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yelena-bellova · 1 year

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Twenty Years Later: Joel Miller x F!Reader - Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight: Someone’s Something

Plot: Joel, Y/n and Ellie meet Henry and Sam, who try to convince them to team up to find their way out of Kansas City together.

Word Count: 7.1k

Warnings: tlou ep.5 spoilers, languge, implied smut, guns, mention of death, sa and loss of a child (16+)

A/N: Happy Valentines, y’all!! My gift to you is some light heartbreak with some fluff to soften the blow 😉

As always, this series is 16+ and I will not be adding anyone to the taglist unless your age is specified in your bio. Gotta look out for younger eyes 👀

Y’all have blown this lil’ ficlet idea up so much, I’m still shocked it’s this loved. I’m so excited to finish out the second half of the season with you guys. Hang onto your butts 🤍

——————

July 1st, 2002. Austin, Texas.

Y/n had integrated perfectly into the Miller’s life. Sarah adored her, Tommy loved her, and Joel couldn’t get enough of her. He’d never admit it to Sarah, but he was thankful that she’d taken matters into her own hands and snuck down to the hardware store that June day.

In the beginning of July, Sarah went away to a two-week summer camp. Joel and Y/n had seen her off on the bus, Joel fussing over whether or not she had everything she’d need. He didn’t do well when she was gone for more than a day, a combination of missing her dearly and parental worry. Y/n had made it her goal over the course of her trip to distract him as much as she could.

They’d made a dinner date at Joel’s house the day Sarah left, the first of fourteen that Y/n had to keep him busy. His days would be consumed by work, but his nights belonged to them. Y/n knocked on the front door of the house, carrying a six pack she’d picked up on the way.

Joel hurried to the door, swinging it open and enveloping Y/n in a hug. She laughed, clinging to his neck as he literally dragged her into the house. Joel’s lips were on her the second the door shut.

“Missed you,” he mumbled between kisses.

“You saw me, like, six hours ago,” Y/n managed to say.

“Way too long,” Joel smiled against her lips.

Y/n chuckled, “Yeah, well, if I die from lack of oxygen,” she wiggled a hand between their smushed chests, “You’re gonna miss me a whole lot more.”

Joel wrapped an arm around her neck, smiling so big his cheeks hurt. That was the effect Y/n had on him. She’d turned his curmudgeon qualities, plying them like clay until they were soft. He was a new man with her in his life.

“Joel,” she said softly.

“Yeah?” He was barely taking in her words, focused on how her lips were starting to swell from his attention.

“What’s burning?”

It didn’t register at first, then he remembered the food was still in the oven. “Shit,” he muttered, letting her go to run back to the kitchen and save their dinner.

Y/n chuckled, kicking off her shoes and heading in to help him.

Joel’s attempt at a simple roast chicken and potatoes turned out slightly crispy, but good, all in all. They’d eaten it at the table, Joel’s hands stretched across the surface to hold Y/n’s.

After their meal, they retired to the living room. Joel turned on the stereo and fell onto the couch, Y/n laying her legs across his lap.

“Well, day one’s almost over,” she said, “How’re you feeling?”

Joel sighed, “She called earlier when they got there. Sounded real excited.”

“And you could not sound happier about it,” Y/n chortled, “Joel, she’s going to be fine.”

“I know that, it’s just,” Joel strroked his hand over Y/n’s calf, “It’s been me and her for…ever. When she’s off it just…”

Y/n watched her boyfriend with soft eyes, waiting for him to say more.

“I know she’s growin’ up, she’s always been independent, but,” he paused staring down at his hands, “It gets easier and easier for her every year to get on that bus. Makes me think about the day she’ll leave for good.”

“You know that no matter where she goes,” Y/n offered, “She’s always coming back here. She loves you too much.”

Joel gently smiled, his fingers brushing against Y/n’s leg. She always knew the right thing to say.

“And I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but she kinda loves me too,” Y/n smirked.

“Yeah, well, there’s a lot to work with there,” Joel winked.

Y/n giggled, her eyes drifting over Joel’s shoulder to the corner of the living room. An acoustic guitar sat propped up in a stand.

“Y’know, I still haven’t heard you play,” she said, nodding to the instrument.

For as much as he loved music, he still got a little bashful about his talent. “I sound like everyone else,” he replied.

“Yeah, nice try,” Y/n wasn’t so easily discouraged, “Play me something.”

Much like his daughter, there wasn’t a lot Joel could deny Y/n. If it was going to make her smile, he’d gladly do it. He lifted her legs off of him and went to retrieve the guitar.

“Does the audience have any requests?” Joel asked, settling back down beside her and fiddling with the tuning pegs.

Y/n tucked her legs into her chest, barely containing her grin, “Something sweet.”

Joel finished tuning the guitar and took his position. He hadn’t played for anyone other than Sarah in a very long time.

The first pluck of the strings relaxed them both, Joel settled into the piece quickly. Y/n watched his fingers dance up and down the string, a series of movements only he knew. It sounded like an old folk song, the kind that told the tale of doomed lovers torn apart by tragedy. She had enough musical knowledge to know it was in a minor key. Sweet, it was not, but it was brimming with passion, and the way Joel watched the strings so intensely only added to it. Y/n was taken aback by the simple beauty of him, pouring himself into the music.

When it was over, a few final notes slowing the tempo before stopping entirely, Joel looked over to Y/n, a whisper of a smile playing upon his lips. Their eyes connected, the ever present flame between them stretching the distance between their bodies. In that moment, Joel was thankful they were alone.

In the same set of seconds, Joel blindly set the guitar down to the side and Y/n surged forward, the two of them meeting in a heated kiss. Y/n held both of Joel’s cheeks in her hands while he maneuvered her on top of him, their lips never losing their connection. The sadness of the song had drawn them together, both needing to feel the fullness of each other’s devotion to counter the loss that the notes had grieved. That wasn’t them, they said with each touch, it could never be them.

—————————

September 28th, 2002. Austin, Texas.

Fall had hit Texas, as much as it could affect the south, anyway. Sarah and Y/n were in the backyard of the Milller home. Sarah had her first soccer game of the season that weekend and she wanted to get in some extra practice.

“Okay,” Y/n called from the goal, “Don’t go easy on me.”

“Yeah, right,” Sarah scoffed, she was never afraid to show the full force of her talent on the field. Faking Y/n out, she broke to the left before making a sudden right turn and shooting the ball through the goal.

“Yes,” she exclaimed, pulling her fists down in celebration.

“Alright, alright, alright,” Y/n smirked, coming up beside Sarah as she did a little victory dance, “Don’t get too cocky. Let’s work on your goalkeeping.”

Sarah grooved her way back to the goal, “Okay, but I’m kinda spectacular at that too.”

“Well, we certainly don’t need to work on your confidence,” Y/n remarked. Sarah had the same cockiness, reserved only for things she was truly great at, as her father.

Joel materialized then, coming through the back door and watching his girls from the deck. “How we lookin’?”

“Today, Taft Middle School,” Y/n replied, catching the ball with her heel as Sarah kicked it, “Tomorrow, FIFA.”

Joel smiled proudly, both at Sarah and Y/n. Most women would have kept distance between them and their partner’s child. Y/n had jumped in headfirst, determined to be there for Sarah as much as she wanted her. She was the feminine influence his daughter had been denied all her life.

“Alright,” Y/n announced, “Good?”

Sarah nodded, “Good.”

Joel saw an opportunity and couldn’t pass it up. He carefully made his way down the steps of the deck, sneaking through the grass and up behind Y/n just as she was about to make her shot. As she wound her leg back, Joel wrapped his arms around her middle and lifted her into the air.

Y/n shrieked as she was swung around, “Joel!”

“Sarah, steal it,” he yelled, smiling as Y/n wriggled in his embrace.

Sarah surged forward, avoiding Y/n’s flailing legs as she fought against Joel, and snatched the ball. She moved through the grass effortlessly and landed a perfect kick into the net.

Laughing heartily, Joel finally released Y/n back to the ground. He shared a high-five with his daughter as she bounded back to them.

“You two are awful,” Y/n gave Joel a shove to his chest, her wide grin contradicting her words.

Joel hung an arm around his girlfriend’s neck, pressing a kiss to her temple. “C’mon,” he separated from Y/n and clapped his hands, “Two-on-one, girls vs. boys.”

“We’re gonna destroy you,” Sarah teased, coming to stand beside Y/n.

“I wouldn’t expect anything else,” he quipped, standing in front of the goal.

The three of them stayed out until sunset, practicing plenty, but laughing more than anything.

—————————

December 25th, 2002. Austin, Texas.

The Millers didn’t do anything spectacular for Christmas. A church service on the 24th, a simple dinner on the 25th, and presents.

It had been decided that both Tommy and Y/n would spend the night, it would make waking up and opening gifts easier than waiting for them to drive over. Tommy had taken the collapsable cot, his body was still used to military accommodations, while Y/n had gone for the couch. Joel and her were still hesitant to spend nights together, sleeping over at the other’s only when Sarah was away at her own sleepovers. Christmas didn’t feel like the time to test any boundaries.

Just past midnight, Y/n was still wide awake, tossing and turning on the sofa. There was a light snowfall happening outside and she hoped if she watched the flakes flutter through the air long enough, she’d drift off to sleep. So far, she’d had no such luck.

She took stock of the living room in its entirety. A fresh pine tree sat in the corner, a modest stack of presents surrounding the trunk. Two stockings were hung on the walls, Sarah and Joel’s names stitched across each. The room still faintly smelled like the batch of cookies her and Sarah had baked earlier in the evening. Even in the dark and completely silent, the house felt warm.

Footsteps down the stairs drew Y/n’s attention away from the decorations. She expected to see Sarah tiptoeing in to sneak a peek at the presents. Instead, Joel’s broad shadow entered the room.

“Can’t sleep?” Y/n asked from the couch.

Joel shook his head, “Nope.”

Y/n gave a small nod, pretending like the silence wasn’t as full of asking as it was. Joel’s posture had purpose in it, he wasn’t leaving until he got what he came for.

He tipped his head back towards the stairs, his eyes never leaving Y/n’s. “C’mon,” he said, his voice raspy with near sleep.

Y/n smiled to herself, throwing off her blanket and crossing the room to take Joel’s hand. The two of them tiptoed back up the stairs, trying not to wake Sarah or Tommy. Y/n knew the walk to Joel’s bedroom like the back of her hand, navigating in the dark made no difference. She certainly didn’t need Joel’s hands on her hips to guide her, but she welcomed them anyway.

Once the door shut, their routine commenced. Joel went to his dresser, blindly reaching into one of his drawers and tossing Y/n one of his flannels. Y/n slipped it on over her t-shirt, the sleeves ending way past the tips of her fingers. They made their way to their dedicated sides of the bed, Joel closest to the door because he felt better being a wall of protection between Y/n and the world.

“We have to get up before Sarah,” Y/n reminded him.

“We’ve got a 50% chance of makin’ it down before her,” Joel said, his hands gliding around her body to pull her into him, “Christmas morning, she’s up at the crack of dawn.”

Y/n drew closer to Joel, resting one hand on his chest and the other gripping the back of his neck. Already, she could feel her body relaxing in a way the couch just couldn’t coax out of her.

All the tension Joel had been carrying in his spine went lax the moment Y/n’s fingers grazed his skin. He was finding it harder and harder to sleep without her.

“Thank you,” she said out of the blue.

“For what?” Joel asked.

Y/n’s fingers danced along the line between the ends of his hair and the base of his skull. “For letting me be a part of all this,” she answered, her voice barely above a whisper.

Joel’s heart swelled, he took one of her cheeks into his hand and let their lips drift towards one another. Six months in, and he wasn’t sure if he could fall any harder in love with Y/n. She wasn’t just his, she was theirs. She was a permanent fixture in their home, the house a little less bright when she was absent from it. She had become a confidante to Sarah, a best friend to Tommy and everything to Joel. How could he not want her in every part of their lives?

“‘M afraid you’re stuck with us, Rosebud,” Joel smiled after he pulled back, brushing his thumb across her cheekbone.

“No place I’d rather be,” Y/n returned his grin.

Pressing one final kiss to her forehead, Joel tucked Y/n against his chest, his chin resting atop her head. She let her hand drift around to his back, her fingers spreading across the expanse as she tried to hold as much of him as she could. They fell asleep within minutes, the gentle snowstorm outside creating beauty that would only enhance the magic of Christmas for the Miller family.

—————————

2023. Kansas City, Missouri.

“Eye on me! Eyes on me!”

Joel’s eyes slid to the other side of the room, to the man with the barrel of his gun pointed at Ellie. Her and Y/n both had their hands raised high.

“You don’t have to worry about what to say,” the young man said, “We don’t wanna hurt you. We wanna help you.”

Joel watched him, he was shifting his weight between both feet, no expert marksman was that nervous to threaten someone’s life. Joel felt significantly better about his chances.

“Okay.”

“Okay, um…” the young man paused, “I don’t know what the next step is with something like this, but if I lower my gun…we didn’t hurt you…so you don’t hurt us…right?”

Joel stared him down, “That’s right.”

“That’s a weird fuckin’ tone, man,” their enemy replied.

“That’s just the way he sounds,” Ellie interrupted, first looking to the stranger and then back to Joel, “He has an asshole voice. Joel, tell him he’s okay.”

Joel stared, nearly a hint of a smirk at his lips, “Everything is great.”

“Dude…” Ellie muttered.

“We’re not going to hurt you,” Y/n intervened, looking to the man, “Now drop the fucking guns before I second guess myself.”

“That wasn’t any better,” Ellie exclaimed.

“Fuck! Okay, listened,” the stranger started, his voice practically trembling, “I’m gonna trust you.”

He then stopped to signal something to the child, Y/n recognized it as ASL. They communicated something none of them could understand.

“But if any of you guys try anything,” the man kept his gun aimed at Ellie, nodding to Joel and Y/n, “Yeah? Yeah?”

“Yeah,” Ellie whispered, her heart was in her throat.

The child backed away from Joel and Y/n’s mattress, his aim still firmly locked onto them. Y/n was trying to get her heartbeat back down to a normal range.

“Can I sit up?” Joel asked, his voice was still on edge.

“Yeah,” the stranger conceded, “Slow. Get up slow.”

Joel obeyed, rising to a seated position without any rush. He raised his hands, the left one grazing Y/n’s injured right. Shockingly, the fleeting touch made her feel a little less nervous. If Joel was good for nothing else, at least he was a good fighter. They could get out of this easily, if necessary.

“Who are you?” Joel asked.

“My name’s Henry,” the now-named stranger answered, “That’s my brother, Sam. I’m the most wanted man in Kansas City. Although right now,” Henry finally lowered his gun, “My guess is you’re running a close second. Her too.”

Y/n and Joel looked to one another, that ambush was going to come back to bite them in the ass, one way or another.

“Henry,” Y/n spoke up, lowering her hands and laying them palm up in her lap, “We’re gonna need a lot more than that.”

The five of them ended up huddled around a lantern, snacking on their dwindling food supply and waiting for the rest of the story to unfold. Henry had made it clear that he had to get some food in his brother first. It had been Ellie’s idea to share what they had left.

“Where’d you get these?” Henry asked, chewing on a cracker.

“From Bill,” Ellie answered, “He’s dead.”

Y/n and Joel had been watching Sam, digging into what they’d shared with him as if he hadn’t eaten in days. There was a real possibility of it, or something along the lines. They both wordlessly handed what was left of their portions to the boy, who in return, signed something to his brother.

“He says ‘thank you,’” Henry relayed, “I’m guessing you don’t have much so, this means a lot.”

“How old is he?” Ellie asked.

The brothers talked amongst themselves, with Henry answering, “He’s eight.”

Ellie nodded, “Cool. I’m Ellie.”

“Y/n,” Y/n spoke up, wanting to try and make the child feel as comfortable as the circumstances would allow.

Henry spelled out the names for Sam, who responded with a sign that both Y/n and Ellie assumed meant ‘cool.’

Ellie smiled before smacking Joel on the knee and waiting for him to introduce himself.

“I’m Joel,” he swallowed his last bite, “Look, you ate, we didn’t kill each other, let’s call this a win-win and move on.”

