset, because the truth is much harder to explain.)

Sooooo they travel. Mostly, Ben plays Sabacc, cleans house, and pays their way towards Coruscant. Luke still really wants to learn to be a Proper Jedi, even though Ben is pretty sure that Luke would have... a lot of difference of opinion with the Temple, but sure. Coruscant. They can at least stop by, and see Qui-Gon, and Mace, and Quinlan, and Bant, and everyone else that’s still alive and not tragically deceased in the horror following the start of the Clone Wars and then the birth of the Empire, and Ben can have a nice sob over all his dead friends being alive again.

Ben is only barely holding it together while Luke is in the room with him at any given point. But it’s fine! It’s fine. He’s fine. All of his loved ones have come back to life! It’s great! HE’S FINE.

He is not fine.

Luke is also grieving all the people who haven’t been born yet, but he’s... significantly more okay than Ben is.

The closer they get to the Core, the more often people just assume Ben is Luke’s father, and then look shocked and uncomfortable when Luke flatly calls him by his name, and they just... compromise. This is the point at which Luke starts calling him “Uncle Ben.”

Ben cries in his bunk later that night. Luke overhears it and wonders how the HELL Ben is more unstable now, when there’s a chance to fix things and no Vader or Empire trying to kill or capture both of them, and all his friends are alive.

(Luke will later learn a lot about PTSD and realize this is actually a fairly normal situation, to process significant events and emotions only after gaining safety or catharsis.)

(Twenty years on a ball of sand with an alcohol addiction and debilitating fear of the man you raised as your own brother is not, in fact, safe or cathartic.)

At any rate, they’ve settled into that pattern by the time they reach the Inner Rim. The Inner Rim is the part of the galaxy at which they’ve collected enough money (and mental stability) to travel a little better, and to take a few more risks.

Risks like “manipulate people with those baby blues.”

Ben tells Luke that he’s a menace, after he pouts so cutely that he gets a free scarf added on to a purchase that Ben makes. Luke responds that Ben has no room to talk, since he flirted a free breakfast out of that one inn owner.

Also, Luke is currently physically six. That is objectively a situation that sucks. He deserves to use it for all it’s worth if he’s stuck like this.

“You know, if you keep wearing all-black and looking longingly at the velvet cape and Space Chanel boots, the temple is going to worry that you’re a darksider.”

“Uncle Ben... you told me, yesterday, that I sparkle so brightly in the Force that it’s almost blinding.”

“Yes, but the gloves--”

They don’t agree on this, but Ben relents. He does actually understand good fashion, unfortunately, and he’s not unaware of how much Leia taught Luke about such things.

Luke’s about forty years ahead of the curve, of course, but Skywalkers are prone to such things. It’s usually in regards to technology, granted, but...

They get to Coruscant. Ben is very obviously a Jedi. He knows all the right words and walks like a Soresu master and feels warm and comforting in the Force. They let him in with minimal questions. They note down “my first padawan left the order to have a child, but died shortly after; I consider Luke here to be my nephew, and have raised him as such,” and move on.

Luke is vaguely annoyed because he already had an uncle (and aunt) that raised him, but he admits that a person can have more than one uncle. He can live with this. Ben was more family to Anakin than Owen was, in some ways, so it’s kind of true. Luke is even working on feeling more childish affection for Ben instead of the complicated mess of emotions that come from being lied to about some very large and important subjects, and then seeing the person saying those lies have regular emotional breakdowns due to something as small as Luke saying he likes the curve of the hull on that freighter.

(Apparently he sounds just like his father did as a child. This is almost heartwarming.)

The thing is! The thing. The thing is, they almost make it to the Halls of Healing to get looked over for weird viruses, or Outer Rim Parasites, or whatever the hells needs to be happening. They almost make it without Ben having a flashback to dead younglings or brainwashed troopers or the declaration of a Sith Empire. They almost make it without incident.

Then Ben sees Qui-Gon, and freezes, and does not move again.

Luke cannot get him to restart.

People are staring.

They haven’t even made it to Medical, Uncle Ben, come on.

Young, local Obi-Wan comes over and asks if there’s something he can do to help. Or maybe this “Ben” knows Qui-Gon? Master Jinn doesn’t recognize Ben, but maybe Luke knows more?

Luke does know more, but what Luke actually says is “he probably needs a mind healer.”

(Ben will not appreciate this.)

(Ben is unfortunately standing in the middle of the hallway and completely unresponsive, and is unable to argue with this assertion.)

(Ben is pretty much proving this assertion entirely correct, actually.)

Obi-Wan is helpful, if a little bitchy in the manner of most late-teens individuals, and offers to help get Uncle Ben down to the Halls of Healing. It involves Obi-Wan gently pushing on Ben’s shoulders, and Qui-Gon offering to carry Luke so he can be in Ben’s sights (because Ben is a Mystery, and Qui-Gon is quite fond of those, so he wants to stay involved). Ben kind of just... shuffles on down.

There are medical tests. They ask about how Luke lost his hand. He refuses to talk about it. They ask how Ben got all his scars. Luke says he doesn’t know. They ask if he knows why Ben looks like he’s been through a war. Luke says it’s because he probably was.

They check for foreign viruses. They find evidence of thus-far-unpatented vaccinations. They ask Luke if he knows what he’s vaccinated for.

“How would I know? I’m six.”

They agree that this is a good excuse.

(It is not. He’s lying. They do not know this.)

They do some more tests. They find a lot of questionable medical bullshit in Ben’s body. Most of this is from the clone wars, but they don’t know this. Someone realizes they haven’t gotten a ping back from the Shadow Network regarding “do we have permission to pull the medical file of a Jedi that isn’t in the normal database? We’re assuming you know who he is, since we don’t.”

The Shadow Network does not know who Ben is.

The healers, of course, go “huh, that’s weird, but maybe the name he gave his nephew was fake. We can’t exactly ask ‘Ben’ for more details right now. We already had to sedate him. Let’s check the DNA!”

The DNA pulls up as Obi-Wan Kenobi.

The padawan who brought this guy in two hours ago.

“Huh, that’s weird. Let’s call in Kenobi and ask if he knows what’s going on.”

Obi-Wan absolutely does not know what’s going on.

They ask Luke.

“Oh, I don’t know,” he says, lying through his teeth and not even pretending otherwise.

“You’re not a very good liar,” teenage Obi-Wan tells him.

“I’m not trying to be,” Luke says. “Can you get Master Yoda? I feel like we’re going to need him.”

They normally wouldn’t get Yoda on the request of a six-year-old, but they also normally don’t have a catatonic thirty-something Jedi who looks like he’s been through a war popping up in the medical database as the pimply teenage padawan that broke his pinky trying to do a Badass Ataru Flip last week.

Or... whatever Luke i... is... oh dear.

“Young one,” Qui-Gon asks, while people whisper-shout behind him, not realizing he’s cutting the Correlian Knot and just asking the kid himself. “Do you know why your midichlorian count is so high? It’s almost unheard of.”

“Uncle Ben said my dad was the Chosen One,” Luke says, because he is capable of being a little shit and is actually really eager to let Ben deal with some of the fallout. He feels for the man, really, but he’s also tired of being the one to field every single question.

Also, the expressions that pass on Qui-Gon’s face are hilarious.

(Luke may or may not be more affected by his six-year-old brain than he would like to admit.)

“Thank you,” Qui-Gon says, sounding more than a little strangled about it.

It takes another three hours for Ben to wake up.

He listens to the questions. He hears what they say his ‘nephew’ said. He looks at Luke.

“Is this revenge for not telling you about Leia?”

“It’s not revenge,” Luke does not lie. “I just don’t know how to explain it.”

“It’s pretty easy to explain.”

“It’s not my secret.”

“This is revenge for the Leia thing.”

“No,” Luke says. “Revenge for the Leia thing was when I ate a live frog in front of you.”

This is the point at which someone interrupts and points out that they appear to be stalling.

“Oh, he is,” Luke tells them. He gestures at Ben. “I can’t tell you more, because it’s more his story than mine.”

“I’m afraid, Master, that I am very likely to have an emotional breakdown if I allow myself to consider the reality of this situation for longer than the fraction of a second I already have,” Ben reports, full of false cheer. “Suffice to say, I am far from stable and have only held out this far for Luke’s sake.”

“Can you explain why you have my DNA?” Obi-Wan asks, as the person who’s most concerningly involved in this situation.

“You can,” Ben says, smiling like there is absolutely nothing wrong in the slightest, ever. “I’m you, from the future. I actually died and spent a few years dead before coming back. I’m not sure why I’m younger than I was when I died, but I appreciate being able to put on my shoes without my knees attempting to mutiny.”

“He needs a mind healer,” Luke reiterates, in case the strained grin hasn’t made it clear. “So do I, but not as much.”

“I have felt literally every person in this Temple save for Luke and Yoda die,” Ben reports, looking a shade more manic than a few seconds earlier. “It’s very overwhelming to feel you all being alive again. I may be approaching a mental breakdown, and I’ve been rather strictly advised against using alcohol to treat my traumas again.”

Luke kicks him in the thigh. It’s not a very hard kick, because he is very small, and he does actually like Ben. “I’m not letting you turn into an old drunk again.”

After several seconds of silence, a healer quietly suggests that everyone clear the room, and asks if someone could fetch Master Yoda as the youngling requested.

(THIS IS ALMOST THREE THOUSAND WORDS. I started it less than two hours ago. Why am I like this.)

[cyborg-squid]

Kal’tsit, the Doctor, Theresa, the Lord of Fiends, and memories

Kal’tsit is so interesting and contradictory this Chapter (and Chapter 7) and I love it and it really goes to show complex her feelings are towards the Doctor and Theresa.

In Chapter 7, she whispers under her breath “If you really want us to breathe as one...” She says, to herself, that we can prove we were not the Doctor that was stuck in the past. “Why do you look in my eyes when you say that? There’s nothing to see in these eyes.” She is worried that she won’t be able to protect us. She wonders if we are worthy of protection. Even if we aren’t, she will protect us anyway. 

She has high hopes for us.  She hopes to see us "offer the world a chance to change, just like many kindhearted people before you did". She wonders whether or not it is too late to convince us to turn back from pursuing the truth. She thinks she should be happy at that, but she isn’t. 

Her attitude, she says she will do her best to hold back.

She would settle the score with us, if she could. She would take her revenge. She will remain forever furious. She will not trust us. She will never stop hating us.

She has high hopes for us. She believes in us. She will protect us. 

“If you really want us to breathe as one...” I believe this was part of the promise Kal’tsit made to Theresa, maybe it was Theresa’s dying words. To promise that Kal’tsit would not seek revenge against the Doctor for what they’d done. To not hate the Doctor, to try and find some sort of connection. But Kal’tsit can’t not hate us. We killed Theresa, after all. She was our friend too.

But Kal’tsit would protect us, and Amiya. She would, and will continue to, honor her promise. 3 years ago, she brought our body to the Chernobog Sarcophagus. Inside of it, we would be healed, we would be safe. We would be safe from harm, and the world would be safe from us, locked away as we were.

It is believed/said that Theresa was killed in an assassination attempt ordered by Theresis. And maybe that is true. But Theresis still lacks the power of the Lord of Fiends.  Amiya has that power. We see, through scattered images, Amiya by Theresa’s side as she dies. Theresa looks to maybe be stabbing Amiya, and letting her blood run down the blade towards Amiya.  From the Chapter 9 PV: "I will disappear in my ideals, and she... she will be the flames to burn away all the corruption." "I'll leave Amiya to you."

Perhaps the Doctor was a more direct part of it somehow, but it seems to me that either a dying Theresa, or Theresa killed herself in order to, passed her power, the power of the Lord of Fiends on to Amiya. I think then that, maybe, the Doctor took the fall for it. It is easier to believe that the Doctor of Rhodes Island, a ruthless and efficient being if there ever was one, sold out Babel and killed Theresa, rather than having Theresa’s death be by Amiya or her own hand. If that’s true, then even Kal’tsit was deceived, and you can see the Doctor being willing to bear the brunt of blame and hate, from both Kal’tsit, W, and the world, if it meant protecting Amiya. Perhaps this was one of Theresa’s wishes as well. 

Amiya is a worthier successor to the title than Theresis, but it makes you wonder if this was always the intent, to pass on the power to Amiya. Or was this a plan born out of a dying Theresa’s desperation? It doesn’t feel that way to me, given how much she “leaves behind”, so to speak. Like she had somehow orchestrated or intended for things to be this way. 

And we see from the epilogue of Chapter 7, that Theresis has not given up on obtaining the power of the Lord of Fiends, which he views as rightfully his as the King of Sarkaz. There is a weird box which has a Sarkaz very similar looking to Theresa in it. Maybe this was some sort of attempt to clone her or make some sort of homunculus to house the power, or maybe Kazdel recovered her body after her death. Maybe that container is another Sarcophagus! Kal’tsit said that the Chernobog one was found deep in some mountains and was believed to be ancient technology. It’s not a stretch to say that there might be others and that Theresis got his hands on one. 

The memory wiping, the amnesia, of the Chernobog Sarcophagus is said to be accidental, a side effect. What intrigues me is that the Doctor is not the only one at Rhodes Island with similar memory issues. Granted, that’s hardly a unique trait in a fantasy setting like this one. We have Whisperrain, who debuted on the same banner as Rosmontis at Chapter 8′s release (which makes me think she may eventually play a bigger role), whose memory issues stem from her unique Aegierian species. We have Rosmontis, whose memory was damaged by the Infected organ transplanted into her brain cell. The aftermath of the lab she was held in are remarkably similar to what happened to the Chernobog lab and scientists. This might just be a coincidence, might just be the fate of Unethical Science Experiments, but I couldn’t help but notice the similarities. And actually branching off of that, we have Rhine Lab and Ifrit, who is mentioned as being a kind of ‘artificial’ Sarkaz, was involved in the “Flame Demon Incident”, and while her records mention her hallucinations, the After Class Homework story makes me think it’s something closer to a ‘possession’, possibly. 

And here we get to the one I really want to talk about, Nightingale. A Sarkaz with memory issues. “A box of messy puzzles. The real problem is many pieces are missing.” Importantly, she is the wife tied to Shining, the Confessarius. Her memory loss is mentioned as being different from the Doctor’s, but also isn’t the result of Oripathy. “A sacrificial lamb of war.” Shining says both of them are guilty of the crime ”of starting the war, as Demons”. She has a sense of deja vu upon seeing Amiya, and wonders why the Doctor is in her memories as well. It makes sense now, given what we know about Babel’s/Rhodes Island’s involvement with the Sarkaz Civil War, and their interactions with both sides.  So with her ties to Shining and her memory loss, I wonder if she could have been a sort of ‘test’ of a possible Kazdel Sarcophagus, or something similar. Maybe she was intended to be a vessel for the Lord of Fiends power, or the memories of Theresa, or something like that.

I spent like 2 hours on this and branched off a lot from what I started talking about, but I hope y’all enjoy it, take the time to read it, and use it to help with your own theories! 

[tsarisfanfiction]

Long Way From Home: Chapter 3

Fandom: Thunderbirds Rating: Teen Genre: Family/Friendship Characters: Scott, Tracy Family

We're far enough in now that I can safely credit @ak47stylegirl and her fic Thunderbirds Meet Thunderbirds for inspiring the overarching premise behind this fic without spoiling what the premise is.  There are some obvious differences between the fics, and will continue to be differences, but I almost certainly would not have considered throwing Scott into TOS without reading that fic.

<<<Chapter 2

The room they ended up in, passing through another room full of chairs in the process, was the closest any room so far had looked to home.  A sunken area contained a variety of seats, all in front of a desk, while towards the window sat a baby grand.

“Take a seat,” Not-Dad said, settling himself behind the desk.  A position of power, Scott noted.  Not-Dad had a clear idea of where they stood with regards to each other, and it wasn’t in Scott’s favour.  He remained standing, noticing pictures of five young men and a beautiful woman on the walls, surrounded by unmistakably oriental artwork.  The young men were familiar.  Four of them, he’d already met.  Other-Scott looked back at him almost cheekily, while Other-Virgil held a cigarette.  Other-Alan looked disinterested, and Other-Gordon was reclining casually.  At the far end, next to Other-Scott, was a fifth man – blond – with his arms folded, and Scott’s insides twisted unpleasantly.  He had a feeling he knew the final man’s name.

The rest of the family began to file in, seating themselves in what appeared to be a pre-ordained seating plan.  Other-Alan perched on a corner of the desk, and Scott waited until everyone had found their seats before folding himself up into a sofa in the middle of the sunken area.

“Now, the first order of business is to work out exactly how Scott arrived here,” Not-Dad proclaimed. “He claims not to know, but there must be some clues.”

“But, Jeff,” Mrs Tracy interjected.  “What about his brothers?  You are going to look for them, aren’t you?”

Scott had been about to demand the same thing.  Not-Dad looked uncomfortable.

“But Mother-” he began. “This is a remote island.  It should be impossible for anyone to arrive unannounced.  For our own security, we must find out how Scott arrived here.”

“Surely we can look for clues about his brothers at the same time, Father,” Other-Virgil offered. “There are enough of us.”  Not-Dad seemed unconvinced, and Scott got to his feet, ready to demand that they locate his brothers before doing anything else, when the door opened.

“I, uh, think I-I’ve solved the, uh, mystery of h-how Scott a-arrived here, Mr Tracy.”  Scott stared at the man in the doorway, his stutter and blue-framed glasses instantly reminding him of Brains, for all that this man was white, and English from his accent.

“You have, Brains?” the elder man asked, his attention immediately switching off of Scott, who was getting very sick and tired of familiar names and semi-familiar faces with no explanations.

“W-well, it, uh, might sound a bit fantastical, b-but John and I believe i-it’s, uh, the only explanation,” Other-Brains warned as he entered the room properly.  At this point, Scott didn’t care if it was fantastical – if it was plausible, he’d take it, especially after the casual name drop of one of his brothers.  The final one, completing the set.

“The, uh, DNA sample I collected turns out to, uh, p-perfectly match the, uh, sample I took from o-our Scott.”

“What sample?” Scott interrupted, sparing a glance towards Other-Scott, who had spoken at the same time.

“Your, uh, surprising resemblance to o-our Scott prompted me to, uh, take a sample for a-analysis.”  Other-Brains didn’t seem the slightest bit repentant.  “A-as for you, uh, Scott, t-there are many, uh, ways to obtain a sample from, uh, your o-own home.”

“So you’re saying this guy’s a clone?” Other-Alan interrupted, and Scott bristled.

“Well, uh, technically b-by sharing a-a ninety nine point nine p-percent DNA match they are, uh, c-clones, but not in the, uh, way you m-mean, Alan,” Brains replied.

“Explain, Brains,” Not-Dad demanded.  “What do you mean by that?”

“W-well, Mr Tracy, when I-I said that, uh, their DNA was a-a perfect match, t-there is, uh, one s-small discrepancy.”  He presented them with a clipboard, which showed far too many numbers and squiggles for Scott to make head or tail of it.  “S-see here, there, uh, is a foreign s-strand in his, uh, results.”

Scott couldn’t see what he was referring to, even when he helpfully pointed to a particular section of comparison.

“I think I speak for all of us when I say we can’t see a thing, Brains,” Not-Dad.  “But we’ll take your word for it.  What does it mean?”

“Quite, uh, honestly, Mr Tracy, I-I’ve never seen this before,” Other-Brains admitted.  “H-however, I believe the answer, uh, lies with the, uh, technology that he a-arrived with.”

“You’ve been poking at my gear?” Scott demanded, stepping forwards. Mrs Tracy put her hand on his arm lightly.

“J-Just a cursory, uh, glance.”  Other-Brains still didn’t sound at all repentant for his intrusions. “Enough to, uh, tell that y-your technology is nothing l-like, uh, ours.”

“So, what, he’s an alien?” Other-Alan asked.  It was such an Alan-like – his Alan-like – accusation that something in Scott’s chest hurt.

“I, uh, believe John w-would be, uh, better to explain,” Other-Brains deferred.  “Mr Tracy?”

“I’m not sure about that, Brains,” Not-Dad disagreed.  “It’s one thing showing him our home, but John is in a top secret location.  We can’t reveal that on a whim.”

