#Quicklime Price

[chemanalystdata]

Quicklime Prices Trend | Pricing | News | Database | Chart

North America

In Q3 2024, Quicklime prices in North America showed a significant upward trend, with the USA experiencing the most notable price increases compared to the previous quarter. This rise was driven by several key factors. Despite low demand from downstream industries, particularly the construction sector, supply chain disruptions caused by recent hurricanes tightened market conditions and propelled prices higher. Seasonal trends further influenced price dynamics in the USA, where prices rose by approximately 3% quarter-on-quarter. Additional market uncertainties, including potential port strikes and approaching Gulf of Mexico storms, compounded challenges for buyers. Supply chain pressures were exacerbated by disruptions to shipping routes, port congestion, and plant shutdowns, all of which contributed to the price escalation. By the end of the quarter, Quicklime prices reached USD 221/MT, CFR Texas, reflecting the combined effects of localized disruptions and broader market dynamics on the region's pricing trends.

Get Real time Prices for Quicklime : https://www.chemanalyst.com/Pricing-data/quicklime-1505

Europe

In Q3 2024, the European Quicklime market experienced a persistent downward trend in pricing, influenced by several significant factors. Stable production levels and ample stock availability created a supply surplus, while low demand from key downstream sectors, particularly construction, weighed heavily on prices. The construction sector continued to face challenges, including reduced new orders and declining activity, which further pressured pricing. Logistical disruptions at major Northern European ports added to market complexities, impacting supply chains and pricing dynamics. The Netherlands experienced the most pronounced price declines during the quarter, reflecting the broader market sentiment of weak demand and oversupply. Prices fell by approximately 2% compared to the previous quarter, underscoring the consistent downward trajectory. By quarter’s end, Quicklime prices were reported at USD 155/MT, FD Rotterdam, highlighting the negative pricing environment across the region. The absence of plant shutdowns underscored the broader structural challenges faced by the European Quicklime market during this period.

APAC

In Q3 2024, Quicklime prices in the APAC region declined significantly due to various factors. Subdued demand from key sectors such as construction and manufacturing, coupled with an oversupply of Quicklime, drove prices lower across the region. China experienced the most pronounced price fluctuations, exacerbated by disruptions from the recent typhoon season and ongoing heavy rains. These adverse weather conditions delayed or canceled construction projects, reducing demand for construction-related materials. The quarter saw a sharp 14% decline in prices from the previous quarter, highlighting the challenging market environment. Seasonality and market sentiment played pivotal roles in influencing pricing trends, with negative sentiment prevailing throughout the quarter. Despite disruptions and plant shutdowns, prices continued to fall. By the end of the quarter, the price of Quicklime in China stood at USD 137/MT, FOB Qingdao, reflecting the persistent downward trend and ongoing market challenges in the region.

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[chemanalysta]

Quicklime Pricing showcased an upward trajectory throughout the 3rd Quarter of 2022. High energy prices and an excessive inflation rate strained the Quicklime market in the USA. Meanwhile, the elevation in the input costs pressure due to the hampered production activities globally impacted the margins of the enterprises. Downstream offers from the industries such as the paper, pulp, and metal segments remained silent in this Quarter. In addition, the labor strike at the west coast port led to supply disturbances in the country at the termination of September 2022. Thus, the prices of Quicklime recorded a surge of 2% in the USA market towards the end of September 2022.

[girlactionfigure]

In Nazi-occupied Paris, the deadliest predator wasn’t a soldier—it was a doctor.

Marcel Petiot promised desperate Jews an escape, only to turn Paris into his personal slaughterhouse.

This is the chilling story of “Doctor Satan” and his horrifying crimes: 🧵

In June 1940, German forces marched into Paris, marking the beginning of a brutal occupation.

Life for Parisians changed overnight.

For French Jews, life became even more perilous.

They faced registration, loss of employment, and eventual deportation to concentration camps.

While some chose to resist, others sought escape. 

Smuggling routes were established to help refugees cross into Spain or Switzerland.

But for those without connections, Marcel Petiot’s false promises became a deadly trap.

Marcel Petiot was no ordinary man.

He showed early signs of trouble.

As a child, he tortured animals and displayed disruptive behavior in school.

Despite his issues, Petiot was highly intelligent, completing medical school after serving briefly in World War I.

By 1941, Petiot devised a plan that would make him one of the most infamous figures in French criminal history. 

He posed as a member of the French Resistance, claiming to operate an escape network for Jews and political refugees.

Petiot promised his victims safe passage out of France—for a price.

Each individual paid him 25,000 francs (roughly $10,000 today) in exchange for false papers, vaccinations, and a route to freedom. 

Once they arrived at Petiot’s “safe house” at 21 Rue Le Sueur in Paris, the refugees were told they needed vaccinations before their journey.

Instead, Petiot injected them with cyanide, killing them instantly.

Video Link

He then dismembered their bodies and burned the remains in a furnace or dissolved them in quicklime.

Over time, Petiot’s operation expanded.

He used accomplices to find victims, often targeting those with no close family to report them missing.

Video Link

By the end of his spree, he had murdered at least 27 people, though some estimates suggest the true number could be as high as 60.

In March 1944, neighbors noticed foul-smelling smoke billowing from his property.

They alerted the police, who uncovered a gruesome scene: body parts, and pits of quicklime filled with human bones.

By the time police pieced together the evidence, Petiot had fled.

He remained at large for months, even joining the French Resistance under a fake name.

His luck ran out in October 1944, when he was recognized and arrested at a Paris Metro station.

During his trial in 1946, Petiot maintained his innocence. 

He claimed that the bodies found at his home were German collaborators and enemies of the Resistance.

Video Link

But the evidence against him was overwhelming. 

Suitcases filled with personal belongings of his victims were found in his possession, and witnesses testified to his fraudulent escape network.

The trial captivated post-war France, with Petiot playing to the gallery, portraying himself as a patriot and hero. 

The jury saw through his lies, and he was sentenced to death.

On May 25, 1946, Marcel Petiot was executed by guillotine.

Video Link

If you like this thread, help me on my mission:

"The school and the media failed to teach you history. 

My mission is to help you learn more about history and the key moments that defined our existence."

Follow me @_HistoryNerd for more... 

History Ner

@_HistoryNerd

[pathfinderunlocked]

Poisoned Chain & Electrified Door Trap - CR6 Trap

A trap with a fake bypass mechanism that’s also trapped.

Door artwork by Bryan Alexander on Flickr. Chain artwork by Value Essentials at Walmart. Skeleton artwork by Rockmondelias on Second Life Store.

This door itself isn't locked, but is trapped to magically shock any living creature who directly touches it or gets within a few inches of it for 6d6 electricity damage.  The DC 18 Reflex save to halve the electricity damage involves letting go of the door.  A creature that forcibly pulls the door open despite the trap and must choose to forego this saving throw, and takes a total of 10d6 electricity damage with no save as the door is heavy, has resistance, and takes several seconds to pull open.

As soon as the door is opened, it begins to close itself via a weighted mechanism.  Creatures can easily get through if they do so immediately, but the door finishes closing after 1 round.

The door can be opened with Knock, but is too heavy to be opened with Open/Close.

It’s possible to tie a rope around the door handle from the outside to pull it open, or use a pole to push it open from the inside.

And if you want, you can just use the trap exactly like that, in which case it’s a very straightforward CR 3 magic trap.  But the interesting part is the fake bypass mechanism, described below.

One of the doors already has a 20-foot long chain attached to the handle, hanging down to the ground.  Players, upon seeing this chain attached to the door, might get the idea to pull the chain to safely open the door without triggering the electricity trap.  However, the chain is coated with a contact poison.

In the image above, I put a skeleton slumped on the ground next to the chain, which is also something I did when I used this trap in my own game.  This is a pretty deadly trap to be hit with right at the entrance to a dungeon when you might not be thinking about searching for traps yet, so seeing a dead adventurer before you even go inside the dungeon is a good visual clue and piece of foreshadowing for the players.

You can add the Poison Chain Bypass Trap Adjustment to a different trap, but only a trap with a base CR of 5 or less.  Essentially it’s a trap template, similar to a creature template.

Electrified Door Trap - CR 3

Aura moderate evocation; CL 10th; Slot none (unattended trap); Price —

DESCRIPTION

XP 800 (2,400 after being modified by poison chain trap)

Type magical; Perception DC 20; Disable Device DC 20

Bypass rope from outside or pole from inside

EFFECTS

Trigger proximity (creature 4 inches from door); Reset automatic (immediate)

Effect 6d6 electricity (Reflex DC 18 halves by letting go) if touching door; 10d6 electricity (no save) if forcing door open without letting go

Poison Chain Bypass Trap Adjustment - CR +3 trap modifier

XP Varies (modifies CR and XP of another trap of CR 5 or below)

Type mechanical; Perception DC 30; Disable Device DC N/A

Bypass don’t touch the chain

EFFECTS

Trigger touch (fake bypass for trap being modified); Reset none

Effect quicklime poison (automatic hit if touched)

Type contact or inhaled; Save Fortitude DC 18 Frequency 1/round for 6 rounds Effect 1d2 Con damage, blindness and nausea for 1d10 minutes Cure 2 consecutive saves

[kumkumchandak]

Quicklime Suppliers in Rajasthan: Enhance Construction and Industrial Projects with Mahalaxmi Chemical Industries

Introduction

For the seekers of Quicklime suppliers in Rajasthan, like all other industries, Mahalaxmi Chemical Industries is the destination. We are fully committed to providing high-quality Quicklime with end-users falling in the construction industry, steel industry, paper industry, and many more.

What is Quicklime?

Quicklime, also called Calcium Oxide (CaO), is a very important and useful chemical for numerous applications. It is obtained by heating limestone to very high temperatures for driving away from carbon dioxide, which results in a white, strongly alkaline material that very readily absorbs water.

Why Choose Mahalaxmi Chemical Industries?

Best Quality: We are involved in high-quality Quicklime and cater to its true performance in a wide variety of applications.

Steady Supply: We have an efficient supply chain in place along with some strategic partnerships that make sure we supply on time, every time.

Customer-Driven Approach: We are here to place our clients first and go beyond their expectations by offering more personalized service and support.

Economical Pricing: Our competitive price structure makes our products available to businesses of any size.

Well Experienced: The knowledgeable members of the talented teams do have a good overall industry knowledge and provide core insights and recommendations.

Applications of Quicklime Construction: Used in production of cement, mortar, plaster, concrete in increased strength and durability. 

Steelmaking: For steel-making, quicklime is used to eliminate impurities from the molten metal and provides better quality for the metal.

Paper Manufacturing: Quicklime is used to neutralize acidity in the process and increases the quality of paper. 

Water Treatment: It plays its role in adjusting the pH and removing impurities from water making it suitable for drinking as well as industrial uses. 