Henry dusted off his hands, “Well, I’m betting that y’all came up here to get a view of the city and plan a way out. And when the sun’s up, I’ll show you one.”

Joel and Y/n thought it over separately before glancing over at one another. If Henry hadn’t killed them by now, he wouldn’t. He already knew their supply was low, the only reason he was sticking around was because he needed something from them.

“Okay,” Y/n answered for them, earning a quick turn and glare from Joel, “Sam can take our bed. As soon as morning hits, you show us the route.”

Henry scoffed, “Just like that you’re gonna trust us?”

“I know the eyes of a liar, Henry,” Y/n leaned forward, resting her elbow on her knee, “And you don’t have ‘em. You weren’t even going to kill us in the first place, and you certainly weren’t gonna make him do it.”

Joel was ready to jump in at any second, but Y/n spoke with such precision and intention, he couldn’t come up with any reason to stop her.

“So how about we get some sleep,” Y/n continued, “And tackle this tomorrow?”

Henry’s eyes focused in on Y/n, someone as calculated as she was was either the most honest person on the planet or so calcuating and conniving, they could deceive the worst of humanity.

“Okay,” he landed on trust, “First thing.”

Ellie and Sam settled onto their makeshift mattresses, while the adults sat against the walls of the apartment. Henry on one side, Joel and Y/n on the other.

“What happened to equals?” Joel asked, the edge to his words undercutting the softness of their volume.

“Would what you have said been any different?” Y/n countered, watching as Joel tried to come up with an answer that differed from hers, “Exactly.”

The two of them stayed close to one another, without actually touching. Y/n was still slightly rattled from waking up with Joel’s hand over hers.

“Although my fucking neck’s gonna be messed up all day,” Y/n mumbled, trying to find a comfortable position to rest her head against the wall.

While they trusted an already sleeping Henry enough not to kill them, instinct told both Y/n and Joel to not leave themselves in such a vulnerable positon again. Sleeping sitting up was the only option that would allow them a little bit of rest.

And Joel hated what he was about to offer.

“You can…” he pointed to his shoulder, “If you want.”

“I don’t want” Y/n quickly replied.

Joel sighed in exasperation, “Forget I offered.”

He crossed his arms and settled against the wall, shutting his eyes and shutting down his momentary lapse into generosity.

Y/n inhaled, trying to get over herself. She was getting way too much up close and personal time with Joel to feel comfortable. But it was either another dose or a hideous day of lingering discomfort without the blessing of Ibuprofen.

She awkwardly scooted closer to him until their thighs were touching, causing Joel to open one eye. He looked down at their parallel bodies and back to Y/n.

“Just don’t grab my hand,” she grumbled, laying her head down on his shoulder and praying that her stomach stayed unaffected.

Joel’s body stiffened as she rested on him, a quick shot of adrenaline running through his extremities. He wanted to pretend to be unmoved, unbothered by her touch, but it was impossible. He would never fully be without affection for the way she felt against him.

“Go ahead,” Y/n said, sensing his discomfort but mistaking it for simply physical.

Joel hesitated a few seconds before shaking himself out of his doubt and resting his head on top of Y/n’s.

When the weight of Joel’s skull fell on hers, Y/n’s natural instincts took over and she almost, almost, tucked into him more. It was by the grace of God that she caught herself before she did it. No matter how hard her mind loathed him, her body would have accepted him back in a heartbeat.

The two ex-lovers sat against the wall, still trying to convince themselves that they were miles apart.

—————————

Just as the night before, they woke up so much closer than intended.

Y/n had fully curled into Joel, snuggling into his chest at some point during their glorified nap. When she woke up to the rough scratch of his flannel agaisnt her cheek, drowsiness did not immediately remind her she was in the year 2023. In her sleep-adled state, it was winter of 2002.

When consciousness pulled her back to the land of the living, she lightly groaned. Why were their sleeping selves making everything so complicated?

Y/n rolled off of Joel, causing him to sharply inhale. He blinked a few times, rubbed a hand over his face and evaluated the room. Henry was still asleep, but Sam and Ellie were already awake and sitting on the edges of their beds.

Y/n was beside him, at least twelve inches of space between them.

“I do anything in my sleep?” Joel asked.

Y/n shook her head, sucking on her bottom lip, “Nope.”

Joel wasn’t buying it, “Then whydya got that look on your face?”

“I know why,” Ellie teased in a sing-song tone.

Y/n let out two loud claps, startling Henry awake, and got to her feet. “Rise and shine, time to work.”

Joel stayed on the ground, watching how fast she moved around the room. Something had happened and it had messed with her. He ran a hand over his right shoulder, noticing that it was warm when the rest of him felt cold. He peered back over at Y/n, rifling through her backpack to find Ellie and Sam breakfast. He watched how she crouched down and handed the kids what was assuredly the lion’s share of her rations. How she held up a questioning thumbs up to Sam, who in return, smiled and copied the gesture. How she cared. She still cared so much.

It was killing him.

But there were bigger things to worry about than the stirring in his heart for the woman who perhaps, hadn’t changed that much at all.

————————————

Once fed and watered, the group of five headed a few floors up to the apartment building’s conference room. Henry had promised it had the best view of the city.

“Welcome to Killa City,” he announced, showcasing the place in daylight through the massive windows.

“No FEDRA,” Joel observed.

“Not as of ten days ago, no,” Henry replied.

“We always heard KC FEDRA was-“

“Monsters? Savages?” Henry finished for Joel, “Yeah, you heard right. Raped and tortured and murdered people for twenty years.”

Y/n looked down at her shoes, “Fucking hell.” It was stories like Kansas City that were one of her reasons for joining the Fireflies.

“And you know what happens when you do that to people?” Henry continued, “The moment they get a chance, they do it right back to you.”

“But you’re not FEDRA,” Joel stated.

Henry paused before answering, “No…worse. I’m a collaborator.”

Joel shook his head, “I don’t work with rats.”

Y/n wasn’t so quick to walk away, Henry had too much of a heart it seemed to be a true collaborator. He had a story.

“Yeah, you fucking do,” Henry said, “Today you do, ‘cause I live here and you two don’t. That’s how I followed you here. I know this city and I’m gonna help you out.”

Joel watched Henry as he spoke, trying to see through him, “Why help us?”

“I saw what you two did,” Henry answered, “The way you killed those men. Now I know where to go, but I don’t know how to make it through alone, not if it’s just Sam and me.”

“You seem capable enough,” Joel replied, “You’re armed.”

“You’re wrong and wrong,” Henry said, “Never killed anyone. And pointing an unloaded gun at you was the closest I’ve ever come to being violent.”

Y/n nodded, no one let their hand shake that much when holding a loaded gun.

“So that’s the deal,” Henry stated, “I show you the way, you clear the way.”

Joel didn’t need anyone else slowing them down or making them more noticeable. And partnering with Henry would only make them bigger targets.

At the table behind them, Ellie and Sam were seated, reading from Ellie’s pun book. The energy was divided down the room; the grown-up side was deathy heavy while the kid’s side was warm and uplifting.

“Haven’t heard that in a long time,” Henry smiled, watching his little brother laugh.

Joel turned back to the window as he tried to put distance between him and the moment. Y/n glanced over at him, watching as the cogs in his mind turned. Her mind was already made up, it would have been wonderful if they could avoid an argument.

“So how’re we getting out?” Joel relented, turning to Henry.

Henry fetched a piece of paper from one of the drawers, office supplies had never been in high demand post-pandemic. He sketched out a square, writing down the names of the roads that cut through the city.

“Highways…” he pointed to one section, “Downtown,” then to the other, “Us. This whole area belongs to Kathleen.”

“And she is…?” Y/n asked, standing between Joel and Henry.

“Leader of the resistance,” Henry answered, “You can see the way we’re bounded by highways. They got people posted all around the inside perimeter. If we get close, we get caught. No question.”

“So how do we get across?” Ellie asked.

Henry banged a fist against the table to get Sam’s attention, signing something to him after. Sam went to drawing on his magnetic erase pad, Joel wasn’t made to feel any better about a kid being involved in the planning of their escape.

Sam held up his pad, having written the word ‘Tunnels’ on it.

Henry snapped his fingers, “Boom.”

“Kansas City has a subway?” Joel asked.

“No,” Henry answered, “But they do have maintenance tunnels. There’s a bunch of buildings all put up by the same developers. And they share these tunnels, including…” he pointed down to a specific section of his sketch, “A bank building here,” he began to draw their route, “So we enter the tunnels here, travel underground, and pop up here. Westside North. Residential. There’s an embankment on the other side of the houses. We head down, pedestrian bridge over the river,” Henry dropped his pencil, “Free as a bird.”

“You’re right,” Joel admitted, “It’s a great plan. So what do you need us for?”

Henry hesitated a moment, “You notice anything strange about this city? I mean, other than the strange shit you’ve already seen?”

“No Infected?” Ellie guessed before Y/n and Joel could.

“Oh, there’s Infected,” Henry replied, “Just not on the surface. FEDRA drove them underground fifteen years ago, and never let them come back up. It’s the only good thing those fascist motherfuckers ever did.’

Joel looked between Y/n and Ellie, “So you want us goin’ into a tunnel?”

“Everyone thinks that it’s full of Infected,” Henry quickly corrected, he sensed Joel’s doubt, “Including Kathleen, which means that we’re not gonna be running into any of her people. But you see, what I know is…it’s empty.”

“You know this?” Y/n questioned, “You’ve seen it? With your own eyes?”

“No,” Henry replied.

Joel took a deep breath, hands on his hips again. Y/n sighed and rested her elbows on the table. Henry was losing them both.

“But the FEDRA guy that I worked with told me that it’s clean,” the young man continued, “Completely clean. They cleared it out. All of it.”

“How long ago?” Y/n asked, shutting her eyes as if it could shut out their problems.

“Like,” Henry shrugged, “Three years ago.”

Joel scoffed, glancing to Ellie as if asking if she was believing this either.

“Okay, maybe there’s one or two,” Henry quickly said, “But you can handle it.”

“You’re making this sound a whole lot simpler than it is,” Y/n responded, looking to Joel, whose eyes were already expectantly waiting on her. “We need a minute.

Y/n pushed open the glass doors, bringing them outside the conference room and giving them a sliver of privacy.

Joel pointed a finger behind them, “You still feel good about this?”

“Not exceptionally, no,” she answered truthfully, “But we don’t exactly have a lot of other options, now do we?”

“If this guy’s gonna endanger our lives more than if we were on our own,” Joel argued, “Then we’re better off-“

“Fighting our way through a city we’ve never been in with targets the size of Texas on our backs?” Y/n finished for him, “Look, I don’t wanna go down there either. But we’re guaranteed a very slow, very painful death if we go it alone. I’d rather have allies and stand a chance, at least.”

Joel wanted to fight tooth and nail, but he knew she was right. She’d always had a talent for being right.

“Plus, it’ll give you plenty to lord over Tommy’s head when we get to Wyoming,” Y/n quipped, her mouth still frowned but her eyes were lit up with humor.

Joel huffed, he’d have laughed if the situation wasn’t so dire. The thought of seeing his brother and his ex together again was a sight he didn’t think he’d ever be ready to see.

Without another word, and a silent concession from Joel, the two of them marched back into the conference room where the debate was still being held.

Henry pointed to Ellie, “She says y’all fought off two Clickers. Is that true?”

Joel and Y/n uncomfortably shifted, the dread sweeping over them.

“And you’re still alive,” Henry stated, “You see? You’re the right people. If it gets bad down there, we turn around, and run right back out the same way we came.”

Joel was about one poorly constructed sentence away from giving the whole idea up, “Oh, that’s your great plan?”

“No, that’s my dicey-as-fuck plan,” Henry fired back, “But as far as I can tell, it’s our only shot.”

Sam signed something to Henry.

“They’re saying,” Henry narrated as he signed back, “They’re going to help us escape,” he turned back to the party, “Right?”

Y/n rolled her eyes, “That was a low fuckin’ blow, man.”

Henry didn’t seem bothered at all by the manipulation.

Joel’s jaw twitched as he thought it all over. Y/n could practically feel his unease. She craned her neck back, muttering more into his body than at him, “Lesser of two evils.”

With every fiber of his being, Joel wanted to fight. But instead, he let his hands fall against his legs, admitting defeat.

—————————

The team got across the city with minimal close calls, every once in a while there’d be a truck or patrol group to avoid. They got to the bank building intact and only slightly out of breath.

“We need to get outta sight,” Joel said, every entrance/exit of the place was structured in a glass wall.

“Uh, I-I-I think it’s this way,” Henry pointed towards one of the halls, the rest of them following.

They trailed through the building till they hit a back door, hopefully leading to the tunnel entrance. Joel and Y/n entered it cautiously with their guns drawn.

“This should be it,” Henry announced, “You ready?”

Joel looked to Ellie, “Get your gun out.”

Rebelling in her own small way, once again, Ellie pulled out the gun from her jacket pocket. At this point, Joel wasn’t surprised in the least that she wasn’t heeding his advice. Him and Y/n marched forward regardless and took the lead. They entered through another door, delivering them into the tunnel system.

“You see?” Henry proved, “It’s empty. The plan is good.”

Joel and Y/n quickly shushed him. “‘The plan is good?’” Joel repeated, “We’ve been down here two seconds. We don’t know anything.”

Henry looked to Ellie, “Your dad’s kind of a pessimist.”

“I’m not her dad.”

“He’s not my dad.”

“He’s not her dad.”

Joel, Y/n and Ellie’s protests overlapped.

“Just point your light forward,” Joel instructed, tightly gripping his own, “And be ready to run.”

Y/n steadied her breathing and began to move beside Joel down the underground maze.

They walked for around an hour, snaking down the sets of tunnels, holding their flashlights and handguns as if they were life itself. Eventually, they turned down a hall with child’s art painted all along it. The door was even painted as castle. All of them examined the walls in quiet confusion.

Sam bounded forward, wanting to go through and explore. Joel threw his hand out to stop him, “No.”

Y/n tucked her flashlight under her chin and gripped her pistol, sharing an affirmative nod with Joel that they were ready. He slowly turned the doorknob and it creaked open, revealing a room that looked…civilized.

The whole place looked like a daycare center. There were toys scattered throughout storage bins, art and books against the walls, small cups, and a faded soccer goal painted across one of the cinderblock walls.

“I heard about places this this,” Joel commented, taking stock of their surroundings, “People went underground after Outbreak Day. Built settlements.”

“What happened to them?” Ellie asked.

“Maybe they didn’t follow the rules and all got infected,” Joel replied.

While Ellie and Sam sat down, playing with a few of the toys, Y/n, Henry and Joel scanned the room. Whoever had been living there, they’d been gone long enough for a layer of dust to settle across everything.

“Hey,” Joel called to Ellie who was being a little too loud, “Keep it down. We’re not out yet.”

“Ah, c’mon,” Ellie groaned, “Can we just rest here for a while? There’s, like, actually shit to do here.”

“Wouldn’t be so bad to wait the light out a bit,” Henry agreed, “Safer in the shadows when we pop back out on the other side.”

Joining Ellie and Henry, Y/n tilted her head in a slight shrug to Joel. It was a smart decision and he was just going to have to get over himself.

Joel shrugged back to the group, raising an eyebrow and going back to checking out the room.

Ellie and Sam occupied themselves by reading comic books and messing around with some of the toys. Henry, Joel and Y/n rested at a table, putting their feet up without actually relaxing at all. At some point, Ellie and Sam switched to kicking a soccer ball around on the makeshift field. Y/n watched carefully as Ellie interacted with the boy, she was so caring and patient. She’d confided that she didn’t have any brothers or sisters, but the glow coming from her radiated big sister energy.

Y/n scooted her chair back and walked across the room. “Can I join?”

Ellie enthusiastically began to switch the ball between her feet, trying to fake Y/n out. Y/n rotated to stand alongside Sam at the goal.

“That’s not fair,” Ellie argued, “There’s two of you.”

“Oh, so you’re saying you can’t do it,” Y/n teased.

Ellie’s determination set in, jumping slightly in place before kicking the ball in between Sam and Y/n’s legs quicker than they could stop it.