“O-on the contrary, Mr Tracy, i-if John and I are, uh, correct, he is a-already fully a-aware of John’s, uh, location.”

“What?” Other-Scott snapped, his hand landing sharply on Scott’s shoulder.  “How?” His fingers dug in tightly, too tightly to be shaken off without the use of force, and Mrs Tracy’s hand was still lightly resting on his arm.

Scott was more concerned about what they were saying.  John and location automatically signalled Thunderbird Five, but this wasn’t his John.  Whatever was going on here, despite his uniform International Rescue had yet to be mentioned and he had been intending on keeping it that way, unwilling to bring that sort of information to the attention of a group of individuals too weird and bizarre to trust.

“I want you to explain, Brains,” Not-Dad ordered. “I refuse to involve John in a situation this delicate.”

“I-if you, uh, say so, Mr Tracy.”  Other-Brains was clearly disappointed at not having back-up for his explanation, but Scott didn’t care who said it at this point as long as it was an answer.  “Well, there, uh, is a theory a-amongst astrophysicists k-known colloquially a-as the, uh, multiverse theory.  It a-addresses the theorem that, uh, there are multiple universes.  John is, uh, better versed i-in it th-than I, but, uh, I know enough to, uh, believe that this is o-our answer.”

“He’s from a parallel universe?” Other-Alan exploded. “No way, Brains.  That’s ridiculous!”

“I, uh, did say it was f-fantastical,” Other-Brains reminded him.

“Yes, Brains, but this seems very far-fetched,” Other-Virgil pointed out.  “Suppose that’s true; how did he get here?”

“Well, uh, travel between these, uh, theoretical u-universes has not been, uh, investigated, so u-unless Scott’s universe has been, uh, experimenting in the field it is most likely that the, uh, two u-universes temporarily, uh, collided and Scott fell th-through a r-resulting fissure.”

“I don’t remember falling through any fissures,” Scott protested. “I had just left,” he paused, still determined to leave International Rescue out of the conversation, even if Other-Brains was alluding to something similar with Other-John, “my plane and was on my way out of the hangar.  Then I woke up here!”

“The ‘plane’ in question wouldn’t be Thunderbird One, by any chance?” an unfamiliar voice asked.  It was slightly distorted, as though coming through a speaker.  The gentle touch on his arm and the talon grip on his shoulder did nothing to stop Scott tensing.

“What do you mean?” he snarled, looking around for the owner of the new voice.  Nothing had changed, no-one had entered the room without his knowledge-

Other-Brains had his left arm held at a weird angle, the face of his watch pointed directly towards Scott.  Instead of the ancient, analogue dial he expected to see there, a man’s head was visible.  He had a shock of platinum blond hair, but Scott’s attention was caught by the blue hat perched slightly lopsidedly atop his head.

They’d scrapped those hats years ago, one of Dad’s flights of fancy they had all been glad to ditch with a uniform upgrade.

“John!” Not-Dad sounded furious.  “Brains, I said we would not be involving John in this!”

“As Brains said, Father, there’s no point.”  The blond man – Other-John, recognisable as the fifth portrait hanging on the wall even if he was wearing civilian clothes in that, rather than what looked suspiciously like a proto-IR uniform in Other-Brains’ watch – seemed unbothered at his father’s fury.  “This Scott is another universe’s equivalent to our Scott.  According to the clothes he was wearing when you found him, that includes being the pilot of Thunderbird One for International Rescue.”

“If this is all true,” Scott interrupted, choosing to chew through the International Rescue bit and the fact that there was a Thunderbird One here later.  “All these parallel universes and colliding universes and falling through fissures into other universes stuff.  What about my brothers?  Aside from one,” he wasn’t willing to give any names out yet, even if Other-Brains and Other-John, at least, seemed to be sharp enough to make a correct assumption “they were all in the house when I got back.  Wouldn’t this ‘fissure’ have swallowed them, too?”

It was an outlandish theory.  The idea that he’d fallen through into some parallel universe and was now with an alternate version of his family – a version that still had their father, his brain pointed out unhappily – was ludicrous.  But it was a theory.  He’d heard Alan mention it once, although the teenager had been more interested in the prospect of aliens in their own universe than another one at that moment in time.  They were colonising Mars, pushing other expeditions further afield in the Solar System. Space travel was an expensive luxury, but it was a luxury available to anyone with the money, not just the strictest trained of astronauts.  Further exploration of the universe was underway, but nothing had ever touched the concept of other universes.

Yet, in the absence of anything more solid, Scott was willing to cling to the theory Other-Brains and Other-John were presenting.  As long as his brothers were safe.

“You were found in our Thunderbird One’s hangar,” Other-John informed him, and Not-Dad did not seem happy at that bit of information leaking out, from his attempt to interrupt.  Other-John ignored him.  “If you were in your own Thunderbird One’s hangar when the collision occurred, that means that you were simply displaced from the location in your home to the identical location in ours.  On that basis, if your brothers were also transported, they would have appeared in their respective locations in our home as well.  Seeing as they haven’t, I think it’s safe to assume that you are the only one that fell through.”

“But-” That was a lot of supposition, and Scott was not willing to stop searching on the assumption that just because what happened to him hadn’t happened to them, didn’t mean nothing had happened to them.

“However, to be safe, I have included additional parameters into Thunderbird Five’s algorithm to locate any mentions of people appearing out of nowhere, their names, assuming their names are the same as ours, or any other similar phenomena, so if they have ended up elsewhere, I’ll pick it up,” Other-John continued.  “If they’re here, I’ll find them.  If they’re not, that explains why they haven’t contacted you.”

It was practically a moot point to name drop Thunderbird Five at this point, as far as Scott was concerned, more interested and reassured by Other-John’s calm assessment of the possibilities and the measures he’d made to handle them, reluctantly nodding that yes, their names were the same. Not-Dad, on the other hand, seemed almost apoplectic as he stood rapidly from his desk.

“I did not authorise you to talk about the Thunderbirds, John!” the man thundered.  “You have no proof that this Scott has links to an International Rescue of his own, and even if he did, there is no guarantee that they are the same!”

“Yes, Father.”  Scott didn’t like the tone Other-John adopted, one that seemed almost used to scoldings.  Dad wouldn’t have been like that with them if he was still around and in charge of International Rescue… would he?

Deciding not to dwell on those thoughts, and also finding himself unexpectedly infuriated by Not-Dad’s temper flaring at Other-John, Scott glanced around the room and found something unexpectedly familiar.

Two lamps sat innocently on one wall, perfectly spaced for someone of his height to stand between and hold onto – or pull down.

It probably wasn’t his smartest idea – in fact, he could hear Virgil and John in his head telling him emphatically not to do it – but his reckless streak had never listened to reason.  He gently removed the light touch of Mrs Tracy from his arm, and twisted sharply to dislodge Other-Scott’s grip before striding purposefully over to the lamps.  Muscle memory dictated his movement more than conscious thought, his arms jarring as the lamps did not pull down, but a switch depressed beneath his fingers nonetheless, and to a chorus of disbelieving – and frustrated, in some cases – voices, the room disappeared in a smooth rotation to reveal Other-Scott’s launch tube.

Or should have done, if it was the same as home.  What he had not expected, as he automatically stepped forwards, off of the plate before it could spin back around, was to be immediately greeted by the sleek grey form of Thunderbird One herself.

Immediately he could see differences to his own ‘bird. The pilot seat was inside the cockpit, not extended for boarding, and the opening resembled a door more than a viewing window.  VTOL jets were positioned in different places, there were no letters dictating fuel intake, areas of danger and other basic safety information, and her shape was very slightly different.

However, small differences aside, there was no doubt that this was Thunderbird One.  Even ignoring the bold white lettering proclaiming her as such, there was no doubting the grey hull, blue engine housing and, most distinctively of all, the vibrant red nose cone.

“Beautiful, isn’t she?” Other-Scott asked from behind him. Scott made a noise of agreement – even if she wasn’t his, she was close enough that visually, she looked just as stunning.  “I guess you have the same access point?  You gave Dad quite the shock when you found the entrance to her hangar like that.”

“Near enough,” he confirmed as Other-Scott stepped up beside him, leaning his arms over the railing as he also gazed at Thunderbird One. “The portrait of the rocket goes to Two?”

“Virgil’s crazy slide,” Other-Scott said, bemused.

“That’s one way of putting it,” Scott agreed.  “I didn’t see Three or Four’s entrances.”

“Your Four has an access from the lounge?”  Other-Scott sounded surprised.  “Dad refused to put one in.  Gordon has to take the passenger route to Two.”

“A fish tank,” Scott admitted.  “Gordon refuses to keep fish in there, though.  Says it would be too traumatic for them.  He stole John’s model Stingray and put that in there instead.”

Other-Scott chuckled, the first time he’d been anything other than serious since Scott had first seen him.

“That sounds like something Gordon would do,” he admitted. “Your John let him?”

“Said it was a more accurate place for it then the stand in his room,” Scott confirmed.

“And that sounds like something John would say,” Other-Scott grinned, before falling quiet for a moment, studying his ‘bird.  “Do you think they’re right?” he asked.  “That you’re from a parallel universe?”

It still sounded ridiculous said out loud.

“I don’t know,” Scott admitted.  “But it’s the best guess we’ve got and sounds marginally better than insanity.”  How he was going to get home, if he really had ended up in another universe, was another matter entirely.

“I suppose that’s true,” Other-Scott said.  “But we’ll work something out.”

“Scott!” Not-Dad’s voice echoed through the hangar as the man strode towards them.  He did not look pleased, and they shared a look.

“Which one of us does he mean?” Scott wondered out loud. Other-Scott shrugged, clearly bracing himself for a storm.  Once again, Scott was left to wonder if it would be the same if Dad was still around – would he be used to disapproval, and a father ruling the roost with an iron fist?

He shoved those thoughts away firmly and straightened his spine. Not-Dad might have his own son contrite, but he had faced down too many people who saw themselves as his superior to cower in front of a man with no relation to him.

“What are you doing in here?” Not-Dad demanded.  “How did you find the entrance?”  Behind him, at a more sedate pace but intrigue clear in their eyes – exact colour matches to Scott’s own brothers – were Other-Virgil, Other-Gordon and Other-Alan.  Brains brought up the rear, his watch still broadcasting Other-John’s face.  Scott was getting fed up with all of the questions.

“Because I’m Scott Tracy,” he declared, stepping forwards, away from the Thunderbird behind him and towards the man challenging him. “Because that is my ship and I know how to get to her.”  He expected Other-Scott to protest, remind him that it wasn’t his Thunderbird One because they were in the wrong universe for that, but he didn’t.

Not-Dad was shorter than him.  Not by much, just enough for him to realise he was looking ever so slightly down to meet his eyes.  Did that mean he had outgrown Dad, a final growth spurt just after the Zero-X and the tragedy that brought?

“How dare you take that tone with me!” Not-Dad snapped, fury flashing through grey eyes.  Behind him, two pairs of brown eyes and one pair of blue had widened in surprise. “Does your father permit you to talk back to him like that?”  All at once, Scott’s temper flared.

“My father is GONE!” he shouted, fist flying to the side and connecting with the wall of the hangar.  “You might look like him, but you’re not him, and I won’t treat you like him!”

Silence followed his words, even after the echoes of his yells finished bouncing off the hangar walls.  His own breathing was loud, too loud to his own ears, and his knuckles started to throb as he felt everyone’s eyes on him.

Other-Alan spoke first, because he was Other-Alan and of course he did, for all that this Alan wasn’t a teenager and should at least have some modicum of common sense.

“What do you mean, he’s gone?”

Scott ignored him, finding Not-Dad’s – Never-Dad’s – eyes again.  They were shocked, horrified, even, and seeing that expression on a face that looked just like his father’s reminded him of the last time he’d seen his Dad look like that.  When Mom died.

He had to get out.

Thunderbird One was behind him, offering haven except she wasn’t his Thunderbird One and he knew they would all crowd the cockpit, imprisoning him inside until he talked.  He had no intention of ever talking, of telling these strangers wearing his family’s names and almost-faces about how much it hurt.  He’d never planned to tell them Dad was gone in the first place.

The two lamps stuck out of the wall, nearest Other-Scott. They’d lead back into the lounge, an unfamiliar place but one that it would at least take time for them to pursue him there, judging by how long it had taken them to join him in the hangar. He lunged forwards, found the catches on the lamps and spun the wall back around.  Behind him, the silence broke, voices talking over voices in a cacophony that was shut out as soon as the rotation completed.  Soundproofed walls.  Nothing less than he’d expected.

“Oh, dearie, what happened?”  He’d forgotten Mrs Tracy would still be there.  “Oh, you poor thing.  Look at your hand.  Tin-Tin, be a darling.”

“Of course, Mrs Tracy,” the young woman said, finding her feet and hurrying across the room to him.  “Oh, that looks nasty.  I’ll treat it right away.”  A touch on his elbow and his feet were moving of their own accord, following her down the stairs and through hallways he’d yet to learn until they arrived in a room he recognised.

The signs of his fight with Other-Scott had gone, gaps on the shelves where bottles had stood when he first woke the only indication that anything had happened in the room.  As Tin-Tin directed him to sit in a chair, grabbing a bottle of disinfectant and a roll of bandages for knuckles he hadn’t realised were bleeding, for all that they were throbbing in discontent, he caught sight of his uniform, still neatly folded.

His comm unit was on the top, and he reached for it to find it was too far away from where he was sat.

“I’m almost finished,” Tin-Tin assured him.  “You know,” she continued.  “If you open the window, there’s a track that runs up towards a cliff.  Only Scott ever goes up there – his brothers don’t know about it.”

Scott stared at her, realising for the first time that for all their differences, this young woman was likely this universe’s version of Kayo.

“I don’t think he would like that you told me that,” he said, unable to bring himself to address Not-Dad by any name.  His voice cracked mid-sentence and he frowned.  “He wants me under his watch.”

“Oh, Scott,” she replied, pulling the bandages tight. “He’s worried.”  A delicate hand picked up his comm unit and pressed it into his uninjured hand.  “I’ve known our Scott a long time,” she added, closing his hand over the unit. “In all that time, I’ve only seen him cry once.”  By the time he had registered her words and raised a hand to his face, surprised to find it come away damp, she’d left the room.

Swiping at the tears angrily now that he knew they were there, he regarded the unit in his hand, and then the window.  A place to himself was exactly what he needed, although the idea of using one of Other-Scott’s escapes felt distinctly weird. Footsteps outside the room forced his decision – if they were going to find him in this state, he could at least attempt to make it a challenge.

The window opened easily, and soundlessly. Well-maintained, and he wondered how often Other-Scott used it, or if one of the others also had escape routes from the infirmary.  Considering his own brothers, it was likely that they all did – one of the reasons Grandma had put their infirmary in a room with only one exit was because they were all terrible patients and one exit was infinitely easier to guard than multiple.

He remembered his lack of shoes only when bare feet met dirt, but he had no idea where Other-Scott kept his shoes, and no desire to go hunting.  The route Tin-Tin had described stood out to him easily, a challenging terrain that he would have chosen himself even if he hadn’t already known about it.  Then again, this universe’s version of him had done exactly that, once.  Strapping the comm unit firmly to his wrist, finding familiar comfort in its snug fit and slight weight, he started up the trail.

It wasn’t as challenging as it looked; once Scott found his rhythm it was almost easy, but as it was an escape route from the infirmary that made sense.  Escape routes were useless if they couldn’t be used.  After only a few minutes he rounded a particularly aggressive-looking crag to find a hollow tucked behind it.  The view was fantastic, jungles and volcanic crags combined with the ocean behind and the sky above.  Down below, he could just about see a white building that had to be the villa, an oddly-shaped swimming pool set in front of it.

There was no doubt this was Other-Scott’s secret escape.

He curled his legs in, out of sight of anyone that might be looking up the route, and tore his eyes away from the unfamiliar vista to focus on his comm unit.  Logically, he knew it was useless.  John would have been trying to get hold of him as soon as he woke from his cat nap, and if anything was going to get through to here – to another universe – it would be the powerful signals of Thunderbird Five.

Scott didn’t want to listen to logic.  Despite being wrapped in bandages, his fingers found all the right places to activate the comm unit, and he waited with bated breath for it to connect.  It took a while, connection symbol flashing orange as it searched for a signal to hook onto.  International Rescue technology was as resourceful as the rest of them. Designed to be compatible with every known network in the world, as well as their own with Thunderbird Five at the heart, there were blessedly few places where signal was impossible.  Here, on a Tracy Island, with a Thunderbird Five proven to be sending and receiving signals, there was no way his comm unit wouldn’t be able to find a network to hijack.

The red symbol that eventually flashed up defied him, the slash through the connection symbol taunting him as it declared there were no networks in the area.

“Don’t you dare!” he complained at it, shaking his wrist vigorously and resorting to fierce taps when the red symbol stayed steady. “There’s a signal right there, dammit!” he cursed, gesturing down towards where the villa lay.  “And up there!”  He motioned to the sky, where their Thunderbird Five undoubtably lurked. “How can you not find it at all? Dammit!”

He depressed the call button anyway, watching the hologram technology awaken, ready to beam his image to whoever was on the other end. With tearstained cheeks, scruffy pyjamas that weren’t his, and a wrapped-up hand, he didn’t want his image beaming anywhere, and quickly changed the setting to audio-only.

“Thunderbird Five?” he tried.  “Come in, Thunderbird Five.  John, are you there?”

The red symbol stubbornly remained, and his comms remained silent.  He’d thought that at least Other-John would answer.

“John?  Virgil are you there?  Come on, guys, pick up!  Gordon, can you hear me?  Alan!” His voice cracked and he scrubbed at his face again, unsurprised but frustrated when it came back freshly damp. “Kayo?  Grandma?  Brains? Anyone, dammit!”  He was begging and he knew it, tears seeping into his voice no matter how hard he tried to keep them up.  “MAX?  EOS! You’re always hacking things you shouldn’t, you damn AI.  You’ve got to be here!  Put me through to John.  I know he’s looking for me.  Just… put me through, dammit!”

The red symbol never wavered, blocking him from his family no matter how much he cursed, threatened, begged it.

“Why won’t you work, you stupid piece of junk?” he demanded.  “It’s only a goddamn universe in the way.  Just one, stupid, measly, universe!”

A universe.  An ever-expanding chasm of space that contained billions upon billions of galaxies, which themselves contained billions of stars and planets.  They were colonising Mars.  Thunderbird Three had managed to travel out as far as Jupiter. The distances were incredible; the wonder as Alan launched off to far-flung parts of their solar system never failed to strike Scott.

Those incredible distances didn’t even make a fraction of the chasm between them now.

A chance collision of universes had thrown him across. Inter-universe travel wasn’t even a daydream in the minds of their most advanced scientists, and from Other-John’s words, this universe was the same.

Scott wasn’t John, but he was reasonably handy with numbers and probabilities.  The chances of another collision occurring that would send him home again were beyond remote.  International Rescue made the impossible happen, but Scott was all too painfully aware that even they had limits.  How did you rescue someone from another universe?

Would they even know where he was?  It took Other-Brains and Other-John some leaps of logic, DNA testing between him and Other-Scott, and a grasp of the difference in their technology to reach the conclusion.  All his family would have was the fact that he was gone.  Without a trace.  It would be even worse than Dad.  At least they knew what had happened to Dad, had seen that cursed footage of the Zero-X exploding into infinite pieces with no body left to bury.

He had just vanished.

John would be blaming himself, cursing himself for going to take his next nap before ensuring Scott was safely in the house.  He remembered what his brother had been like when Dad had gone, the weeks, months, of frantic searching and sleepless nights until he’d taken Three up and all but bust through the airlock to drag John back to Earth.  He hadn’t let him back up there until the space elevator was installed, one of Brains’ pet projects that Dad had vetoed but Scott demanded because anything to bring their family closer together was a good thing.

He hoped one of the others would stop John tearing himself apart. His little brothers were strong, he had to believe that.  If Other-John was right and they weren’t also here, somewhere in this strange universe with its indecipherable technology.  No, Scott wanted them at home.  He wanted the four of them to be together, even if he wasn’t there.