Environmental Remediation: Acidic soils and wastewater can be neutralized by lime to promote a healthier environment.

Conclusion

Mahalaxmi Chemical Industries would provide you with superior quality, an absolutely reliable supply of Quicklime with exceptional customer service. So get in touch with us today for discussion over your requirements and enjoy the Mahalaxmi difference.

[namansharma0950]

生石灰 (Quicklime) 価格: トレンド、市場洞察、予測

生石灰 (Quicklime) の価格は、原材料費、生産プロセス、市場需要など、さまざまな要因によって左右されます。生石灰は酸化カルシウムとも呼ばれ、鉄鋼製造、建設、環境用途などの業界で広く使用され��いるため、多くの企業にとって価格変動は大きな意味を持ちます。

生石灰価格の主な要因の 1 つは、生石灰の原料である石灰石のコストです。石灰石は豊富に入手できますが、石灰石鉱床の品質と入手しやすさはさまざまであり、抽出と処理の全体的なコストに影響します。抽出コストの上昇や高品質の鉱床の入手しやすさの制限により石灰石の価格が上昇すると、それに応じて生石灰の価格も上昇する傾向があります。

生石灰の生産プロセスも、その価格を決定する上で重要な役割を果たします。生石灰は、石灰石を窯で高温で加熱することによって生産されます。このプロセスは焼成と呼ばれます。このプロセスに関連するエネルギー コスト、特に天然ガスや石炭などの燃料のコストは、生産の全体的なコストに大きな影響を与える可能性があります。エネルギー価格が高い地域では、生石灰の価格も高騰する可能性があります。

生石灰の価格設定におけるもう 1 つの重要な要素は、サプライ チェーンのダイナミクスと物流上の考慮事項です。生石灰の輸送には注意深い取り扱いが必要であり、特に長距離の場合はコストがかかる可能性があります。生石灰はバルク材料であるため、輸送コストが最終価格のかなりの部分を占める可能性があります。輸送の遅れや輸送能力の不足など、サプライ チェーンの混乱は、価格の上昇につながる可能性があります。

市場の需要は、生石灰の価格に影響を与える主要な要因です。建設業界、特にセメントやコンクリート製造などの部門は、生石灰に大きく依存しています。インフラ プロジェクトや不動産開発によって建設活動が急増すると、生石灰の需要が増加し、価格が上昇する可能性があります。同様に、鉄鋼業界は生石灰の重要な消費者であり、鉄鋼生産中に鉄鉱石の精製に生石灰を��用しています。したがって、鉄鋼生産の変動は、生石灰の需要と価格に影響を与える可能性があります。

環境規制と持続可能性の取り組みも、生石灰の価格に影響を与えます。産業界が二酸化炭素排出量の削減を目指す中、環境に優しい生産方法や製品に対する需要が高まっています。この変化により、よりクリーンでエネルギー効率の高い生石灰生産技術への投資が促進され、生産コストが上昇し、結果として生石灰の価格が上昇する可能性があります。

さらに、生石灰の生産と消費の地域差により、価格差が生じる可能性があります。石灰岩資源が豊富で生産施設が整備されている地域では、生石灰の価格がより安定し、競争力がある可能性があります。しかし、石灰岩が不足している地域や生産能力が限られている地域では、輸入の必要性や他地域からの生石灰の輸送コストにより、価格が高くなる可能性があります。

リアルタイムで生石灰 (Quicklime)価格: https://www.analystjapan.com/Pricing-data/quicklime-1200

貿易政策、関税、為替レートなどの世界経済状況も、生石灰の価格に影響します。貿易協定の変更や関税の導入により、生石灰の輸出入コストが影響を受け、さまざまな市場で価格調整が行われる可能性があります。

結論として、生石灰の価格は、原材料費、生産費、サプライチェーンの物流、市場の需要、環境規制、世界経済の状況など、さまざまな要因の組み合わせによって決まります。これらの影響を理解することは、生石灰に依存している企業がコストを効果的に管理し、この重要な工業材料の安定供給を確保するために不可欠です。

ANALYST JAPAN

Call +1 (332) 258- 6602 1-2-3 Manpukuji, Asao-ku, Kawasaki 215-0004 Japan

Website: https://www.analystjapan.com

Email: sales@analystjapan.com

[rajasthanlime]

The Best Lime for Soil Stabilization in India: A Comprehensive Guide

Soil stabilization is an essential procedure in civil and construction engineering. It improves the physical properties of soil in order to increase its durability and strength. In India Lime is among the most efficient and widely used substances to lime for soil stabilization in India.

Understanding Soil Stabilization

Soil stabilization refers to the treatment of soil in order to improve its physical properties which makes it more solid and suitable for use in construction. This is vital for increasing the load-bearing capability of soil, while reducing its flexibility, and improving the resistance of soil to. Lime, a mineral that is calcium-rich, reacts with soil to produce these enhancements.

Different types of lime used for Soil Stabilization

There are a variety of lime that are used for soil stabilization. Each has distinct properties and advantages:

Quicklime (Calcium Oxide): Quicklime is extremely reactive and is widely employed for soil stabilization that is quick and fast. It is highly reactive to water, which makes it the ideal choice for projects that require quick outcomes.

Hydrated Lime (Calcium Hydroxide): Hydrated lime is made by introducing water into quicklime. This is less reactive than the quicklime, but nevertheless efficient to stabilize soil for a prolonged time.

Dolomitic Lime: This kind of lime has both magnesium and calcium carbonate, which can provide additional advantages to soil stability, including better soil structure and increased nutrient availability.

The benefits of using lime to Stabilize Soil

Utilizing lime for soil stabilization in India provides numerous advantages:

Better Load-Bearing Capacity Lime treatment greatly increases the load-bearing capacity in soil which makes it ideal for the construction of roads or buildings as well as other infrastructure.

Reduced Plasticity Lime decreases the flexibility of soil and makes it less susceptible to bending under the pressure of. This is crucial in areas that have large structures or a lot of traffic.

Improved Durability Lime-stabilized soil has greater durability, able to withstand extreme conditions of weather as well as resisting the effects of erosion.

Cost-effective: Lime is a cost-effective option for stabilizing soil compared to other options which makes it a desirable alternative for large-scale projects.

Finding the best Lime to Stabilize Soil in India

When choosing the right lime to stabilize soils in India there are a variety of factors to be taken into consideration:

Sort of Soil The different types of soil react differently when treated with lime. Knowing the soil type is essential to select the correct lime.

Project Requirements The particular requirements of the project, like the durability and strength of the soil stabilized, will affect the selection of lime.

Cost and availability: The availability and price of lime can differ across various regions of India. It is important to choose a supplier of lime that can provide quality lime at a reasonable cost.

Top Lime Suppliers for Soil Stabilization India

A number of businesses in India are renowned for providing top-quality soil stabilization lime. They offer a variety of lime products to satisfy the various requirements of engineering and construction projects. Some of the most reputable lime producers of India include:

Rajasthan Lime: known for its high-quality lime products Rajasthan Lime is a leading producer of the best lime for soil stabilization in India. Their products are extensively utilized in construction projects throughout the nation.

Sigma Minerals Limited: Sigma Minerals Limited is another renowned lime producer in India and offers a variety of lime products that are used for soil stabilization and for other purposes.

Universal Lime and Mineral Co.: This company offers a range of lime-based products for soil stabilization that meet the needs of both large and small-scale construction projects.

Best Practices to Use Lime for Soil Stabilization

To get the most effective results from lime used to stabilize soil it is vital to follow the most effective practices:

Test of Soils: Perform thorough soil tests to determine its characteristics and the suitability to be treated with lime. This will aid in choosing the correct type and amount of lime.

Proper mixing: Ensure that the lime is mixed evenly with the soil for the same level of stabilization. This can be accomplished by using equipment that is specifically designed, like spreaders or rotary mixers.

Correct Curing Give the limestone enough time to mix with the soil to achieve the desired stability. A proper curing process is vital to maximizing the benefits of the lime treatment.

Qualitative Control Continuously checks the stability of the soil to ensure that it is meeting the specifications of the project. This means testing the durability, strength, as well as other properties in the soil.

Conclusion

Lime is a diverse and effective substance to stabilize soil, providing many benefits to civil engineering and construction initiatives in India. Through understanding the various varieties of lime that are available and following the most effective techniques for lime treatment project managers can be sure of the effectiveness for their stabilization of soil efforts. With best lime for soil stabilization in India like Rajasthan Lime, Sigma Minerals Limited as well as Universal Lime and Mineral Co. getting high-quality limestone to stabilize soil in India is now easier than ever before.

[whitepolaris]

Roche Harbor: Company Town

With trees being plentiful in the Pacific Northwest, it's easy to see why most houses built there in the nineteenth century were made of wood. But there are drawbacks to relying on wood for construction: Buildings could be only as high as four stories, and there was always the danger of fire. Several cities that relied heavily on wood alone-including Seattle-would burn down, sometimes more than once.

The alternative construction materials were stone and brick. Stone was easy to find and quarry, and there was plenty of clay to make bricks. But until the late 1800s, the mortar necessary to hold them together had to be imported. Mortar was made from quicklime, created by burning limestone in a very furnace. There were many limestone deposits in Washington, but the only the purest limestone would do, and that was hard to find.

Prospectors found small but pure limestone deposits in 1881, and in 1886 John McMillin formed the Tacoma and Roche Harbor Lime Company on vast limestone deposits found at Roche Harbor. A company town grew up around the lime plant; it had its own school, stores, housing, and utilities. Like most company towns, it paid its workers in scrip instead of money, but unlike in other company towns, the company kept prices in its stores down by buying in bulk and passing the savings on to the workers. Company housing was also a step above what other workers could afford in Seattle.

When the line deposits ran out, the Tacoma and Roche Harbor Lime Company ceased operation and the main reason for Roche Harbor's existence went away too. Underbrush and trees grew over the remains of the warehouses, and the docks were torn down or left to rot. All that was left was several kilns, loading docks, and the rotting Roche Harbor wharves.

In 1957, the Tarte family bought the property, rebuilt some of the wharves, and reopened the place as the Roche Harbor & Resort. In the last decade, Roche Harbor has undergone many changes, becoming a stopover for yacht owners and summer tourists. In 2007, the Roche Harbor Resort continues to make improvements around the remnants of the old lime works. Today you can get a map of the historic village at the front desk of the Hotel de Haro and conduct your own walking tour of the area.