“Oh, shit,” she exclaimed, shooting her hands into the air.

Sam and Y/n shared a laugh before Y/n got down on her knees, “Can you teach me something?”

Sam watched her lips and nodded, showing her a sign. To her, it looked like he was pulling something out of his mouth, before bringing his two thumbs up and splitting their directions at his chest.

Y/n mimicked it, “What does this mean?”

“Oh, that’s from Savage Starlight,” Ellie exclaimed, copying the gesture with them, “‘Endure and survive.’”

The three of them continued to sign it over and over. It seemed to make both Ellie and Sam extremely happy, which meant Y/n would do it as many times as they wanted.

Joel and Henry watched from their seats. To say Joel’s heart ached would have been an understatement. His soul was barely holding together, a new piece of it dying off every day. But Y/n and Ellie had somehow kept the last few from withering. It was so subtle, he hadn’t even figured the phenomenon out yet. He was barely self-aware. But seeing Y/n, crouched down on the floor with the kids, still with the innate need to make the world around her better, he came to fully realize his thought from earlier in the day.

She was still his Y/n.

Smiling, laughing, loving, caring, kinder than the world deserved. Underneath all the anger was the woman he had loved with all his heart.

And that fucking terrified him.

As Y/n made her way back to them, Joel pulled himself back to reality, switching gears and channeling his energy into focusing on the kids. Specifically Sam. He was eight years old and in survival mode. No child deserved that. It was making him rethink his stance on the things he’d said earlier.

“If you were collaboratin’ to take care of him,” he said to Henry, “I…I shouldn’t have save what I said. I don’t know your situation. And I’m not sayin’ they should let it go, but all things considered, seems kinda cruel—to send a whole army after you for that.”

Henry waited a few seconds, Ellie’s cheers filling the silence, before speaking. “You know, I wasn’t, uh…exactly telling you the truth before…about me not killing someone.”

Y/n and Joel’s attention turned to him exclusively.

“There was a man,” Henry began, “A great man. You know, he was never afraid…never selfish…and he was always forgiving. Have you ever met someone like that? Kinda man you’d follow anywhere.”

Y/n tensed up, forbidding her eyes from flicking to Joel.

“I mean, I wanted to. Well…I would’ve,” Henry gathered strength for the rest of his story, “Yeah, but, uh…Sam, he, uh, he got sick. Leukemia,” he scanned Joel and Y/n’s somber expressions, “Yeah, anyway, um…there was one drug that worked and, whoa, big shock…there wasn’t much left of it, and it belonged to FEDRA. And if I wanted some, it was gonna take something big. So I gave them something big. That one great man. The leader of the resistance movement in Kansas City. And Kathleen’s brother.”

Understanding washed over Joel and Y/n. All the firepower, the tanks, the trucks, it all made sense.

“Yeah, so, you still think they should take it easy on me?” Henry asked rhetorically, “Or am I the bad guy?”

Y/n stayed silent, weighing morals against necessity. Joel pulled his lips down, barely shaking his head before Henry cut off what he would have said, “I don’t know what you’re waitin’ on, man. The answer’s easy. I am the bad guy because I did a bad guy thing.”

“But you did it to keep him alive,” Y/n spoke up, “You’d go to the ends of the earth for him. That’s not evil, that’s family.”

Henry’s eyes cut through the space between Joel and Y/n, “You two get it,” he nodded toward Joel, ”You may not be her father, but you were someone’s. See, I could tell.”

There it was. The big, dreadful, terrible thing that Joel and Y/n had gotten this far without talking about. It was the unspoken wound, the one deep enough to kill yet shallow enough that it didn’t show. It was a constant phantom pain in both their chests and it broke them all over again to have it brought up.

“You too,” Henry smiled at Y/n, nodding to Ellie, “That is, if she’s not yours.”

Y/n didn’t think the blade could slide any deeper into her heart. She had been something to someone once, and it was as much a part of her still as the air she breathed.

“Uh,” Y/n tearily began, clearing her throat quickly, “No, she’s not mine.”

Joel had had more than he could handle just by Henry’s assumption about him. Referring to Y/n as the word he couldn’t bring himself to utter in that context had sent him over the edge. He picked up his gun from the table and practically jumped to his feet, “We’ve waited long enough.”

Y/n stayed still at the table, holding back her tears took so much strength, it was stealing her ability to move. If she allowed herself to cry in front of Joel, she didn’t think she’d ever recover.

Henry didn’t ask questions, he didn’t bring up the very visible sorrow etched across Y/n’s face. Some hurt was palpable without ever being touched on, and it was painfully clear that Joel hadn’t been the only one to lose a child…

————

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#joel miller x reader #joel miller x female reader #joel miller x f!reader #joel miller imagine #joel miller fanfiction #joel miller fic #the last of us imagine #the last of us fanfiction #the last of us fanfic #twenty years later #the last of us spoilers

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eoieopda · 1 year

Note

Can you please do a jungkook being dad or to be dad ?!?🥹🫠they’re freaking cute

aaaaaah! i love writing dad!bangtan 🥹

ft. established relationship au, unmarried jk & reader, mention of unplanned pregnancy, matching timbs.

No part of your life proceeded as planned.

Somehow, everything you ended up with fell right into your lap before you could think to seek it. One of those sudden discoveries was Jungkook, your now-boyfriend, who crashed into your life four years ago in the most literal sense — on a bike, right into the side of your car.

Things escalated from first aid on the sidewalk to compensatory japchae at a nearby restaurant. When his nose stopped bleeding and your bellies were full, the conversation kept flowing until the restaurant staff begged to be able to close for the night.

You didn’t expect him to stick around for all of that, but you were glad he did.

He became a recurring character in your life after that; promoting himself to series regular in the same way your sporadic coffee dates became part of your daily routine. From the café up the block to your jointly-purchased kitchen table, he was present at your side.

Your pregnancy came about just as unexpectedly. Only a year into your relationship, you pissed on a stick to confirm a hunch. You — perhaps unfairly — expected a negative reaction to that positive result, but what you got instead was partnership. Jungkook’s presence once again communicating his promise to stay.

And shit, did he make good.

For someone who didn’t plan to become a father at twenty-three, he was as good at this as he was literally everything else. A quick study, he could change a diaper faster than you could blink.

Jungkook made it all look easy, too; not exhausting, not frustrating, just natural. He soothed Jungsoo’s crying with minimal effort — usually with a song — and he was especially adept at keeping that smushy face smiling.

Best of all, you couldn’t identify a single moment in which the work felt unequal. He was adamant that parenting was a team sport.

True to form, he turned the dreaded, late-night wake-ups into a competition against himself. He’d set new personal records in both his response time and his resolution time. He’d be back in bed, wrapping himself around you before your sleep-steeped brain fully processed his absence.

Working full-time from home meant that you got to marvel at his talents in real-time. Watching the two of them interact throughout each day, you fell more impossibly in love with both of them. With their unbridled imaginations; their special, shared language; the eerily familiar way Jungsoo buffered through his confusion.

Because of your beloved boys, your house was full of laughter — every single day. You didn’t have to miss a single second.

Sitting at your kitchen table with your laptop open in front of you, you were halfway through today’s project. Jungkook had taken over the finger-painting session so you could meet your deadline without issue. At some point, though, you noticed a quiet you weren’t used to.

It was too early for nap time, so where was the giggling? The sing-alongs that made up the soundtrack to your day?

In the laundry room down the hall, you heard the door to the garage open and shut again. It was followed by slow, careful footfalls up the wooden steps; then an odd, metallic clatter that prompted you to stand. Before you could investigate further, there they came:

Jungkook, holding a step stool and a shopping bag from the hardware store. The pair of them must have slipped out unnoticed during your conference call earlier.

Jungsoo, holding his father’s hand while keeping plastic safety goggles on his face with the other. They coordinated perfectly with the toy tool-belt wrapped around his waist, and the yellow hard hat on his head.

Both were wearing Timberlands, though the smaller pair had zippers on the sides for ease of use.

“What are you two handymen up to?” You giggled as you placed your hands on your hips. Truly, the sight of them had you swooning; it would’ve been impossible not to smile.

The twenty-six-year-old exchanged a look with his three-year-old colleague; then the former held up the shopping bag. “The playroom ceiling needs a new eyeball.”

He said it matter-of-factly as if his explanation didn’t require one of its own. Jungkook noted the way you blinked slowly back at him, then he cleared his throat with a laugh.

“Sorry — lightbulb,” he corrected himself as he gently patted the top of your son’s hard hat. It shifted slightly at the contact, but Jungkook was quick to fix it. “I’m studying up on Jungsoo-ese.”

At the mention of his name, Jungsoo’s entire face lit up. His nose scrunched as he smiled, leaving his two front teeth on full display. You lovingly tapped the tip of that crinkled nose with your index finger, “I need lessons, apparently!”

Jungkook nodded, then knelt down to consult with his partner. He whispered something that you didn’t catch, and then Jungsoo went rocketing off to the playroom with a whoop. As soon as he was gone, Jungkook stood, wrapped his arms around you, and pulled you in for a kiss that left you breathless.

“I can tutor you, baby,” he promised with a cheeky grin, “But my expertise doesn’t come cheap.”

“Oh?” You smirked, “Name your price.”

He kept his eyes fixed on you as he nodded, much more serious when he spoke again, “We can negotiate specifics after bedtime, but I think this construction crew would benefit from a little expansion.”

Leaning up onto your toes, you carded your fingers through his hair and kissed him deep. You pulled away only to murmur against his lips, “There are more eyeballs in this house than there are hands to fix them…”

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softspiderling · 2 years

Text

cruel existence | j.h.s.

summary: “Excuse me, can anyone tell me where I can find Lieutenant Bradley Bradshaw?” Jake’s head whirled to the guy nobody had heard coming into the break room. His hair was wild, face red, as if he had been running for the past few minutes. Only when Jake’s eyes fell to his FBI minted vest, his heart plummeted into his stomach, the smile on his face vanishing. “What happened?” Jake asked, nearly falling over his feet as he walked up to the man, blood rushing into his ears. “Is she okay?” or, you get hurt at work and Jake spirals

pairing: jake “hangman” seresin x reader

warnings: mention of violence, blood, usage of guns, and a death (of a minor character)

word count: 3,7k

author’s note: hello my friends. here is pt. 3 of the wingman's best friend universe, and if you missed jake and fbi!reader rest assured, they are back. honorable mentions to my ride or die's jordan, sol and may @gretagerwigsmuse @seasonsbloom @sunderlust ily guys. no beta, we die like goose. PS: this fic is part of the wingman’s best friend universe, but can be read as a stand-alone!

It was silent.

The only thing echoing through the warehouse was water dripping on the ground, paired with the squelching sound your boots made as you walked further into the dark building.

Donovan Sinclair had been in possession of two dirty bombs; you and your team had been trying to chase him all week. It had started off with an explosion at a corner store, where Sinclair’s partner had accidentally set off one of the bombs, killing him and 4 other civilians, injuring 9 others. Even though the incident has been on the news for basically every single minute of the day, you were told by your officials to not announce your current findings of the case, so as to not set off a wild panic.

Which was not very easy for you.

While the rest of your team struggled with keeping the possibility of a bomb going off any second, it was even harder for you. You’d set off a Navy wide alarm if you told Bradley or Jake, not that they would tell anyone classified information. But you wanted to grab both of them and pack them in a car and drive far away from wherever Sinclair was currently holed up. The sudden disappearance of two high ranking naval aviators? You weren’t sure what would set off the Navy’s alarm bells if not that.

So you just tried to stay busy. Which really wasn’t that hard, since there was a terrorist on the loose. By the third day, you hit a dead end, when one of a street camera caught Sinclair exiting a hardware store. By the time you got there, he had hijacked a car and made you chase him through the entire city, which got you here.

“Any signs of him outside, Mateo?”

“Negative. Avery and I will enter the building from the other side, let’s try to cage him inside the warehouse.”

You glanced over to your partner Gia, motioning for her to lead the way, the two of you tiptoeing through the huge empty warehouse. As quiet as possible, you approached the hallway, where it split into left and right. Hesitantly, Gia glanced back at you. In all your training, you’ve been told over and over again to never leave your partner. There was a reason why you worked in teams. But you’ve also learned to trust your instincts, and you couldn’t live with yourself if this son of a bitch got away.

“Let’s split up,” you whispered, giving Gia a nod of reassurance. “Stay alert, we’ll meet up in the back.” With a tap to your earpiece, you turned down the right hallway, your shoulders tense. There were offices lined on either side of the hallway and you checked every single one, entering the rooms with your gun first. You might have backed Sinclair in the corner but you knew better than to underestimate a perp, especially one that was as dangerous as him.

At the end of the hallway was a large, dark room, with tall, metal shelves in the middle. As you stepped into the room, you felt the hairs by the nape of your neck rise immediately.

It was quiet.

Too quiet.

In the split second that it took your eyes to adjust to the darkness, another body slammed into your side, hard. Your gun slipped out of your hand, clattering against the floor and you barely had time to react before you got a heavy punch right into the stomach; you doubled over in pain as the other person chuckled darkly.

Sinclair.

You curled your hand into a fist, slamming it into Sinclair’s face, but he easily dogged your fist, shoving you against the metal shelf. It knocked the breath out of you and before you could recover, he grabbed you by the shoulders, throwing you across the floor. Even before your face made contact with the ground, you knew that your chances against him were slim. He had caught you off guard, and clearly had more strength than you did. Crouching on your knees, your vision was starting to get blurry, but you launched yourself at his legs, toppling him over with a crash.

“Stupid bitch!” Sinclair sneered, slapping you across the face so hard that your skin splits open, warm blood trickling down your cheek. Prying your hands from his legs, Sinclair kicked your torso until tears sprung into your eyes, all you wanted to do was give up. But you couldn’t.

Sinclair leaned over you, pressing his palm against your ribs, making you cry out in pain, as you saw your gun glinting in the far right side on the floor. As your hand reached out for it, Sinclair wrapped his around your neck, tightening his grip.

“You really think I’d let the FBI ruin my plans?” Sinclair grunted, pressing even tighter. It was getting harder for you to breathe, your fingertips barely grazing against the butt of the gun, but Sinclair quickly caught on, his hands loosening as he scrambled for your gun.

Reacting quickly, even though your lungs were burning and your entire body was telling you to rest, you grabbed Sinclair by the back of his jacket, flinging him back as hard as you could. Lunging forward, you reached for your gun but just as you were about to grab it, Sinclair pulled you back by your legs, the gun slipping out of your hand.

Heaving, you propped yourself up, barely any fight left in you, but Sinclair was already pointing the gun at your head, smirking.

“Any last words?”

You spat blood at his shoes, raising your chin defiantly, trying to show you weren’t afraid, even though you were terrified. Bradley was never going to forgive you, and Jake? You didn’t even want to think about him right now.

“Fuck you,” you hissed at him and Sinclair’s eyes flashed angrily before a shot rang through the air. You expected a searing pain, but it never came, as Sinclair sank to his knees, blood oozing out of the gun shot in his forehead. Whirling your head back, you saw Gia standing in the doorway, breathing out deeply, before you sighed in relief, letting yourself relax.

However, it suddenly felt like all the energy was drained from you, the pain that shot from every limb was so unbearable, it was getting hard to breathe.

“Agent down, I repeat, we got an agent down. Send an ambulance to our location immediately!” Gia yelled, before gentle hands brushed your hair out of your face, something wet dropped on your cuts. It burned

“Hurts…” you croaked out, your eyes fluttered open just to see Gia staring down at you, tears in her eyes.

“We never should’ve split up. Stay awake, okay? The ambulance will be right here, you have to stay awake.”

“‘m… So tired…”

You could hear Gia say your name, gently shaking your, sending shots of pain right through your body. In the distance, there were sirens, but you weren’t sure if you were imagining things. Loud, hurried steps came closer, before you finally let yourself fall, letting the darkness engulf you.

“Anyone up for a beer tonight? It’s been ages since we went down to the Hard Deck,” Halo sighed, leaning her head against Fritz’ shoulder. The rest of the squadron voiced their agreements, but Jake only grunted, shaking his head.