But he would be, he promised.  No matter that the distance between them was insurmountable, no matter that there were some things even International Rescue couldn’t do. Nothing, not even the damn universe – or however many universes were involved in this fiasco – was going to stop Scott Tracy going home to his brothers.

He just had to figure out how.

Chapter 4>>>

[bamon4bamily]

TVD 9x15 - Dream a little dream... (Part 1) Enjoy! =)

Cut to – the secret facility, around 3am. All the guests from the Thanksgiving dinner party have left. Augustus and Darius are having a little one on one before heading to bed.

 AUGUSTUS: So, how does it feel to be back from La-la land? You really had us worried for a while. Thought you were a goner.

DARIUS: How long was I out for?

AUGUSTUS: Almost a month… You’re lucky Veritas was able to use his psychic juju to break the illusion. I was about to give up.

DARIUS: Given our history, I’m surprised you even tried.

AUGUSTUS: Well, bygones. And, Pietro can be very persuasive, he insisted we get you back.

DARIUS: I’ll have to thank him for that. Listen, I know we don’t always see eye to eye, and I know I made some mistakes, but we need to find a way to get over our differences, and see this through to the end.

AUGUSTUS: I agree. That’s the only reason I accepted to do this. Also, I have to admit, you do have some irreplaceable talents.

DARIUS: As do you, from what I’ve been seeing… I could have sworn I saw Tamara at the dinner party. What are you, making clones now?

AUGUSTUS: (Smirks) Oh no, clones are of no real use. And, unlike you, I don’t like to tamper with nature. What you saw was technology at its best.

DARIUS: So, like robots, basically?

AUGUSTUS: Not exactly; more like artificial intelligence. Specifically, it’s called ASI, an artificial intelligence superior to human intelligence or ability. The superhuman, as we like to call it in the geek community.

DARIUS: And they call me the crazy one.

AUGUSTUS: Don’t confuse using technology in our advantage with a god complex, and a bad case of fatal attraction. You really lost it, Darius; almost sabotaged the order’s plan to cater to your fantasies. We can’t have that happen again, so, I hope you understand, some adjustments had to be made.

DARIUS: What are you talking about?

AUGUSTUS: Let’s just say, you didn’t get that scar on your head by accident…

DARIUS: What did you do to me?

AUGUSTUS: Don’t worry, nothing drastic. All I did was install a type of control button, to put it in a way. Just to make sure you don’t go rogue on us again. Can’t blame us for including an insurance policy after the mess you made. (Yawns) Well, I think it’s time I call it a night.

DARIUS: Question, did that “tweak” of yours involve some sort of weird programming with the movie Sunset Boulevard?

AUGUSTUS: The fifties noir film?  

DARIUS: Yes.

AUGUSTUS: Well, I am a big fan, but no; that’s all you, pal. Anyway, I need my rest. I’ll see you tomorrow.

DARIUS: Sweet dreams…

AUGUSTUS: (Somewhat confused) Uhm… okay. Make sure you get some sleep (he leaves).

DARIUS: I will, eventually…  (Darius dozes off in a daydream sort of state; the song Wicked Game by Hula-Hifi, lingering in his mind).

Cut to – The Salvatore mansion. Damon and Bonnie’s room, around 3 am. Damon wakes up suddenly, sweating and breathing heavily. He turns to Bonnie, she’s not in the bed. He gets up, knocks on the bathroom door, no answer. He opens the door, she’s not inside. Vamps downstairs, finds her watching T.V in the family room.

 DAMON: Hey, Bon-Bon; what are you doing?

BONNIE: Couldn’t sleep, and I didn’t want to wake you, so…

DAMON: (Peeks to see what she is watching) Sunset Boulevard, love this movie.

BONNIE: Come, join me.

DAMON: (Vamps speeds to cuddle with her) You okay?

BONNIE: Fine, just a bad case of insomnia.

DAMON: Want some popcorn?

BONNIE: Is the answer ever no when it comes to that question?

DAMON: (Smirks, gets up) One order of large popcorn coming right up (gives her a peck on the lips, and vamps to the kitchen. Bonnie continues to watch the movie; at some point she begins to feel sleepy and dazed, almost immediately, she falls into a deep sleep).

 Cut to – 1950, Hollywood, California. The cast and crew, of what promises to be the next Oscar winning film, are getting ready for another day of shooting on set. The lead actress, a true Hollywood diva, is in her dressing room rehearsing some lines. The lead actor walks in the room, hands her a cup of coffee.

 KAT: Every day I tell you I hate that…

IAN: And every day I do it anyway.

KAT: Can you just get out, before I have security take you out.

IAN: Is that any way to treat your co-star?

KAT: The only reason you got this job is because your daddy is the head of the studio, you are a horrible actor.  

IAN: Kitty Kat, that hurts my feelings. Not everyone can sleep their way to the top, if you know what I mean… Shall we do the count? Joseph, Chris, Michael… Oh, and let’s not forget your recent one, my lovely brother, Paul… I told you, everyone knows about you two, or almost everyone… Aw, poor Candice! Anyway, you can drop the act now.

KAT: And, I told you, who I choose or don’t choose to sleep with, is none of your business, or hers. So, butt out.

IAN: You know, you are quite cute when you get mad (smirks).

KAT: I actually look cuter when I’m kicking someone’s ass; want to see?

IAN: (Wiggles is eyebrows) Ooh, you are on fire today!

Keep it up, maybe you will finally nail at least one scene. (The film director walks in). 

MATT: You two are up. And please, stop with the bickering, it’s getting very annoying. Be professional for Christ’s sake!  Come on, chop, chop! You are on in five (leaves).

KAT: How dare he speak to me that way! Does he know who I am?!

IAN: Apparently, he doesn’t care; ouch! (Hands her the coffee cup) Here, have some, looks like you are going to need it.  

KAT: Shut up… (grabs the cup reluctantly, and takes a sip. Another actress comes barging in, venting).

CANDICE: I swear if I have to do another scene with that incompetent fool, I’m quitting!

KAT: What did Chris do this time?

CANDICE: He can’t tell his left foot from his right one. How on earth did he get the part!

IAN: (Looking at Kat, teasing) Gees, I wonder how…

KAT: (Rolls her eyes, turns to Candice) Come on, he’s not that bad.

CANDICE: Please, you only say that because you slept with him. Not that I’m judging, he’s very hot, but he definitely can’t dance!

KAT: Well, he makes up for it in other areas (smirks)…

CANDICE: (Grins) Naughty, naughty… Anyway, where is Paul?!

IAN: Missing someone? Don’t worry, Blondie, he should be here soon, he’s just running late. Think you can handle a few minutes without him?

CANDICE: God, I hate you…

KAT: That makes two of us.

IAN: (Looking at Kat) You know there’s a fine line between love and hate (smirks).

KAT: In your dreams.

IAN: Every night, at least twice.

KAT: You are disgusting.

IAN: I know (winks. The Assistant Director walks in).  

STEVEN: Miss. Graham, Mr. Somerhalder, we are ready for you.

KAT: Let’s go.

Cut to – LAPD Headquarters. The Chief of Police is in his office, smoking a cigarette, looking at a photo of a victim who was found brutally murdered the night before. The victim, an aspiring actress who had just landed her first role, a minor part in a high-profile production.

This town… A concrete monument of decay. From the outside it might seem glamourous, with its movie stars and divas, but it’s nothing more than a sewer filled with rats. Nights reek of booze, gun powder, and flesh blood, masked with a cheap imitation of expensive perfume.

Days are no better. The only difference between the two is that during the day, it’s harder for the predators to hide, or so they think. In reality, the true gangsters hide at plain sight. They mock us, thinking they are always one step ahead, always above the law.

But not this time… not this time… (Caresses the victim’s photo, a tear scrolling down his cheek) My sweet Nina… who could have possibly done this to you? And why?

(The song “The Two Of Us” by Mark Isham, plays in the background, as the Detective has flashbacks of the woman and the horrendous murder scene; tears keep rolling down his cheeks).

Cut to – the film set. Kat and Ian are shooting one of their scenes.

 IAN: Don’t go with him… you belong here, with me.

KAT: Please, don’t say those words. You know I want nothing more, but I can’t stay… He is my husband.

IAN: And I am the man you love.

KAT: Always and forever; no matter how far.

IAN: (Kisses her passionately. As she begins to walk away and the rain begins to pour, he runs after her, turns her around) I’m sorry, but I won’t let you go (kisses her again, the song Godot - The Fragrance of Dark Coffee + Rainymood, starts to play. 

The raindrops continue to fall as they hold each other, probably for the last time…)

MATT: And, cut! Beautiful! Now that’s what I call cinema! We are making history people!

KAT: (Ian is still holding on to her). Didn’t you hear cut?!

IAN: No, must have bad hearing… (he smiles; she tries to resist, yet can’t help but smile herself).

MATT: Okay, everyone, let’s take 30 while we prep for the next scene.

KAT: (To Ian) Did you hear that? (Pushes him away) Now, shoo, skedaddle! (She walks away, he follows behind, teasing her).

STEVEN: Mr. Davis, there is a Detective here to see you.

MATT: What? Why?

STEVEN: I think it has something to do with that actress that didn’t show up on set today.

MATT: Which actress, Steven, there are plenty of them around here.

STEVEN: Nina.

MEET: Nina, who? Doesn’t ring a bell.

STEVE: She’s the actress that is playing Miss. Graham’s handmaiden.

MATT: Oh, yes, I think I remember. What about her?

STEVEN: I don’t know. Why don’t you talk to the Detective.

MATT: Fine. Send him my way.

ZACH: (Shows him his badge) Detective Zach Roerig, LAPD, can I ask you some questions?

MATT: Sure, just don’t take too long, we need to keep shooting while we still have the proper lighting.

ZACH: (Takes a picture of Nina out of his pocket and shows it to him) Do you know this woman?

MATT: Barely, she is just an extra with a very small part, we don’t interact. I only work with the stars, so my assistant might be able to give you more insight on her.

ZACH: I’ll talk to him, that’s for sure. But you are the one in charge of this production, correct?

MATT: I am the Director, so yes.

ZACH: Maybe you should pay more attention to your “not so important” cast members as well. Miss. Dobrev was found brutally murdered last night; just one block from here.

MATT: Oh, lord, that is terrible. What happened?

ZACH: Was I not clear? She was murdered, decapitated to be exact. And, we suspect the one responsible for this heinous crime, is part of this little film of yours.

MATT: That’s absurd! No one here would ever do such a thing!

ZACH: You’d be surprised what people are capable of, especially in a town like this. It ain’t all lights and glamour. This is an official investigation, so we are shutting this production down until we get some answers.

MATT: You can’t do that! We are on a schedule.

ZACH: Well, it looks like you’re going to have to make some changes. I need you to call in everyone in the cast and crew, and I mean everyone. No one leaves, until we clear them.

MATT: Do you have any idea who you’re talking to? I don’t take orders from anyone.

ZACH: You Hollywood types and your sense of entitlement. You are in for a reality check, no one is above the law. Here is a warrant to search the premises and question every single one of you. So, make yourself comfortable, we might be here for a while. I’ll need your office for questioning, while my squad processes the area. I take it you don’t mind. And, to prove I’m not all that bad, I’ll start with you. Lead the way.

Cut to – the Director’s office.

 SUSPECT # 1 – THE DIRECTOR

ZACH: For the record, state your full name.

MATT: Matthew W. Davis.

ZACH: How did you know the victim?

MATT: I told you, I didn’t. Apart from directing the few scenes she has been in, I have never talked to or interacted with her at all.

ZACH: What were your whereabouts last night, from 11pm to 2am?

MATT: I was here, filming. Went home around 3am.

ZACH: (Shows him a note that reads: You were great last night. Keep it up, and you might become a real movie star someday…). Do you know what this is?

MATT: (Looking nervous) Where did you find that?

ZACH: I’m the one that will be asking the questions. Is this your handwriting?

MATT: It is.

ZACH: Can you explain how, and why, this was found in the victim’s purse the night she was murdered?

MATT: I have no idea. That note wasn’t for her.

ZACH: Oh, really? Who was it for, then? And why do you reckon Miss. Dobrev had it with her?

MATT: I can’t tell you who it was for. And, I have absolutely no idea why that woman would have that note.

ZACH: Oh, come on, try harder.

MATT: This is ridiculous, I want my lawyer.

ZACH: You are in your right to request one, but that would only make you more suspicious. So, I would advise otherwise.

MATT: What do you want from me? I already told you everything I know.

ZACH: Who was the note for?

MATT: Okay, okay… it was for Candice.

ZACH: Doesn’t make much sense though, she’s already a movie star…

MATT: She is, but not a diva, like Miss. Graham. That’s what every woman in Hollywood wants. And I am the only one that can give that to them.

ZACH: That’s a lot of power to be in one man’s hands.

MATT: I worked hard for it, trust me.

ZACH: Sure you did… Okay, I’m gonna let you go for now, while we verify your alibi; but trust me, we will talk again.

MATT: Whatever. Can I leave?

ZACH: Yes, and send your assistant in.

SUSPECT # 2 – THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR

ZACH: For the record, state your full name.

STEVEN: Steven R. McQueen.

ZACH: How do you know Miss. Dobrev?

STEVEN: She is one of the actresses in the film.

ZACH: More like, was…

STEVEN: What?

ZACH: She was murdered last night, about a block from here. Know anything about that?

STEVEN: No, no, of course not. Oh, god, she’s dead?! This can’t be true… How, why?

ZACH: Well, that’s what I want to find out, pal. Think you can help me figure it out?

STEVEN: Whatever I can do to help, you can count on it. Miss. Dobrev was a lovely gal.

ZACH: Were you two close?

STEVEN: Not really. I met her when we started filming. We talked from time to time, but that was about it.

ZACH: Just talk, ha?

STEVEN: Yes, Detective, I swear.

ZACH: I believe you. Look, you seem like a decent guy. I’m sure, if anyone, you are the one that knows what really happens around this set. Help me out? Miss. Dobrev deserves some justice, don’t you think?

STEVEN: Of course. I will tell you everything I know.

ZACH: Good. Why don’t we start with Mr. Davis’s real relationship with the victim…

Cut to – Kat’s dressing room. Kat, Ian, Candice, Paul, and Chris are talking about the situation.

 CANDICE: With all due respect, but who is this Nina person?

KAT: She’s the actress playing my handmaiden.

CANDICE: Oh, her? Well, you can’t really refer to her as an actress, I mean...

CHRIS: She’s a nobody, so who cares.

PAUL: Judging from the Police take-over, something big is going on.  

CANDICE: Why do you care?

PAUL: I’m just saying, it doesn’t look good.

IAN: Well, I agree with Mr. slippery shoes and Cinderella, who cares! We should be shooting, don’t want to lose the good lighting.

KAT: Of course you wouldn’t dare to care about anyone but yourself….

IAN: Really, Kitty Kat? This coming from little Miss me, myself, and I. We all know who you are.

KAT: No you don’t, so stop pretending you do.

PAUL: (Sarcastically) Ouch, bro.

CHRIS: (To Kat and Ian, sounding quite bitter) Can you two stop bickering, for like a second! Gees, just get married already! So freaking obvious…

KAT: Please, he wishes!

IAN: I might like a little pain here and there, but I’m no masochist… unless you ask nicely, of course (winks; the Director walks in). Matt, can you please tell us what the hell is going on!

MATT: We’ve been shut down, until further notice. Oh, and no one can leave either, so make yourselves comfortable.

IAN: What! Why?!

MATT: Well, that wannabe actress playing Kat’s handmaiden was murdered last night. Ruined our entire schedule! The Police think one of us did it… ridiculous!

KAT: Wait, what!? She was murdered? No, no… that can’t be… Oh my god!

CHRIS: And I’ll say it again, why do we care? She is a nobody! Or was, whatever!

KAT: Don’t say that! You have no idea who she was…

CHRIS: Neither do you, Kitty Kat.

IAN: (Pushes Chris away from her)  First, no one calls her that, but me. Second, back off…

CHRIS: (Sarcastic smirk) Oh, please. Don’t you get it? She will never love you. Once she gets what she wants from you, she’ll throw you out like a piece of trash. So stop trying so hard.

IAN: (Grabs him by the neck) Listen, psycho boy…

PAUL: Stop, both of you. Is it too much to ask for you to act like adults, for once? We really don’t need your little pissing contest drama right now.

KAT: Nor any of this… Everyone get out, I need some space.

IAN: (Looking concerned) Kat...

KAT: I said, get out! All of you! (They leave).

Cut to – the Director’s office.

 ZACH: Thank you for your cooperation, this information is critical to our investigation.

STEVEN: (Looking scared) Please, Detective, promise me you won’t tell them you heard those things from me, I would be completely ruined.

ZACH: Don’t worry, your secrets are safe with me, trust me. Now, be a sport and send Miss. Accola my way, will you?

STEVEN: Will do, Detective.

ZACH: Thank you, we will talk again soon.

SUSPECT # 3 – THE ACTRESS

ZACH: For the record, state your full name.

CANDICE: (Flirtatious) Detective, you don’t believe I had anything to do with this, do you? I mean, look at me… do you really think I would be capable of such a thing?  

ZACH: Perhaps you didn’t hear me. I said, state your full name.

CANDICE: Fine… Candice Rene Accola. But I swear, Detective, I never even crossed a word with that woman.

ZACH: Funny, that’s not what I’ve heard…

CANDICE: From who? Whoever said that is obviously lying! I have a reputation to protect, I don’t mingle with the extras.

ZACH: Oh, I’m sure you don’t, but I wonder if you get jealous of them?

CANDICE: (Laughs) That’s absurd! Why on earth would I be jealous of her!? She’s a nobody.

ZACH: Maybe she had something you wanted…

CANDICE: What could she possibly have had that I don’t? If anything, she was the one jealous of me.

ZACH: I hear you are quite smitten with an ex of hers.

CANDICE: An ex? What are you talking about?

ZACH: Just cut the bullshit Miss. Accola. I know for a fact that Mr. Wesley and Miss. Dobrev where previously engaged, that is until you came into the picture…

CANDICE: (Nervously) Please, Detective, let me explain…

ZACH: Please, do.

CANDICE: It’s not what you think. I mean, yes, I knew they had a thing in the past, but that was a long time ago. They went to the same Highschool, in this godforsaken town in the middle of nowhere, or something along those lines. But, I swear, I never even spoke to her, nor did he, after that. No disrespect for the deceased, but she was weird, she didn’t belong in the same circle as us. There are levels, and she is, well, was, way below ours. If you are looking for a real suspect, I suggest you talk to Mr. Wood, I know there was something going on between those two.

ZACH: Really, why would you say that?

CANDICE: They are both whack jobs. They would get together after shooting; hang out at this weirdo trash bar down the block called “The Grill”, where all the other city looneys hang out. Trust me, they were into some really creepy stuff.

ZACH: What kind of creepy stuff?

CANDICE: Some obscure vampire nonsense. I’m telling you, totally cuckoo.

ZACH: Vampires?

CANDICE: Yes, I swear! If you ask me, I wouldn’t be surprised if Chris turned out to be one… I mean, if they were real, of course. Only a crazy person would believe those things.

ZACH: I agree. So, you are saying Miss. Dobrev had a dark side?

CANDICE: Oh, for sure! No one ever bought her little “Mary Sue” act.

ZACH: Well, that’s quite specific information for someone who claims not to know anything about her.

CANDICE: I’m just telling you what I’ve heard from others, specifically, from Mr. Wood.

ZACH: Okay, I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt on that, for the moment. Now, (hands her the same note he handed the Director) can you explain what this is about?

CANDICE: (Looking genuinely clueless) I have never seen that before, I promise.

ZACH: Fair enough. Moving on, what where your whereabouts last night, from 11pm to 2am?

CANDICE: I was here shooting, until about 3am, I think. I went straight home after that.

ZACH: 3 am? Doesn’t seem like a safe hour for a lady to be driving home alone…

CANDICE: Oh, of course not. I had my driver take me home.

ZACH: What’s your driver’s name?

CANDICE: Mr. Trevino, you can ask him if you don’t believe me. He’s right outside my dressing room.  