[advancegkquiz]

General Awareness|Practice Paper for SSC CGL Tier-1|SET- 21

1. One of the leaders who founded the Swaraj Party was

1. Mahatma Gandhi

2. B G Tilak

3. K Kamaraj

4. Chittaranjan Das

Ans : 4

2. The policy of price control in markets was launched by 

1. Shershah

2. Ashoka

3. Akbar

4. Alauddin Khali

Ans : 4

3. Who persuaded the rating of the RIN ( Royal Indian Navy ) to surrender on the 23rd feb 1946 ?

1. Mahatma Gandhi

2. Jawahar Lal Nehru and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad

3. Vallabh Bhai Patel and M A Jinnah

4. Morarji Desai and J B Kriplani

Ans : 3

4. The fundamental right which has been described by Dr. B R Ambedkar as "The heart and soul of the constitution" is the right to

1. Equality

2. Property

3. Freedom of religion 

4. Constitutional Remedies

Ans : 1

5. The non-permanent members of the security council are elected for

1. 1 year

2. 2 year

3. 3 year

4. 4 year

Ans : 2

6. The two basic values of a constitutional Govt. are

1. Stability and Liberty

2. Liberty and Equality

3. Equality and Fraternity

4. Stability and Justice

Ans : 2

7. Deccan Trap areas in Western India largely have

1. Alluvial soil

2. Black soil

3. Red soil

4. Laterite soil

Ans : 2

8. Earth revolves around the sun in an elliptical orbit. Its speed is

1. Greatest when it is farthest from the sun

2. Greatest when it is closest to the sun

3. Remains the same at all points on the orbit

4. Goes on decreasing continuously

Ans : 3

9. The axis of the earth is inclined to the plane of the ecliptic at an angle of 

1. 23.5°

2. 22.5°

3. 66.5°

4. 67.5°

Ans : 3

10. India lies in the hemisphere

1. Northern and Eastern

2. Southern and Eastern

3. Northern and Western

4. None of these

Ans : 1

11. The place which has the longest day and the shortest night on 22nd dec is

1. Chennai

2. Madrid

3. Melbourne

4. Moscow

Ans : 3

12. AGMARK is 

1. A cooperative for egg production

2. Regulated agricultural market

3. Farmer's cooperative

4. A quality guarantee stamp for commodities

Ans : 4

13. A "Transfer Income" is an 

1. Income which is not produced by any production process

2. Income taken away from one person and give over to another

3. Unearned income 

4. Earned income

Ans : 1

14. All of the following are caused by viruses, except

1. Jaundice

2. Influenza

3. Typhoid

4. Mumps

Ans : 3

15. Which one of the following is an element ?

1. Topaz

2. Diamond

3. Ruby

4. Sapphire

Ans : 2

16. Which one of the following is the unit of activity of a radioactive source ?

1. Lux

2. Becquerel

3. Tesla

4. Siemens

Ans : 2

17. Mesons are found in 

1. Gamma rays

2. Laser beam

3. X- rays

4. Cosmic rays

Ans : 4

18. Setting of plaster of paris is 

1. Dehydration

2. Oxidation with atmospheric oxygen

3. Hydration leading to another hydrate

4. Combination with atmospheric CO2

Ans : 2

19. The radioactive element used in heart pacemakers is

1. Uranium

2. Deuterium

3. Plutonium

4. Radium

Ans : 1

20. Which one of the following when dissolved in OH gives hissing sound ?

1. Limestone

2. Slacked lime

3. Soda lime

4. Quicklime

Ans : 1

21. Cloudy nights are warmer compared to nights because clouds mainly

1. Absorb heat from the atmosphere send it towards earth 

2. Prevent cold waves from the sky descending on earth

3. Reflect back the heat given by earth 

4. Produce heat and radiate it towards earth

Ans : 3

22. Which one of the following is also called Stranger gas ?

1. Argon

2. Neon

3. Xenon

4. Nitrous oxide

Ans : 3

23. Laser is a device to produce

1. A beam of white light

2. Coherent light

3. Microwaves

4. X-Rays

Ans : 4

24. Who is called the father of computer ?

1. Charles babbage

2. Stephen Hawking

3. WG Grace

4. John Lennon

Ans : 1

25. NIN ( National Institute of Nutrition ) Central office is located at

1. Hyderabad

2. Mumbai

3. Bengaluru

4. Kolkata

Ans : 1

Let's Study

[quantzigblogs]

Market overview for calcium oxide worldwide and leading suppliers

Originally Published on: SpendEdge | Global Calcium Oxide Market: Market Overview and Top Suppliers

Since the Middle Ages, calcium oxide has been a commonly utilized chemical substance. In fact, one of the oldest chemicals known to man is thought to be calcium oxide, usually known as quicklime. One of the major consumers of calcium oxide is the building sector. Over the coming years, the construction industry is anticipated to expand significantly, which will therefore increase demand for calcium oxide. Additionally, it serves as a catalyst in the process of making biofuels to speed up production.

The major competitors in the calcium oxide market, significant market trends, procurement best practices, and pricing outlook are all covered in-depth in the global calcium oxide procurement market intelligence research from SpendEdge.

Lhoist Lime, dolime, and minerals are among Lhoist's leading product lines. The corporation, which has its headquarters in Belgium, conducts business in more than 25 nations worldwide. The business specializes in producing aerated lime (calcium oxide, calcium double oxide, and calcium hydroxide), as well as extracting and acquiring limestone aggregates and dolime. The company also provides a range of reagents for many industries, including agriculture, pulp, paper, steel, the environment, and construction.

Mine Technologies Minerals Minerals Technologies Inc. is a technology- and resource-based business that creates, manufactures, and distributes a wide array of specialty mineral, mineral-based, and synthetic mineral products as well as associated systems and services on a global scale. Performance materials, speciality minerals, refractories, and energy services are the company's four reportable segments. With the help of Pfizer's initial public offering, the business went public in 1992.

AG Omya Omya is one of the largest chemical wholesalers in the world. Gottfried Plüss-Staufer established the business in 1884 in Oftringen, Switzerland. Omya provides chemical raw materials, intermediates, and speciality products for a variety of applications, including printing & writing, packaging, agriculture & forestry, and construction, in addition to calcium oxide and carbonate fillers and coating pigments.

KGaA Merck A global leader in research and technology, Merck KGaA is dedicated to creating goods and services that improve quality of life. Over 53,000 people work for the organization globally across 66 operating nations. The business has demonstrated proficiency in a number of fields, including developing smarter materials for electrical gadgets, producing ultra-pure water, evaluating the quality of food and medications, and treating cancer. With the exception of the United States and Canada, the corporation owns the rights to the name and trademark "MERCK".

Carmeuse Carmeuse is a market-leading manufacturer of calcium oxide, high calcium and dolomitic lime, and related products. It offers specialized services and solutions to a wide range of sectors. The company's lime and limestone products are an essential component of numerous significant international industries, such as manufacturing, energy, environmental services, and construction. Western, Central, and Eastern Europe, North and South America, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia are all included in the geographic reach of Carmeuse.

Learn more about the main market factors, procurement best practices, the pricing outlook, and the leading companies in the calcium oxide market.

To contact our specialists, click here.

[synergychemical]

Finding the Right Supplier for Your Hydrated Lime Needs

Hydrated lime is an essential ingredient in many industries, from construction and manufacturing to agriculture and water treatment. It’s a versatile material that can be used for a variety of purposes, but finding the right supplier can be a challenge. In this article, we’ll explore the key factors to consider when choosing a hydrated lime supplier and how to ensure that you’re getting the best product for your needs.

Understanding Hydrated Lime

Before we dive into the process of finding the right supplier, it’s important to have a clear understanding of what hydrated lime is and how it’s used. Hydrated lime, also known as slaked lime, is a dry powder that is created by adding water to quicklime. It’s commonly used as a pH adjuster, flocculant, and coagulant in water treatment and as a soil stabilizer in construction and agriculture. It’s also used in the production of building materials such as mortar and plaster.

The Benefits of Using Hydrated Lime

Hydrated lime offers several benefits over other materials. For example, it’s cost-effective, readily available, and easy to use. It also has a long shelf life and is non-toxic, making it a safe choice for many applications. Additionally, hydrated lime can help improve the durability and strength of materials, making it an ideal choice for construction projects.

Factors to Consider When Choosing a Hydrated Lime Supplier

When it comes to choosing a hydrated lime supplier, there are several factors to consider. Here are some of the most important ones:

Quality of the Product

One of the most important factors to consider when choosing a hydrated lime supplier is the quality of the product. You want to make sure that the supplier you choose provides a high-quality product that meets your needs. Look for a supplier that uses high-quality raw materials and has a robust quality control process in place to ensure that their product meets industry standards.

Availability and Delivery

Another important factor to consider is the availability and delivery options of the supplier. You want to make sure that the supplier you choose can provide the quantity of hydrated lime you need when you need it. Look for a supplier that has a large inventory and a fast turnaround time for orders. Additionally, consider the supplier’s delivery options, such as trucking, rail, or barge, and make sure that they can deliver to your location.

Price and Value

Price is always an important consideration when choosing a supplier, but it’s not the only factor to consider. You want to make sure that you’re getting the best value for your money. Look for a supplier that offers competitive pricing without sacrificing quality. Additionally, consider any value-added services that the supplier may offer, such as technical support or custom formulations.

Reputation and Customer Service

Finally, consider the supplier’s reputation and customer service. Look for a supplier that has a good reputation in the industry and a track record of providing high-quality products and excellent customer service. Additionally, consider the supplier’s responsiveness to inquiries and their willingness to work with you to meet your needs.

Customer Service

Excellent customer service is essential when dealing with hydrated lime suppliers. You want to work with a supplier who is responsive, helpful, and willing to go the extra mile to meet your needs. The supplier should have a dedicated customer service team that can address your concerns promptly, provide technical support, and offer customized solutions to your unique requirements. They should also be transparent in their communication, providing regular updates on the status of your orders and any changes in delivery schedules.

Environmental Responsibility

Environmental responsibility is becoming increasingly important in today’s world. When choosing a hydrated lime supplier, it is crucial to consider their environmental impact. The supplier should have a sustainable production process that minimizes waste, reduces energy consumption, and mitigates emissions. They should also have a proactive approach to environmental management, including compliance with local and international regulations, monitoring and reporting of environmental performance, and continuous improvement initiatives.

Conclusion

Choosing the right hydrated lime supplier is essential for ensuring that your business has the materials it needs to operate efficiently and effectively. By considering the factors outlined in this article, you can make an informed decision and find a supplier that meets your needs. Remember to prioritize quality, availability, price, and customer service when choosing a supplier, and don’t be afraid to ask questions or request samples to ensure that you’re getting the best product for your needs.

[chemanalystdata]

Quicklime Prices | Pricing | Trend | News | Database | Chart | Forecast

 Quicklime, also known as calcium oxide (CaO), is an essential material widely used in various industries such as construction, steel manufacturing, wastewater treatment, and agriculture. It is derived from the thermal decomposition of limestone, resulting in a product that is highly reactive and plays a crucial role in numerous chemical processes. As the demand for quicklime continues to grow, understanding the factors that influence its price is essential for businesses and industries that rely on its applications. The price of quicklime is influenced by a range of factors, including raw material availability, production costs, energy prices, transportation, regional demand, and environmental regulations.