“I think I am out. Gonna see if my girl wants to get dinner tonight.”

“How is my favorite FBI agent doing?”

Jake rolled his eyes at Javy peering over the magazine he was reading. Ever since he found out that you were an actual FBI agent, he’d been pestering you and Jake (and Bradley, occasionally) with questions, his act of protective best friend completely forgotten. Jake blamed Javy’s obsession with Criminal Minds.

“She’s fine. Just, extremely busy and stressed, I’ve barely seen her,” Jake lamented. “Her new case is heavy, that’s all I know.”

“Ooooh what kind of case is it? Russian mob? British spy? Serial killer?”

“My god, he’s like a puppy,” Yale muttered, wrinkling his nose at Javy, but he only whacked him with the rolled up magazine. The two began bickering with Yale putting Javy in a headlock, the latter pinching his sides.

“Excuse me, can anyone tell me where I can find Lieutenant Bradley Bradshaw?”

Jake’s head whirled to the guy nobody had heard coming into the breakroom. His hair was wild, face red, as if he had been running for the past few minutes. Only when Jake’s eyes fell to his FBI minted vest, his heart plummeted into his stomach, the smile on his face vanishing.

“What happened?” Jake asked, nearly falling over his feet as he walked up to the man, blood rushing into his ears. “Is she okay?”

The FBI guy eyed Jake, his gaze drifting to the other aviators, before looking back at Jake.

“I need to find Lieutenant Br-”

“Listen buddy,” Jake hissed, grabbing him by the vest roughly, pulling him close. “If you don’t tell me right now what’s going on, I will-”

“Hangman!”

Jake turned away from the red faced FBI guy, only to see Rooster running up to him, his phone clutched so tightly in his hand his knuckles were turning white. Jake’s breath stocked in his throat.

“She’s in the hospital. We gotta go now.”

The ride to the hospital passed like a blur, Jake hadn’t even paid attention. The only thing he knew was what Bradley had told him.

She and her team were chasing some guy and he caught Toots off-guard. She put up a hell of a fight, but the guy was huge and she and her partner had split up. She didn't have a chance. I- They called me, because I’m her emergency contact, Alvarez was just doing his job, following protocol. They say she’s still in surgery. It’s-

Rooster’s voice had cut off and Jake knew better than to look over or to say anything. They both were having dark thoughts, knowing exactly that they should expect the worst. Jake’s never been on the other side of this. Sure, he was waiting outside the doctor’s office after Javy went into G-loc, but this? This was different.

This was you.

As soon as Rooster pulled into a parking spot haphazardly, both men bolted out of the car, all but running into the hospital. Reaching the front desk, the nurse looked up, eyebrows raised.

“Is Toots-?” Rooster paused, taking a deep breath before giving the nurse your real name. “Where is she?”

The nurse pursed her lips as she clicked through the files on her screen before turning back to Rooster and Jake.

“She’s still in surgery. You’re welcome to take a seat in the waiting room.”

With an annoyed huff, Jake pushed away from the desk, heading into the waiting room, but instead of sitting down like Rooster, Jake started pacing from one end to the room to the other. About ten minutes in, the grandma in the right corner glared at Jake and it took everything in Jake not to snap at her. He’d rather direct his anger at Rooster.

“How the hell are you so calm?”

Rooster rubbed his hand over his face, his gaze on the floor before he lifted his head to look at Jake.

“You’re already about to fly off the handle, one of us has to stay calm.”

Scoffing, Jake turned away from Rooster with a shake of his head. He continued pacing for another minute, before he gave up, falling down in the chair next to Rooster. Both of them sat there in silence, and then Jake spoke up, his voice barely a whisper.

“How many times has this happened before?”

“Not as many times as you’re afraid of, but more than you’d like,” Rooster replied with a wry smile, exhaling deeply. “After I graduated from college, she was the only one who was there for me whenever I had an incident at work. It was like we took turns waiting for each other in the hospital and it kind of sucked having to wait by myself. Worry by myself.”

Rooster looked over to Jake. “I’m glad she has you, now.”

Jake wasn’t sure what to answer, so he didn’t say anything, leaning back in his chair and praying that you’d be okay. When the doctor finally came into the waiting room, calling your name, Jake and Rooster both jumped up, staring at her

“The surgery went well, there were no complications. She has several broken ribs and internal bleeding, all she has to do now is rest,” the doctor said, closing your file. “You may see her now. But she’s still asleep.”

“Thank you,” Jake replied, breathing a sigh of relief. He stood up, following the doctor to the room, the door closed. He wasn’t sure what he had expected but when the doctor opened the door, Jake stopped in his tracks. You were lying in the hospital bed, your usually bright skin impossibly pale, bruises splattered across your body, where it wasn’t covered by your gown. If it wasn’t for the slow rise but continuous rise of your chest, he might’ve thought you dead. His breath hitched in his throat.

“Go,” Rooster muttered, giving him a light shove, but Jake shook his head, leaning against the door frame, suddenly feeling nauseous.

“I can’t.”

“Wha-? Hangman!”

Nearly stumbling over his feet, ignoring Rooster calling after him, Jake fled down the hallway, looking for a bathroom. He knew what had happened to you, but why was it so much worse seeing you like this?

The first thing you noticed when you woke up was a bright light coming from the left; then you felt the warm hand caressing over your knuckles.

“Jake…?” you croaked out, slowly opening your eyes.

“Hey… No, it’s me.”

It took you a while before the room stopped spinning that you recognized Bradley on your bedside, looking at you with furrowed brows. Disappointment settled in your stomach. While Bradley still was your emergency contact, you had expected Jake to be here for you when you woke up, at the very least.

“Are you in a lot of pain?” Bradley asked, the concern obvious in his voice.

You tried wiggling all your body parts and to your relief, you could feel all of them; the pain, that you remembered being overwhelmingly strong, was now merely a dull ache. Only your head felt like someone had dropped a boulder on it.

“Honestly, I thought I’d feel worse,” you admitted. “Though my head’s a bit woozy.”

“Just wait until the anesthesia wears off, you’ll be in so much pain,” Bradley teased. You chuckled, but only briefly, your smile dropping as you glanced over to the door. He followed your gaze and you wished that Jake would appear, so you wouldn’t look stupid.

“He was here, you know?” Bradley said quietly, turning back to you. “He nearly beat up Alvarez for not telling him what had happened to you. He just- bolted as soon as he saw you lying in here like this.”

“That’s dumb.”

Bradley gave you a look. “Imagine him lying in this bed, in the same state that you’re in. How would you react?”

Miffed, you settled back in your bed, giving your best friend a dirty look.

“Since when do you come to Jake’s defense? You love fucking with him.”

“Hey, don’t act like I hate him. We’ve had our issues, but those were Hangman and Rooster issues. I never had an issue with him being your boyfriend. He’s good for you and you’re good for him. And knowing you, you’re probably starting to get a bit pissed off at him. Which is fair, but don’t be too hard on him.”

You scoffed at his words, even though you knew he was right. But the way Jake reacted just didn't feel right. Up to this point, your relationship was… Easy. Fun. You never even fought before. This was the first bad thing that happened since you started dating and Jake’s first instinct was to run?

“I am going to get the doctor and grab you some water, okay? Are you going to be alright by yourself?”

Bradley’s words drew you out of your spiraling thoughts and you waved him off, nodding.

“Yeah yeah, I’ll be fine, you mother hen.”

Bradley pressed a soft kiss on your forehead before he left the room, leaving you by yourself. You knew that the next couple of days were going to be rough. Gia was probably filling out the report for the case and maybe getting reamed at by your supervisor for splitting up in the first place.

Now that you thought about it, you’d probably get the same lecture when you’d get back to work.

Someone by the door cleared their throat and when you looked up, you saw Jake lingering in the doorway. You fought the urge to turn your face away from him, but you couldn’t help glaring at your boyfriend.

“How you feeling?”

“I’ve been better,” you replied, casting your eyes down on the bed, horrified to realize that there were tears starting to form in your eyes.

“I’m going to be honest, sweets, you scared the shit out of me,” he said as he approached your bed, his hand finding yours. “When I saw you lying here like this, I- Are you crying?”

Jake’s tone rose when he noticed the streaks of tears on your cheek. “Are you in pain? Can you breathe? I’ll go get the doctor!” He let go of your hand, standing quickly, pausing when you called his name.

“I am fine!”

“Then why are you crying?” Jake asked, confused. You rolled your eyes at him, wincing when that made your migraine stronger.

“Why weren’t you here when I woke up? Bradley said you came here with him, but then you just bolted? What the fuck, Jake?”

You stared at him, waiting for an answer, but Jake just stood there, frozen.

“Is that how it’s going to be everytime something bad happens? You just bolt, leaving Bradley to deal with the consequences and come back when everything is okay?”

Jake clenched his jaw, before taking a deep breath.

“Maybe I deserved that. But you can’t seriously believe what you’re saying. Sweets, I am 100% in this relationship, you hear me?” he sat back down on the bed, lacing your hand with his in a tight, but not uncomfortable hold. “You’re right. I should’ve been here when you woke up, that’s on me. But when I saw you lying here like this… I got scared, okay? It fucking scared me seeing you so small and frail, because I’ve never seen you like that. And that made me think what if… What if next time, you can’t fight back? What if… What if I lost you?”

Looking at him through your lashes, you wiped the tears on your cheeks, unsure what to say.

“I am sorry I wasn’t here when you woke up. And I am sorry for making you feel like you couldn’t count on me. I promise I’ll be better,” Jake said, looking at you, his forehead creased.

“It was pretty shitty of you.”

The corner’s of Jake’s mouth ticked upwards and he reached out to gently cup your face with his hand.

“It was... Are you doing okay?”

You nodded, covering his hand with yours. Somehow, his touch calmed you, making you feel safe without really doing much.

“Yeah, for now. I don’t know how much pain I’ll be in after the anesthesia wears off, though. I just hope that I can go home today.”

“Sorry, but no,” Jake answered, clicking his tongue. “They’re keeping you here overnight and if your breathing looks good tomorrow, they’ll let you go home. But you’re not allowed back to work until the doctor’s given you a clean bill of health.”

“... I am sorry, but have you become a doctor since I last saw you?”

Before Jake could reply, a doctor entered your room with Bradley in tow, who settled on the other side of your bed, holding a water bottle in his hand. The doctor gave you a small smile as she opened your file.

“I am glad you’re up, special agent. You have significant bruising and internal bleeding, especially from the broken ribs. We fixed the broken ribs surgically and I would like to keep you here overnight, just as a precaution. I wouldn’t want you to come back here by tomorrow evening complaining of chest pains. You should abstain from strenuous activities for at least six weeks, and I advise you against working, if that’s at all possible. If you insist on working, then desk duty, only. I’ll prescribe you some pain killers for when you’re at home, otherwise you should just rest,” the doctor said, closing your file. “Do you have any more questions?”

A bit baffled, you shook your slowly, waiting until the doctor left the room before you glanced at Jake suspiciously, giving him a look.

“You cornered her before, didn’t you?”

“So what if I did? I wanted to make sure that I knew everything there is to know to make sure you heal with no problems at all,” Jake pointed out and you leaned back in your bed with a huff.

“Wow. Two mother hens? How will I survive?”

Jake and Bradley both started going off in rants, making you regret your statement immediately. By the next day, after the doctor deemed you well enough to leave the hospital, Jake drove you home, insisting on taking the next few days off so he could take care of you. You were tucked into bed, comfortable on a mountain of pillows (because Jake read that lying flat on your back would put more pressure on your broken ribs), as Jake tuttered around your apartment, locking the door and putting your things away.

“You know you don’t have to do all of this, right?” you asked him when he finally came to bed, crawling under the blanket on the left side of the mattress.

“I know,” Jake replied, snuggling up to you, yearning for physical touch without hurting you. “But I want to.”

author's note: i hope you like it besties. don't forget to comment/like/reblog when you did!! i'd love to hear from you!!

taglist: @littlebadariell // @labellapeaky // @solacestyles // @shaded-echoes // @sssjuico10 // @princessofglitterland // @unordinare // @unluckymonaghan // @solacestyles // @pythagothug // @shanimallina87 // @fantasias-creativebubble // @katcoquette // @lovinnoya // @emakacat // @takeyour-pantsoff // @another-tblr-fangirl // @alana4610 // @band-of-losers // @oscarisaacsleftknee // @candid-confetti // @sallyp-53 // @j-velvet // @vexedcanadian // @fantasyfan4life // @justanothermagicalsara // @obiwankenobis-lap // @et-homephone // @dummythiccwitch // @nonononomiles // @harper1666 // @simpingfortoomanypeople // @fangirling-4-ever // @hueanhdang // @i-wear-wet-socks313 // @hopeless-romanticnamed-s // @angelilacsworld // @pansexualwitchwhoneedstherapy // @unlikelycollectiondreamer // @lonelywithv2 // @je-suis-prest-rachell // @hotch-meeeeeuppppp // @deliciouslydisturbed365 // @tinyworm3 // @luckyladycreator2 // @ssaic-jareau // @xoxabs88xox // @averyhotchner // @army24–7 // @avada-kedavra-bitch-187 // @tiredqueen73 // @alexxavicry // @classyunknownlover

#jake hangman seresin #jake seresin #jake seresin x reader #jake hangman seresin x reader #hangman x reader

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starrspice · 11 months

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Hi there

Hey hello everyone.

I have not been super active lately (I’ve been kinda busy and life’s been a little crazy) BUT

I won’t leave you entirely empty handed. You guys voted for an OC ramble so Here you go!!!!

Because OMG I’m feral and they’re all I think about! There’s a LOT of info because I love them, and want to ramble so if you’re interested there’s more below the cut

SO let’s start with the main 4 I’ve had in my brain since I was like. 15

Meet the U.F.O.S.

What’s U.F.O.S. Stand for? Universal Freelance Operation Specialists ofc. They’re mercenaries! Got a job you need done? They do it no matter what star system or how dirty the job!

The team themselves are considered high level fugitives by the intergalactic administration (but that doesn't stop them from causing more chaos) and without even knowing they actually kick started the rebellion against the administration! Some people call them heroes while others call them criminals.

As for the actual members of the team:

◇Zai is always looking to get into trouble. He's the wild of the group and despite his cheery demeanor he's actually quite unpredicatble. He was rescued from an underground intergalactic fighting ring (similar to underground dog fighting rings) and most of those violent tendencies carried on with him. He was also outfitted with painful upgrades and augmentations intended to improve his battle abilities. He often avoids physical contact with people he doesn't know well but is rather touchy feely with the rest of the crew (especially Ango who he loves to pester). He's still relatively fresh from the underground fighting scene and still battles with night terrors and violent tendencies as a result

♧Ango is a techy guy who's last nerve is hanging by a thread. He's the brains of the operation and honestly is tired of always being the smartest one in the room. Despite being great with tech he doesn't really know how to deal with emotions well. Growing up emotions were never really rewarded in his family so he struggles to embrace things that involve feelings. He's the straight man and tries to keep things on track even though he often gets carried away himself. Defensive, prideful, and grumpy He's the perfect target for Zai's incessant pestering. He isn't afraid to get his hands dirty and values hard work above all else.He's on the intergalactic administration's top 10 most wanted list due his dangerous skill with tech and a rumored hacking fiasco that caused an uproar in the administration. His body is soft and stretchy like an earth slug but minus the slime so he's able to slip through small spaces with ease.

♡Gidget is a care taker/ accompanying android originally built to guard and take care of a rich aristocrats daughter. She was intended to be upgraded to an older looking model when the girl she cared for grew too old for a doll like companion. Eventually taking on the role of a personal nanny/bodyguard.However, Under a new intergalactic ruling AI as advanced as hers were dubbed sentient and were no longer allowed to be used as free labor. Not wanting to have to pay Gidget (or treat her like a person) she was cast out with the trash. After a few years of scraping by and repairing herself with scraps and spare parts she was taken in by Captain Mars and repaired by Ango before joining the U.F.O.S. Despite her small and cute stature she is actually equipped with borderline illegal high grade defense weaponry and combat programs and acts as the muscle of the group! Her toy like design makes most people mistake her for a child companion bot to which she angrily corrects that she is an unowned sentient AI. She struggles a lot with her self image, solely due to the fact her hardware doesnt match her software. Forever stuck looking like a child's toy and underestimated. Eventually in a failed mission Gidget gets damaged beyond repair. Luckily Ango is able to save her personality and memory chips and transplants them into a new body made custom for her. The Team missed her terribly for the few months it took to rebuild her.