ZACH: No need, just yet. You are free to go, for now. Let Mr. Wood know I’m expecting him next.

CANDICE: Sure thing. (As she is walking out) Detective, one more thing… I probably shouldn’t say, since she is my best friend, but I feel obligated to mention this, it’s in my duty to do so. You should know Miss. Graham and Miss. Dobrev used to be very close friends, best friends actually. She doesn’t know I know that, but I do. In fact, Kat is the reason Nina got this job in the first place; and the reason why Nina moved from that Mystic place to LA. Just thought you should know… Hope it’s useful information (flirtatious smirk).  

ZACH: (Flirting back) Very useful, Miss. Accola; thank you for sharing.

Cut to –  Kat’s dressing room. She is looking at herself in the mirror; she seems somewhat sad, but a lot more worried. Ian knocks.

IAN: Kat, please, let me in… I’m sorry… (Kat opens the door, he walks inside, she looks around to make sure there is no one else there; shuts the door after him).

KAT: What do you want? I thought I made myself clear when I said I wanted to be left alone.

IAN: I needed to make sure you were okay (looks around the room) … I didn’t know you knew her outside of the film, I’m sorry if I was insensitive.

KAT: (Goes to her mini bar, serves and hands him a glass of bourbon) It’s just you and me, look for yourself. You can stop pretending now.

IAN: (Relieved) Okay, good… I don’t know how much longer I would be able to keep up with the act.

KAT: As long as it takes; we can’t risk them finding out.

IAN: I know, Kitty Kat, but I’m freaking out here! This place is infested with cops. What the hell are we going to do...?!

KAT: Calm down, we will think about that later… (kisses him passionately, and throws him on to her dressing room bed…)

*Not my art, loads of credit to the creator, this ilustration is awsome!  

TVD 9x15 (part 2) coming soon! Hope you stop by, read, and enjoy! =)

[gffa]

Would I be so very wrong to say a Jedi’s lightsaber is like a wizard’s wand? (“The lightsaber chooses the Jedi young Skywalker”) because I’m leaning that way in a fic but I don’t want it to come off as too outlandish... you’re the only person I could think to ask about this

Hello!  I think it’s not too outlandish, because we’ve seen that kyber crystals do seem to very much have a will of their own–not full on sentience, but something like it, as the Force moves through the crystals.There’s evidence in canon of the crystals making choices of their own–if a crystal isn’t meant to be found by someone, it appears as nothing more than ice to them.  If someone tries to corrupt it, whether a Force-user or a non-Force-sensitive trying to make a super laser out of it, the crystal will resist them.It doesn’t seem to be the sole will of the crystal, more a combination of the crystals being attuned to the Force and what the Force would like to happen, so I would say it’s more that the Force and the crystal choose the Jedi.Examples:

“A lightsaber is an extention of a Jedi’s Force awareness.  Becasue Jedi let the Force guide their selection of the crystal, the vibration the crystal creates in the lightsaber blade helps Jedi center themselves and find balance in the Force.” –Star Wars: Lightsabers - A Guide To Weapons of The Force by Pablo Hidalgo [x]

“Kyber crystals are clear.  They’re not like, oh, here’s a blue one.  I know that’s been in some games, but as George described it, that’s not how it works.  Because then anyone could have found them easily and they’re very difficult to find.  That’s why Ilum is an ice cave–you can’t tell the ice from the crystals if you’re an average person.  So there’s the Force kind of protecting itself as nature tends to from time to time.”  –Dave Filoni, “Ahsoka’s Untold Tales” panel 

“But it’s almost as if the crystals evade our attempts to investigate their properties on a quantum level. They flee from our efforts to analyze them with neutron activation, even plasma mass spectrometry.” –Catalyst by James Luceno [x]

“A more pressing problem involved controlling the crystals’ seemingly innate impulse to diffract power-treacherously and erratically. He trained his gaze on the crystal. Was it resisting him?” –Catalyst by James Luceno [x]  

Darth Vader tries to bleed a kyber crystal and it actively resists him, shoving a vision of the things he could be doing instead of walking this path.  –Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith #5 by Charles Soule [x]

“And [Rey] could feel the kyber crystal at the heart of the weapon seeking a resonance, trying to find harmoney where there was only dissonance.  Caught in their tug-of-war, the crystal seemed to keen in the Force, a wail that Rey could feel in her bones.” –The Last Jedi novelization by Jason Fry

“This crystal is attuned to the Force, and connected to a Jedi Knight on a deeply personal level. In this way, a lightsaber is an extension of a Jedi’s Force awareness. Because Jedi let the Force guide their selection of the crystal, the vibration that the crystal creates in the lightsaber blade helps Jedi center themselves and find balance in the Force. In this way, a Jedi can center his or her attention beyond the distractions of combat.” Kyber Crystal entry in the SW databank [x]

“Clear as ice and cold until they found the hands that waited for them, they added structure in an ordered way, one prism at a time. And while they grew, they waited. From time to time, someone would arrive and call to them, like the harmony of a perfect song. Each crystal had a chosen bearer, and only that bearer would hear the music and see the glow. All others would pass by, seeing nothing but more ice. There were larger crystals, visible to all but inert unless properly calibrated, and there were tiny ones, the size of a fingernail or smaller. Even the smallest could channel power and find a bearer. All they had to do was be patient and grow.” –Ahsoka by E.K. Johnston

When the younglings go to Ilum, Petro asks, “How will we know which crystal to pick?” and Ahsoka answers, “Only you can know which one is yours.” to show the audience that this is a sacred ceremony and that each one is chosen by a specific Jedi. –The Gathering, The Clone Wars

While the younglings do have to face some trials to reach their crystals, whether it’s a difficult place to physically get to and thus they have to concentrate on the Force to hear the song of their crystal, or they can see it, they just have to find a way to it, overcoming their fear of the treacherous way, or it’s in a vision that’s actively showing them something they’re afraid of to face and reach past, those crystals are uniquely meant for them.The crystal and the Force choose the Jedi, but you do have to face your fears to get there, too.  And you can’t just use technology to find it, you have to be calm, you have to be centered, you have to face those fears inside you and overcome them, in order to pass this test, to find your crystal, and take your next step to becoming a full Jedi.

”I can do this. I’m a Jedi. I’m one with the Force, and the Force will guide me.” –Ganodi sensing her crystal, The Gathering, The Clone Wars”Where is it? Come on, Zatt. You’re gonna have to trust yourself instead of relying on technology. You can do it. I can feel it. It’s close.” –Zatt, closing his eyes to focus on truly sensing/hearing his crystal, The Gathering, The Clone WarsThere’s a lot of wiggle room there, for what your fic needs, because the Force and the crystals are so deeply twined together that they probably couldn’t be entirely separated out, when it comes to determining which part of them wants the Jedi they chose.But it’s absolutely true that a crystal and the Force bring the Jedi to them that they are meant for, the Jedi hears the song of them, it’s only them who can see the crystal, and they are connected to that crystal so deeply that it becomes an extension of them, that it helps them stay balanced in the Force.

[galaxiesinadot]

Big Hero 6 Season 2

Okay, I just watched the City of Monsters: part 1 and 2, and I am still disappointed in the way the series is going. It feels wrong, like the creators don’t have a good grasp on any of the characters, their personalities, and their goals. It feels like they took one personality from each of the main 4 (everyone excluding Hiro and Baymax) and blew it up to an almost laughable proportion. I’m planning on explaining each of the main casts’ personalities and how they could further be developed in a later post.

Now, here are a few questions I have about the end of the City of Monsters’ arc:

What will happen to Diana?

She can’t just stay in jail and be forgotten about.

Will Liv pay for her crimes?

And before you ask, yes, she did commit a crime. She did not practice basic safety in experimentation, she made a clone (which is illegal, at least, in our universe), and she tried to blame all of what happened on something she made. I actually feel bad for Dia. She was made for a reason and was put into the world with no instructions but to save Liv, and yet she was arrested and degraded (by her own maker, no less) for doing that. I have a lot to say about how morals and justice are handled in this universe, but I won’t do it here. For now, I will say that Mel (the guy who made that invisible suit), High Voltage, and Dia should have been handled in a more just, fair, and empathetic way.

What will happen to Sycorax, and the news of what happened?

Duff Blunder simply saying, “I don’t know what happened,” does not cut it.

And lastly, where was the Karmi and Hiro relationship development?

This is going to be a bit longer. I want to first point out that I think it’s perfectly fine that a lot of people like her, and I fully support you all. However, even after seeing the finale, I couldn’t bring myself to like her. But this isn’t about exploring Karmi’s character, it’s about her relationship with Hiro. I see a lot of people saying they loved the way their development went, but I don’t see where that happened. To begin, the first time Hiro was introduced to Karmi was in:

“Issue 188”

As you all already know, she was two-faced; she only acted nice to Hiro when professor Granville was around. She frequently insulted Hiro which was mostly her saying that he wasn’t special, and that she wished he wasn’t there. I would understand this behavior if she was shown to be lacking of self-confidence or insecure, but we are shown multiple times that this wasn’t the case as she is shown to be knowledgeable and prideful (almost to an unpraiseworthy extent) of her skills and field. I would also understand this behavior if she was lacking in social skills but, again, this is not the case. We see her able to talk easily communicate with people and get along with them (i.e. Honey Lemon and Dia). Most of the things that explain her behavior (because she has no friends, she’s lonely, she was bullied before) are headcannons made by and that wouldn’t excuse her behavior. Her being young doesn’t excuse her either. Studies have shown infants able to tell right from wrong. So, all I can conclude from this is that she’s a bully.

This is fine; we’ve multiple redemption arcs of bullies who became friends with the protagonist. What really bothered me was that it was portrayed as okay, and that it was actually Hiro who needed to get over himself and make amends with Karmi. This was shown throughout this same episode with professor Granville forcing him to befriend her, and Gogo telling Hiro that he “took [Karmi’s] thing.”

I hate that they played this off as a rivalry. A rivalry has to be recognized by both parties, and it involves both people continuously rise above the other which, in turn, would cause each of those people to become a better version of themselves. This definition can not be used to explain Hiro and Karmi’s relationship. Karmi demeans Hiro until he finds a way to one-up her, and then she demeans him some more. No matter how nice he is to her, it isn’t returned (even in the latest episode, as I’ll explain).

“Failure mode”

They barely had any interaction in this episode, but it does support the fact that Karmi wants Hiro to fail as she is seen recording his project with a smile that disappears when he doesn’t fail. I know what you’re thinking, “Hiro took a picture of Karmi when she became upset about his project working.”

To this I say, “yes, he did, in retaliation, as were many of his actions throughout the series.”

“Small Hiro One”

Karmi is blatant in her criticism of Hiro. She insulted him when he couldn’t get in, and did so again when she found him with the little kids. Did Hiro insult her back? Nope. He apologized that she got kicked out.

It just angers me that she get away with this bullying with no consequences. It kind of feeds into that mentality that if a boy bullies a girl it’s wrong, but if a girl bullies a boy he just needs to suck it up and deal with it (which is what we see Hiro doing).

I’mnot going to document any more of these little interactions as they all went the same. Instead, I’ll just focus on those that are more major.

“Fanfriction”

This episode upset me the most. If someone was writing a fanfiction about how they love you, and want to kiss you, and be your partner, you would be as grossed out as Hiro. Hiro had every right to hate that fanfiction and show how uncomfortable it made him, but again, it was played off as something Hiro just needed to accept and Man-Up about. As Honey lemon put it, “she’s just having fun, Hiro. Why do you care so much?”

They all chalked it up to him being embarrassed about the crush, not that it was upsetting him and literally driving him mad. This happened all the way until the end of the episode where, when Hiro looked to them (grownups and friends) for help when Karmi hugged him, they urged him to reciprocate her feelings and give it a try.

“Big Problem”

I don’t even want to talk about this one. I hate that everyone just assumed he was jealous of Karmi when:

1.      She took his spotlight. This wouldn’t have upset me as much if it hadn’t been for the reason Hiro was so bent on impressing Dia. The only way to get Tadashi’s invention out there is to set up relations with big companies who are able to expand his connections. Hiro was trying to follow Tadashi’s wish of helping people. In later episodes, Karmi states that she knew and admired Tadashi. Why didn’t she show that here. This was a missed opportunity for relationship development.

2.      Dia completely dismissed Hiro’s invention and didn’t try to hear him out (anyone would be upset over this). It was even said that Dia came there for Hiro (yes, Baymax is indeed a work of combining biology and technology, hence “biotech.”)

3.      Karmi, yet again, degraded Hiro who was desperately trying to regain Dia’s interest.

None of Hiro’s friends have been sticking up for him and this bothers me severely.

“Internabout”

More of the same thing. Hiro is pushed by Karmi’s high and mighty attitude over getting something he didn’t, so he does something Tadashi wouldn’t be happy about. He goes to join Krei, a man who, as Callghan put it, “cut’s corners and ignored sound science.” This is still true of Krei even in the series. Obviously, it didn’t go well for Hiro. He was talked into a contract, degraded by Krei and, when she found out, Karmi.

His friends did not try to stop him.

“Prey Date”

Karmi is shown to be angry that Hiro was hanging around the labs, and she seemed embarrassed that she be seen with him. I know a lot of people voiced happiness when she asked about Hiro, and if he was safe, but like… I would have thought she was heartless along with being a bully if she hadn’t. It was a basic thing to do. After the events she saw Hiro again, but she didn’t ask him about anything that happened (which would have been a much neded development). Instead, you guessed it, Hiro asked her how everything turned out and even complemented her skills. Karmi, despite Hiro having helped her gain access the data she needed to cure the mutants, did not reciprocate.  

The episodes after this were mostly Karmi hitting (yes, hitting) and yelling at Hiro when he tried to tell her Dia was up to something. Karmi could have and should have started to trust Hiro more and believed him, especially after all their interactions thus far. This, again, was a missed opportunity.

“Nega-Globby”

Karmi insults Hiro right in front of Honey Lemon. All Honey Lemon says is that Hiro, “is actually a great person.”

No other interactions.

(Also, in a previous episode it was shown that Honey Lemon already knew the cure to Globby. Why did she need Karmi to help this time. It felt that she was forced into that situation.)

“Write Turn Here”

More of the same. Hiro is still irritated by Karmi’s obsession and everyone pretends that that’s fine and that Hiro should just brush it off (because it’s just a joke, a harmless nothing). Granville noticed Hiro’s discomfort and said nothing to Karmi. I understand that Hiro wanted to correct the falsities he was being presented by in Karmi’s fanfiction by writing his own story. It was spiteful of him, but reasonable, given the circumstances. I have seen a post in which someone said that you shouldn’t write something out of spite. In reality, that’s how a lot of great stories came to be.

City of Monsters: part 1 and 2

After everything I wrote here you can see why I would say this “friendship” seemed to suddenly appear out of nowhere. Hiro initiated this friendship, having to, like many time before, swallow his pride and ask if Karmi wanted any help and if she was willing to try being friends. This time, it worked. But right after that, Karmi still complains to Liv that Hiro is “usually the worst,” but countering this by basically only saying that he was useful.

After Karmi got mutated, it was Hiro who stated that he cared about her and stroked her ego by saying that she was smartest person he knew. It felt wrong and out of the blue. I think this scene would have played out much differently, and would have benefited their development, had Hiro been mutated and Karmi was the one to have saved him (so long as the other changes I mentioned were made as well.)

Then, after everything, Karmi just leaves. I understand that it was her parents’ doing, but she didn’t leave a message for him, try to text him, or get through to him by way of social media; this is especially wrong when you see how advanced their tech is. 

Karmi never said sorry to Hiro for how she treated him, nor did she even think that what she was doing was wrong. Those small smiles she gave to Hiro, and those few times she acknowledged his kindness to her do not count. The way she treated Hiro was unfair and, since she had no DIRECT consequences to her actions, it makes it seem like that treatment was okay and can be overlooked. I say direct as in she was not called out or reprimanded for what she had been doing to Hiro (being turned to a mutant does not count). Not a good message to be sending to the younger audiences of the show.

Sorry for this long post. Seeing their relationship being talked about in a positive light bothers me as someone who knows people like Karmi. Their bullies, and their actions aren’t justified because [input reason], nor should they be encouraged. 

@baymax-hiro-hearted  I hope you like this read! Their relationship bothered and I couldn’t understand why. So, here are my thoughts in a more organized and logical manner. 

[briangroth27]

Gemini Man Review

I thought Gemini Man was cool! Will Smith has no trouble leading the film in both of his roles, Mary Elizabeth Winstead is a solid co-lead, and the movie felt like a fun throwback to 90s-style action thrillers.

Full Spoilers…

Henry Brogan (Smith) is the world’s best hitman, but senses he’s losing both his touch and his soul, so he retires. I really liked that he was self-aware enough to feel his skills slipping and that he was becoming desensitized to killing people (even if he only killed villains). That was a great bit of introspection and willingness to act on it—particularly for a male action lead—rather than having someone else tell him he was losing his touch, leaving Brogan to insist (and probably prove) that he’s still got it. Having Brogan choose to quit to live a peaceful life before he becomes a true monster was a much better and more interesting path. 

Junior (Smith, Victor Hugo) was also a well-developed character and I liked that he wasn’t the cold, professional assassin villain the trailers made him out to be: he was on his way to that, but still wanted to prove himself to his “adoptive” father Clay Verris (Clive Owen) and still had time to change course. Smith did great at playing the angst, anger, confusion and sadness Junior went through, and saddling that character with the vast majority of those emotions was a risky move (given he was a digital character) that totally paid off thanks to Smith’s performance and the technology. The CGI was noticeable in the action scenes (Junior moves a little too jumpily) and in the final scene of the movie, but otherwise he was well done. I don’t think I’d mind it on rewatches. Having Henry's clone sent to kill him was a very cool thematic way to give the older Henry a chance to fix his past (if he can redeem his younger self), while Junior has a chance to erase his doubt (and thereby the doubt Henry feels about his past as well) if he can kill his older self. The movie does play a little fast and loose with how much a clone would really think and act like the original, but the emotional payoff was worth it so that didn't bother me at all. This was a neat way for Henry to heal himself of his past by helping his clone break out of his patterns so he could make connections instead of using his duty as an excuse to keep everyone at arm's length. I didn't fully buy that killing Verris would forever tarnish Junior's soul—it clearly wouldn't be his first kill—but perhaps it would be his first vengeance killing versus one he was hired to do. 

Dani (Winstead) was great as an agent caught up in the plot to assassinate Henry, holding her own throughout the film and forming a strong friendship with Henry despite a rocky start. I liked that the film took the time to give us an idea of what she wanted from her future (running the agency, and doing it more fairly than how it's being run in the present); it feels like a lot of action films don't even give a hint about what their leads want out of life were they not involved in death-defying action set pieces. I liked that while Henry wanted to quit to save his soul, Dani’s dream was running the agency so she could save its soul; that’s a nice parallel between them. Dani was cool and Winstead played off of both versions of Smith really well.

I also liked the friendship Henry had with Baron (Benedict Wong): they were fun together and Wong gave us some fun little character bits to flesh out his character. The script and actors did a good job of making all Henry's old contacts feel like longstanding relationships, both personal and professional. Also, even though he wasn't throwing out wisecracks like in his earlier action films, Smith had an easy chemistry with everyone; an invaluable asset to making these relationships feel established even if they're just starting or if we only see a few minutes of them. I could've stood to have Yuri (Ilia Volok) come back into play at some point towards the end, given his antagonistic relationship with Henry and his threat to have him killed at some point, but ultimately that would've been unnecessary and not as emotionally resonant as Henry facing off with Junior and Henry 3.0 (also Smith), who was Henry with all his pain (and his choice) removed. Henry 3.0 was all I needed to see of the super soldier program, and he was certainly imposing! He felt like a human Terminator and that was very cool.