The availability of limestone, the raw material from which quicklime is produced, plays a fundamental role in the pricing dynamics. Limestone is abundantly available in many parts of the world, but the ease of extraction, transportation, and proximity to production facilities can significantly affect costs. Regions with rich limestone deposits may have a competitive advantage in quicklime production, allowing them to offer more competitive prices. However, in areas where limestone is scarce or where extraction is challenging, the price of quicklime tends to be higher due to the increased cost of obtaining the raw material. Additionally, fluctuations in limestone availability caused by natural disasters, environmental restrictions, or mining regulations can further influence quicklime prices, adding to market volatility.

Get Real Time Prices for Quicklime : https://www.chemanalyst.com/Pricing-data/quicklime-1505

Production costs are another key determinant in quicklime pricing. The process of producing quicklime involves heating limestone in kilns at high temperatures, which requires substantial energy input. Energy prices, particularly for fossil fuels such as coal and natural gas, can have a direct impact on the cost of production. When energy prices rise, the cost of running the kilns increases, leading to higher production costs that are typically passed on to buyers in the form of higher quicklime prices. Conversely, when energy prices decline, quicklime producers may be able to lower their prices, creating a more favorable market environment for buyers. Moreover, advancements in kiln technology and energy efficiency can also influence production costs. Companies that invest in energy-efficient technologies may be able to produce quicklime more cost-effectively, allowing them to offer lower prices and gain a competitive edge in the market.

Transportation costs also have a significant impact on quicklime prices. As quicklime is often produced in regions with abundant limestone deposits and then transported to other areas for use, the cost of shipping the material can be a substantial factor in its overall price. The distance between production sites and end-use markets, as well as the mode of transportation used, such as trucks, trains, or ships, can all influence transportation costs. Regions that are closer to quicklime production facilities may enjoy lower prices due to reduced transportation expenses, while remote areas may face higher costs. Additionally, fluctuations in fuel prices can further affect transportation costs, leading to variability in quicklime pricing.

Regional demand also plays a pivotal role in quicklime pricing. Industries such as steel manufacturing, construction, and water treatment are significant consumers of quicklime, and demand from these sectors can vary by region. In regions with a strong construction or steel industry, for example, the demand for quicklime may be high, leading to upward pressure on prices. Conversely, in areas where demand is lower or where economic activity in key industries is sluggish, quicklime prices may be more stable or even decrease. Additionally, global economic conditions can influence demand for quicklime, as industries such as construction and manufacturing are closely tied to economic cycles. During periods of economic growth, demand for quicklime tends to rise, leading to higher prices, while during economic downturns, demand may weaken, causing prices to soften.

Environmental regulations are another factor that can affect the price of quicklime. The production of quicklime involves the emission of carbon dioxide (CO2), a greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change. In response to growing concerns about environmental sustainability, many countries have implemented regulations aimed at reducing CO2 emissions from industrial processes, including quicklime production. Compliance with these regulations often requires quicklime producers to invest in cleaner technologies or carbon capture systems, which can increase production costs. In regions with stringent environmental regulations, the added costs of compliance may lead to higher quicklime prices. On the other hand, in areas with more lenient environmental regulations, quicklime producers may face fewer compliance costs, allowing them to offer more competitive prices.

The price of quicklime is also influenced by the competitive landscape of the industry. The global quicklime market is characterized by the presence of a large number of producers, ranging from small regional suppliers to large multinational companies. The level of competition within the market can influence pricing strategies, as producers may adjust their prices in response to competitive pressures. In highly competitive markets, producers may be more inclined to offer lower prices in order to capture market share, while in markets with limited competition, prices may be higher due to reduced pricing pressure. Additionally, the presence of substitutes for quicklime, such as hydrated lime or dolomitic lime, can also influence pricing dynamics. When substitutes are readily available and competitively priced, quicklime producers may need to adjust their prices in order to remain competitive.

In conclusion, the price of quicklime is shaped by a complex interplay of factors, including raw material availability, production costs, energy prices, transportation expenses, regional demand, environmental regulations, and competition within the market. As businesses and industries that rely on quicklime continue to grow, understanding these factors is crucial for making informed purchasing decisions and managing costs effectively. By staying attuned to changes in the market and exploring opportunities for cost-saving measures, such as improving energy efficiency or optimizing transportation logistics, companies can better navigate the dynamic landscape of quicklime pricing.

Get Real Time Prices for Quicklime : https://www.chemanalyst.com/Pricing-data/quicklime-1505

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[calcinedclay]

Best Manufacturers & Suppliers of Hydrated Lime in India

Fillerboy Pvt Ltd offers the best Hydrated Lime mineral in India at the most competitive price. We are a major supplier of hydrated lime to the steel, glass, and cement industries in Rajasthan. The hydrated lime mineral is available from Fillerboy for the lowest prices both in India and internationally.

What is Hydrated lime :

The chemical known as hydrated lime, sometimes known as slaked lime, is created when quicklime and water are combined. Calcium hydroxide is the more common name for the combination. You may get premium Hydrated Lime - Slaked Lime (Chemical Formula: Ca(OH)2) from us to ensure the highest level of purity and effectiveness. It is free of grits and impurities and is produced in fine powder form utilizing cutting-edge machinery and technology. Hydrated lime is employed in the creation of Di-calcium phosphate, lubricants, soaps, effluent treatment facilities, and several other products.

Uses and Applications of Hydrated lime :

Steel

Glass

Cement

Paper

Food

[hankwritten]

Quicklime

Demoman/Soldier, 9k (Abbreviated from FFNet Version) Warnings: Kidnapping, Claustrophobia, Executions

The Voice in the TV said if he didn’t cooperate, she’d take him out to a gravel pit and have him shot. She makes good on that promise.

The trunk’s lining smells like fear and caked blood.

My heart beats fast, far too fast, and I can empathize with that fear-scent because the dozens of people who have lain in this trunk before me must have known exactly how terrifying the dark is. There is a blindfold snared across my face, but even without it, the light deprivation would be absolute. Behind me is something heavy and unmoving—no doubt more bags of quicklime like the ones that keep me from fully extending my legs. The walls fold inward, crushing me down into the smallest manageable shape.

They’d raided my apartment with more mercenaries than I could handle, but only now—when I’m stripped of my ability to fight—do I finally feel the fear I’ve been keeping at bay.

I fantasize about sawing off the bindings around my wrists, of finding a spare shovel or torture device someone had carelessly left in the trunk, but I know the Administrator’s too smart for that.

The road rushes by. The throbbing of the lump on my head is my only company, the pounding of blood and the patter of desert road my only companions as I am taken far away from where anyone will hear my upcoming execution. I am alone. I’ve chased everyone away and the only one I can thank for that is myself, the decisions I made, the sacrifices I failed to take.

-

It is six months earlier and I wake up at five am sharp. I take a three minute navy shower under ice cold water (the boiler’s been out for months and I have neither the know-how nor the will to fix it) and shave in my toothpaste-spattered mirror. I wipe the lather off, check over my reflection, and determine everything to be satisfactory. My reflection salutes me back.

Breakfast is spam, freed from its metal prison with an army knife and dumped onto a griddle layered with grease. I’ll wash it some other time. Maybe when I remember to buy soap.

Morning drills. Uniform. Then the half hour walk to the end of my drive.

A rumble heralds the blue pickup truck, ancient but well cared for, wooden slats cadging its exterior so nothing will fall when transporting from one place to the other. It’ll hold until we get to Swiftwater.

“Hey there Sol,” Engineer greets as I clamber into the back.

I grunt in response.

To his credit, Engineer’s smile never loses his glamour, even when sticking out his self imposed task of talking to me. He glances to his right and offers amicably, “hey Smokey, why don’t you let Solly sit shotgun today?”

Pyro, half a box of the day’s matches littered around the passenger’s side, lifts their head and keens. The matches are black and curling, burned all the way down to the end as they’d let it caress their orange tipped fingers, chewing through them the way Spy decimates a box of cigarettes.

“I know you called it,” Engineer rebuts, “but wouldn’t it be nice to let someone else have a turn?”

More grumbles that I will never be able to parse. Engineer understands though, and he prods, finally making the other mercenary step voluntarily down from the cab and around to the back. I take their place next to the Engineer. It still smells of scorched phosphorus.

“So how was your weekend?” Engineer asks sanguinely, the long drive setting into my tailbone as the truck makes its journey over rougher and rougher roads while the mountains climb in front of us. “Didn’t get into any trouble at that convention, did ya?”

Inside my jaw, already clenched, frozen in its perpetual frown, my teeth grind. There are prices paid for a free ride into work every morning, and mine is that nine times out of ten Engineer treats me like a brain-dead geriatric. Like I’m Pyro. Thinks I’m one fig short of the whole tree and every minute detail is something to fuss over, thinks he has to watch over me the same way he babysits that idiot in the back of the truck who keeps lighting matches and then whining when the truck’s slipstream blows them out. That doesn’t stop them from lighting another one, nor bemoaning when the wind takes that one too.

“It was fine,” I grunt.

“Really now. Have a good time then?”

I almost want to say it. I almost want to tell it straight to his face that yes I damn well did, and that I met someone while I were there. That this someone isn’t like him, isn’t like anyone on BLU, who’s more fun than all of those bleating rubbernecks combined. Who doesn’t think of me as insane or a burden, but an honest to god friend, and has glimmer in his eye like he actually wants to hear what I’ll say next.

I want to say all that, but REDs and BLUs aren’t friends, and the brief, bitter satisfaction won’t make up for the broken contract lying in tatters at my feet, scrapped like the shriveled matches. Besides, the Engineer would be the worst person to tell. He’s more tied with BLU than any of us; no, this is something I have to keep close to my chest. A secret even. A good secret, one that the tighter you hold the warmer it makes you, the memory that I’m going to be seeing him again tonight glowing like a cigarette burn on my chest.

“Yeah. Real good time.”

I smile. This, I can tell, puts Engineer ill at ease.

-

The Red meets me outside a casino with a smart looking button-down and an even smarter grin. I could grow to like that grin. He throws an arm sideways across my shoulders.

“Got you good today, didn’t I,” he says by way of greeting, half a second to squeeze tight and then fall slack again, and it’s surprising how little that bothers me.

“And I got you back Cyclops, don’t forget it.”

We should be more pissed at each other. Blowing someone to gibs and then those gibs to gibs should warrant retribution, not reconciliation, not lingering warm where his sleeve is still pressed to my uniform as he prattles on. The casino ends up not letting us in that night. We don’t mind, especially when the words we could blow them up fall out of my mouth so easily, and the Demoman stares at me for one blinding second before a grin crawls up the sides of his face. I was right about learning to like that grin.

“You’re barmy,” he says a little breathlessly.