♤A notorious Phantom thief and criminal Mastermind, Mars has been avoiding capture for years and has become a master at all kinds of things. She's bold, head strong, confident, and a jack of all trades. She's the one who formed the U.F.O.S. and is the heart of them all that keeps the team together and everything running like a well oiled machine She gets tired of Ango and Zai's antics (so she says) but adores her team. Their health, and happiness is her top priority. She considers the team to be her own family and treats them as such. With a powerful force of fire and dragon like features She's a force to be feared and a sight to behold. Her only known injury being the scar over her left eye and her tattered left ear. It's this very same scar that left her having a hard time trusting others, being very selective about who she lets close to her. Her past before she broke out of prison and formed the U.F.O.S. is shrouded in mystery. All anyone really knows is that she has a sister back on her home planet and that they don't get along well.

I've had the idea for the U.F.O.S. Webcomic for forever but i always had trouble nailing down a few plot points. The one thing thats never changed is the bond of the team being the main focus of the whole thing. A group of misfits who fit together, and who care about eachother more than anything else in the universe.

NEXT UP

Cybil and Sophie!!!!

☆Cybil Calaway

Cybil is a Half Siren, and lead singer and guitarist to a garage band in her home town (Here in the reference sheet provided she's 19). Unlike Sophie who attends the local private academy, Cybil attends the local highschool and has a reputation akin to the cliche "Bad girl" But the truth of the matter is Cybil is unapologetically herself, which a lot of locals consider to be rude or brash. She's a little blunt and sarcastic but has a big heart and cares deeply for those close to her. She's extremely passionate about music and writes all the song her band preforms. And despite her punk rock appearance, she's actually quite kind and often helps the members of her community wherever she can! She also helps her older siblings and her father at his grocery store.She has a total of 7 siblings, 2 of which have already moved out for college. One of her siblings is her twin sister Pheobe, who tragically dies in a car accident when they were 26. Cybil and Sophie broke up when they moved to different parts of the country but Cybil often remembers Sophie as one of her first great loves and the one that got away. After getting a degree in Musical composition Cybil wound up becoming the manager of her younger sister Aubrey's pop rock band and lead the band to great success! She and Aubrey both took a couple of years off from touring with the band to grieve Pheobe (and for Cybil to adjust to now taking care of Pheobe's daughter, Allison)

♡Sophie Delavigne is A rich werewolf girl who's a bit of a goody two shoes (She's 18 in the reference sheet).Except when she's with Cybil.

Despite being the poster child for a perfect, preppy, rich daughter, Sophie actually struggles a lot with identity issues. Having done whatever her family wanted of her growing up, now in her senior year of highschool she's in a panic trying to figure out who she is and what she wants to pursue in college. Upon meeting Cybil she slowly begins to find herself and enjoys the person she is when they're together. With Cybil's help Sophie realizes she wants to become a writer and possibly run her own publishing company!

Sophie has always had a friendly rivalry with her older sister Solene, and during their college years they competed to try and be named the next head of the family. Somewhere along the line Sophie gave up the competition to instead focus on her studies and personal goals, which is what lead to her sister taking over her father's company. After college Sophie slowly worked her way up the ladder. She was extremely upset when her father bought out the company she worked for (and she believes any future promotions will be her father's doing).

In my original idea for the webcomic they met in their senior year in highschool only to break up when they move to different colleges and then reconnect about 9 years later

And there you have it there's my oc info ramble for you

Feel free to ask me ANY questions im more than happy to ramble about them any time!! These are my main ocs but ive got plenty more

#starr stuff #my ocs #my oc art #my oc stuff #ocs #oc #original characters #my original characters #my original art #oc rambling #if it matters at all all of my ocs are gay ajdnakdnf #oc art #my blorbos #my babies #i love them so much #my art

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the-pan-ace-writings · 1 year

Text

Cartel Protection

First Next Last Masterlist AO3

A/n

im not gunna lie guys this one took me way longer than i thought it was going too, so im hoping ill be able to post at least weekly on Sundays. hopefully more than once a week

also!! Im not going to embarrass myself or others with attempting to translate Spanish and i think for coherency and comprehension i am just going to stick to italicized typing to indicate Spanish

Thank you!

They found themselves alone on yet another airstrip. The chaos of the last mission washed away in cold base showers, and was forgotten over a basic meal with the remainder of their team. They had gotten orders that just Ghost with Soap and Badger were going off to Mexico to meet up with the Mexican special forces on another tip off that Hassan was there.

It was a relatively smooth ride in a cargo transport to Las Almas, and passed in as much silence as Soap could manage when he hadn't sprawled himself out on several of the wall seats to sleep.

They landed in the early hour of the morning, the sun was barely rising casting a golden hue upon the new airstrip as they walked down the ramp to meet a rather stoic looking man. As they stepped out of the hull of the plane Soap was first to acknowledge the man as the Commander of the Special forces that they are linking up with.

“Alejandro!”

“Sergeant MacTavish” his voice was deep, and gravelly, he seemed less stoic as he was speaking, he reached for Soap's hand in a shake. Soap met it with a mild smile as Ghost and Badger finished getting all the way down the ramp and joined them.

“Call me Soap, That's Badger” he nodded over his shoulder towards Badger who just nodded politely at the Colonel. Alejandro nodded and turned towards Ghost

“Lieutenant, Laswell says they call you Ghost”

“Actually, I believes he prefers to be --” Ghost turned sharply to Soap and interrupted him

“That’ll do.” Badger watched Soap’s face pinch up as he was foiled in his joke, he bumped his shoulder into Soaps as consolation before turning his attention back to Alejandro,

“Welcome to the City of Souls' ' He turned on his heel and started walking to the first truck in a small caravan on the airstrip.

“I've never been to Mexico” Soap took the lead following the colonel,

“This isn't México,” Alejandro raised his arms to gesture around them, highlighting the mountains lit up in gold and the slow moving clouds, a small smile graced his lips when he spoke again “This is Las Almas” it was home to him, that much was obvious to Badger.

“Shepherd's contractors are inbound for reinforcements. They’re bringing hardware, they'll need room.” and there is Ghost, always straight to the point.

“My base is your base.” Alejandro responded simply

“Good. Now, where’s Hassan?” Badger was a straightforward person but seemed to constantly be getting whiplash from the manner that Ghost spoke to people, he understood pleasantry always had their time and place, but maybe meeting an Ally for the first time was the time to use them regardless of how urgent their mission might be.

He was surprised that Alejandro took it in stride though instead of seeming off put by it,

“Cartel Safe-house, ten clicks from here.” they reached the truck, “get in.”

Ghost climbed in as Soap and Badger went to the other side, Soap stood dumbly for a second clearly trying to avoid the middle, Badger rolled his eyes and pushed him forward.

“Get in chatty Cathy, ain't got all day” Soap looked taken a back before another more rougher push got him going,

“Shut yer pus, im goin” He swatted at him as he climbed in and settled down with a huff, once Badger was in Soap seemed to purposely take up as much of his room as possible, Badger supposed it was only fair.

“C’mon, let's move!” Alejandro shouted to the rest of the caravan before climbing into his seat of the truck, he waves a head over to the driver, “This is my second in command, Sergeant Major Rodolfo Parra.”

Rodolfo smiled and leaned over to Alejandro just slightly, a look of false concern crossed his face as he spoke to Alejandro, “I’m afraid of Ghosts” Alejandro snorts and swipes at his shoulder before pointing to the road for him to start moving, he turned over his shoulder and looked at the men piled into the back.

“You know Spanish?” Ghost just looked away, and Soap shook his head lightly and muttered a no, Badger raised his hands and made a so-so gesture and then looked up into the rearview mirror to catch Rodolfos gaze.

“Enough” Alejandro smiles at that before turning to Soap.

“You will”

The sun had fully risen by the time they made it to the colorful city of Las Almas, Badger was enraptured by the colors of the buildings and the vibrancy of the people. The city was bustling for the early hours of the day, the streets were lined with cars and people chatted in door frames and in shops. A white truck passed them in the opposite direction with four men in the back of it.

Badger hadn't realized how much Soap had pushed into his space till he felt rather than heard Soap call it out, and he had to grab his arm to keep him from going for his weapon. He saw Ghost tense as well and tossed him a look before Alejandro turned around looking annoyed.

“Hey- tranquilo. Easy-- that's normal here.” he waved his hands as he spoke “Guns on the street is the jurisdiction of the police.”

“Where are the police?” Ghost spoke up this time

“Well, Las almas has a very serious problem, there are few here to uphold the law. And many of those who resist corruption disappear.”

“What about the military?” the tone that Soap spoke in unsettled Badger, these guys were supposed to be allies, interrogating them seemed like the wrong move.

“Well, because we are well trained, soldiers are recruited by the narcos” he spoke off handley as if he hadn't noticed the change in tone and instead looked at them through the mirror again

"Why not you?” Ghost just barely avoided interrupting Alejandro, Badger tightened the forgotten grip on Soap before looking down at where he had grabbed his arm previously, Soap seemed to not have noticed that his grip lingered, Badger frowned slightly and tucked his hands back to himself and turned to look out the window again, watching the street go past.

He saw Alejandro lean back over towards Rodolfo and shrug his shoulders

“We grew up here, they call us Los Vaqueros” he smiled at Rodolfo again but turned to look back at Badger when he spoke up,

“Cowboys?”

“Si, Cowboys, we love this place. And we will die fighting for it.” That familiar warmth was back in his voice from the airstrip, Rodolfo seemed to share the same sentiment,

They drove past a street vendor at the corner of the street, it was a quaint little cart decorated with colorful cloth banners, Badger couldn't see what was being sold but did see the little family speaking with the vendor. He also saw the two armed men just a few steps away from the family. It was a stark contrast. Badger grunted when he felt almost the full weight of Soap pushing against him yet again as he tried to look out the window, Badger just looked over at Ghost with mild annoyance, he just rolled his eyes at him.

Soap started to lean back as they drove further away from them,

“Kids, guns and balloons. That's a new one.'' Again with the confronting tone, Badger elbowed him back into his place in the middle and swatted away a retaliatory hand and gave Soap a stern look.

“Narcos use generosity to win over the people” Alejandro was watching ahead as the traffic started to slow as it became backed up.

“Even the children?” Soap questioned.

“Especially the children.” It was Rodolfo that spoke this time, a slight glare reaching them from the mirror again, Soap had the decency to look a little sheepish. It was clear he was getting annoyed at the interrogation that Soap was putting up.

The traffic reached a standstill and they were stopped next to a taped off alleyway that had a truck and two bodies on the ground behind it covered by sheets that were covered in scrawling writing. Badger was mildly thankful that it was on the other side of the truck and extra thankful that Soap seemed to have enough common sense to not pull the same shit with Ghost, and instead just sits up more to look out the window without pressing into Ghost.

“What's on those sheets?”

“Nacromantras” Alejandro looked upset from the sight of the scene and it was reflected in his voice.

“Cartel Cloths” Rodolfo clarified for them “Messages from El Sin Nombre. Warning, marking territory.” The caravan started moving again, Alejandro shook his head in disgust

“Our streets are laced with death,” he said it like a curse before pointedly looking away from the scene.

“Who is Sin Nombre?” the misspoken name sounded rough from Ghost

“El Sin Nombre,” Alejandro corrects him, “the Nameless, the leader of the Las Almas Cartel”

“Where can we find him?” Soap spoke but then seemed distracted by a rather large mural that they started to drive by. It was painted on a three story house. It had what was clearly a symbol for the Las Almas Cartel painted directly in the middle surrounded by vibrate roses, motifs of the Madonna and guns, a banner was painted just below the symbol EL SIN NOMBRE filled the banner and just below that was likely more of the naromantras from the sheet but it passed to fast for Badger to be sure.

Alejandro was also caught by the mural, “ You can't, no one knows who he is. But he is everywhere and this a challenge” He turned back to Rodolfo and chuckled “But Los Vaqueros like Challenges” Rodolfo nodded back to Alejandro before he looked back through the mirror again looking back at Ghost specifically.

“With your mask, you'll fit in well here, Ghost” Badger stifled a smile as he watched Ghost slowly turn his attention to Rodolfo in the mirror, his eyes were like ice and he just stared. Rodolfo's smile faltered as he caught Soap making a “don't do that” hand motion

“Hey easy” Alejandro tried to comfort before being distracted by an upcoming checkpoint, “Checkpoint, Its the Army, turn right, we’ll go around”

Soap pursed his lips in confusion before leaning forward to question as the took the turn down a narrower road,

“Why?”

“Some troops are in the pocket of El Sin Nombre, like I told you. He is Everywhere” Alejandro looked frustrated, leaning back to speak to them “cartel is hiding Hassan in the Village across the river, let's hope he's still there”

The road they took turned into something that could barely be called a road, mostly just packed dirt from frequent use. They remained in silence for a while, badger was messing with his comm unit, pinning the ear piece into place and then started to mess with the inputs on the unit. He looked up and started to ask for the right input so their comms would all be linked but Alejandro had caught on to what he was doing and without having to ask to read off the correct codes to join their systems.

Badger fixed Soaps comms to the right settings as well and watched over as Ghost adjusted his.

They parked just outside of the village, Soap Ghost and Alejandro stepped out first and went to grab kits from the back of the truck, Badger was stepping down out of the truck when Rodolfo spoke to him, he was adjusting his comms unit as well.

“I would’ve thought someone with the name Badger would be asking all the questions”

Badger looked back at him a little sheepish, he had noticed how much all of Soap's questions had bothered both of them, and while Rodolfo was better at hiding it than Alejandro it was still evident even if Soap hadn't noticed. Or cared.

“Badger for a different reason,” He looked over at him before he collected is own kit “sorry to disappoint” Rodolfo just patted his shoulder before heading over to Alejandro, who had just called for all the team leaders to circle up on him.

“Where are they holding Hassan?” Soap joined them in the circle with Ghost right behind him.

“White two story building, back of town” Alejandro fist bumps Rodolfo before pointing off towards a gate that seemed to lead into the town, and with a wave of his hand Alejandro leads them off towards the town, as Rodolfo takes his team off a different way.

They gather around the gate, Alejandro has bracketed himself to breach the door and coordinates over the comms with Rodolfo's team.

This town lacked the colors that Las Almas had; the buildings were all browns, whites and oranges, they all seemed beaten down and in disrepair. It also lacked the people that las almas had, there wasn't just less people here there was no people here and it left the town eerily quiet

“Where are the civilians?’ Soap spoke up as he walked past a window that was broken peeping his head inside as they passed

“Gone, Cartel took over people left, it's a hideout now”

“Good place to keep Hassan then”

They approached another black gate and could hear the cartel men clamoring around as they started to notice the breach into the town, this gate was left partially open. Ghost pushed it further open and Alejandro went guns blazing through the gate with Soap and Badger behind on his heels.

There was a brick building to their right as they burst through the gate and a white building down at the end of the slope little more than a hovel. Cartelmen used them for cover trying to avoid the hellstorm that was Alejandro's team. It was easy to clear them, they wore little for protection and seemed to only have rudimentary grasp on their weapons. Alejandro ordered a push forward. The man called Rodriguez moved with them as they pushed further into the town and into an ally.

Badger crossed the ally fast and took cover behind the white building, Soap cleared the final man from inside as they moved. More firing from further up the ally. Three more cartelmen dropped from their fire. He called another push up and made a break for a set of cement stairs and just barely took cover fast enough to be missed by incoming fire that broke up the brick wall behind him into pebbles.

Alejandro was pinned down behind the stairs unable to make anything other than blind return fire, Soap had pushed past Badger and peaked from the corner of the building into the alley way, took aim and downed the final cartelman. He called clear

"Secure this house, then we go for Hassan” Alejandro ordered as he got up from his spot behind the stairs, he pointed to the orange brick house that ended the alley in a dead end.