Clive Owen was solid as the villain, attempting to grow perfect super soldier assassins under the guise of protecting normal soldiers from having to go into dangerous territory. Of course, by brainwashing Junior and completely "programming" Henry 3.0, he's really talking about using slaves to fight the country's wars. It’s not spelled out in the movie, but I don't think it's an accident he was a white man using black men as his weapons under the guise of “making them their best,” much like our military recruits people with slogans like "be all you can be" and promises educations and futures in exchange for service. Henry's old, white, male handler (Ralph Brown) also cooperates with the system against Henry and manipulates him into killing a good man, which I'm also sure was not accidental casting. Henry's attempt to save Junior from making the same mistakes he did gave him a chance to save himself (in a way) from being used by the system all over again, breaking that cycle. I did think it felt more obvious why Henry was being targeted by the system than the characters thought it was—he learned that they'd lied about who his target really was—rather than him believing the agency needed to kill him just because Junior was in the world. It didn't bother me though and it played into Junior's arc to have him trying to eliminate the version of himself that had doubts very well.

The action scenes were very cool! I loved the inventive use of the motorcycle and the incorporation of Junior's parkour into the fights. The fights and shootouts really sold the fact that only Junior and Henry 3.0 could get results that the rest of the agency couldn't when facing Henry and Dani. I thought it was interesting that they didn't show anyone's deaths onscreen (nameless goons aside) until Henry 3.0 died (and Smith completely sold that in all three roles). I don't know what they might be saying with that choice: it could just be to build suspense (like whether or not Henry makes his movie-opening kill) or stylistic choices (like on the boat), but it felt like a deliberate choice that differentiated it from other action films. Perhaps Henry 3.0 dying is symbolic of the end of Junior’s ties to the agency and Verris, particularly as it leads to Henry killing Verris so Junior won’t have to, also resolving his doubts, so Ang Lee felt that one should be given more weight by showing it onscreen.

The inventive action scenes aside, this felt like a 90s action thriller and I loved that throwback feel. Lee directed clean and clear shots—even for the action scenes—which was a nice change of pace from today's oversaturated or simply too-dark-to-see styles. I also liked all the vibrant colors in the settings on display here. The pacing was brisk and the actors took what they were given to craft a compelling character study. I’ve heard complaints about the writing quality, but I didn’t think it was bad at all. Maybe Junior could’ve had punchier dialogue—something recalling Smith’s 90s action heroes—to further differentiate them and display Henry’s growth since his older self didn’t have that humor. Regardless, it was also cool that this was a standalone film. 

Gemini Man didn’t get many glowing reviews, but I thought it was definitely worth the watch and I had a good time! I'll be picking it up on blu-ray. Check it out!

Check out more of my reviews, opinions, and original short stories here!  

[tallulahchanel]

“The Rose of Wakanda” Chapter 1

Summary: Wavuka "Rose" Esihle has lived at the Wakandan Palace since she was eight years old when her father took a job as a servant. He fell ill ten years later, and she took over for him and has since served the royal family faithfully. After a month-long leave of absence, Rose is returning to the palace and tries to get back to her life. Unfortunately, that is proving harder than she expected. Will she handle it or crack under pressure?

Author’s Note: The Xhosa words may not be accurate due to using Google Translate. I do apologize if anyone is offended by this. Also, Xhosa translations are at the end of the chapters.

October 17, 2016

13:40

My sleeping chambers

Dear Diary,

I don’t know why I'm doing this, but since T'Challa insisted on me having this feature on my kimoyo bead, I guess there's no harm in trying it.

My name is Wavuka Esihle, but everyone refers to me as Rose. I've worked as a servant in the Wakandan Palace since I was eighteen, but I’ve lived here years prior. My father had taken a job as a servant where he served honorably until he fell terminally ill. I had to balance working at the palace and taking care of him until he died.

Today I returned to Wakanda from...let's just call it a "vacation" (for now at least). The journey in the aircraft felt like the longest ride of my life, probably due to the nerves of returning home. I sat in the passenger area behind the cockpit while Okoye navigated the machine, while Weza—a sixteen-year-old palace servant—tried futilely to make my naturally coily hair, which hadn't been combed since my departure from Wakanda, look presentable. Why she didn't just bring a scarf for me to wrap my hair in, I'll never know.

"Sister Rose," Okoye called out to me, "we are home."

Rising from the bench I was sitting, I moved to the cockpit and stood to the left of Okoye to see the majestic mountains and rainforests. I don't always get the pleasure of seeing the scenery from outside of the palace, so I took it in, mentally photographing its beauty. We eventually came to the forcefield that hid behind the illusion of a mountain range. T'Challa has always told me how great it is when the aircraft flies into the forcefield, revealing the loveliness and technological advances that was the true Wakanda.

Okoye flew the jet to the palace where King T'Challa, and his sister Shuri, were waiting with smiles on their faces. The ramp lowered and I departed the ship, Okoye and Weza following behind me. The first thing I noticed was T'Challa chuckling as if he saw something funny, and I was pretty sure it involved my hair. Granted, I hadn't been able to see it, but his demeanor told me that it wasn't the best looking.

"Welcome home, Rose," Shuri greeted me as she came over to give me a hug. "You're looking...healthy."

I chuckled and hugged her back. I missed her wit.

"I'm glad to be home. How has the palace been running without me?"

"Complete chaos, if you ask me."

"Especially with her and Weza trying to cook," T'Challa chimed in with a chuckle.

"At least I tried," Shuri told him with a pout. “It would've been perfect had you allowed me to use technology instead of hard labor.”

"There's nothing wrong with hard labor, little sister," I heard T'Challa say as they followed me through the palace doors.

"Well, I'm here now," I said to break up the brewing debate between the siblings. "So, I'll get started on supper once I have a long, hot bath and take a nap."

I stopped at a decorative mirror in the corridor and got a glimpse of my wild curls in fits of tangles, which was going to take hours to comb. Weza had tried getting rid of the tangles with her fingers, but it didn't do much good.

"Skip the nap, I need to do something about this hair." I took another look in the mirror. "Supper may be a little late."

"No need to worry about that, Rose," T'Challa said as he came behind me and placed his hands on my shoulders. "I will have someone...that is not these two," he added when he saw the two teens perk up, "cook supper. In the meantime, you are off-duty until further notice."

I giggled at Weza and Shuri’s frowns before smiling at T’Challa’s reflection. “Well, if you think I need the time off, I'll take it.”

“And maybe the time off will allow you to do other things,” Shuri said with a knowing smirk on her lips.

“She is not going to be a guinea pig for one of your experiments,” T’Challa told her, releasing my shoulders, while I chuckled.

“Trust me, I learned my lesson with the cloning fiasco.”

“Actually,” Shuri interjected, “I think I figured out a way to make it work. I just need-"

“Absolutely not!” T’Challa sternly interrupted her.

“Ku bulala,” Shuri mumbled under her breath, emitting giggles from Weza and I. “Well, if you’ll excuse me, I'm going to check on the ingcuka.” She gave me one more hug, whispered that it was great to have me home again, and walked away.

“I guess that's my queue to do my chores for the day,” Weza said before giving me a hug and inching further into the corridor.

“Weza,” T’Challa’s voice pulled her back, and she turned on her heel. “Do your chores yourself.”

She gave him a thumbs up before disappearing, leaving me and T’Challa alone.

“What was that about?” I asked curiously as we began walking towards my chambers.

“Weza learned an excellent addition to her gifts that she has been using to get the other servants to do her chores for her.”

“Mind control?" I received a nod in response. "But that's dangerous."

“Only if used for malicious purposes. That is why I’m teaching her how to use it properly.”

“That’s good,” I told him with a proud look on my face.

Weza was born with the gifts of telepathy and telekinesis. When she came into her gifts at age six, her parents, who didn’t know where else to turn, asked King T’Chaka for help because she couldn’t control them. By his insistence, the parents gave Weza over to the royal family where she would be trained to control her gifts, and has lived at the palace since. Last year, Weza decided to show gratitude to the family by working as a servant under my guidance, even though they deemed it unnecessary because she was like family. I found it annoying at first, because Weza would follow me around like a lost puppy so she could learn from me, but she eventually grew on me and became the little sister I always wanted

We made it to my chambers. I turned the knob to the double doors, and before I could get the doors open, something raced out of my room and ducked between my legs. As it began to lift me, I instinctively clenched my legs around it to maintain my balance while it moved around the room fast and uncontrolled.

“WOAH! EASY!” I pleaded with it.

It came to a screeching halt, and the momentum forced my legs to lose their grip, causing me to fly towards my queen-sized bed and land with my back to the mattress—leaving my arms and legs sprawled, and my head hanging off the edge. Releasing a groan, I realized I was fine, but my relief was short-lived when a wet substance rubbed against my face.

“Ugh! LEO!” I mustered enough strength to push the licking tiger off me.

Leo backed off me before jumping on the bed. He tried to smother me with kisses again, but I was able to avoid it by rolling off the bed and onto the marble floor, brushing myself off once I got to my feet.

T’Challa’s laugh cut through the tension of the room, and I sent a glare towards him.

“I’m glad you find that funny.”

“I find it quite amusing,” he replied, receiving another glare from me. “Oh give him a break. He missed you.”

I rolled my eyes, but petted Leo’s head nonetheless.

Sixteen years ago, T’Challa and I found a mother tiger who had been killed by hunters. She had just given birth to a newborn cub that couldn’t fend for himself. With some convincing, T’Challa allowed me to take the poor thing back to the palace, where I took good care of him and raised him. I named him Leo, and he has grown into my furry best friend.

“I missed you too Leo," I told him while rubbing his ears. He leaned in to lick my face some more, but I kept him at bay while releasing a giggle. "Hey, now! That's enough of that."

“Rose,” T’Challa addressed me as he walked towards my nightstand. He opened the top drawer and pulled out my Kimoyo Beads.

My face lit up upon seeing them. I couldn’t take them with me—not until the world is accustomed to the idea of Wakandan technology—so I missed having them. Plus, I needed them to get in contact with my fiancé, Dakarai.

“Thank you,” I told T’Challa as he placed the beads on my wrist.

“There’s something I want to show you.” He tapped on the bracelet and summoned a feature I’ve never seen before.

“What is this?” I asked him curiously when I saw a blank document with a holographic keyboard.

“It’s a diary,” he answered simply with a chuckle. When he saw my brows furrow, he further explained. “I asked Shuri to include this feature so that you can write down your thoughts if you feel that you cannot express them.” He then proceeded to show me the other features: password encryption, unlimited storage, etc. “And if you want to go old school,” he typed in a code and the computerized document turned into a holographic, leather-bound notebook and pen, “it will still save in your database.”

“You really did this for me?" I asked, shocked by his generosity.

“Of course. Rose, you’re one of my best friends. I just want to make life as easy for you as possible. I know that sometimes it’s hard for you to talk about things, so I thought this way you could express yourself without having to talk about it.”

I fought back tears as I wrapped my arms around his neck and thanked him in our native language, “Enkosi.”

“Wamkelekile.”

We pulled away after a while and gave each other friendly smiles.

“Now,” T’Challa spoke up, “I have a meeting with the council in forty-five minutes. You, my dear, need to rest and relax. Don’t worry, I’ll get a couple of servants to do something about that hair.”

I shot him yet another glare, but he only chuckled in response while walking towards the door.

“T’Challa,” I called him back.

He turned on his sandal-clad heels. “Yes, Rose?”

“Can you show me how to change the password so that only I can have access to the diary?” I arched an eyebrow, and he knew I was referring to his knack for being nosey.

“Of course,” he replied while flashing that charming smile that made all the girls in the kingdom fawn all over him.

After showing me how to change the password, he left my chambers, leaving me with my thoughts.