“I didn’t hear a ‘no’.”

The smile grows, a little manic, a little intoxicating. “I’ve got some gear in the car.”

Later that night I’ll run from the cops with this man at my side for the second time in three days. We’ll drive out far into the desert and stall the engine laughing, and I won’t care that the only thing keeping me company during cold night in the badlands is a man I barely know whose clothes are slightly singed. I lean over and put out the fire that’s been smoldering on his sleeve.

“Fuck,” he laughs at the sky, then repeats, “you’re barmy.”

This time I say nothing, and we get high on desert air and the lingering scent of gunpowder.

-

That night I put extra boards over my windows. I double, triple, quadruple check the door bar and I keep my shotgun close when I move so much as an inch from my vantage point behind the couch.

From here I can see everything as long as the filthy light filtered through layers of gray curtains can touch it: the sliver of bedroom, a good chunk of kitchen, the bathroom grimy and caked with mold. No one can come at me. There is no angle I cannot see and right now I need that comfort because things have been going too well. There is some sort of plot afoot—I already knew the rats in my ceiling have been corroborating with the delivery man from the Italian restaurant I sometimes order from, I just need a few more months of intelligence to get my proof—but this is an entirely new plot. A plot to make me lower my guard. A plot to make me consider inviting Demo over because I heard somewhere a long time ago that that’s what you do when you make a new friend. You hold their dirt-covered hand in theirs and wrap your knuckles on the screen door to ask your mother if so-and-so can come in and she says yes and then the two of you sit on the floor of your bedroom asking each other what you want to do for an hour. That’s definitely a thing that has happened, I’m sure of it. To someone who is me.

But that’s what children do. Civilians. Not Soldiers. This is barely a home, it's my…bunker. My bunker with the leaky roof and the rats skittering directly above me and orchestrating their nefarious plots.

(I can hear them conversing. Dammit. Sounds like that deliveryman taught them Italian after all.)

If I sleep out here, behind the couch where I can see everything, maybe that will be a sound enough perimeter. If my base is secure beforehand then maybe…

I’ll see him again tomorrow. Across the other side of the gates sure, but it’ll be something. My heart beats fast as I drop my head on a commandeered pillow and lay flat on the floorboards.

-

“I don’t get it,” he says as we peer through the decal-plastered windows, glass so covered with rainbow silhouettes that we can barely see its innards.

I cock my shotgun. “What’s not to get, maggot? Inside these four walls is the greatest threat to America that this country has ever seen! Actually, wait-” The building is kind of weird-shaped, with various additions tacked on to the sides of the non-descript den of depravity. “Inside these, seven, eight, nine-” I shimmy my back against the brick so that I can lean around the corner. “-Ten, eleven, twelve walls is the most potent sort of depravity you will ever see in your likely very short lifespan, and you can bet your knee pads on that, Red.”

“And that depravity is…?”

“Disco.”

Demo frowns. “Disco.”

“You heard me maggot!”

“The music.”

“You underestimate the mind altering powers of song, and one day that will be your downfall!” I jam a finger at the vinyl stars obscuring my scouting attempts. “Here, they play that garbage for the youth, teach them how to gyrate their hips, spread lies about our national bird!”

“Is the turkey thing still bothering you? Look, I’m sorry I called it-”

“And then,” I press on. “They have the audacity to call that drivel music! It has rotted their brains to the point where I can no longer buy a decent pair of pants, so that is why we are breaking in and stealing all of their roller skates.”

“…I’ll admit, you’ve lost me.”

There’s no movement from inside, but that could change at any time. “Are you coming in or not?”

A second drags on, then he shrugs. “Eh, why not. Worth a laugh.”

The lock in the back snaps off easily enough. The lock on shoe storage is another matter.

“Oh, so it’s a roller disco,” Demo muses as I finally give up and shoot the thing off, yanking open the doors to reveal dozens upon dozens of rental skates. “Aw, these look fun. Blu look, this pair has stickers on it.”

He holds up a skate splattered with cartoon unicorns and a singular out-of-place pineapple.

“Careful private,” I warn, “first it’s ‘this looks fun’ then it’s ‘certainly it can’t be that seditious’ then next think you know you’re trying on skates and- Hey! Stop trying on those skates!”

It’s too late. In the half minute I’d lost track of my co-conspirator, he’d been seduced by the ways of Boney M., and is now struggling to his feet on red wheels.

“Bloody hell, how does anyone move in these things?” he asks as he uses the half-wall surrounding the dance floor to hoist himself up.

“I told you! It is the hip gyrations!”

“Ah, alright.”

“No! That does not mean do them!”

“I think it’s working though,” Demo says as he steadies, stepping out into the rink. “Oi! This isn’t so bad…ye can like, build up speed with these things, aye?”

“I would not know and it is not in my interests to find out!”

But despite my protests, my multiple warnings to the dangers of roller disco, my friend is lost to me, escaping out onto the ten thousand square-feet of smoothly polished hardwood.

I watch him mournfully. “I should have known your civilian-grade heart was not up to resisting the pull of funk. Defeated, before we even begin.”

“Don’t think of it as defeat, laddie!” he calls, halfway around the circuit, looking like an idiot as he struggles to keep himself upright, a smile imploding his face in hitherto unknown realms of joy. “We’re using their own skates against them! Their er…tools of destruction or whatever. It’s sabotage.”

“Better sabotage would be taking all these skates and throwing them in a lake. Or a volcano! Or a lake inside a volcano!” I say. “And their damn music too!”

“This music?” he asks. There’s a radio resting on a bench just outside the rink. There is suddenly no longer a radio on the bench as the Demoman zooms by and scoops it up. “Well would I look at this mate! They left one of their tapes in!”

“Do not push that button, Red! Do not think about pushing that button! Do not even think about not pushing that button!”

He slams the green triangle with his full fist. Immediately the barely lit amphitheater becomes a testament to the powers of Earth Wind & Fire, the disco music oozing in toxic waves from the now-in-motion radio, hitting me with its salacious shock wave.

“Noooooo…the unamericanness of it all…powers…weakening………”

“Don’t be such a baby,” Demo whizzes by, a fast learner of the ill omened. “You know what your problem is? You don’t know how to vandalize private property properly. It’s supposed to be fun!”

“I will have fun when you turn that racket off!”

“You want this?” He holds up the radio, fist around the handle, dangling it in a taunt if I ever saw one. “Come and get it.”

He scoots away on his stupid little shoes.

I will not let this Red beat me. He’s toying with me now, that maddening smile lighting up his whole face; it’s a bit crooked and I hate what it does to the warmth in my face and the pace of my heart. He shouldn’t be doing things like that to my ticker. I have a condition.

“You.” Each word comes out trodden and growled, forced through gritted teeth so he knows exactly how much he’s going to regret this. “Are going to regret this.”

I walk over and arm myself. Leg myself. Dammit, whatever, I put the stupid shoes on.

“CHAAAARGE,” I scream as I barrel onto the floor, my newly acquired skates immediately shooting out from under me and sending me sliding forward on my ass. “Dammit! Red! Reveal the secrets to these things at once!”

“Gotta find a rhythm, laddie,” he says as he slides past, going backwards now, the showoff.

I’ll never catch him at this rate. More delicately this time, I get to my feet, holding out my hands in case the treacherous footwear decides to turn on me again. Demo skates circles around me, the music yet playing, joy on his face that’s making my heart pump in time to the beat. With a battle cry, I lunge at him, but he only steps aside, and I go skittering past. Like a bull against a matador. A bull who is also on rollerskates.

“Try to stay upright before going forward,” he says. “Here.”

Here is all the warning I get. In the brief lapse of seconds, an arm loops under mine from behind, and I am helped to my feet as he chuckles in my ear.

I should make a grab for the radio. I should, but he’s the only thing holding me up and suddenly I don’t care as much about the stupid music box as I did a moment ago. Not when my skate keeps slip-sliding in-between his and it brings us chest to chest.

“Careful. Careful. There you go, nice and steady.” His arm is firm around my waist, and though I’m steady I’m finding it difficult to concentrate when his amused snort blows warm air on my neck. “Can I let I go?”

No. “Yes,” I grunt. “I am aaah-” Balance gone, quickly regained. “…I am fine. I have mastered your infernal sport. I am the supreme champion of roller disco.”

“Well looky you!” he snickers and I should use my shovel to smack that sarcasm out of him. “We should have ourselves a wee race then, if you’re so cocksure!”

“You’re on, Buster!”

But he’s off already, and maybe I’ve been hustled because there’s no way he can be this good when he’s lapping me, two, three, four times by the time I make a single revolution of the neon splattered auditorium. He’s left the radio on the red star in the center of the floor and whatever space-drugs they deal in this place must have lingering fumes because I don’t even want to go kick it over. I want Demo to keep shouting useless hints at me. I want him to run into me every now and again as he tries to help my posture and end up knocking us both over.

Somehow we’re back in the center again. He nearly falls over and this time it’s my turn to snicker, a meandering rumble that won’t stay in my chest even as I close my lips to it, and eventually I give up and laugh outright. He does too. His momentum comes towards me and mine towards him but instead of crashing the two of us catch each other, spinning around in opposing velocities, skates scratching half-moons in rubber.

So I keep laughing. I’m not even sure what about anymore. We're in orbit.

He presses his forehead against mine. I hold him more than strictly necessary. It’s hard to breathe, and Demo must not know why he’s laughing either because he keeps doing it. The music thrums, perfect and joyous, and I keep spinning.

The whirr of distant police sirens cuts through the din.

Demo pulls back. “Guess that’s our cue.”

“Always is.”

I didn’t manage to destroy any of the skates but, who knows. Maybe there’ll be a next time. It doesn’t seem so important now as Demo’s car makes the long journey up my driveway, my heart thumping away the giddy adrenaline while my head becomes clearer in direct relation to my distance to home. I’m painfully aware of it as I stand there at the stoop, needles on my skin, broken filaments winding their way around my fingers. Raw, weeping, shockingly aware, but still I ask anyway.

If he wants to come in.

He does.

I show him my magazine collection, my seven unique army knives (for opening breakfast each day of the week, so by the time I come back around to Monday Knife all the dried meat has flaked off), my various recruitment posters that the pawn shop was just going to throw away—treasonous bastards. There are medals on my mantel. I take them down one by one and explain what they’re for, but halfway through I notice how he’s stopped looking at the medals and is looking at me instead.

I stop talking. He keeps looking.

I take his wrist. He doesn’t pull back, doesn’t press forward either, just looks at me with a tilt to his head. There is no skate-induced orbital momentum pulling us together this time but still my forehead brushes against his again and my breath falls from my lungs into his. It’s no longer jittering, no longer giddy, and he is leaning further to get as much surface area of me as possible. My chin, my lips; but he makes me be the one to make that final plunge into the abyss where our mouths connect.