“Cartel will move him fast.” Ghost protested as he also came out from his cover behind an abandoned cupboard against the wall behind them, he had taken rearguard with Rodriguez,

“Then we move faster” Alejandro moved up to the teal door of the house, crouched low waiting to enter as soon as the door was breached. Badger moved to the door and waited for his signal to break it down.

The door almost shattered as he kicked it down, it was much thinner than he expected so he almost tipped into the room had Ghost not pulled back on his vest roughly settling him back on two solid feet before He Soap and Alejandro burst into the house, clearing it as they went. Badger and Rodriguez held rear guard until Clear was called again.

They joined them in the house, which was low ceilinged, dark and now littered with dead men, a great sight to be in a forgotten child bedroom.

“What happened to the families here?” Badger asked as he entered the kitchen area

“The cartels bring violence, so they leave '' he was short with his answer, gruff it was clear the lack of control he had on the cartels upset him greatly. “Lets go, get ready to move”

Soap takes the lead to the door in the kitchen that goes to the outside, Soap made a show of using the deadbolt to unlock the door, tossing a ”see its simple” look to Badger as he started to open the door, Alejandro’s hand pushed the door shut, and pointed out the window “Stand By. Victor-2 this 1-1, Deploy smoke. We’re moving external”

“Copy, smoke out” Rudy called back over the comms and the plunging of smoke canisters could be heard as they struck the ground and slowly filing the atmosphere with cover

Soap broke the silence that had comfortably fallen as they took the second to prepare for rushing the next house.

“Where’s your Family? Alejandro?” Badger snapped his attention to him, eyes slightly wide and a grimace set in place. The man simply didn't think before he spoke. He flicked his eyes over to Ghost where he stood watch at a window. Ghost didn't seem to care about Soaps dumbassery and just rolled his eyes when Badger looked over.

Alejandro took a deep breath before he spoke.

“I keep that a secret, hermano, to protect them.” it came out stern but not angry much to Badger's surprise. He watched as Soap opened his mouth to speak again, but was thankfully cut off by Ghost.

“We have concealment”

“Let's Move, on me Soap” Alejandro clasped Soap on the shoulder, removing the hand he had blocking the door. The moment it was open Alejandro took off towards the large two story house just across the courtyard.

The door was broken into with ease and the first floor was cleared too easily, there was an unsettling lack of resistance for a house that was supposed to contain Hassan. It set Badger on edge.

“Clear! No Hassan!” Alejandro calls out as he moves towards the stairs,

“Second deck” Ghost orders as he makes his way up towards the loft, the rest of the team in tow. It was also cleared in seconds. Alejandro cursed as it became obvious they missed Hassan.

The house was littered with dead men and weapons, it also was strewn with dolls and other toys, a kids bike was broken on the floor in the kitchen, the bedrooms had been decorated in accordance to those that had previously lived here, those that had clearly left the house in a hurry as boxes that had likely been hastily packed laid turned over just about everywhere you looked.

When Badger made it back up to the loft, Ghost was looking through files on the desk, Alejandro Soap and Rodriguez were discussing Hassan and the intel that they operated on. Badger went to the big bay windows and found a photo of the family that had lived here toppled over, he had bent down to pick it up when movement up on the roads caught his eye.

A Caravan was rolling into the village, and fast. They were tearing up the roads and kicking dirt into the air behind them. Badger sat back up quickly, the speed of the action grabbed the attention of the others, he was about to speak when Rodolfos voice broke over the comms.

“Commander! Army is rolling in!” Fucking hell this was going to be bad.

“Shit”

Ghost looked up from the paperwork on the desk to Badger, “What is it?”

Alejandro answered for him. “The Army”

Soap joined him at the window to look out to the ever closing Mexican Army Transport. He looked confused.

“We’ve got reinforcements”

“Negative.” Alejandro sounded grim. “0-3, fall back, fall back”

“Copy that”

Ghost caught on quick and stepped away from the desk and took up a spot couched in front of one the bay windows. “What’re we doing?”

“Covering my men,” Alejandro waved up to Rodriguez to block the entrance of the loft, dragging a shelf over to the door, and pushing the couch against that. “Once they’re clear, we fall back”

Soap was taken aback “You want us to engage the fucking Mexican Army?!” He had stepped close enough to Badger that he grabbed him and pulled him down so that he wasn't standing dumbly in front of the large windows and nearly growled at him.

“Didn't you hear a single thing he said in the truck Soap? That not the fuckin army thats the cartel payroll.” He roughly pushed him back as he let go and went back to leveling off the trucks in his scope. Soap flushed red, and a dumb ‘oh’ dropped from his lips before he managed to remember himself and join them in targeting the caravan.

“Hold your fire, we dig in until my men are clear”

“Multiple vehicles, troops transport, light armor” Ghost calls out

“Hold fire, let them get close”

One of the trucks launched a large smoke canister, blocking them from seeing when and where the caravan stopped, but they saw troops emerge from the smoke with shields and take aim at the house. They have mere seconds to turn away from the windows before they're rained upon by glass shards as the windows are shot out above them. Alejandro called for weapons free.

The room thundered with fire, and it made moving for any extra cover nearly impossible. The few shots he was able to get in after getting up from his low crouch seemed to do nothing.

“They’re Armoured,” Soap shouted in annoyance.

“Target the helmets, they're weak”

“They’re using shields” Ghost shouted over the clamour as a well, it was clear that they were doing little to minimize the amount of combatants against them, the simply had to pull the fire away from Rodolfos squad and hope they could last long enough. Badger watched as shards of wood ripped away from the walls from the incoming fire, and cursed. It was quite a bind. They started falling back from the windows and just sought cover.

“Commander, we're clear!” oh thank the light, they can start moving from this deathtrap.

“copy ! rally at the safehouse!” Alejandro orders before turning to them “lets get the hell out of here!” He popped up from his spot in the corner and made for a shuttered window, tossed it open and hoped down and slid off the roof onto the ground and took off like a bat out of hell to a path that led down the ridge. Rodriguez followed with the same grace, then Soap. Badger rather fell from the window than slid but still took off the same as Ghost reached the ground and followed.

“Down the hill! We’ll lose them in the mountains!” Alejandro shouted over his shoulder as they raced to catch up with him. “Fan out and stay close”

It was like everyone just had the ability to melt into the forest with how quick he seemed to lose everyone and he hoped that he didn't get lost. Shots fired down from above tossing up small handfuls of dirt as high velocity rounds stuck the earth by their feet rather than them.

The army had caught up. They jumped off a steep boulder and rolled behind cover, turned and returned the fire. Rodriguez went down with a shout. He was nearby. Badger looked around and saw him face down a few paces away, He ran over to him and looked him over.

“You're fine, let's get you up boyo” Badger pulled him up against the boulder they now shared as the rest of the team was trying to clear the army. Rodriguez groaned in protest of moving. “It hit your back plate, it'll bruise” Rodriguez nodded and tried to calm his breathing for a moment. The firing came to a sudden stop and they were hauling ass again, Badger tried to stay with Rodriguez to give him extra cover, he was slowly lagging behind.

“You know these trails?” Soap called out to Alejandro as he took the lead,

“Very well, but do does the army”

“Cant hold off the Army. We need extraction”

“Rodriguez! Call for extraction!” Alejandro ordered, they stayed closer this time as they dropped down the hillside, more than once Badger crashed down off rock faces compared to the grace and Alejandro and Ghost demonstrated.

“Contact!”

Fire rained from above again as they tried to find over, Badger pulled them behind a larger rock again and took up fire as Rodriguez crouched low, tucking himself into the cover between Badger and the rock, fiddling with his coms trying desperately to reach Rodolfo.

“Control, victor 1 request immediate extraction at Soul River Bridge, How to copy?” he was shouting into the comms.

The fire stopped again and badger pulled him up and kept him in front of him as they ran again down the hill, he continued to shout into the comms with no response

“Rodriguez where are we with comms?”

“Mountains blocking out comms!” Rodriguez called back.

“Your man got the call out?” Ghost questioned as they slid down a slope a bit further

“Let's hope so” Alejandro laughed a little,

“What's the plan then?” Soap jumped down a boulder next to where Badger and Rodriguez were moving and he joined them.

“There is a bridge at the river. Extraction will be there.” Alejandro explained to them as he looked for a specific path to lead them down.

They reached a steep drop, Badger threw himself down it and rolled out of his fall in front of a tree when it exploded with an RPG. the force of it shattered the tree throwing shards of wood back at Badger, a shard struck him before he could cover. He was bleeding from the hairline, with a curse he stood back up and continued forward wiping roughly at his forehead.

“Anyone hit?” Alejandro called out from cover as he was firing up the ridgeline, everyone called out a negative from where they stood firing hoping desperately that the onslaught of men would end. Eventually it did.

They seemed to be running out of places to run as the clift side seemed to come nearer, Alejandro stopped abruptly at the edge and looked back towards them,

“We have to jump here” Soap reached the ledge and looked over it down to something unseen by Badger.

“Can we even make that?” Badger paled slightly at the comment of the unseen ledge and looked over to Soap and then back to Alejandro

“Are you serious?” It took a lot to keep the nervousness from his voice, it was one thing to jump from a plane and another to jump from good solid ground. If a parachute failed when jumping it was just a rush that ended quickly, who knows if he misses if the fall will kill him.

“Do or Die hermano” Alejandro tossed over his shoulder as he jumped, Badger made it up to the ledge to watch him fall down and slide across a very far and very thin outcropping from the clift, and watch him pop up and jump to an even further outcropping that rounded around the cliff face.

Soap followed bravely and executed flawlessly, Rodrigues followed with the confidence of someone who's done it a million times. Badger steeled himself and took a step back to give himself momentum for when he jumped down,

He hit solidly and slid down the rough ground of the slope, and just barely managed to get his feet back under him for the second platform, of which he rolled onto and slapped softly into the stone wall. He heard Soap make a small sound of surprise when the other two on the platform let out a small snicker at his less than graceful execution.

Ghost perusal just seemed to appear silently and unbothered as he crouched down, weapon in and and scanned the tree lines for snipers.

“Where to, Alejandro?” Soap asked from his watch position.

“Soap push forwards, Rodriguez keep trying on the comms, the rest of you watch for snipers” Badger settled down in front of Rodriguez’s position and turned outwards towards the tree line mirroring Ghost who was a few paces away from him. “Soap, use that ledge there will be a way up the mountain”

Soap disappeared out of sight with a grunt as he presumably jumped to whatever ledge that Alejandro pointed out. Badger could hear Rodriguez speaking into the comms again as he and Ghost looked for the tell tale gleam of a scope or barrel in the sunlight.

“Got anything?” Badger questioned over to Ghost who just grunted a negative in response.

“They’re out there, believe me”

“control , this is victor-1, do you read me?” Rodriguez sounded desperate as he looked back up to where he knew the Army was, the action made him look incredibly young and it struck something in Badger. He's quickly distracted though as Soap calls that he's found a way up the mountain, as they are just finishing getting up the steep cliff face Ghost spots a Helicopter with a curse.

“Get to a firing position. We’ll take them by surprise” Alejandro confirms the heli sighting and helps direct them back into cover.

“Which way is the bridge?” Ghost asks as he pulls himself up last from the final ledge, following them closely.

“Straight ahead. Past the helo” he paused a moment in thought “they'll try to cut us off”

“Grand” the sarcastic excitement sounded wrong coming from Badger “then I guess we’re goin through them”

It was almost like he called for them to appear with how fast the Army dropped down from an up ahead ridge and immediately took to firing upon them. But they made it easy for them to return fire. The sun was to their advantage, casting their hiding spots into deep shadows and lit the ridge and boulders they took to walking on in bright golden light that simply begged for them to shoot the brains out of anyone who stepped too far forwards.

The inched their way up in the shadows creeping closer and closer to the remaining army troops that had been smart enough to attempt to find cover, even if it wasn't successful. Ghost shot the last man on the ridge and called clear. It was a right mess on the boulders that they had to climb to get to the bridge.

They pushed up the hill and Alejandro called out that the bridge wasn't too far; they entered the top of the hill. It was gorgeous up there, and had they not been running for their lives from the Mexican Army Badger would have stopped to just absorb the landscape. It was towering mountains and the sun hit just right to light up a thin waterfall that casted a shimmer around it.

Alejandro warned them about hidden shooters.

“There's the bridge”

“No visual on extraction” a curse ripped from Rodriguez that Badger didn't know but knew it as colorful from the bits he understood, he watched him take a calming breath though turn towards Ghost.

“Comms didn't get through” Badger clasped him on the shoulders and gave him what he hoped was a comforting look.

“We’ll radio when we get down there” Alejandro waved them forwards and dropped an extremely steep drop off, and while Alejandro took it with grace even Soap had tripped up his landing and Badger downright slammed into the ground yet again. They took off down even more narrow outcroppings than last time, Alejandro taking the lead with Soap following, Badger kept Rodriguez in front of him and per usual Ghost took up rear guard.

They were quite literally shuffling along and outcropping no wider than a boot, when shots started above their heads. Bits of rock broke off from the walls from missed shots

"Sniper! Move!” Ghost shouted as they all tried to go as fast as they could without slipping off the cliff, they had almost made it to a larger outcropping when another round of shots fired.

A shot ripped through Rodriguez's thigh, and he shouted and tipped forwards reaching out behind him, Badger surged forwards to try to grab him, but he slipped as another shot just barely missed him. Just for a moment he had Rodriguez in his grip before he fell too far forwards tumbling into the valley.

“Rodriguez!” Alejandro shouted mournfully, and Badger was gasping as he was pulled further back onto the narrow outcropping, a hand laced into his vest at his shoulder. Ghost hurried him forwards keeping a tight grip on his vest.

Badger didn't hear the return fire from Alejandro but he nearly felt the rumble of Ghost's voice as he praised “Bloody good shot, mate!”

They all looked upwards as they heard the Army catching up to them again, their orders to follow them down the cliff side sent dread through Badger.

“Army's still on our trail” Soap urged them to move, Alejandro looked down the cliff side remorsefully before steeling himself and then turned to take the lead again. Ghost let go of Badger as they looked off again.

They slid to a stop at the end of an outcropping a bit further down the cliff face, it was a deadend.

“You led us to a deadend mate,” Ghost complained, looking pointedly at Alejandro.

“We jump from here, don't lose your weapon” Alejandro basically gave the last order while in the air, there was absolutely no hesitation before jumped off the clift, it was a solid moment before he splashed into the water. Badger took a nervous gulp.

Soap brave as ever followed quickly with a little whoop of excitement, he too splashed safely into the water.

Badger stepped forwards and hesitated a moment before looking backwards towards the ridge that he knew soon would be full of soldiers shooting down at them again. His eyes flicked to Ghost who surprisingly didn't roll them or slide off his gaze.

“Your turn sergeant” it was missing the usual roughness that typically accompanied Ghost. Badger swallowed again before nodding and turning forwards again, pointedly avoiding looking down.

“Fucking hell” He jumped. And he damn near forgot to hold his breath until moments before he crashed into the water. Vaguely he thinks he hears ghost land in the water shortly after him.

When Badger resurfaces he tries his best to minimize the gasping he is doing, he barely manages to call back that he's okay when Alejandro asks.

“Move down river to the bridge, use the rocks for cover” they start down the river drifting from rock to rock and mostly travel under the water in an attempt to remain hidden from the banks. Alejandro attempted to reach Rodolfo on the comms. “All stations, this is victor-1 how to copy?”

Finally a voice crackled over the radio in response to them.

“dow-1! Do you- say again,-o you’tre---?” It was an American voice.

“Radio is picking up something! Soap sounded elated and looked back excitedly to Badger and Ghost. His smile dropped a little when he looked at Badger, eyes flicking towards his forehead.

Ghost made a sound of approval “sounds American” he commented and was promptly cut off again by enemy fire.

Badger couldn't say he had the most experience fighting in water and had to admit it was adversely affecting his ability to be effective in combat. He swam to a rock that was jutting out of the water and clung to it to steady his hand on his weapon, that miraculously wasn't lost when he crashed into the water, and fired upon the right bank noting that more trucks were rolling in behind the current line of soldiers.