Now, I’m here, trying this new feature. So far I have to say that I’m liking it, and just might get used to it.

~~~

Translations

ku bulala – killjoy

ingcuka – white wolf

Enkosi – Thank you

Wamkelekile – You’re Welcome

[imagine-loki]

Irked

Title: Irked

Author lokilover9 Chapter 8

Warning: Teen

Original Imagine: Imagine due to having highly effective telekinesis, Tony Stark seeks you out and hires you. Loki’s been forced to live there by Odin and help on missions when needed, making penance to Midgardians. Prior to moving into the Tower, you learn of his superior and arrogant attitude and upon being introduced, immediately dislike him. Particularly because he looks at you like your his next meal.

Tony had been collaborating with Phil and several others for almost three weeks when requesting Loki, Shandi, Natasha and Clint for a meeting in the main staff room. All sat clueless as to why when he and Thor entered.

“Good morning everyone, I’ll get right down to business. I’m sure you’re all familiar with an old ‘acquaintance’ or preferably an ‘asswhole’ I once knew named Obadiah Stane?” They nodded and he continued. “It would appear said asswhole sold one, or possibly more copies of the technology for my Sonic Tasers while alive.”

Shandi seemed unsure of what he was referring to so Loki spoke up. “It’s a weapon that incapacitates one by exposing them to a specific sonic frequency.”

Everyone stared at him with raised brows, including Tony. “I’m impressed Cactus.”

Loki responded matter of factly. “It’s wise, to one’s best ability, to be educated on the weapons of our enemies. Is it not?”

Tony’s brows furrowed and Loki rolled his eyes.

“I mean when we were as such? To remain prepared for war, we were taught as Asier princes to learn what we could of the arsenals of other realms.” He looked to Thor. “Correct?”

Thor nodded. “That is true.”

“Fine.” Said Tony. “On a forward note, an investigation of the criminals from the last bank robbery Cactus halted, lead to the investigation of a particular street gang. The leader’s home was eventually searched and twenty prototypes of my Tasers were found hidden in a ‘secret’ sub room off this idiots basement, amongst several other illegal weapons.”

“Shit.” Said Clint.

“It gets worse.” Said Tony. “He wouldn’t talk and when questioning his counterparts, we discovered one was not only seventeen, but an illegal immigrant whose mother and younger sister are too. After a year of living in here squalor, he was befriended by another member and offered a job. Desperate, the kid took it.”

“Oh no.” Said Nat. “Tell me S.H.I.E.L.D didn’t?”

Tony shook his head. “No, he was terrified and wouldn’t talk either. With no proof he’d committed any crimes, I convinced S.H.I.E.L.D to let him go and agreed to ‘keep an eye on him?’”

Nat smiled and nodded, suspecting what he’d done. “Details?”

“Later Toots, I’m short on time.”

“Carry on then.”

“So yeah. This kid had overheard some conversations amongst his so called peers and after ‘pressuring’ these bastards and S.H.I.E.L.D doing some further investigating, it was discovered these prototypes may be connected to a ‘Mr. Shamus O'Donnell’ of the O’Donnells of New Jersey.”

Clint sat back in his chair. “You’re shittin’ me.”

Tony shook his head. “I’m afraid not my friend.”

“Who is this person?” Asked Shandi.

“He’s a Federal Court Judge Doll.”

“His father was a Supreme Court Judge.” Said Clint.

“Yep. Shamus Sr. was found shot to death on a country road with his mistress in the late seventies and the murder was never solved. It was rumored shortly after he had links to organized crime, but nothing was ever proven.”

“Were he and Obadiah connected in any way?” Asked Nat.

“Good question. Out of concern for my company, I did some investigating into Stanes financial activities after his death. He sat in on four high stakes poker games in Vegas and L.A. two years prior and on a hunch, I recently obtained a guest list from his hotels. Shamus was there on three out of the four occasions. A coinkidink, don’t ya think?”

“I’ll say. So now what?”

“Shamus resides in the Palisades. As it turns out, I’ve a friend who owns a house there he rarely uses.” He looked to Loki and Shandi. “You two are now Mr. and Mrs. Clifford and Elizabeth Bradshaw, who will be renting the place until searching for your own home after your baby is born.” Then he turned to Nat and Clint. “And you two are Gustav and Ella Shriner, a retired couple in their fifties, who will be renting a nearby cottage for the summer.”

Shandi cleared her throat. “Might I ask something Tony?”

“Sure.”

“Is the mission actually expected to take that long?”

“Hopefully not Doll, but the house is high atop a hill. When you need a break from Loki, you can shove him off the balcony that overlooks the woods and watch him roll down.”

She pursed her lips in a smirk. “I was just curious.”

Loki rolled his eyes then snickered at Clint and Nat. “He he. You two have to wear troublesome disguises.”

“Seriously?” Said Tony. “Let discuss yours.” What he said next wasn’t spoken rudely, just firmly and to the point. “Out of concern for trust issues I still have with you, I sent big brother here to visit dear old dad and learned something very interesting. As a result, he’s now put Heimdall on higher alert. If you even ‘attempt’ to use ‘any’ kind of trickery to slip through my fingers, or intentionally screw up this mission, you’re back in Asgard. Is that clear?”

Not once did Loki look away from him and responded with no rudeness, or sarcasm in his tone. “I understand completely, but what did you learn?”

They’re eyes remained locked while Tony attempted to read any disdain within Lokis. “I’ll get back to that. Let’s finish with O’Donell first.” He re addressed everyone. “We’ve learned Shamus is quite the snob and very choosy of his friends. Only a select few are ever invited to his house and it’s rumored many have desired to be on that list.”

“Why?” Asked Shandi.

“He and his wife are the pillars of their community. To be accepted by him means you’re ‘special’ and could gain you prestige amongst others like them.”

“Oh brother.” Said Nat. “Time to polish your sharp wit Loki.”

“Apparently so.” He replied. “And thank you for the compliment.”

“It’s not only sharp wit you’ll need to hopefully earn a step through his door.” Said Thor. “Shamus is quite the intellect and is known to choose his peers based on theirs. We know of some hobbies he enjoys and learning what you can of them could be good conversation openers.”

“If this man is so snobby, how will I get chance to interact with him?”

“Through the wife.” Said Tony. “Alice is said to be much friendlier and adores children, especially babies.” He looked at Shandi. “Which is where you come in. We’re hoping your pregnancy will spark a friendship, eventually earning you both a step through the door.”

“He must be ‘very’ snobby if that’s our only hope. How did you learn all of this so fast?” She asked.

“S.H.I.E.L.D found some previous maids who were willing to reveal what they’d learned of the couple. They’ve no clue why the information was requested, but were pissed they couldn’t tell us more. Not only does Shamus rule the household, but he’s very secretive and very sneaky. Each claimed he sexually harassed them, yet were too afraid to report it.”

“Sounds like a real peach.” Said Shandi. “So how will I get a chance to interact with Alice?”

“It’s a tight knit community Doll and she’s very curious of newcomers. You and Loki will need to be seen amidst it every day prior to the county fair, so she can learn of your existence. Her closest friend owns a maternity store in town and after the grocery store on your first day, this should be your next stop. That’s when you four meet for the first time and Nat will strike up a conversation. I’ll explain more later, but what’s to happen during this encounter is ‘extremely’ important because of your empathy bellies.”

“When’s the county fair?”

“In two weeks.”

Loki was grinning inside like a Cheshire Cat, yet hid it extremely well.

“Alice and her friends are famous for their baked goods there.” Tony continued. “Hopefully, you can strike up a conversation with her and get the ball rolling. Without any definitive proof against Shamus, you and Loki are our only hope of getting this done quickly without anyone knowing we were involved. Legally, it could be disastrous.”

After Tony explained all the remaining details, everyone watched with curiosity as he presented a magazine before Loki. “And now back to what I’ve learned about you.”

“Designer Suits 2017. What’s this for?” He asked.

“Father was uncertain if Tony knew of your shape shifting abilities and I was told to inform him.” Said Thor.

Loki remained silent as everyone’s mouths fell open.

“Holy fuck.” Said Clint. “And I thought the clones were clever.”

Shandi still hadn’t completely processed either of the God’s natural abilities, including Lokis clones, so this really had her baffled. “P..pardon? How can one..I mean…”

Nat slid a hand over her forearm and she went quiet.

“Hence Heimdalls thicker glasses Doll.” Said Tony. He looked back at Loki and gestured towards the magazine. “Now pick a model likenes please?”

Loki gandered through it and chose a man with wavy Raven hair that was cut just below the ears. His lips were a little fuller, face a little rounder, body a tad more muscular, but his skin tone and height were the same. “May I at least keep my own eye color?” He asked.

Tony crossed his arms. “Let’s make a deal, shall we? As I’m so familiar with how annoying you can often be, promise you’ll refrain from being so to your new ‘wife’ and you may keep your shiny emeralds. If not, I’ll come toss you over that balcony myself.”

“What makes you think I annoy her now?”

“Oh I don’t know.” Said Tony. “Her abrupt concern for the missions length maybe?”

“Let him keep them.” Said Shandi. “Even if he becomes so, he’s nothing I can’t handle.” Everyone cackled when the front legs of Lokis chair hastily lifted from the floor, tilting him backwards and his limbs slightly flailed. She stared at him while still addressing Tony. “See? It’s all good.”

‘Very amusing darling.’ Loki Thought. ‘I do love a challenge.’

Tony replied with a smirk. “Okay then. All of you need to come to S.H.I.E.L.D for ID photos.” He handed everyone but Loki a duffle bag. “You’re dismissed Cactus until everyone’s ready. Can you stay behind a minute Shandi?”

Loki was the last one out and purposely left the door open. “Thank you God of annoyance!” Tony shouted.

“You’re welcome Tin Lips! Kisses!”

Tony got up and closed it. “Blech, where’s Caps shield when I need it. Nice move with the chair by the way.”

Shandi chuckled. “Thanks.”

“You are aware this is Lokis first mission, right?”

“Yes.”

Are you ‘sure’ you don’t mind working with him? He may be an arse of sorts and I can switch you with up with Nat.”

“He might be dead before the fair then.”

Tony thought about that for a minute. “True, good point.”

She chuckled at him again. “I’m okay with it, honest.”

“Alright then Doll, I just wanted to make sure.” He headed for the door. “Nat will show you how to properly apply your wig, contacts and makeup. She’s probably already at your door.”

He opened it and Nat was staring at him.

“Or she’s stalking me outside mine.”

“You’ve set that kid and his family up haven’t you.”

The three began walking together.

“Right, details.” He shrugged his shoulders. “Last I heard, they disappeared.”

“Uh huh. Suuure they did Tony.”

“Honest. For all I know, they could be in another state, starting whole new lives..with brand new identities.”

Both women smiled and Nat nudged him with her elbow. “I always knew the Tin Man had a heart.”

“Yeah well, don’t be spreading that around as I’ve a reputation to keep up. Genius, billionaire, playboy..infamous hard ass. You know the drill.”

Nats brows rose. “Playboy? Does Pepper know this is still a hobby?”

“Yeah boss.” Said Shandi. “What up with that?”

“You ladies aren’t going to snitch on me are you?”

They spoke in unison. “We are.”

Tony shrugged his shoulders. “Okay. We can always pretend I never said that, right?”

They spoke in unison again. “Good idea boss.”

Tony stared at them as they walked away. “That was weird.”

[oveliagirlhaditright]

The Angel

I wrote this for Christmas, but didn't get it up in time. A Dark Angel fanfic based on "It's a Wonderful Life", where Logan is essentially George Bailey.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/29410614

Logan’s PoV

The couple’s original plan—after Logan and Max had went and finally found Max’s mother—was to go to L.A. and meet Max’s old mentor, Moody, as they were both done with the dreariness of Seattle for a lifetime.

But of course… with Logan being Logan, he found himself getting into Eyes Only shenanigans once again. And sometimes he would look over his shoulder and back at Max, and hate how he was disappointing her by doing this.

But the love of Logan’s life seemed to take it all in stride; maybe because she’d realized long ago that helping people was what she did best, too.

"We’ll just go another time, Logan," Max agreed with her husband, as she slipped into her catsuit for the mission tonight. And if Logan hadn’t been checking to make sure he had all of the security cameras down for this venture, he probably would have been staring. "But before we hit L.A., we have to stop this pope from being assassinated. He seems like he actually has a plan for saving this shitty world post-Pulse, and the last thing we need is for this to go down the way it did last time: when Zack's clone murdered that religious leader, who promised the same thing."

"Thank you, Max," Logan answered back, as he paused for a moment to hold Max’s hand in his own and then kiss it reverently. Behind Max, the sun was just beginning to come out; and Logan thought the way that it lit her up as if she was the sun herself, was very telling. "We might finally get to see some good in this world again... And I'll be right there to help you. I mean, I just bought a sniper rifle that I want to use, if I-Tech gets too trigger happy themselves. And I know Alec, Joshua, Jondy, and even OC will also have your back. Once this is taken care of, we'll move to L.A. and never come return."

And have Max's back, they did: something Logan would forever be indebted to his friends for. And the whole mission went off without a hitch...

But Logan and Max still didn't get to go to L.A. to meet Moody, because their actions—despite Logan’s best efforts—still wound up on the news. And while most of the country was warming up to the transgenics, California found it within themselves to warn everyone that the mayor of Terminal City, Max, was banned from visiting California, unless they wanted them to send their police to Terminal City and execute everyone they saw there.

And thus, the pair had to stay in rainy Seattle just a bit longer… but it was partly for another reason, too.

…

It actually took the two geniuses some time to realize it when Max became pregnant. They'd been being careful—and though they eventually wanted children, they hadn’t thought they were ready for it quite yet—as there were still the questions of if there could be issues in having a half-X5/half-human child. But by the time Max had thrown up the fiftieth time, the two could no longer deny what must have been happening with her body.

So, they had all the appropriate conversations, started having doctors’ appointments, and decorating for the upcoming infant: the whole nine yards. And one night, when Logan and Max were lying in bed together after Max had had a particularly trying day, Max whispered a secret to Logan: “I don't think I want our kid to be born in this rainy, depressing city. I know a lot of the world has now joined Cali’s claim, and say they'll kill me on sight if they see me, but I can take them."

And that got a laugh out of Logan, as he brought Max and their little girl closer into their embrace, even if the reason for it was certainly a sobering thought.

Truthfully? Even though Logan had always suspected that Max would feel this way if and when she became pregnant, he'd still somehow prayed differently (even though he felt the same, really. Seattle had as many bad memories as it did good ones). It was just as much as Logan would tell himself he was ready to leave it, he did still have work here. And perhaps he at least wanted to get some more of it done before they really made the jump.

Logan started to say Max’s name, to try and explain this all to her, but she stopped him with a hand placed atop his chest. "Don't get me wrong, Logan. Seattle will always my home. And I'll if course miss OC, and come back and visit her and the crew twenty-four/seven. But don't you think it's time?"

And it was, wasn’t it? Logan had dedicated his heart to Seattle, but did he really want to give his soul, too? Shouldn’t he have been done using Eyes Only as a way to hide and not deal with the less ideal parts of his life? And if that was the case… shouldn’t he have given his dear bride exactly what he wanted? Especially since she had sacrificed so much at such a young age?

"I understand, Max," Logan finally agreed, as he ran his hand through locks of her hair that were curling because of the rare humidity outside. And how he adored that they were. "So, we'll figure something else and raise our child elsewhere. I mean, we certainly want our daughter to get so much-need Vitamin D… ? Damn. This is crazy to think about... but I'm glad it’s finally happening."

This time, it was Max's turn to giggle as she sat up so she could see Logan’s face better. "…It's hard to believe we're finally going to be parents. I always wanted to be one, probably ‘cause of the genes, but for the longest time I thought it would be an impossibility for me, with my insane little life. This is a miracle, Logan. So, let's treat it as a miracle."

And though the two of them definitely intended to do just that… their dream wasn’t meant to be. And something would happen then, that would make them need to stay in Seattle like never before.

…

With how many times Logan had thought the terrorists’ plan to wipe out America’s technology with an electromagnetic pulse was evilly clever… he was honestly shocked that he’d never considered that releasing a pandemic could have had the same near effect, in reducing the place to a third world country. And wouldn’t you know, that just when the U.S.A. was finally starting to get on its feet again, that’s what would happen.

News of the pandemic—though at first wasn’t called that—was slow going. But eventually they realized that’s what it was, and that the WHO wouldn’t let them go anywhere because of it. And when that happened, the first ridiculous thought that entered Logan’s mind was that they weren’t going to be able to find a way to sneak into L.A. with Saia, after all. And he wondered if that was where Max’s mind had taken her, too.

"Do you think this whole thing is really an accident, as they’re saying? …Or was it engineered in a lab for warfare?” Max asked Logan, as she carefully made a baby-led-weaning dish for their newborn. And it was clear by the tone of her voice when she’d said the last words, just which option she thought was true. But as someone who’d been raised to be a genetically engineered killing machine, Logan certainly understood why Max would assume the worst of humanity.

"Honestly, Max? ...I don't know if I care if it was. Eyes Only is playing it safe this time and not getting involved with whoever might have done this... so he can keep his darling wife and daughter safe."

After Logan had said that, Max had apparently decided to not try strawberries with Saia again, after all. The general rule of thumb with infants seemed to be to actually try and introduce foods to them—because they’d have less a chance of being allergic to it when they got older—and if they were maybe allergic to something the first time, to try it again. Max had been debating back and forth on whether she wanted to give Saia strawberries again after her first allergic reaction. And somehow Logan having thrown her off must have made her decide not to.

“…Logan, that’s not like you at all. You can’t just leave this alone. There are bigger fish to fry here,” Max protested.

And suddenly, Logan was standing up—using his exo-skeleton for the one time he would allow himself to do so a day, since it was on its last legs—and embracing his wife. And Saia must have thought it was sweet or funny, because she cooed at it, which made both parents smile for a half-second. “I can and I will leave it alone, Max,” Logan said, moving a strand of curly hair out of the transgenic’s face and kissing her forehead. “You and Saia are too important for me to do anything different. And consider this me making up for times before, where I should have put you before Eyes Only and didn’t.”

And though Max was most definitely a saint these days—even more than he was now, Logan thought, if she wanted to investigate this and he didn’t—his saying this did seem to make her happy. She laughed ever so slightly, as she leaned closer to Logan so he could even kiss her lips. And she then said, “Yes, putting family first it how it should be, Mr. King of Seattle. Want to shield Saia and me first, if it comes down to it. But also don’t forget who you are.”

And while Logan was mostly pleased with how that conversation had gone—and it led to him and Max sitting on the couch, where Logan dipped Saia upside down a few times (being careful to hold her head as he did so) and making her laugh—but in the back of his mind, he couldn’t help worrying that Max might look into the pandemic behind his back, and get herself into trouble.

But that was ludicrous, because he could trust Max. Right? And would she really risk Saia like that? Logan couldn’t imagine it.

So, they put Saia to bed, and then Logan and Max fell asleep on the couch. And he dreamed of a world where their child could be human, X6, or a little of both—whatever she wanted to be—and free.

But of course, Logan’s worst fear came true in the end. Max couldn’t leave well enough alone, and she found out that I-Tech—Beka, rather—had been behind the whole pandemic, and swiftly became catatonic because of it.

…

"Max, it isn't your fault," Logan tried to tell Max for what felt like the millionth time, whilst she rattled off even more numbers that she thought had died because of her.

"Beka is your twin, yes, but she isn't you. So, her creating this agent doesn’t mean you caused the pandemic."

Logan feared that their loud voices would awaken Saia, who had finally fallen asleep even with her bad cold. But Logan knew he also needed to take care of Max here, because she hadn’t eaten in days—which wasn’t like her—and she was even looking inside the fridge now, with no reaction to it whatsoever. Logan was seriously afraid she was even thinking of trying to kill herself in it somehow.

"It's just... as stupid as this is to say, Logan—because I know how far-reaching I-Tech, that was Manticore’s sister, was—I thought this pandemic would moreso be tied to the Eyes Only side of things we do. And while the pandemic's thankfully almost over, with a vaccine coming out—and we can hopefully finally go to L.A. —…it's all too much. And it feels like I did kill all those people.

"Deep down, Logan... I know what you said is true, and that it isn’t my fault. But I just can't just do this right now. The Saia and the Beka stuff... it's too much."

"Max, wait!" Logan called after his wife, having guessed by her words and the tone of her voice that she was going to leave—as that used to always be what she did when things got hard, and old habits were hard to break—but it was too late. She'd already blurred away.

And it was at this point, that Logan started regretting his life choices. Something that was, perhaps, even selfish of him, because this last thing had been Max’s issue. Not his. But if he hadn't pushed her to be a better person so much, would he have possibly just lost his wife right now?

…

After Max was gone for six hours, Logan did something he promised himself he'd never do again, after he’d treated Max so horribly when she’d wanted to break up that time: he started drowning his sorrows again.

And maybe there even came a point where Logan thought he was trying to kill himself with alcohol poisoning. He really wasn't sure... though he still might have drunkenly called his friends and told him he was suicidal, anyway.

Just… what was the point of all of this? Of life, even? Especially if he was going to lose Max, and Saia might now grow up without a mother?

Sure, Logan supposed he had done things that would allow America to shape up into being a great country again. But it was a big “if”, that it even would.

And after his fifth glass of red wine, Logan began hallucinating. Or he was almost certain that he was. Because standing right beside him now, was none other than Max. But it wasn't his current Max. No. It was her as he had first met her: with her short and curly hair, super youthful appearance, and tough girl attitude... Logan could tell the latter, by Max slapping him upside the head the second she stepped closer to him. And Logan in reaction to that, winced and rubbed his head. He felt hurt in more ways than one here.

"What are you doing, Logan?!" the angel asked with fury evident in her tone, and it somehow made his heart swell. "Things suddenly get hard for you, and you just want to die?! Get it together, already!"

Logan sighed resigned, because really? Max was right. Of course she was. But Logan found that he was suddenly so tired... and maybe he was tired enough that he just wanted to rest.

And for the first time in a long time, Logan found himself missing his parents, and wishing they could be here to take care of him and supply him with all the answers he’d ever need.

"I'm just tired, Max," Logan explained to this girl that he would always love. He then tried to wheel towards her and take her hand, but Max wouldn’t have it. And of course she wouldn’t, because if he’d tried to touch her hand, his own would have gone right through and he would have realized this was a dream he needed to wake up from. And apparently Logan’s subconscious mind wasn’t quite ready for that yet. "We always fight the good fight, but what do we get out of it? Do we ever get a reward?"

If Logan had thought that Max would tell him that they fought because it was the right thing to do, or because others would someday take up the fight so that it wouldn’t be meaningless, he would've been sadly disappointed. Instead, she spun him around and somehow showed him a grueling scene. "Let me show you why we fight, Logan. Do you see Alina over there?"

"Alina? What does she have to do with anyth- Oh, God. What’s she doing? She's setting up bombs and blowing up a large portion of the city?! Max, why?!"

"You know what she would do for money, Logan. But in this scenario, where there was no Eyes Only to continue her father's struggle, she grew bolder."