-

Pyro wouldn’t know if it hit them upside the head, but Engineer catches on right away. I’m smiling too much. It feels weird and foreign on my face but I can’t help it, even when he shoots me looks for the next four months on morning drives and rides home. I don’t care. BLU, the Administrator, the whole damn world—I don’t care about any of them. Sometimes the bond between two men who steal roller skates is an indescribable thing, and no one can take that away from me. We can chuck grenades and fire artillery at each other as much as we please, him standing over what remains of me in his detonated stickie trap and giving a smart little two-fingered salute, and it won’t mean anything. I grin, blood on my teeth and dripping out my mouth, and I tell him I’ll get him back.

-

“We could blow them up,” I say.

“Sounds like we’re repeating ourselves already.”

“I didn’t hear a ‘no’.”

He grins, that delighted, awe-inspiring grin that I love, and kisses me brusquely on the mouth before heading to the car. It’s a wonderful, steady rhythm we have, and he loads explosives into my arms until I can barely move. Tavish knows the most efficient places to kick out structural supports, wisdom laid out like a map on the back of his hand, says that he used to do normal demolition work a long time ago, between jobs or when the work itself slowed to a drip drip drip. The faucet in my apartment does that sometimes. All the time. It lets me know that the water’s still there, that it hasn’t been replaced by Feds with something worse.

The Feds haven’t bothered me of late. This occurs to me as I’m retreating to a safe distance, behind some cars near the soon-to-be-leveled autopark. My employers don’t take issue with my extracurricular activities—legality is a case of not throwing grenades in glass houses—but tangoing with law enforcement can sometimes get hairy. Maybe someone else is on my tail then. Nazis, or Commies, or Commie-Nazis-

I gasp. Men in coats—coats and red hats!—are entering my targeted location. Every suspicion confirmed! Those commies are on to me. Who else would be wearing red hats but them?

I will need to intercept them immediately. Quickly, I dive from my hiding spot and sprint after them, already running through scenarios on how I’m going to squeeze information out of them, twisting their arms until they tell me exactly how they found where Tavish and I were planning to-

There’s a sharp crackling to my left, just inside the garage’s door. It hits me suddenly that this might have been a bad idea.

“Crap,” I say.

The first detonation knocks out the office from where I came, and I don’t give it a chance to catch up to me. I slam into the emergency exit, back between rows of metal shelves, only familiar to I since my foray brought me through here less than an hour before. Another few feet is all I’m able to cover before the shockwave ripples out, heat catching out from under me and flinging me forward into the pavement outside.

I get some nice skid marks on my face. Not fatal, but I groan as I push myself up.

The autoshop is in ruins. Great, fiery ruins that resemble more a burning oil pit than anything a human could inhabit. I watch it, for a while, maybe just maybe getting why Pyro keeps lighting those matches only to let them go out.

“Jane! Jane, please, oh god please, Jane where are you-”

I’ve never heard Tavish sound like that before. Pain, pain I’ve heard, I’ve felt, I’ve caused, but the screaming skirting the edges of the fire is terror like I’ve never been witness to. I call out, because of course I don’t want him to be worried, I’m just fine after all, but then that call is filled with more coughing than I thought there would be.

I try again. “Tav…” Then dissolve into another fit.

“Jane!”

Now he’s closer, finally scrambling into view, and my ears did not deceive me because pain is exactly what his face is too. He runs at me full tilt, crashing down beside me and practically hauling me into his arms. It’s a rough way to be returned to a sitting position, but I don’t have enough strength to do more the lean my head against his chest.

“Fuck. Oh fuck, Jane I- oh god I thought I did it again, Jesus-”

The crying I’ve heard too, but mostly when he’s drunk, long and bemoaning and a few firm hugs will usually get it out of him. This is not that, nor intemperance—more like he keeps forgetting he’s crying at all, tears only flowing out in between the gaps in the panic. It feels a bit much. Sure I’m a little singed, but not enough that he needs to squeeze me like he’s going to keep me from being dragged off to hell himself.

“I saw you running back in, but by then the fuses were already lit and I- Fuck,” he hisses. “What in the bloody hell was that about!? Why on Earth did you go in there?”

“Saw some Commies,” I explain, now that he’s not holding me so tight and I can breathe a bit better. “Followed them. Needed to figure out what they’re doing here, how much they know!”

“…Commies?”

“Communists! Ruskies, Tavish. Those men that went in with the red hats!” This is followed by a cough.

“…The firefighters?” The pain is melting, something uglier underneath as Tavish leans back and grits his teeth. “You ran back into a building rigged to explode because you thought the firefighters were communists?”

“I did not think, I know!”

“Damn right you didn’t think.” He gets to his feet, pacing around I and tearing off his beanie one-handed so he can rub his nails along his scalp. “Goddamnit Jane I thought I-” He lifts a hand in my direction as though to make some elaborative gesture, but none comes, and he lets it fall back down to his side. “Damn you.”

“I do not know why you’re getting mad at me. I was doing my American duty.”

His silhouette against the crackling building is inscrutable and everything smells like extinguished dynamite.

Tavish is silent as he drives me home. It’d dark inside, out later and more disastrously than most of our excursions. Tavish reaches for the light switch, but I bark at him, “are you crazy? Keep those that damn things off! Do you want to give away our location to every sniper in the closest mile?”

“Me?” And crap, I knew this fight was coming, could taste it like copper on my tongue. “I’m the crazy one? Bloody hell Jane, what in the hell were you thinking out there? You could have- I almost-”

“I don’t see what the big deal is,” and maybe I don’t. I fold my arms. I don’t look at him. If I could see it, I choose not to. “What’s done is done maggot.”

“Oh really? Something like that’s never going to happen again? Never happened before?” He throws his arms about wildly. “Jesus, I never minded, you know. All ‘o this. It was even fun at first.”

“Oh it was fun was it?” I snap. “When it’s all explosions and minor property damage it’s fun, but as soon as the going gets tough I’m too much for you, private?” The words spit like acid, too real--I was never good at clouding in metaphor, hiding what I wanted to say even as it stings leaving my lips. “Go on! Say it! I have heard it a thousand times and once more from your sorry excuse for a pie-hole won’t make a difference.”

“Don’t you dare try to make it about that,” he snarls. “I had to watch. I thought I killed someone I love again and-” He sputters to a stop. “I...I make it worse don’t I?”

“The hell are you talking about?”

“You. I encourage you. I make it worse.”

“This is not about you.” But he’s already withdrawing. I can see it in his eye that I’m losing him. I know that if I don’t say something now it will all fall apart.

Instead, I do the worst thing imaginable: I cough. I keep coughing.

He looks away in shame. “I don’t know if I can keep doing this.”

It feels inevitable. A blade moving slowly toward you that you have no power to stop, but tears into you all the same. The hurt is so strong I file it into a fine point of rage and stare it into him.

“Figures.”

All of him withdraws. “Jane…I need to…take some time.”

“Just go.”

“I...I don’t want to end things but I need-”

“Go,” I repeat.

He does. The apartment is empty. The way I always wanted it.

-

“Something the matter, Soldier?” Engineer asks, too delicately, too everything, and it makes me want to reach over and strangle him.

I curl my lip at the dashboard, and say, “I’m going to sit in the back.”

He doesn’t utter a word as I open the cab door and drop onto the packed badlands sand.

No reply when I clamber into the truck bed either, from he or Pyro, a thick rumble of the ignition turning over as his response. I should talk to him. It could help, maybe with the guilt, maybe with the questions that chase each other around inside my head—but I can’t bring myself to, not even when it looks like things are over. I’d have to explain I’ve been cavorting with a Red, and I can’t sink to that sort of betrayal. Of myself or of Tavish.

So instead I sit, silently existing next to a squirming rubber suit as the truck takes the three of us into work. Today Pyros has a lighter rather than their matches, and they can keep it lit for around fifteen seconds at a time before the wind takes it away.

They’re awfully quiet. I’ve always thought that, but it’s not exactly true, not between their joyous coos and their equally despondent wails when the light finally goes out. It’s just that they don’t have a lot to say, at least not that anyone besides Engineer can understand. They depend on him to translate; they depend on him for most things, actually.

“How do you stand it?” I ask them.

Pyro, having not actually engaged in a word of conversation with me before this, looks up from their lighter. They tilt their head, noise of confusion tumbling through the mask.

“Engineer. Always having him…fuss over you. Drives me goddamn crazy.”

They shrug, humming something happily, cheerful even though the flame has gone out. They know they can just light it again.

“It doesn’t bother you that he thinks you’re too incompetent to be left on your own?” I don’t mean it to sound so bitter, so projected, or to reveal that’s what think about them too too.

The string of words is accompanied by a shake of their head. I even catch some of them, something along the lines of not like that. That’s what friends do. They tug on my elbow slightly.

“Me? I don’t need anyone looking out for me, Smokey. I already have a friend, and it’s not like that.” I stop, a tightness in my throat. “Had a friend.”

The oh noooooo is clear enough to anyone, especially since Pyro has a habit of over-emoting—I’ve never been sure if this is compensation for the mask, or if they’ve always been that way. The tugging on my arm increases to practical shaking. They want to know what happened.

I intake through my nose. It’s still inside of me, the confusion, the knowing that something’s gone wrong. It all wants to come out but…

Pyro’s quiet. If anyone can keep a secret, it’s them.

“Alright here Pyro, this conversation does not leave the back of this truck.” I glance furtively through the rear window, but Engineer’s eyes are locked firmly on the road. “I have been…fraternizing. With a Red.”

They put both hands to their face and gasp in horror.

The whole sordid story comes out. I talk until my mouth is dry, which is an accomplishment because usually I can spend a whole day shouting myself hoarse with no ill effects, but some time during the telling I find that my throat has swollen up.

“I wish that…” I stop myself. Wishes are for children and hippies and I am neither. Not some snot-nosed kid anymore. “I…want whatever it was before. When shit made sense and there weren't these damn...questions.”

Pyro murmurs in agreement. Before I have a chance to stop them, they wrap their arms around me with the force of a train.

“Oof,” I say.

In response, they reply something to the effect of you still have us.

“We are not friends, cupcake,” I say.

They giggle, and I don’t pull them off. Engineer shoots the two of us a look when he finally gets out of the truck, but all I manage to is sigh. He chuckles empathetically.

And, well. I do feel better. I’m still not sure…if Tavish is ever coming back. Maybe he shouldn’t. Maybe he was right. Maybe I’m too far gone, and fellow lunatics are all I deserve.

-

The Voice shows me a video that proves beyond the maybe.

“A fraud,” I seethe. “How dare he. How dare he, I’ll-”

It’s not his voice. Even I know that. I know lots of things, rattling around in there, but they’re like old knick-knacks in the back of the garage. Knowing how things should be or how I should act do not weigh the way they should, and rage is a far more powerful shaper of a man’s actions than the things he has shoved away.