“Vehicles on the bridge” Badger called out and continued to swim up river as the bank was cleared,

“They're not ours” another curse spilled from Soap's lips as he checked his ammunition, they're all low.

The river shallows out the closer they get to the bridge and thankfully more boulders were available for cover as they rose from the water.

“We have to hold here and get extraction” Alejandro started firing upon the vehicles on the bridge, it was doing alarmingly little.

“We can't do shite against that armor!” Soap complains as he continues to fire upon the vehicles trying to target helmets again, when the voice that crackled through before returned

“This is Shadow-1! Engaging the bridge north of your position. Danger close!”

“Who the hell is that?” Alejandro shouted the question over his shoulder as he continued his fire.

“Commander Graves, Shadow company, they're with us” Ghost responded as they all took the welcomed reprieve that was watching the Army be blown to bits and at the bridge collapsing with them on it. Ghost jumped onto the comms to confirm the hit with Graves, “Shadow-1, Bravo 0-7! Good shots! Fire for effect!”

“All stations, no enemy movement detected. You're clear” Badger let out a breath he didn't know he was holding, “Good to see you boys''

“Likewise, mate,” Ghost replied and motioned for them to follow Alejandro to the left bank of the river and onto dry land and towards the bridge. Thankfully there was one ruck left behind. “Graves, we located a vehicle for exfil”

“Roger that. Be advised, we got a possible hit on Hassan, two clicks north of your position”

“That's cartel land, they have a compound there” They reached the truck and dumped some of their wet gear into the bed of the truck, Alejandro hopped into the driver's seat and Ghost filed into the front passenger,

“You boys, good to roll up Hassan with some fire from the sky?”

“Lets wrap this fucker up, Graves” Soap sounded full of confidence for someone whos missed Hassan twice and was chased down a mountain, Badger couldn't say that he shared the confidence,

“Solid copy. We are pushing to the target directly. Shadow-1 out”

Badger pushed himself firmly into the back seat and closed his eyes, trying to ground himself and take account of his body. He was tired from the mad dash down the cliff and his forehead was starting to really hurt as the adrenaline started slipping from him on the drive,

He felt Soap lean closer to him and he turned his head rather roughly to give him a mild glare, really not feeling up to his shenanigans at the moment. He was surprised to see that he had gauze in hand and a small first aid kit sitting between them, he looked startled at Badger not expecting the hostility. Badger looked at him confused before Soap gestured to his forehead, and Badger remembered the tree exploding, and reached his hand to the cut on his forehead, fingers coming away red. What he thought was water dripping from his hair was actually mixed with blood and covered a good portion of his face. He must have looked deadly if the worried look he caught from Soap was anything to go off of.

He looked down at Soap sheepishly and let him take his head in his hands, Soap dabbed at his face carefully, occasionally gripping his chin and moving him about so that he could reach everywhere. Badger felt his face heat up and closed his eyes to avoid looking at Soap as he worked, who had drawn his lip between his teeth unconsciously.

It wasn't long until he cleaned up his face, applied a small amount of antiseptic, he cooed at Badger when he had flinched not expecting the sting, and applied small wound closure strips to the gash across his forehead.

Badger thanked him quietly when his hands left his face, and he leaned back into his seat. He looked into the rearview mirror and caught Ghost staring back at him. He flushed again and closed his eyes trying to catch the little bit of rest before they were tossed back into the frying pan.

He tried not to dwell on the feeling of warm hands now absent on his face.

First Next Last Masterlist AO3

Thank you so much for reading! Please consider leaving a comment also i take suggestions for one shot and drabbles

#mw2 2022 #cod mw 2022 #soap cod #ghost cod #ghost x male reader #ghost x reader #simon ghost riley #soap x ghost #ghost #john soap mctavish x reader #soapghost #john soap mactavish #soap #john soap mactavish x male reader #polyamourous #reader pov #reader insert

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tobiasdrake · 3 months

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Episode 27 - The Day of Sagittarius

Oh hey, it's my star sign. That's neat. I'm sure only good things will happen here.

I have no idea what's going on (dream probably) but I am here for it. Confirming once and for all the previous implication that Haruhi is a sci-fi nerd.

*spit take* HAHAHA WHAT

We're at war with the Computer Club!?

When? XD When will Haruhi's antagonism of the poor, traumatized Computer Club prez end? She blackmailed him into giving her a computer, conjured an interdimensional space cricket to eat his brain, and now her fleet is going to obliterate his fleet for no clear reason.

Also one of her flunkies invented a fake girlfriend for him who he never even got to meet.

When will we stop torturing this poor boy who just wanted to do nerd shit in his nerd room? XD

Oh, he picked this fight.

Never mind. Let's fuck his shit up. Teach you to stand up to your bully, nerd boy. What good can possibly come from further exposing yourself to Haruhi?

I love how the game is "an original we developed" but there's a 3 in it.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

NERD BOY'S SHIT HAS BEEN FUCKED

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

WHAT DID I TELL YOU? FURTHER EXPOSURE TO HARUHI IS HOW YOU GET JUMP KICKED IN THE HEAD!

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Just take the L and go, man. Your pride is not worth this.

Oh shit yes. Computers for everyone? Let's fuck him up hard.

That'd be a computer for Mikuru, one for Kyon, one for Itsuki, and a second computer for Haruhi because Yuki won't use hers anyway!

I love that Yuki is completely fucking hopeless at using a computer manually because she's never had to do that before in her life. Just because she's a robot, that doesn't mean she understands contemporary hardware.

But it does grant her a benefit to learning quickly.

I love their fleets. Haruhi imagines a wide variety of different aliens serving under her. Mikuru imagines she leads a cluster of adorable kitties. Yuki imagines identical Yuki drones serving as extensions of her. And Kyon imagines nothing because he has no imagination.

Oh, those fucking nerds are cheating. I'm glad Haruhi kicked Prez in the head.

Good thing we have a robot on our team!

We would be so lost without Yuki. She's the only member of this group that has her shit together. I'm glad she came with the room.

Imagine if we'd picked a different room and got a houseplant. Do you think a houseplant could beat the Computer Club's cheating? The answer is yes, probably, because Haruhi would make it so. But still.

I think she should kick him in the head again.

Haruhi demonstrating her character growth from the meltdown fight again. She's still possessive as a kneejerk reaction, but when Yuki indicates she'd actually be willing to participate in Compouter Club, Haruhi backs off.

Though she also annexes the Computer Club in the process. This wasn't part of the deal and only came up right this second, so I'm pretty sure this is how Haruhi's rationalizing backing off and letting Yuki participate in their activities.

#the melancholy of haruhi suzumiya #drake watches haruhi suzumiya #haruhi suzumiya #haruhi is my reflection #yuki nagato

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mostlysignssomeportents · 1 year

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Red Team Blues Chapter One, part four

My next novel, Red Team Blues, is nearly here! I start my tour on Saturday, with two appearances at the LA Times Festival of Books:

https://events.latimes.com/festivalofbooks/schedule/

If you’d like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here’s a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/04/20/links-arent-performances/#henched

To kick things off, I’m serializing chapter one, where we meet Marty Hench, a 67-year-old, hard-charging forensic accountant with 40 years’ experience busting Silicon Valley’s most eye-watering scams, and learn about his last case — recovering a billion dollars’ worth of cryptographic secrets.

Here’s the previous installments:

Part one:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/04/17/have-you-tried-not-spying/#unsalted-hash

Part two:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/04/18/cursed-are-the-sausagemakers/#henched

Part three:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/04/19/whats-wrong-with-iowa/#henched

Here’s where US readers can pre-order the book:

https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250865847/red-team-blues

Here’s pre-orders for Canadians:

https://services.raincoast.com/scripts/b2b.wsc/featured?hh_isbn=9781250865847&ht_orig_from=raincoast

And for readers in the UK and the rest of the Commonwealth:

https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/red-team-blues-cory-doctorow/7225998?ean=9781804547755

And now, here’s today’s serial installment:

We built the system to be secure. You know me, I’m a paranoid old creep with a dirty mind, so everything I did, I did right. The keys were on an air gap system. I bought that system myself off a pile of boxed HP laptops at Fry’s just a couple of weeks before they closed their doors for good.”

“Rest in peace.”

“It was time. But back when you could go into Fry’s, you could pick up a laptop sealed in shrink-w rap, carry it yourself to the cashier, pay cash for it, and walk out, stopping only to show your receipt to the poor door-checker. Then you could take it to the data center, badge into the clean room, lay out your workbench, unscrew that sucker, and remove every single network interface with a pair of pliers, not just snipping the traces but ripping them right off the board.”

“Lucky you didn’t snap the board.”

He grimaced. “I did. I bought three of them so I could take a mulligan or two if I needed it. I only needed one spare, as it turned out. Then it went into a safe, a good safe, rated for three hours. There’s a watchman who makes physical rounds of every safe room, every two hours. And I locked up the BIOS with a hardware token. Steal that laptop, you’d still need my token.”

“And yet . . .”

“You know how they say anyone can design a security system that he himself can’t figure out how to break?”

“Schneier’s law.”

“Schneier’s law. Yeah. Someone smarter than I am figured it out.”

“The watchman?”

“No, though he might have been in on it. They fired him. The safe was opened, the laptop was gone.”

“And the hardware token?”

“You’ll love this.”

“I can’t wait.”

He tugged his forelock and adopted a broad Cockney accent that would have embarrassed Dick van Dyke. “Guv’nah, I was pickpocketed, so I was.”

“I don’t believe it. Pickpocketing is supposed to be a dead art. Who was working the scam, Apollo Robbins?”

He shrugged. “I don’t reckon so. But yeah, there’s plenty of Vegas acts that do pickpocketing stuff, and there’s a pretty big YouTube competitive pickpocket scene with tutorials. Plus, there’s the European talent, a lot of it, never really died out there. Covent Garden is like a plague reservoir for the pathogen, and you get an outbreak every year or two.”

“You had the hardware token on your key ring?”

“That day, I did. I’d been in the data center. Then we went to dinner. Hydra. The prix fixe. The chef’s table is nice, but the taster menu gets you the octopodi. Someone bumped me between the data center and my front door.”

“Oof,” I said. “Did you have to ring the downstairs neighbor’s doorbell and climb out on their balcony?”

“Don’t be stupid,” he said. “In the first place, Sethu has her own keys. In the second place, the outside doors here are locked and armed when we’re AFK.”

I’d noticed the locks on the outside doors, and the break sensors, and the cameras — both the covert and overt ones. There were probably some I’d missed. I wouldn’t put it past Danny to have a lidar rig in the shrubs, something to help the system distinguish between cat burglars and house cats.

“The watchman from the data center,” I said. “That’s your guy. Probably not the mastermind, but he’ll be the key to it all.”

“Looks like they socially engineered him. Matched him on Tinder, messaged him, Oh, is that where you work? I’m just around the corner — want to meet me for a quick boba tea?”

“Catfished. Honey trap.”

He sighed. “Yeah. It was a good one.”

“You reported the theft?”

“The insurance company will pay for a new laptop, which, frankly, I don’t need, because I already have the spare I bought when I was going through the whole rigamarole to set up the air gap. But that’s not the valuable part.”

“No, it isn’t. How about the keys?”

“Yeah, how about them?”

“First, have you warned your source that you lost them, so they can tell Apple and Samsung and all the other manufacturers that rely on those secure enclave chips? And second, have you warned your users that their money isn’t safe?”

He looked over at Sethu, at Palo Alto, at his lemonade glass, and at the clouds in the sky. Long looks. The silence spoke volumes.

“How much money is the Trustlesscoin ledger worth, Danny?”

He looked me dead in the eye now. “About a billion.”

We’d already been talking about trillions, so I shouldn’t have been shocked. But tech founders are always throwing around big numbers, and I’ve developed the mental habit of knocking a few zeroes off any claims about “total addressable markets.”

Trustlesscoin was the new crypto on the block. My unconscious estimate of its value was in the low tens of millions, which is also a big number, but not a billion.

“A billion here, a billion there — ”

He cut me off. “Pretty soon, it starts to add up to real money. Yeah, I know, Marty. Don’t joke, you’re not good at it.”

“When did you lose the keys?”

He checked his watch — a mechanical one, not ostentatious, an old wartime Rolex, from when men’s Oysters were the size of a nickel, not these giant tourbillon monstrosities that cost a million bucks and looked like a poor man’s idea of a rich man’s watch. “Seventy-four hours and thirty minutes ago.”

“Give or take.”

“You’re not good at comedy, Marty. We’ve established that.”

“What fallout has there been?”

“Not much,” he said. “In fact, maybe none. We have a pretty good statistical picture of what normal Trustless transaction activity looks like, and nothing has rung the alarm bells yet.”

“Yet. But maybe not ever. Maybe they can’t figure out how to exploit what they got.”

“Or maybe they’re biding their time. Or running an old- school salami-slice grift, shaving a lot of pennies, getting ready to cash out.”

“Can you block that? They have to convert Trustlesscoins into fiat to get away with it, right?”

“They do, but we can’t stop them. We’re on every major exchange, not just to other tokens but also a bunch of different kinds of fiat and stablecoins. How do you think we got to a billion dollars so quickly? Trustless is both highly liquid and highly efficient. That’s why it’s the future of finance.”

“And money laundering.”

For a second, I thought he was going to throw his lemonade glass, dash it to the cool flagstones of his roof garden. He took a deep breath and then another and then set the glass down. “And money laundering. Marty, stop fucking with me. I am keenly aware that there are money launderers using my service. That has been apparent since the start. Some of these money launderers are very far away and would struggle to reach me if my technology did something to upset them. Some of them are closer.”

He shook his head violently. “Marty, I am shitting bricks here. There’s another shoe getting ready to drop, and when it does, I’m going to go down with it. Hard. I’m not just talking about losing my reputation and my fortune, I’m not just talking about ruining the life of that woman over there who dragged me back from the brink. I’m talking about being targeted for physical violence by unreasonable, sadistic, powerful criminal men who amassed their fortunes by spilling an ocean of blood and who cannot be placated. Nor can they be fended off, not unless I want to live my life inside a bunker.

“I don’t know who stole those keys, Marty. I shouldn’t have had them in the first place. I am now in a position where everything I hold dear is on the line, and so I called you. You and I go way back, you’re my friend and I trust you, but I didn’t call you because I wanted to cry on your shoulder.”

“You called me because you think I can get the keys back.”

“Bullshit. I called you because I’m desperate. I don’t think anyone can get those keys back. I think that inside of a month, everything I care about will be in ruins. Major technology platforms that depend on secure enclaves for things way beyond Trustlesscoin will be exposed because of my recklessness, and they will be fucked. Secure enclaves are designed to be tamper- proof. You try to take one off a board the way I did with those air gap laptops’ network interfaces and you render them permanently inoperable. They can’t be field updated. They have no flashable BIOS. A vulnerability in a secure enclave is permanent.

“But the trillions of dollars in damage that I will do to the largest tech companies in the world will not worry me, because I will either be on the run or dead. Not a good death, either, Marty.

“So I called you because before that happens, I plan on exhausting every avenue of mitigation available to me.”

“If I recover them?”

He snorted. “You do that, you might save my life and rescue a third of the top performers on the S&P 500 from their worst earnings call since the Great Financial Crisis.”

Today (Apr 21), I’m speaking in Chicago at the Stigler Center’s Antitrust and Competition Conference. This weekend (Apr 22/23), I’m at the LA Times Festival of Books.

[Image ID: A squared-off version of Will Staehle's cover for the Macmillan edition of 'Red Team Blues.']

#pluralistic #fiction #crypto means cryptography #red team blues #martin hench #serials #crypto #books #cryptocurrency

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disredspectful · 11 months

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heya! I was scrolling through the tags on that ask-culture post and saw yours, and just wanted to stop by to say that that's really cool!! I was enamoured with the idea of the large hadron collider when I was a kid-- what was it like working there (if you're allowed to say)? do you have any interesting stories from those days? and were any of you amused at the rumors going around back then, that "when they turn on the LHC the world will totally end!1!!"?