Logan watched everyone around Alina burn. And he'd seen things like this before, of course. He thought—in some ways, perhaps—it wasn't too different from when he got shot. Or moreover, when Max did. Because death was all the same in the end, wasn't it? And yet nothing could prepare you to see people disintegrate before your very eyes. It made bile swim up in his throat.

"...Show me something else, Max. Anything else. Show me a future where we met another way, without all the heroism, and we’re happy! Why don’t you show me something like that?"

"It doesn't exist, Logan. And I’ll tell you why. If you’d never been Eyes Only, the two of us never would’ve met,” Max said in what could be perceived as a bored tone as she examined her nails. And naturally, this caught Logan by surprise as he hadn’t seen Max be like this in a long time. And he blinked at her, feeling angry. But then he saw it: the look of a lie in her eyes, and Logan felt his heart warming instead of growing cold—the only warmth he’d be sure to see through all this coming horror—and he remembered that this version of Max always said the opposite of what she meant.

“Do you really mean that, Max?” Logan asked curiously. And he made sure to slowly wheel even closer to her, since this was the version of the girl, he loved who spooked easily. “Wouldn’t you have still gone after the Statue of Bast?”

And there was that self-assured smirk on Max, that Logan loved so much. “I don’t know what to tell you, Logan. You’d think I would have gone after it when you weren’t Eyes Only, but I didn’t. I guess the red string of fate only connected us when it wanted to make me a better person,” Max guessed.

Or when it wanted to make me a more fulfilled one, Logan thought, but didn’t say—because he’d gotten sucked back into the version of himself that couldn’t express himself to Max. At least here and now. And while before that would have made him sad… now knowing that he had won Max’s heart in the end (even if she had now left?) made it sort of fun, to remember who they once had been.

"What will you show me next, Max? What other awful things happened because I chose not to be awful myself, when everyone else around us is?”

And now Max was looking at Logan furiously—with tears shining in her eyes—and Logan hated himself for having over-reached his bounds here. Because did he know anything of what this different angel had suffered here?

“Just the death of most of my siblings,” Max said nonchalantly, as if none of it really mattered at all. But in knowing just how much Max’s family meant to her, Logan wondered how much it was costing this girl from an alternate universe to act the perfect soldier, that Donald Lydecker had wanted “his kids” to be… which was exactly the thing that had destroyed them in the end.

“Max… if it’s too painful for you, you don’t have to show m-”

But Max was already cutting the former “king” of Seattle off, as she got into his face closer than she had ever dared to back when they’d danced around each other. “Of course I do, Logan. You have it in your head now that it isn’t better being bigger than the system—and no longer think that if you accept things as they are, that you’re part of the problem—so I have to steer you right. I gave you crap about it all when we first met… but don’t you know how much I believed in and admired all that you said? Through it, you helped me figure out who I am. I wouldn’t have stayed with you, if that wasn’t the case. But since you don’t believe it, witness my tragedy.”

And Logan did.

While Brin had actually survived the blast at Manticore before, and Max had later found and rehabilitated her… the Brin of this timeline exploded into a million tiny pieces, when Max and her siblings decided that the best thing they could do for Tinga was avenge her, even at the cost of countless lives.

And then there was Zack… in Logan’s universe—the one he would now start to admit that he loved—Zack, even as a new farmhand, had eventually gotten his memories back and had joined them in the fight for the transgenics’ freedom, but as a changed man: a changed man that Logan would gladly even call his friend now. But where this Max was from… Zack apparently hadn’t been able to handle Max having lied to him about who he was to save Logan, and had killed himself.

And Jondy… Jondy was someone that Logan had waited to meet with bated breath, with how Max had always talked about her. He had wanted to meet Max’s favorite sister nearly as desperately as she had. But when he had actually met her, the two of them had butted heads a lot. Jondy had thought that Logan was using Max for his “greater calling”, and he had thought she was a brat for “always poking her head in places where it didn’t belong” and talking badly about him to Max. But eventually, they’d found a way to be friends. So, seeing her like this now—torn apart as a science project, as Sanderman desperately tried to recreate the cure with her, that had been in Max—was almost too much for him to bear… if the fact that Max must have died in this universe wasn’t enough to already do that.

And Logan somehow pulled this Max into his arms, as the greatest pain he’d ever known (and had felt this twice before, as Max had been shot twice) came back to him. “…Max, without me being there to help… you died taking down Manticore, didn’t you?”

And if Logan had expected Max to express depression at her own death, he would have been mistaken. But he felt she should have been feeling something here, because Max had always valued her freedom so much… But even then, she’d always been selfless, hadn’t she? So maybe she wouldn’t care in the end…

“Max… I don’t want to see or hear anymore. Please, just let me go back to my good life. To you.”

Max’s resolve to give him a clip show lessened then; Logan could see it on her expressive face. But she still allowed him to see a few more things, so his own resolve wouldn’t slip away. Logan saw his dear friends Alec, Joshua, and Original Cindy getting shot at, when they tried to walk out of Terminal City in a Rosa Parks moment.

And then the pandemic that Beka had started took out most of the world, because Max didn’t go to get answers out of her sister.

“Max…” Logan said, as he took her face between his hands now and leaned his forehead against hers (and was it him, or was the sun finally coming up again?). “You were right. And you always are. You should have gone. So, I’m telling you to go now and deal with Beka, and your own conflicted feelings about what happened… be my dark angel, and I’ll be right behind you, always. And I know you’ll always have my back, like you promised.”

And Logan thought he, perhaps, felt this Max’s lips on his own before he woke up. But it was only a “perhaps”, because that Max and him had always been kept at arms-length, hadn’t they?

When Logan came to, the first person he saw before him was Max—even though he’d just let her go—but it was his current Max (the one he loved with all his heart). He could tell by her hair, that was somewhere between the short and curly it had once been, and the long and straight she’d worn it as when she first came back from Manticore.

“Logan!” Max exclaimed—running over to him as fast as she had another time, years ago—as she threw her arms around him and kissed his cheek. “I-I’m sorry! What I said and did… it was wrong. Even if I got Beka to tell me the real antidote… If I knew I was leaving you in such a state, I never would’ve! Promise me you’ll never try to kill yourself again! Promise!”

“Yeah, seriously. Don’t,” Alec echoed, coming out from behind the partition that blocked the computer room from the living area. And there was kindness in his voice. A kindness that Logan had always recognized, which was why he’d told Max that she’d done the right thing in saving Alec’s life. “Max had us all come over here when she saw you—and has had Mia trying to bring you out of your coma—because she thought being surrounded by friends might convince you to live. Logan, don’t throw your life away, man. You did so much for us… so if it ever gets too much for you, you let us know and we’ll be there for you. And I swear I’ll find a way for you, Max, and Saia to get to L.A.”

“Saia! Oh my God, Max! We’re horrible parents! Where is she? Is she okay?!” Thankfully, their little flower was fine. It seemed she had slept through Max’s leaving and Logan’s despair. And now Original Cindy had her in hand, none the wiser to what had gone on with her parents, as she Original Cindy entertained her by showing her how to shake her head “no”.

“We kind of were awful parents here, Logan… despite us always having wanted to be parents—and, yeah: we could probably work on that—but we’re good people. And we’ll get through this. Promise me we’ll get through this.”

“We will, Max. We will.” And the cyber-journalist locked eyes with Max and had a silent conversation with her, like they’d used to all the time. “Starting with seeing if your blood can be a cure for this virus, too. And I know our friends will be there to help us… Thank you, Alec, OC, Sketchy, Asha, Alec, Joshua, Brin, Jondy, and Mia… and thank you, Max.”

And while Logan’s current Max looked at Logan somewhat baffled by his statement, and replied “of course”, the other Max—who really hadbeen there—got that Logan had thanked her, and smiled.

And then she disappeared, going back to heaven like the angel she was.

Her work here was done; one version of her family had gotten to live happily ever after with her. And that was really all that mattered, wasn’t it?

[loki-subterfuge]

CHAPTER 8 Tony had been collaborating with Phil and several others for almost three weeks when requesting Loki, Shandi, Natasha and Clint for a meeting in the main staff room. All sat clueless as to why when he and Thor entered. “Good morning everyone, I'll get right down to business. I'm sure you're all familiar with an old ‘acquaintance’ or preferably an ‘asswhole’ I once knew named Obadiah Stane?” They nodded and he continued. “It would appear said asswhole sold one, or possibly more copies of the technology for my Sonic Tasers while alive.” Shandi seemed unsure of what he was referring to so Loki spoke up. “It's a weapon that incapacitates one by exposing them to a specific sonic frequency.” Everyone stared at him with raised brows, including Tony. “I'm impressed Cactus.” Loki responded matter of factly. “It's wise, to one's best ability, to be educated on the weapons of our enemies. Is it not?” Tony's brows furrowed and Loki rolled his eyes. “I mean when we were as such? To remain prepared for war, we were taught as Asier princes to learn what we could of the arsenals of other realms.” He looked to Thor. “Correct?” Thor nodded. “That is true.” “Fine.” Said Tony. “On a forward note, an investigation of the criminals from the last bank robbery Cactus halted, lead to the investigation of a particular street gang. The leader's home was eventually searched and twenty prototypes of my Tasers were found hidden in a ‘secret’ sub room off this idiots basement, amongst several other illegal weapons.” “Shit.” Said Clint. “It gets worse.” Said Tony. “He wouldn't talk and when questioning his counterparts, we discovered one was not only seventeen, but an illegal immigrant whose mother and younger sister are too. After a year of living in here squalor, he was befriended by another member and offered a job. Desperate, the kid took it.” “Oh no.” Said Nat. “Tell me S.H.I.E.L.D didn't?” Tony shook his head. “No, he was terrified and wouldn't talk either. With no proof he'd committed any crimes, I convinced S.H.I.E.L.D to let him go and agreed to ‘keep an eye on him?’” Nat smiled and nodded, suspecting what he'd done. “Details?” “Later Toots, I'm short on time.” “Carry on then.” “So yeah. This kid had overheard some conversations amongst his so called peers and after ‘pressuring’ these bastards and S.H.I.E.L.D doing some further investigating, it was discovered these prototypes may be connected to a ‘Mr. Shamus O'Donnell’ of the O’Donnells of New Jersey.” Clint sat back in his chair. “You're shittin’ me.” Tony shook his head. “I'm afraid not my friend.” “Who is this person?” Asked Shandi. “He's a Federal Court Judge Doll.” “His father was a Supreme Court Judge.” Said Clint. “Yep. Shamus Sr. was found shot to death on a country road with his mistress in the late seventies and the murder was never solved. It was rumored shortly after he had links to organized crime, but nothing was ever proven.” “Were he and Obadiah connected in any way?” Asked Nat. “Good question. Out of concern for my company, I did some investigating into Stanes financial activities after his death. He sat in on four high stakes poker games in Vegas and L.A. two years prior and on a hunch, I recently obtained a guest list from his hotels. Shamus was there on three out of the four occasions. A coinkidink, don't ya think?” “I'll say. So now what?” “Shamus resides in the Palisades. As it turns out, I've a friend who owns a house there he rarely uses.” He looked to Loki and Shandi. “You two are now Mr. and Mrs. Clifford and Elizabeth Bradshaw, who will be renting the place until searching for your own home after your baby is born.” Then he turned to Nat and Clint. “And you two are Gustav and Ella Shriner, a retired couple in their fifties, who will be renting a nearby cottage for the summer.” Shandi cleared her throat. “Might I ask something Tony?” “Sure.” “Is the mission actually expected to take that long?” “Hopefully not Doll, but the house is high atop a hill. When you need a break from Loki, you can shove him off the balcony that overlooks the woods and watch him roll down.” She pursed her lips in a smirk. “I was just curious.” Loki rolled his eyes then snickered at Clint and Nat. “He he. You two have to wear troublesome disguises.” “Seriously?” Said Tony. “Let discuss yours.” What he said next wasn't spoken rudely, just firmly and to the point. “Out of concern for trust issues I still have with you, I sent big brother here to visit dear old dad and learned something very interesting. As a result, he's now put Heimdall on higher alert. If you even ‘attempt’ to use ‘any’ kind of trickery to slip through my fingers, or intentionally screw up this mission, you're back in Asgard. Is that clear?” Not once did Loki look away from him and responded with no rudeness, or sarcasm in his tone. “I understand completely, but what did you learn?” They're eyes remained locked while Tony attempted to read any disdain within Lokis. “I'll get back to that. Let's finish with O’Donell first.” He re addressed everyone. “We've learned Shamus is quite the snob and very choosy of his friends. Only a select few are ever invited to his house and it's rumored many have desired to be on that list.” “Why?” Asked Shandi. “He and his wife are the pillars of their community. To be accepted by him means you're ‘special’ and could gain you prestige amongst others like them.” “Oh brother.” Said Nat. “Time to polish your sharp wit Loki.” “Apparently so.” He replied. “And thank you for the compliment.” “It's not only sharp wit you'll need to hopefully earn a step through his door.” Said Thor. “Shamus is quite the intellect and is known to choose his peers based on theirs. We know of some hobbies he enjoys and learning what you can of them could be good conversation openers.” “If this man is so snobby, how will I get chance to interact with him?” “Through the wife.” Said Tony. “Alice is said to be much friendlier and adores children, especially babies.” He looked at Shandi. “Which is where you come in. We're hoping your pregnancy will spark a friendship, eventually earning you both a step through the door.” “He must be ‘very’ snobby if that's our only hope. How did you learn all of this so fast?” She asked. “S.H.I.E.L.D found some previous maids who were willing to reveal what they'd learned of the couple. They've no clue why the information was requested, but were pissed they couldn't tell us more. Not only does Shamus rule the household, but he's very secretive and sneaky. Each claimed he sexually harassed them, yet were too afraid to report it.” “Sounds like a real gentleman.” Said Shandi. “So how will I get a chance to interact with Alice?” “It's a tight knit community Doll and she's very curious of newcomers. You and Loki will need to be seen amidst it every day before the county fair, so she can learn of your existence. Her closest friend owns a maternity store in town and after the grocery store on your first day, this should be your next stop.” He gestured towards Nat and Clint. That's when you four meet for the first time. I'll explain more why soon, but what's to happen during this encounter is ‘extremely’ important because of your empathy bellies.” “When’s the county fair?” “In two weeks.” Loki was grinning inside like a Cheshire Cat. “Alice and her friends are famous for their baked goods there.” Tony continued. “Hopefully, you can strike up a conversation with her and get the ball rolling. Without any definitive proof against Shamus, you and Loki are our only hope of getting this done quickly without anyone knowing we were involved. Legally, it could be disastrous.” After Tony explained all the remaining details, everyone watched with curiosity as he presented a magazine before Loki. “And now back to what I've learned about you.” “Designer Suits 2017. What's this for?” He asked. “Father was uncertain if Tony knew of your shape shifting abilities and I was told to inform him.” Said Thor. Loki remained silent as everyone's mouths fell open. “Holy fuck.” Said Clint. “And I thought the clones were clever.” Shandi still hadn't completely processed either of the God's natural abilities, including Lokis clones, so this really had her baffled. “P..pardon? How can one..I mean…” Nat slid a hand over her forearm and she went quiet. “Hence Heimdalls thicker glasses Doll.” Said Tony. He looked back at Loki, gesturing towards the magazine. “Now pick a model likeness please?” Loki gandered through it and chose a man with wavy Raven hair that was cut just below the ears. His lips were a little fuller, face a little rounder, body a tad more muscular, but his skin tone and height were the same. “May I at least keep my own eye color?” He asked. Tony crossed his arms. “Let's make a deal, shall we? As I'm so familiar with how annoying you can often be, promise you’ll refrain from being so to your new ‘wife’ and you may keep your shiny emeralds. If not, I'll come toss you over that balcony myself.” “What makes you think I annoy her now?” “Oh I don't know.” Said Tony. “Her abrupt concern for the missions length maybe?” “Let him keep them.” Said Shandi. “Even if he becomes so, he's nothing I can't handle.” Everyone cackled when the front legs of Lokis chair hastily lifted from the floor, tilting him backwards and his limbs slightly flailed. She stared at him while addressing Tony. “See? It's all good.” ‘Very amusing darling.’ He Thought. ‘I do love a challenge.’ Tony replied with a smirk. “Okay then. All of you need to come to S.H.I.E.L.D for ID photos.” He handed everyone but Loki a duffle bag. “You're dismissed Cactus until everyone's ready. Can you stay behind a minute Shandi?” Loki was the last one out and purposely left the door open. “Thank you God of annoyance!” Tony shouted. “You're welcome Tin Lips! Kisses!” Tony got up and closed it. “Blech, where's Caps shield when I need it. Nice move with the chair by the way.” Shandi chuckled. “Thanks.” “You are aware this is Lokis first mission, right?” “Yes.” Are you ‘sure’ you don't mind working with him? He may be an arse of sorts and I can switch you with up with Nat.” “He might be dead before the fair then.” Tony thought about that for a minute. “True, good point.” She chuckled at him again. “I’m okay with it, honest.” “Alright then Doll, I just wanted to make sure.” He headed for the door. “Nat will show you how to properly apply your wig, contacts and makeup. She's probably already at your door.” He opened it and Nat was staring at him. “Or she’s stalking me outside mine.” “You've set that kid and his family up haven't you.” The three began walking together. “Right, details.” He shrugged his shoulders. “Last I heard, they disappeared.” “Uh huh. Suuure they did Tony.” “Honest. For all I know, they could be in another state, starting whole new lives..with brand new identities.” Both women smiled and Nat nudged him with her elbow. “I always knew the Tin Man had a heart.” “Yeah well, don't be spreading that around as I've a reputation to keep up. Genius, billionaire, playboy..infamous hard ass. You know the drill.” Nats brows rose. “Playboy? Does Pepper know this is still a hobby?” “Yeah boss.” Said Shandi. “What up with that?” “You ladies aren't going to snitch on me are you?” They spoke in unison. “We are.” “Okay. Can't we pretend I never said that?” They spoke in unison again. “Good idea boss.” Tony stared at them as they walked away. “That was weird.”

[tinyshe]

The Search for SARS-CoV-2’s Origin Must Continue Analysis by

Dr. Joseph Mercola

Fact Checked

January 14, 2021  

LA Rolls Out Digital Vaccine Verification

COVID Vaccine May Not Prevent Infection, Disease Transmission

Story at-a-glance

While some scientists have pushed the idea that SARS-CoV-2 arose and evolved naturally, skipping from one animal species to another before ultimately developing the capability of infecting humans, there’s no solid scientific evidence to back this theory, and there should be, were it true

SARS-CoV-2 has several unique features that make it exceptionally well-adapted for human infection. This is odd, considering it hasn’t been found in any other living creature

Between 2008 and 2012, more than 1,100 lab incidents involving highly infectious germs were reported to federal regulators. More than half were serious enough that lab workers required medical evaluation or treatment

One technique that allows scientists to make a pathogen more virulent is called “serial passaging.” By passing the virus through a series of cells from different animals, the virus progressively adapts to the new host cell

If it turns out that SARS-CoV-2 is an escaped lab creation, the logical conclusion would be that we need to severely restrict or stop gain-of-function research on pathogens

In an in-depth  article1 published in New York magazine January 4, 2021, Nicholson Baker reviews the  history of viral gain-of-function research, and why the idea that SARS-CoV-2  might be an escaped lab creation isn't so far-fetched after all.

He points out  that while there's "no direct evidence for an experimental mishap" (the key  word here being "direct"), there's no direct evidence that the virus arose  zoonotically either.

In other words,  while some scientists have pushed the idea that SARS-CoV-2 arose and evolved  naturally, skipping from one animal species to another before ultimately  developing the capability of infecting humans, there's no solid scientific  evidence to back this theory, and there should be, were it actually true.

Unique Features Raise Questions About SARS-CoV-2's Origin

As noted in an  August 20, 2020, article2 by Lawrence Sellin, Ph.D., a former researcher with the U.S. Army Medical  Research Institute, SARS-CoV-2 has several unique features that make it  exceptionally well-adapted for human infection.

This is quite odd,  considering it "came out of nowhere". If the virus arose naturally, we should be able to trace its  evolution back to its source. Unique features of SARS-CoV-2 include:3

A very  high infection rate, thanks to it being more selective for the human ACE2  receptor than SARS-Cov-1 (the virus responsible for the 2003 SARS pandemic)4

A  unique furin cleavage site not found in any closely related bat coronaviruses,  which allows the virus to fuse to human cells, thereby enhancing its  pathogenicity and transmissibility5,6,7,8

Certain spike protein structures that are similar to those found in the  MERS-CoV virus, which allow the virus to attach using not only the ACE2  receptor but also the DPP4 receptor, like MERS-CoV. This dual receptor strategy  might be responsible for its ability to infect a wide range of human tissues9

In the preprint paper "Wuhan nCoV-2019 SARS Coronaviruses Genomics Fractal  Metastructures Evolution and Origins,"10 Jean-Claude Perez, Ph.D., a retired interdisciplinary researcher with the IBM European Research Center on Artificial  Intelligence, claims to provide "formal proof that 2019-nCoV coronavirus is  partially a synthetic genome."

According  to Perez, the presence of HIV1 retrovirus fragments is evidence of SARS-CoV-2's  artificial nature. I've also written many other articles  detailing evidence suggesting SARS-CoV-2 might be  a laboratory creation.

Gain-of-Function Research Is a Pandemic Waiting to Happen

One of the  reasons scientists would want to promote the zoonotic theory is because their  livelihoods and careers are at stake. If it turns out that SARS-CoV-2 is an  escaped lab creation, the logical conclusion would be that we need to severely  restrict or stop gain-of-function research on pathogens altogether.

"It has been a full year …  and, surprisingly, no public investigation has taken place," Baker writes.11 "I think it's worth offering some historical context for our yearlong medical  nightmare.

We need to hear from the people  who for years have contended that certain types of virus experimentation might  lead to a disastrous pandemic like this one.

And we need to stop hunting  for new exotic diseases in the wild, shipping them back to laboratories, and  hot-wiring their genomes to prove how dangerous to human life they might  become."

As the name  implies, gain-of-function research is aimed at creating more virulent strains  of pathogens by giving them new functionalities. The justification for this  hazardous work is that viruses mutate naturally, and we need to be prepared for  the kinds of mutations that might arise.

The problem  with this is that we've not been prepared for any of the lethal pandemics that  have arisen, despite investing hundreds of millions of dollars into this kind  of research. Apparently, it hasn't given us the head start it's supposed to  give us, so why continue?

Even more  disturbingly, there's evidence that this research has caused a number of lethal  outbreaks through the years. Many believe it's only a matter of time before  scientists cook up something truly horrific — something that would never have  arisen in nature — that might threaten humanity's survival were it to get out.  As noted in Baker's article:12

"The intentional creation of new microbes that combine virulence with heightened transmissibility 'poses extraordinary risks to the   public,' wrote infectious-disease experts Marc Lipsitch and Thomas   Inglesby in 2014. 'A rigorous and transparent risk-assessment process for this  work has not yet been established.' That's still true today.

In 2012, in Bulletin  of the Atomic Scientists,13 Lynn  Klotz warned that there was an 80 percent chance, given how many laboratories  were then handling virulent viro-varietals, that a leak of a potential pandemic  pathogen would occur sometime in the next 12 years."