“I will rip him limb from limb! I will string him up by his own intestines! I will tear off his head and beat him to death with it, he promised he-”

She is pleased with the barely intelligible tirade as I pace about. The TV man does not leave.

After a while it occurs to me that she’s waiting for something.

I turn. “When.”

“When what, Mister Doe?” She is now less pleased.

“When did he say that. When is this video from.”

She wasn’t expecting me to ask that. One of the little things rattling around in my head tells me that much.

“Does it matter?”

A man who left rather than think he was hurting me, even indirectly. When would he have said that. What would have prompted it.

The Voice is like the rest: she thinks me one short. Barely worth the effort. Someone who dances to her tune with the barest of prompting.

“...It doesn’t matter what he said,” I conclude, and the background voices cheer. “I won’t do it.”

“I assure you Mister Doe,” the woman inside the little box attached to the scrawny civilian says. “This man has taken a contract on your life. Your choices are to defend myself using the weapons we provide you or-” Her eyes are cold, even through the screen. “-We will do his work for him.”

He said he never wanted to hurt me. I never wanted to hurt him. I snarl in her direction. “I’d like to see you try, lady.”

-

In the end, there were far too many of them. I valued my bunker for its difficulty to locate rather than its own merits, and though that had served me well for many years it was never meant to be unassailable. I killed seven of her men before someone brought a baton hard across the back of my helmet.

I can still feel the welt.

It throbs in time with the car’s engine, close as I am with my cheek pressed against the fuzz of the lining, thinking about my missing helmet, my smashed medals on the mantle. The apartment that I’ll never see again. The Demoman that I’ll…

I’ve never been a quitter, but it’s hard to see a way out of this one. I chose my side and my side was not betraying my best friend—this is my prize for that. If only her people been as lazy with the bindings around my wrists and ankles as they had been with the gag that now hangs around my chin, damp and tasting vaguely of motor fluid, but they know where to put their priorities. I don’t bother screaming for help. I can tell from the long stretch of straight road that I’m far outside of civilization. It won’t be long now.

“God damn it,” I say, words so bitter I want to sandpaper them off my tongue, scrub my eyes until the shame behind them goes away. But I don’t have that ability, so I hiss quietly to my audience of no one.

Which is what I think until the bags of quicklime behind me move.

There’s another person tied in this trunk with me. My heart hammers as the jolt of dread forces itself into me like an ice pick behind the eye, because the only person in the world they would bother executing at the same time is-

“Tavish?”

The object behind me, halfway through the process of waking from its own concussion, pauses.

“Hmmn?” it groans.

The shame I’ve been trying to hold back reigns victorious.

“Fuck,” I say, grieving the single word.

It takes some minutes in the dark trunk, but try as we might there is no space to turn around, no way to angle ourselves to get at each other’s restraints. Some friction and a few banged skulls, and Tavish manages to get the gag out of his mouth.

The only thing that follows is long seconds of silence.

I’m painfully aware that we have precious few of those, and I feel them slipping away like sand down an hourglass. I can’t break the silence, though, not with how his breath is shaking, not when I know too well what trying to hide tears sounds like.

When he finally speaks, it’s with his face pressed against the PVC while he says, “I’m so sorry.”

“What?” I ask, because it’s the last thing I expected him to say now.

“I had these photos. I just wanted some memories of us, but I kept some of those photos of two of us together, and they must have found them, I’m so stupid I-”

“Tav,” I say. “Shut up.”

He hiccups into silence.

“I’m not letting you blame yourself for this too,” I tell him. “We’ve both been careless as shit, and- fuck- I never got to say sorry either. For running into that building. I know I’m not…all together sometimes but...thank you. For coming back for me.”

I want nothing more than to put his hand in mine.

He’s crying. Quietly, but there isn’t much room that he can hide it from me. After more seconds and more sand he says, “we’re really going to die, aren’t we?”

“Yeah. Seems like it.” I swallow. “So. They offered you the same deal, huh?”

“Looks like. I thought something like this would happen, but when I heard what they were asking me to do I just…I couldn’t.”

“…Is your Mum alright?”

He breathes in sharp. “I-I dunno. They got me good and I don’t know if…”

I regret asking. I regret more not being able to bury my face into his chest. “She’s fine. I’m sure of it. She’s a tough old lady.”

“…Aye. That she is.” And there’s no use worrying otherwise, not any more.

More silence, thrum of an empty highway.

He says, “maybe we should have just said yes.”

“Really?” I ask.

“Aye. Knowing what we know now, don’t you want to go back and take the deal? We’d probably tear each other to bits, but at least we’d still be alive.”

“I don’t think I would,” I say after a while. “I love you Tavish. I wouldn’t trade that for the world. It was all worth it, in my book.”

“Oh,” he says. The sniffles get louder, then slower again, rising and falling like a tide. He croaks, “I think you’re worth it too. And if…if we’d had more time, I would have tried harder. For us.”

“I would have tried harder too.”

When the Administrator’s men finally lift the lid of the trunk, we both have to quell tears before facing the woman on the screen.

It’s a gravel pit, just like she promised. People I don’t recognize—dressed like the ones who raided my apartment with their purple jumpsuits and black masks—surround us as white light and grey gravel fill my vision. We’re not even given the dignity of standing up, simply grabbed under an arm on each side and hauled bodily into the waiting pit below. Another man, another TV screen. We’re thrown on our knees before it.

“Mr. DeGroot. Mr. Doe. I would like you to know it is a vast understatement when I say this outcome is…disappointing.”

Her expression is just as chilling as it was a few hours ago, leaned over her switchboard like she could reach through the screen and strangle me with her press-on nails. I’d like to see her try. If there’s one thing I could out-strangle it’s a single arm coming out of an idiot box.

“Our mercenaries are expected to maintain a certain standard of conduct,” the Administrator goes on. “Of loyalty. And yet here you are. You have both betrayed me and your employers with your open disregard for self control, with your friend-making. The only glimmer of salvageable material from your foolish breach in contract is that when your long and excruciating deaths are complete, your coworkers will learn from your example and think before toeing the line in the future. You could have listened to your conscious-”

“Jesus lady,” Tavish cuts in with an exhausted eye roll. “You’re jealous, we get it.”

I snort. And why not? It’s not like I have anything else to lose at this point, why not get in a little gallows humor. Tavish shoots me a grin that lets me know that jibe was just for me.

The Administrator is less amused. “Shoot that one first.”

The man closest to Tavish lowers his shotgun, and in less than a second after the order the Demoman jerks as a shot louder than a rocket reverberates through the gravel pit. I can’t even flinch. All I can do is stare as Tavish crumples to the ground, groaning as blood and worse flows from his abdomen. Just like that. Snap of the fingers, and the smallest victory turned back into a nightmare.

“If we can continue,” she says. “As I said, your gross insubordination will be-”

My mouth works silently. She keeps going with her petty, nearly childish speech, but I can’t hear it. Too busy staring at Tavish’s prone form, watching as he tries to clutch his stomach while his hands are bound around his back. All he can do is bring his knees close to his chest as he spills blood onto the gravel. I’m pulled from my shock enough to try and squirm feebly toward him, but the hand on the back of my neck holds me firm and all I can do is watch.

He looks up and tries to find my eyes. Then a wave of pain rolls over him and he whimpers, curling in closer until I can’t see his face.

“-the lack of respect for ones employers-”

“I am going to kill you!” The certainty of those words finds me, and through them my voice shakes loose, reality tossed to the side as rage takes his place. “I will not die here, do you hear me you pathetic, maggoty little crone? I am going to find you and tear your throat with my teeth! You can take every single weapon from my hands but that will not protect you useless, shit-eating, worm.”

My lungs wheeze just from that effort. She blinks tiredly in my direction. “Beat that one until he stops talking.”

A boot takes me in the side of the head.

I don’t stop shouting though, and if they’re going to beat me until then, it’s going to be a while. The need to go to Tavish is overridden by the desire to tear every single one of them to pieces, to a pile of human remains their mothers wouldn’t recognize. They throw me to the ground, raining down far worse than what I received at my apartment, worse than I’ve ever received. Ribs shatter like glass light bulbs, splitting open and lodging themselves in my insides as a blow to my head is joined by a dozen more. They kick my groin, and when I curl up defensively they instead go for my spine, digging steel-toed shoes until I can barely feel at all.

I only stop yelling when breathing becomes more important. By that time, my nose is too much snot and broken cartilage to use, and my mouth is too much smashed teeth.

Briefly, I catch sight of Tavish, when my face comes to the ground and the two of us am at eye level for once. He can’t see me anymore. His eye is open, dead and glossy, and a new wave of anger and grief wells up inside of me and I will kill each and every one of you. You will all goddamned pay. How dare you, how dare you. In a second I will stand up. I will avenge both of us. I will make them pay, I will kill them for ever having made us hide in the first place.

But I can’t. I’m going to die. All that working on breathing and it’s just getting slower, a hand on the back of my neck picks me up and slams me down again, and me and…

Couldn’t save him, just like he couldn’t save me from myself.

No one will even know. Miles from civilization, from water, from anything, the only thing I had was him and no one will remember me. As the darkness closes in on my vision, I think that there’s no one out here but us and our executioners.

So then why’s the sound of a car getting so loud?

It takes exactly four seconds for everything to change. One moment I’m lying face down while a knee presses into my back, the next the engine’s thrum becomes an ear splitting roar as a blue flatbed truck comes fuming overhead, clearing the pit as it goes tearing through space. Well, mostly clearing. It clips the man holding me, missing me by feet and tearing him off me. A second later the truck lands, taking out the farthest men and splattering them like particularly mushy bowling pins. The air is screaming. My nostrils fill with engine oil. I lift my head in sheer incredulity.

The entire gravel pit jumps to action as the mercenaries now have something much more pressing to deal with as a blue-suited maniac jumps out of the passenger seat and shakes a flamethrower over their head.

“…Pyro?”

My question, spoken in disbelief, is answered by a belch of flame from the thrower’s end, engulfing the nearest huddle of TF mercs who’ve only now drawn their weapons. As they scream, another figure leans out the driver’s side window and fires a shotgun shell into the closest bystander.

One of those mercs initially crushed under the truck’s tire was the one sporting the television screen. I know, because as I feebly try to lift myself and comprehend what just happened, I can hear, “what is going on out there?” The screen rolls further into the pit. “Mercenaries! Answer me!”

In reply, the nearest three mercenaries scream as they’re burned alive.

“Too many!” Engineer yells, a return shot taking off his side mirror. “Grab him and let's get out of here!”

I still haven’t processed the truck’s arrival, let alone that I’m the him in question. Not until a pair of strong, gloved hands are haul me to my feet, and a fire axe cuts the bindings around my wrists and ankles. I stagger. Pyro catches me.