Operation Baseless

In his article,14 Baker highlights a 1950s Pentagon program called Project Baseless, the goal of  which was to achieve "an Air Force-wide  combat capability in biological and chemical warfare at the earliest possible  date."

According to Baker, who has published an entire book on this  topic, the U.S. government has spent "a vast treasure" on the "amplification   and aerial delivery of diseases" over the past 70 years.

Serial Passaging  Mimics Natural Evolution

One technique that allows scientists to make a pathogen more   virulent is called "serial passaging." By passing the virus through a series of  cells from different animals, the virus progressively adapts to the new host  cell, just as it would in nature (although there's no guarantee that such  transmission and adaptation would actually occur in nature). As described by  Baker:15

"Take, for instance, this paper from 1995: 'High Recombination and  Mutation Rates in Mouse Hepatitis Viruses Suggest That Coronaviruses May Be  Potentially Important Emerging Viruses' … written by Dr. Ralph Baric and his  bench scientist, Boyd Yount, at the University of North Carolina.

Baric … described in this early paper how his lab was able to  train a coronavirus, MHV, which causes hepatitis in mice, to jump species, so  that it could reliably infect BHK (baby-hamster kidney) cell cultures.

They did it using serial passaging: repeatedly dosing a mixed   solution of mouse cells and hamster cells with mouse-hepatitis virus, while  each time decreasing the number of mouse cells and upping the concentration of  hamster cells.

At first, predictably, the mouse-hepatitis virus couldn't do much   with the hamster cells, which were left almost free of infection, floating in  their world of fetal-calf serum.

But by the end of the experiment, after dozens of passages through   cell cultures, the virus had mutated: It had mastered the trick of parasitizing  an unfamiliar rodent. A scourge of mice was transformed into a scourge of  hamsters …

A few years later, in a  further round of 'interspecies transfer' experimentation, Baric's scientists  introduced their mouse coronavirus into flasks that held a suspension of  African-green-monkey cells, human cells, and pig-testicle cells.

Then, in 2002, they  announced something even more impressive: They'd found a way to create a  full-length infectious clone of the entire mouse-hepatitis genome. Their 'infectious  construct' replicated itself just like the real thing, they wrote.16

Not only that, but they'd  figured out how to perform their assembly seamlessly, without any signs of  human handiwork. Nobody would know if the virus had been fabricated in a  laboratory or grown in nature. Baric called this the 'no-see'm method,' and he  asserted that it had 'broad and largely unappreciated molecular biology   applications.'"

In 2006, Baric and Yount were granted a patent for this  "no-see'm method" of cloning the deadly human SARS virus, which  had been responsible for the SARS outbreak four years earlier. Interestingly,   Baric started collaborating with another coronavirus expert in 2015 — a female  scientist named Shi Zhengli at the Wuhan Institute of Virology.17

In his book "China  COVID-19: The Chimera That Changed the World,"18 professor Giuseppe Tritto — president of the World Academy of Biomedical  Sciences and Technology, founded under UNESCO, and an internationally  recognized expert in bio and nanotechnology — accuses Shi of producing a  SARS-like virus with increased pathogenicity by inserting a segment of the HIV virus into a  horseshoe bat coronavirus.19

Thousands of Safety  Breaches Have Occurred

As noted by Baker,20 "By 1960, hundreds of American scientists and  technicians had been hospitalized, victims of the diseases they were trying to  weaponize." Since then, many more safety breaches have occurred.

Between 2008 and 2012 alone, more than 1,100 lab  incidents involving highly infectious germs were reported to federal  regulators,21 but the details are shrouded in secrecy.

According to a 2014 article in USA Today,22 "More  than half these incidents were serious enough that lab workers received medical  evaluations or treatment." In his  article, Baker lists several lethal incidents, including the following:23

In  1951, a Camp Detrick, Maryland, microbiologist developed a fever and died after  trying to perfect the "foaming process of high-volume production" of anthrax

In  1964, veterinary worker Albert Nickel died after being bitten by a lab animal  infected with the Machupo virus, which causes hemorrhagic fever  

A  1977 global pandemic of influenza was traced back to a sample collected in  1950, which had been "preserved in a  laboratory freezer" since then  

In  1978, a medical photographer died after contracting a hybrid strain of smallpox  at a lab in Birmingham, England  

In 2007,  live specimens of foot-and-mouth disease ended up leaking out of a faulty  drainpipe at the Institute for Animal Health in Surrey,  England

Only a Matter of  Time Before Something Truly Nasty Gets Out

Other incidents are even more serious. For example, in 2015, the U.S. Department of Defense discovered that a  germ-warfare testing center in Utah had sent out nearly 200 shipments of  live anthrax to labs around the world, including the U.S., Australia, Germany,  Japan and South Korea. Remarkably, this had been going on for the past 12  years!

High-containment laboratories have a whispered history of near  misses … Things can go wrong in a hundred different ways. ~ Nicholson Baker

As recently as 2019, the Centers for Disease  Control and Prevention shut down labs at Fort Detrick after "breaches of  containment" were discovered.

"High-containment laboratories have a whispered history of near  misses," Baker writes.24 "Scientists are people, and people have clumsy moments and poke themselves and  get bitten by the enraged animals they are trying to nasally inoculate.

Machines can create invisible aerosols, and cell solutions can   become contaminated. Waste systems don't always work properly. Things can go  wrong in a hundred different ways …

I asked Jonathan A. King, a molecular biologist and biosafety   advocate from MIT, whether he'd thought lab  accident when he first heard about the epidemic. 'Absolutely,  absolutely,' King answered. Other scientists he knew were concerned as well.

But scientists, he said, in general were cautious about speaking   out. There were 'very intense, very subtle pressures' on them not to push on  issues of laboratory biohazards.

Collecting lots of bat viruses, and passaging those viruses   repeatedly through cell cultures, and making bat-human viral hybrids, King  believes, 'generates new threats and desperately needs to be reined in.'"

Baker quotes concerns from several other scientists as well,   including Philip Murphy, chief of the Laboratory of  Molecular Immunology at the NIH; Nikolai Petrovsky, a professor of  endocrinology at Flinders University College of Medicine in Adelaide, Australia;  and Richard Ebright, a molecular biologist at Rutgers University.

Ebright, in particular, said he'd "been  concerned for some years" about the Wuhan Institute of Virology's efforts to  create hybrid SARS-related bat coronaviruses "with enhanced human infectivity."   Ebright told Baker that "In this context, the news of a novel coronavirus in  Wuhan *screamed* lab release."

US Government Suspects Lab Leak

A number of  government officials have also given credence to the lab-origin theory,  including U.S. deputy national security adviser Matthew Pottinger, who in  January 2021 stated that the lab-escape theory is the most credible, based on a  growing body of evidence.

According to a January  2, 2021, report by the Daily Mail,25 "during a  Zoom conference with [British] MPs on China." The article further states that:

"Iain Duncan Smith, the  former Tory Party leader who attended the meeting, said Mr. Pottinger's  comments represented a 'stiffening' of the U.S. position on the theory that the  virus came from a leak at the laboratory, amid reports that the Americans are  talking to a whistleblower from the Wuhan institute.

'I was told the U.S. have an ex-scientist from  the laboratory in America at the moment,' he said. 'That was what I heard a few  weeks ago. I was led to believe this is how they have been able to stiffen up  their position on how this outbreak originated.' He added that Beijing's  refusal to allow journalists to visit the laboratory only served to increase  suspicion that it was 'ground zero' for the pandemic."

Independent Investigation Required

As noted by  journalist Ian Birrell in another January 3, 2021 article26 in the Daily Mail, "The world must investigate all the mounting evidence COVID  leaked from a Wuhan lab."

At present,  there are two such investigations underway — one by the World Health  Organization27 and another by The Lancet's COVID-19 commission28 — but both are grossly tainted by conflicts of interest. EcoHealth Alliance  president Peter Daszak is part of both of these investigations, despite being  at the epicenter of the whole affair.

As noted in a  December 16, 2020, Independent Science News article written by journalist  Sam Husseini:29

When  SARS-CoV-2 first emerged in Wuhan, China, the EcoHealth Alliance was providing funding  to the Wuhan Institute of Virology to collect and study novel bat  coronaviruses.  

Daszak  has been the primary expert chosen by the mainstream media to explain the  origin of the pandemic.  

Daszak  has openly and repeatedly dismissed the possibility of the pandemic being the  result of a lab leak.30

What's more, in November 2020, U.S. Right to Know  (USRTK), an investigative public health nonprofit group, reported31,32 that emails obtained via Freedom of  Information Act (FOIA) requests prove Daszak played a central role in the plot  to obscure the lab origin of SARS-CoV-2 by issuing a scientific statement in  The Lancet condemning such inquiries as "conspiracy theory."

Five other members  of The Lancet Commission also signed the February 18, 2020, Lancet statement,33 which  puts their credibility in question as well.

Daszak has every reason to make sure SARS-CoV-2 origin ends  up being declared natural. It would be naïve to believe that safeguarding the continuation of dangerous  gain-of-function research wouldn't be a powerful motivator to preserve the  zoonotic origin narrative.

Inconsistencies in  the Data Raise Concerns

Professor Roger Pielke Jr.,  who studies and writes "about the messy and complicated places where science  meets politics,"34 has also highlighted the need for independent investigations by the scientific  community. In a November 19, 2020, blog post, Pielke wrote:35

"We should not let the hot politics of COVID-19 distract from   the need for a cool assessment of where it came from, and corresponding lessons  for the future.

A first priority for the research community, and in particular   leading academic journals, is to ensure that relevant data is made available  for independent analysis and that the narratives told and claims made by  researchers are consistent across the scientific literature.

In the case of COVID-19, there is ample reason to suggest that  some narratives and claims have been misleading or incomplete, and that data  have been selectively shared, or not at all, or even gone missing."

He goes on to review  examples of inconsistencies discovered in both the timeline and characterization of data presented by Wuhan  Institute of Virology scientists, who were among the first to publish data on  the virus back in February 2020. One of those papers, published in the journal  Nature, suggested SARS-CoV-2 was related to previously unsequenced bat  coronaviruses.

However, shortly after, Indian researchers  hypothesized that the bat virus described in that Nature paper had actually  been collected in 2013, after several miners fell ill from a disease  suspiciously similar to COVID-19.

"Earlier this week Nature published a  clarifying addendum36 to  the original WIV article. That addendum admitted that, yes indeed, the bat  coronavirus was collected in 2013 from a cave after a group of miners had  fallen ill due to a SARS-like disease.

Further, that 2013 bat coronavirus had been  discussed in a 2016 paper37 (which, oddly, was uncited in their Nature paper).  The name of the virus sample had been changed since 2016, and interestingly,  was one of nine similar coronaviruses that had been collected at the time, but   never disclosed, apparently until the Nature Addendum …

All of this is unusual and is troubling. The failure to disclose what are obviously key details is sloppy, under the most charitable   interpretation, and less generously, lends itself to interpretations of being  misleading or evasive …

The issues associated with the WIV Nature paper provide just a few from a larger set of  examples of research integrity issues38 that  appear to surround the WIV COVID-19 research. For instance, some researchers  have alleged that relevant virus databases once online at WIV are no longer  available39,40 …

While understanding the origins of COVID-19 is important to  public health and international diplomacy, setting the research record straight  is a matter of scientific integrity."

Complicating  matters, though, is the fact that China's political system is an authoritarian  one. There have been plenty of rumors of Chinese scientists being threatened by  the government for speaking out about matters that might damage the nation or  cause it to lose face, so while China's  Foreign Ministry spokesman has pledged China will help the WHO's investigation  into the origin of SARS-CoV-2 with an "open, transparent and responsible  spirit,"41 there's reason to doubt the genuineness of that statement.

Be that as  it may, we must not give up the quest to determine its origin, because, as  mentioned, if it turns out that the virus was created, and did escape — whether  intentionally or not — we need to ensure that such an event never happens  again. And that may mean shutting down and banning gain-of-function research  altogether.  

[avelera]

snapdragonroar

replied to your post

“snapdragonroar replied to your post “So after Voltron season 5:...”

I thought you’d be all over ‘character is trapped inside their own mind, screaming, as they watch themselves used against their own.’

Oh, I super, SUPER AM. It’s just that with regards to Shiro, there just isn’t a lot of proof there yet beyond conjecture based on past genre tropes? 

The case for mind control at this point is 1) assumes this is Shiro and Shiro’s body, and it has been the whole time 2) that he fell into Haggar’s custody at the end of season 2 and was released again in order to 3) presumably sabotage Voltron from within until some critical moment where he could see them destroyed or otherwise manipulated but which 3) was eventually turned instead to supporting Lotor which couldn’t have been pre-planned because Haggar didn’t yet know Lotor was her son.

The sense I’m getting from mind control, whether it’s Shiro or Kuron, is that it’s at odds with stealth. So far, Shiro’s “off” moments that lead to sabotage could just be chalked up to bad luck or stress. Normal Shiro has snapped at team members before, or insisted they follow his orders, or required pain and sacrifice from the team, or isolated himself, but before those had a more positive slant and he was quick to apologize if he sensed he’d hurt someone. He actively looked out for team members and sought them out to support them, something we really haven’t seen Shiro/Kuron do since the end of Season 2.  Right now he feels like a parody of Shiro at his worst. 

(I also can’t help but notice that he avoided interaction with Sam Holt, someone who would have known Shiro on the Kerberos mission very well as a colleague and might have smelled something fishy, whether it was cloning or mind control.) 

But the more Haggar turns up the heat on Kuron/Shiro’s loyalty programming, the more at odds he behaves with Shiro’s true personality. Shiro, or a clone that thinks it’s Shiro, has a loyalty first to Voltron and his loved ones. You can almost pinpoint moments where the programming flexes its muscle and forces him to go against that loyalty in favor of Lotor or the Galra Empire. 

The thing is, I think Haggar did a little too much, a little too fast, because now Shiro (or Kuron-who-thinks-he’s-Shiro) is now questioning his own behavior. I think, ideally, such mind control is designed for use only in a sleeper agent situation, where the agent would not be influenced too much in order to keep their normal personality intact and unquestioned so they can do subtle sabotage, or be used in a pivotal moment where victory for Haggar’s side is assured and where being stealthy and hiding the programming is no longer required compared to a quick and easy major victory (like flying Voltron into the side of a shield that will certainly kill them all?). 

To go back to “screaming on the inside”, which I am SO IN FAVOR OF as a genre trope, I really think we’ve only got about 2 pieces of proof (though forgive me if I miss something, I haven’t seen the season enough times to have encyclopedic knowledge yet):

1) Shiro’s confession to Lance that he doesn’t “feel like himself.” (A line which felt eerily like an admission that he knows he’s a clone in its literal wording, to be fair) Which, like I said is because I think the loyalty program got pushed too hard so now he’s questioning, because Haggar acted clumsily. However, as far as we know this is the first time he’s questioned his own actions verbally and consciously, like because of being bumped up to Stage 4 Loyalty behavior. So if he’s screaming on the inside, it hasn’t been showing on his face or in his words until now.

2) Lance and Shiro’s “conversation” on the Astral Plain. The thing is, we have no idea how that worked. We know Paladin telepathic communication is disrupted by distance, Zarkon needed a ton of quintessence to track the Black Lion the way he did across space. So this could mean that 

A) Shiro is physically far away (perhaps still imprisoned or unconscious somewhere else entirely??), 

B) Shiro is on the Astral Plain physically and isn’t yet adept at communicating unless he’s reached out to first or 

C) he is inside his own head, as discussed, screaming. 

BUT he says he blacked out at that point. Which implies that there’s two personalities in his head and one gains consciousness when the other loses it? Certainly a genre possibility, but we simply lack proof. 

I think we really are just at a point where lots of possibilities are still on the table, but the Voltron show itself hasn’t given us enough information to solve the mystery on our own, because it involves magic/technology that hasn’t been explicitly shown to us yet. We just don’t have the tools. 

That said, if Shiro IS screaming on the inside trying to warn the others about his behavior, or in a slightly less dramatic example if he’s been subtly nudged to commit sabotage and is only just beginning to behave oddly enough that he notices the strange behavior in himself, hot DAMN is he going to be messed up when he comes out of it. He was already enslaved by the Galra Empire once, this would make for a SECOND TIME and this time with much higher stakes. He’s not just looking out for himself and Matt anymore, his actions could have put the entire GALAXY at risk. 

[inqorporeal]

DVD commentary meme! Chapter 2 of For the Right Price, please! (...I'll admit, I'm eyeballing the last section in particular, if that strikes your fancy)

Ooh second half of two *rubs hands* let’s see how much of this I can do without dropping massive spoilers…

The mercenary grinned humorlessly. “Obi-Wan. Now that’s a name I’ve not heard in a long time. I go by Scogar Bastra, these days.” Out from under the helmet vox, his accent was lightly Coruscanti, more mellow than his rough appearance suggested. A long scar cut across his left cheekbone onto his forehead, the shiny surface of the burn just missing his eyebrow; his left eye was clearly a cloned replacement.

Rex felt his eyes go wide. “I’ve heard of you. You helped a group from Ryloth a few months back.”

Bastra’s expression hardened. “One of many groups I’ve aided over the years. The Council don’t realize the freedom they gave me when they cut my braid and told me to get out.”

His General seemed stunned speechless, so Rex took the lead. “You were a Padawan?”

“Hmm. Master Jinn’s Padawan, before Anakin here. Grown like a weed, I see,” he added. “Your disguise is good, never fear. But I couldn’t possibly forget that particular Force impression.”

Skywalker regained his voice enough to croak, “If you hate the Separatists so much, what are you doing on Raxus?”

The mercenary’s lips quirked in amusement. “The Force suggested I should be here. Just because I was cast from the Order doesn’t mean I’ve stopped being a Jedi.”

“But you Fell.”

Dropping a reference back to the original films was too much to resist.

We just saw Obi-Wan win a fight with Maul but lose that eye in the process, and now we learn he was kicked out of the Order shortly thereafter. I’m not a fan of needlessly dealing out permanent injuries to characters, but in this case it serves an allegorical purpose. As Obi-Wan re-discovers himself, the cosmetic damage is reduced, although never healed entirely. The reminder is always there.

Obi-Wan is a spectacular liar.

So’s Rex, when he needs to be.

Shit. That explained that. Rex wondered if they were going to have to deal with the man in front of them. He didn’t feel like a Sith, but the Order didn’t look with much kindness on the Fallen either.

“Which means precisely nothing, as far as the Force is concerned. All that matters is that I’m able to listen and possess the mobility to be in the right place at the right time. The Jedi used to be able to do a lot of good that way, until they started letting the Senate write the orders.”

“The Senate does not -” Skywalker’s protest died on his lips as Bastra tilted his head towards Rex.

“You expect me to believe the Order is commanding this war?” He snorted, and Rex was disturbed to see a glimmer of amber flicker across the man’s eyes; there was the Sith, if only for a moment. “When I suggested you yank my other leg, I wasn’t being literal.

“But. We digress. You have a person for me to find, intact and breathing if possible. Sounds to me like we have a contract. My operating fee is fifty thousand, half up front. I’m not a charity,” he gritted, when Skywalker looked ready to argue the point. “Except for very special cases, but the Council is more than capable of picking up its own damn tab. Unless you’re here without their knowledge?”

Rex gave his General a pointed look as the other man cringed visibly.

This chapter was written before I had much in the way of plot nailed down. In hindsight, it looks like there’s foreshadowing to what Obi-Wan later learns from Ulic about how the Jedi operated before the Reformation. That’s the beauty of writing: you can take an off-hand comment from an earlier part and later give it some real depth, and then totally pretend you planned it all along.

People have expressed discomfort regarding Obi-Wan’s visible Darkness in these scenes. The amber only shines through when they’re discussing a subject about which he feels very strongly, very personally. And I can’t say more than that, because it would be a massive spoiler :3

“Well, you are in a pickle, aren’t you.” Bastra was definitely amused at their expense.

“They know we’re here, Obi-Wan. Just…not that we need help. We can pay you,” he added quickly. “It’s just…that’s a lot of credits.”

Bastra handed the General a datapad with barely a twitch in his expression. “If you were any other Jedi, I’d be asking more. What’s the name?”

“Kardoon, Lailyk’ardoon. Twi’lek woman, she was working as a political aide here in the capitol. We were supposed to meet at the Blue Kraic–”

“A little upscale for you, isn’t that?” Bastra smirked at Skywalker’s glare.

“I’ll have you know, I clean up just fine.”

“So you say. How long ago?”

“Yesterday evening. Someone slipped this under the door of our doss sometime before we were supposed to leave.” Rex tossed a data chip to the bounty hunter, who caught it idly in midair. “Text-only message telling us her cover was blown and to avoid the club. Our orders were to get her out if she was in danger of being discovered. Who knows what they’d do to her if they caught her.”

Technology is fascinating; it’s another aspect of sci-fi that has quickly become mirrored by reality. As such, it has some odd limitations that were conceived before the real-world counterparts became a thing. A datachip is really just a low-yield micro-SD that doesn’t require additional hardware or software to access and doesn’t take a system snapshot of the devices it connects to – ideal for passing clandestine messages.

Bastra was studying the chip itself, rubbing his thumb over the surface while his eyes stared into the middle distance. Rex had seen that look on Jedi before; it was strange to see it on someone wearing blaster-scored body armor. “She’s not in Raxulon anymore. Whether that’s by her initiative or someone else’s, I can’t tell. Yet.” His gaze refocused on the General. “Is your cover secure?”

“For the moment.” Skywalker handed the datapad back and hesitated. “I’d tell you where to find us once you have something to go on, but I don’t know if we’ll be staying in one place. Seems a bad idea right now.”

Bastra nodded. “Qui-Gon’s taught you well. I’ll find you if I need you. Go…I don’t know. Shopping or something, whatever it is Republic soldiers do when they’re playing at being spies.”

Suppressing a grin as Skywalker bristled, Rex nodded. “Do we want to know how you’ll find us?”

The mercenary drained off the bottle in a single pull and stood, helmet in hand and a cheerfully rakish grin on his lips. “Oh, I never forget a pretty face.” He winked at the clone soldier and pulled the dark-eyed mask back over his head, leaving without another glance.

When I wrote this, my plans for the following segment in chapter three were going in a wildly different direction from where it ended up. The comment about the message-writer – Kardoon’s girlfriend – not being in the city was no longer true. I was tempted to go back and change this later, but it still works from the perspective of Obi-Wan being in business mode and lying in order to gain more time from his employer. 

It becomes a glimpse into the sort of person a former Jedi has to become in order to survive on the wrong side of the law – someone who was accustomed to providing at least a shade of the truth learning that falsehoods must be told, and told convincingly.

And the flirting. Gotta have him flirt with people at utterly inappropriate times. And I want to say more about that part, but that also would involve massive spoilers.

@norcumi