“No, wait,” I wheeze. “Give me a shovel. I will disembowel every last one of them.”

Pyro hudda huhs in the negative. They drag me, but will I kill them, every last one of them, I will…

The truck revs its engine, and my heart lurches as I remember-

“No! No wait!”

Pyro’s taking me away from him. Tavish is still curled on the ground, and I will not leave him, I have to go back, to stand over his body and kill anyone who tires to touch him. Pyro follows my gaze.

“Please,” I say, because they know, they have to understand. “I can’t leave him.”

“We don’t got time for that!” Engineer calls out his window as he provides cover fire, the two of us almost into the truck. I can’t let them take me away-

Pyro shoves me the last few feet upward, into the truck bed. “No,” I beg. “I can’t-”

But Pyro, blessed, godsent Pyro does not join us. They turn around, locate the best path back into the bottom of the gravel pit, and charge in.

“Dammit,” Engineer calls. "Pyro he's a goner just-"

Pyro runs back into the line of fire still aimed in the truck's direction, immediately dropping to their knee and fireman-hauling Tavish onto their shoulder. The air is so full of bullets yet still they run, gravel splashing underfoot, their flamethrower offering no protection as they storm the last few feet to the truck.

They crash clumsily into the back, shoving Tavish into my arms. There is a noise in my throat—what kind it was meant to be I can’t be sure with my broken face and broken body but oh god he’s still warm.

“Tavish,” I breathe. “Tavish, please, oh god please…”

My arm is broken but goddamn if I don’t pull him as close to me as I can, burying my face in his neck, silently begging him to still be in there. My hands find his wound, putting as much pressure as I can, thinking how if I can just stop the bleeding everything will be OK.

“Go go go!” Pyro says, and the truck speeds up and over the lip of the pit in a hail of gravel.

Gunfire recedes behind us. They might follow us, but I’m pretty sure Pyro torched their rides in that first round of flamethrower-ing. Good. I fucking hated that trunk.

A minute of silent car ride passes. Then two. It might as well have been another friendly carpool to work.

Pyro scoots closer, mumbling, “is he…?”

“I…” I say.

Tavish stirs, fighting back to consciousness.

“Tavish,” I say. “Tav you’re alive. Christ we’re alive.”

His eye flicks open, those long lashes fluttering for just a second before closing again. “Oh. That’s good.”

I lift my head to look at the two around me, the ones I have to thank for that. People who were barely coworkers. People who maybe should have been my friends but…well, I didn’t think they actually cared.

“How did you…?” I ask, not sure how to finish. But then my eyes fix on the back of Engineer’s helmet, unmoving as he stares ahead at the road. “You. Your family.”

“Yeah me,” Engineer snorts derisively. “And I burned a lot of bridges taking advantage of those family connections, all just to save your sorry ass. What were you even thinking getting mixed up with a Red?”

My head spins to Pyro, somehow mildly betrayed even under the pain and the…everything else. “You said you wouldn’t tell him!”

“Nuh-uh. Said it wouldn’t leave the back of this truck. I told him in the back.”

I’m flabbergasted; not only by Pyro's blatant misinterpreting of friendship confidentiality agreements, but by the fact that I understood most of what they just said.

“Hmph,” I mutter. “Well all that bridge burning is going to go to waste if we don’t get a dispenser back here soon.”

“Can’t drive and build a dispenser at the same time, now can I?” We’re moving slow enough now that I can hear Engineer when he shouts out the open back window. “I figure we go straight to Medic. Who knows, maybe he’ll throw his life and career out the window too, just like all of us. You realize that right? That ‘cause we’re doing this for you, me ‘n Pyro are out of a job?”

“Oh, out of the job,” Tavish says faintly. “Must be real terrible for you.”

This reminder, that he’s here, that he’s still breathing, prompts me to pull him closer if that were even possible. The chuckle I want comes out as more of a dry sob. I kiss Tavish’s cheek, still not quite believing this is real. Sure we’re now fugitives from the two most powerful companies in America, but we’ve got a truck and some friends and a lot of open highway.

“I love you,” I say so Pyro and Engineer don’t overhear.

He reaches up, and pulls me down until our foreheads touch.

“I meant what I said about trying harder,” I tell him. “We’ll figure something out.”

“Aye.” His hand is warm against the side of my neck. “I think we’ve proved that we’re both too thick-headed to give up on this.”

I kiss his lips, flakes of blood falling away.

[thewordwideweb]

In the limelight; in the hopper

Today’s Word of the Day will be a twofer, thanks to my friend Michael. (Twofer: two fer the price of one).

I thought the origin of the phrase “in the limelight” was fairly common knowledge, but Michael said it was new to him. If someone is “in the limelight,” he or she is the center of attention; in the spotlight, if you will (and even if you won’t). But why “limelight” and not simply spotlight?

It is, as you would expect, a theater term. In the early 1800’s, an English chemist named Goldsworthy Gurney (and isn’t that name worth the price of admission?) discovered that when he burned calcium oxide – also known as quicklime – in an oxyhydrogen flame, it would give off an intense white light. Other folks found practical uses for Gurney’s discovery, including using the burning quicklime to illuminate theater stages. Limelight became a primary form of stage lighting for about half a century, until that party-pooper Thomas Edison came along and convinced everyone that electric light was every bit as good, and far less likely to burn down the theater.

Anyway, when Michael suggested “in the limelight” as a Word of the Day, I told him I would put it in the hopper for future use. And because I can’t leave well enough alone, I decided that “in the hopper” was worthy of a Word (or Phrase) of the Day, too.

Something that’s “in the hopper” is either in process or getting ready to be processed; it is being kept and readied for later use. The original “hopper” was a receptacle for grain – usually cone-shaped – used in the milling process. Grain would be poured into the hopper, and from there it passed onto the millstones to be ground into flour. Why a “hopper?” Because originally the receptacle had a hopping or shaking motion, to make sure all the grain made it into the mill. Over time, according to Merriam-Webster, the term hopper was applied to “a box usually on the desk of the clerk or other official of a legislative body into which a proposed bill is dropped.” That’s the modern meaning of “in the hopper.”

And if you don’t like that explanation, go suck a lime. Quick.

[namansharma0950]

生石灰 (Quicklime) の価格動向: 詳細なチャート、市場分析、将来の見通し

生石灰 (Quicklime) の価格は、鉄鋼製造、建設、環境サービスなどの業界における幅広い用途を反映したさまざまな影響要因の影響を受けます。これらの要因を理解することで、生石灰の生産と利用に関わる企業や利害関係者にとって貴重な洞察が得られます。

原材料費は生石灰価格の主な決定要因です。生石灰は酸化カルシウムとも呼ばれ、石灰石 (炭酸カルシウム) を窯で加熱して二酸化炭素を放出することで生産されます。したがって、高品質の石灰石の価格と入手可能性は、生石灰の生産コストを決定する上で重要です。採掘活動の変化や供給制約による石灰石の価格の変動は、生石灰の生産コストに直接影響を与える可能性があります。

エネルギー コストは、生石灰価格に影響を与えるもう 1 つの重要な要因です。生石灰の生産に使用される焼成プロセスは、大量の熱を必要とする非常にエネルギー集約的なプロセスです。したがって、天然ガス、石炭、電気のいずれであっても、エネルギー コストは生産コストを決定する上で重要な役割を果たします。エネルギー価格の上昇は生石灰価格の上昇につながる可能性があり、一方、エネルギー価格の下落は生産コストの削減と市場価格の下落につながる可能性があります。

需要と供給のダイナミクスも生石灰価格に大きく影響します。生石灰の需要は、さまざまな業界での用途によって左右されます。たとえば、鉄鋼業界では、生石灰は鉄鋼生産中に不純物を除去するフラックスとして使用されます。建設業界では、土壌の安定化やモルタルや石膏の成分として使用されます。産業活動が活発な時期には生石灰の需要が高まり、価格が上昇する可能性があります。逆に、これらの業界の景気後退は、需要の低下と価格の低下につながる可能性があります。

技術の進歩と生産効率は、生石灰のコストと価格に影響を与える可能性があります。窯技術の革新や焼成プロセスの効率の改善は、エネルギー消費を減らし、生産コストを下げることができます。これらの進歩は、生石灰価格の安定化または低下に役立ちます。ただし、新しい技術の採用には多額の資本投資が必要になることが多く、最初は生産コストが増加し、価格に影響を与える可能性があります。

環境規制と持続可能性の考慮は、生石灰の生産と価格設定にますます影響を与えています。厳格な環境基準を遵守するには、多くの場合、排出制御技術と持続可能な生産方法への多額の投資が必要です。たとえば、炭素排出量の削減を目的とした規制は、生石灰生産者の運用コストの増加につながる可能性があります。これらの追加コストは消費者に転嫁され、価格の上昇につながります。一方、グリーンテクノロジーと持続可能な慣行の進歩は、最終的にコスト削減とより安定した価格設定につながる可能性があります。

輸送コストは、生石灰の価格に影響を与えるもう1つの重要な要因です。生石灰はかさばり、重いため、生産現場からエンドユーザーへの輸送コストは高額になる可能性があります。燃料価格と輸送ロジスティクスの変動は、これらのコストに大きく影響する可能性があります。輸送コストの増加は、特に生産施設から遠く離れた顧客にとって、生石灰の価格上昇につながる可能性があります。

リアルタイムで 生石灰 (Quicklime)価格: https://www.analystjapan.com/Pricing-data/quicklime-1200

世界の貿易政策と地政学的要因も、生石灰の価格形成に重要な役割を果たします。貿易関税、輸出入規制、国際関係は、原材料と完成品の入手可能性とコストに影響を与える可能性があります。たとえば、主要な原材料や完成品に対する関税は、生産コストを上昇させ、価格に影響を与える可能性があります。さらに、地政学的緊張はサプライ チェーンを混乱させ、入手可能性と価格の変動につながる可能性があります。

生石灰業界内の市場競争は、価格戦略と市場価格に影響を与えます。生石灰生産者間の競争レベルは、価格設定行動を左右する可能性があります。競争の激しい市場では、サプライヤーは顧客を引き付け、市場シェアを獲得するために価格を下げる可能性があります。逆に、少数の主要プレーヤーが支配する市場では、これらの企業が価格設定をより強力に制御し、価格を高く維持する可能性があります。新しい競合他社の参入や既存の競合他社の撤退も、市場の動向を変え、価格に影響を与える可能性があります。

インフレ、経済成長、産業活動レベルなどのより広範な経済状況は、生石灰の価格に影響を与えます。インフレは原材料、労働、輸送のコストを押し上げ、生産コストの上昇、その結果市場価格の上昇につながる可能性があります。経済成長と産業活動の増加は、生石灰の需要を押し上げ、価格を押し上げる可能性があります。逆に、景気後退や産業活動の減少は需要を抑制し、価格の低下につながる可能性があります。

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