(my own "funny" anecdote: I remember playing Zelda: Twilight Princess and eating a cheese sandwich that day, patiently waiting for the sky to light up or some black hole to appear, even though I knew it was fearmongering newspaper bullshit lmao... just the awe at the thought that we had a construct so powerful to smash atoms like that was rocking my world, I was so excited to see what things we would discover from it!)

Hi anon, thanks for asking!

The experience of working at the LHC will probably change a lot depending on when you are there and what you work on. I've met a few people who work on "beams", which is all about the low energy proton systems that get things started and the focusing magnets and stuff, but most people I know are on one of the four big LHC experiments: ATLAS, LHCb, CMS, and ALICE. So there's always people who do almost purely data analysis, but I think it's fun to talk about the hardware of the detectors themselves and what it feels like to work on them.

People who work on ATLAS probably have the most boring experience. Not that their detector isn't cool (it's very very cool), but ATLAS is located at the main CERN campus, so I don't think there's really much of an "ATLAS control room culture" different from the general CERN campus culture. Noone has to bike between CERN and the control room, or take the shift bus at 6am (all the bus drivers have fantastic music taste btw). They can go to the main cafeteria. Being "on a detector shift" just sort of has less of a vibe for them.

I'm going to talk about the LHCb detector because I'm fairly familiar with it and they just rebuilt the WHOLE thing in 2019-2023. So it's like they're back in 2009 again really. LHCb is about a half hour bike ride from main CERN, tucked in between the back fence of Geneva airport and a McDonald's (I like to joke that the detector is under the McDonald's but it's not). So when you're on site at LHCb, you have to hang out with other people from LHCb! And during the rebuilding period, you also get to meet a lot of the technicians. Not everyone who works on the LHC is a physicist, on the detector side we do also have some awesome people who help us put the damn thing together (electrical engineers and former mechanics). There's a lot of gruntwork to be done to put a detector together, and for me it involved cleaning and plugging in a whole lot of optical fibre connectors (to the sound of the disco radio station). There was this one spot on the stairs to the scaffold we called the "helmet check": there was a pole sticking out and people usually duck enough to miss it with their head, but still hit the helmet. Working on scaffold 3m up in the air to reach the top of the detector parts is cool.

The detector pieces are mostly assembled above ground and then moved downstairs when they're complete. To be clear, "downstairs" here is 100m underground by elevator. There's a big cylindrical hole on site ("the pit") where detector components can be lowered in by crane. I just think that's pretty cool!

Anyway if you're friends with the detector teams, you get to hear a lot of the "real facts" early and without politics. Sometimes you try not to admit the detector is behind schedule on construction until after someone else has already admitted to needing a delay. Sometimes everyone can tell that a deadline is going to be missed but you can't announce that too early just in case your estimate of how much you'll miss the deadline by is too far off. Sometimes you hear that something is broken a few days before it's officially announced. Sometimes you hear that another detector asked for a beam stop and it was to try to get a bird out of their detector cavern (I don't think they ever found the bird). I know in the early years there was a months long repair shutdown caused by a pine marten chewing through an important power cable. LHCb has a local cat that drops by to visit and people put photos of it on twitter.

I wasn't on the project early enough for the first turn on, but I was really glad to be around for this upgrade period. Seeing the detector up close really gives you a sense of the scale (huge), and working on the details really lets you know how much time and care and effort goes into it. And that's without even discussing the software and computing stuff! Huge project for humanity overall, such a privilege to be there myself for a little bit of it and have put my hands on it (while appropriately electrically grounded of course).

The whole thing was a pretty unique life experience. Long and busy days at the detector, but cool, and having lunch (or on site BBQ) with my colleagues was always great. I think I'll always miss it, but I don't regret changing jobs to have a better work life balance.

Don't know if that was what you were hoping to learn, this was kind of a hardware and lifestyle based ramble. Feel free to ask follow up questions or ask more about the science/data analysis side, there's lots of stories there too!

(And if you're in Geneva over winter, try to get yourself on a tour of one of the detectors! You can't go in the other months when the beam is on, winter is guaranteed Tour Time but there is sometimes a week or so in summer.)

#science communication #physics #particle physics #lhc #scientist by day #my real life #large hadron collider

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squadrah · 2 years

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From My CuriousCat

"La Squadra have just robbed a bank and are now about to treat themselves! What are they going to do?"

First things first, let's set the scene: they pulled off this heist in another country (it's 2001, they can have a little euro), so they stole back to Italy with Formaggio and Illuso smuggling all these riches with their Stands - boy, were they exhausted by the time they got back. Probably slept for a day. The team actually waited for them to wake up before they started having any "real" fun, but while the smugglers slept, Risotto divided up the money into ten portions: nine members each, and the communal reserves (basically their "bills and nice things for everyone" money.)

As soon as Formaggio and Illuso woke up, everyone showered and got dressed to the nines, and they went out to a really nice place to eat. They then spent the rest of the night at the gay bar delivering the karaoke event of the century. They've earned it. Everyone at the bar had earned it. Some of them got laid.

Sorbet added every single cent of his share to his dream wedding fund, and Gelato used some of his share to complete the budget, putting away the rest for "fun" (mostly drinking). Naturally, the wedding was held as soon as possible: Sorbet looked fabulous in his custom drag dresses (he had several), the wedding celebration literally lasted three days, and nobody but La Squadra was invited - rip to the Boss but they're different. They then spent one more week at the five star hotel Sorbet had chosen as the wedding venue. They got drunk every single day, danced and partied, and most of them got laid. (Or all of them, but my money is on most of them.)

Formaggio sat down, divided his share in half, then visited his step-father in secret and disposed of him in a "happy accident". He then started leaving sums of money at his mother's place in cash not to draw attention to himself or her. She and Formaggio's younger siblings lived a better life after that day.

After hearing about Formaggio's plans, Risotto did something similar for his living family without actually meeting them in person not to endanger them; it made him feel much better after years of living in isolation from his loved ones. He also bought the most luxurious funeral bouquet for his cousin and set it on his grave in person.

Melone updated his favorite collections (hardware, toys, candles) and booked a trip to a thermal water spa and hotel. It did not fix everything wrong with his health, but he claims it all but replaced his joints with something much more functional. Set the rest aside for emergencies of every sort.

Ghiaccio finally went to the Alps and had the skiing trip of his life. He made himself White Album skis and blasted through the mountains nonstop through the day, and each night he wound down in one of those cosy little cabins he used to fantasize about. Might have bought one of them too, why not.

Pesci geeked out and bought himself comics and merchandise, updated his wardrobe, and got the coolest motorcycle you've ever seen. He can't even drive a motorcycle, what was he thinking? Melone is teaching him now in exchange for being allowed to use it sometimes.

Illuso bought himself several secure containers and unloaded the vast majority of his hoard into them, making room for new stuff to hoard. He then realized that he barely had any furniture in his apartment and ordered some online. He's filling up his home with more clutter as we speak.

And Prosciutto? He went AWOL. For a month.

#jjba #la squadra #risotto nero #formaggio #prosciutto #pesci #ghiaccio #melone #illuso #sorbet #gelato #squadrah headcanons #squadrah original

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wishfulwithwine · 2 years

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Protection - Chapter Six - Finale

Alpha Clint Barton x Omega Reader

WARNING: THIS CHAPTER IS 18+. INVOLVES EXPLICIT/NSFW CONTENT. PLEASE DO NOT READ IF MINOR.

Series masterlist

Picture from Pinterest

“We need a safe place to stay. Ultron could easily annihilate us while we’re trying to figure out his next move” Tony said, rubbing his temples after the last fight that left all of them afraid. Natasha looked at Clint, catching his eye from where he was focused on flying the jet. He looked over, raising an eyebrow.

“We need a safe place, one off of everyone’s radar…” Natasha hinted, as best as she could without making it obvious to the rest of the Avengers what she was getting at with Clint. His eyebrow lowered, as he took a deep breath and sighed.

“I know where we can stay” He said, plugging in the coordinates and praying that everything would be ok.

Three years since the battle of New York. Three years since Clint and Y/N had mated. Three years since they had moved in together and became married.

Three years, and still no one knew of their relationship except for Natasha, Maria, and Fury.

Y/N had helped in the battle of SHIELD when headquarters fell in Washington. She had escaped unarmed, but had been threatened by Hydra for security. She had aided in the decoding of hardware for files, and had initially brought them up to Fury, when she noticed there were things missing. SHIELD had her working on side projects, despite working primarily for the Avengers, and when something looked suspicious in the files she scanned, Y/N brought it up to Fury’s attention, starting the snowball effect of Fury’s investigation.

Clint was still working with the Avengers, and whatever project Fury needed him on. Luckily he wasn’t involved in the SHIELD headquarters fight, however he had been abroad on other missions.

“Where are you taking us?” Steve asked, curiously as Clint flew.

“Somewhere safe” Clint said, vaguely, as he began prepping for landing. The team looked out, when the ramp to the jet lowered, seeing miles of forest and large trees. The air smelled fresh, just like how one would imagine a Christmas movie smelled like.

“Is this a safe house? How safe is it? Doesn’t SHIELD keep record of all safe houses?” Tony asked, as they began walking up to the cabin.

“Just shut up, Tony. You’ll see in a second” Natasha said, as the group walked up to the cabin, hearing movement inside. Steve became visibly on alert, as he heard footsteps inside, while watching Clint stroll up to the door. Entering in a key code and having a retinal scanner, the security system recognized him.

“Welcome home, Alpha Barton” the system announced, unlocking the front door, and having it swing open.

“Alpha? You’re home?” They heard from inside the house, as Clint walked in, with the Avengers following.

“Wait, who is that?” Tony asked, confused, as he looked around the cabin. It was a beautiful cabin - on the older side, but he could see the coziness and warmth Clint would enjoy.

“It smells like Y/N…” Steve said, almost in a whisper as he instantly recognized her scent. He had not managed to meet up with her as he would have liked - she had always declined him, for multiple reasons. Natasha looked over to him, knowing this would hurt his feelings a bit.

The Avengers had all stayed at the front door, while Clint had moved forward, before Y/N had come down the staircase, holding a baby in her arms, while looking slightly pregnant. She looked at everyone surprised, before looking at Clint, who sighed, shrugging her shoulders.

“Sorry sweetheart, couldn’t call ahead but we needed a safe place off of Ultron’s radar” He said, kissing her gently, before kissing the forehead of the baby in her arms.

“Of course, of course. Welcome everyone to our home. I’ll have to do some grocery shopping for more food, but please make yourself feel comfortable” Y/N said, thinking immediately on how she was going to accommodate all of them. They didn’t have a lot of guest rooms, maybe some could sleep on the couches and air mattresses.

“Oh Luna!” Natasha said happily, as she all but took the baby from Y/N’s arms. Y/N and Clint shook their heads, looking at Natasha cradling Luna, while Clint put his hand on Y/N’s belly, rubbing it gently. The remaining Avengers - Steve, Tony, Bruce and Thor, were all in shock.

“Smaller agent?” Tony said confused, as almost everyone laughed.

“Guys, meet Luna Barton. I’d say you could hold her if you’re able to get her out of Natasha’s hands” Clint said.

“You two are married?” Steve said, looking around the room and seeing some wedding photos. He could see that it seemed like a small wedding, with only Natasha, Maria and Fury in the pictures. It was also evident the love that the couple had for each other, and now he could see the large mating mark on Y/N’s neck from Clint.

“It is a nice house you have, Barton and Lady Y/N. Beautiful daughter. You’re expecting more?You’re both very fertile” Thor asked, as the Avengers started to look around the cabin, spreading themselves out.

“Yes, we don’t know what we’re having yet, but I think Clint wants a boy” Y/N said, and Clint nodded.

“I want a healthy baby. If it happens to be a boy, well I won’t be outnumbered anymore” He said, as Y/N and Natasha shook their heads with giggles. Natasha gave Clint Luna back, as he wished to hold her in his arms after the terrible visions from the witch.

“How secure is this house?” Tony asked, as he inspected the security features around the house. Y/N smiled.

“Very, Stark, but you’re welcome to make any upgrades during your stay here or any other time. It’s completely offline from everywhere, with some geo-masking tools that allow it to be hidden on maps. Now, speaking of staying, I’ll need to get groceries” Y/N said, grabbing the car keys from the entry hall table.

“Can you take someone with you?” Clint asked, looking at her worried. She raised him an eyebrow.

“Any of you could be recognized. I promise I’ll be in and out of there in a minute. I love you Alpha” Y/N said, kissing him gently, before heading out the door.

“Congratulations on scoring the hottest Omega” Tony said, as soon as Y/N left the house. Clint rolled his eyes, rocking Luna as he watched the Avengers, besides Natasha, look around the house and the yard.

By the time Y/N had returned, Thor had left, and the gang had settled into different areas for later tonight. Clint was still carrying Luna, and the rest of the group was drinking some beers.

“Clint, want to go start up the grill? Figured burgers and hot dogs would be good to feed a lot of people” Y/N said, as she dropped off the groceries on the counter, putting some away.

“Nothing to do with your cravings of cheeseburgers, right Omega?” Clint teased, kissing her slightly before going to start up the grille.

“Do you need any help?” Steve asked, as he came into the kitchen while Tony, Bruce and Natasha had followed Clint outside. Y/N smiled to him graciously, still putting away the groceries.

“I’m just going to get everything ready for everyone. Will buffet style work do you think?” Y/N wondered, both to herself and to Steve.

“I think so. What goes where?” He asked, eager to do something with his hands that would take his mind off of today’s realizations. Y/N began instructing him on what, as they got everything ready.

“So how long have you and Clint been married?” Steve asked, as they were both quietly prepping everything. He had been dying to ask, not only heartbroken that he had wanted to go out with Y/N, but also that they had kept this from everyone - well almost everyone.

“You have to know that we barely told anyone, for our privacy and security. Just Natasha, Maria and Fury. We got married two and a half years ago? After the battle of New York, we both took some time off, and Clint and I stayed here at his family’s cabin. We mated, I moved in, and then we got married, had Luna and now we’ll be having this bundle of joy soon” Y/N explained, not getting into all the unnecessary details. Steve smiled softly at her, a bit of sadness present as well.

“I can see how much you two love each other, congratulations” He said. Y/N gave him a soft sad smile as well.

“Well whenever you need a break, I know Maria and Natasha like to use this place to escape. Now that everyone knows, we’ll have some parties or what not” Y/N said.

“Did someone mention parties? Can we have a redo wedding for you, since no one important was here for it? Well besides you two of course.” Stark said, as he and Clint came in to get the food. Y/N rolled her eyes, as Steve glared at Tony.

“Here’s the meat” Y/N said, changing the subject. “I’m going to set up the table outside. Steve, Tony, would you help?” She asked, and they both helped her carry things outside. As soon as Natasha and Bruce saw, they helped out too.

“This is a really nice place. I love the water” Bruce said, as he looked out over the patio, as they all waited for Clint to grill. Luna was in Natasha’s arms, but she was looking curiously at Steve, reaching out and holding his hands with her tiny hands. It was an amusing, adorable site.

“That’s where Clint marked her” Natasha said, pointing over to the rock and beach area. Y/N and Clint glared at Natasha, as Steve and Bruce all but choked on their beers, and Tony laughed loudly.

“Oh birdie, very caveman of you” Tony said, laughing, while Y/N took Luna from Natasha’s hands.

“Steve, would you like to hold her?” Y/N asked, as Luna still tried to hold onto Steve’s hand while she was passed. Steve was speechless, but nodded, holding his arms as gently as he could while Y/N placed Luna delicately in his arms. It took him a few moments of shock to relax, but soon after Luna started playing with his uniform straps, he relaxed a bit more.

It didn’t take long after for the burgers and hot dogs to be done, and for the Avengers - and Y/N - to be sitting and eating.

Ultron was attacking but the barriers between them were falling apart. They would conquer this together.

FINALE

Tag: @hawkeyes-queen

#clint barton #clint barton x reader #Avengers #The Avengers

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engagisblog · 18 days

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purplesimmer455 · 10 months

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Cam then met Piper’s moms, and baby cousin Emily. She already met Hamuera at the party, and he shyly said hi to her before heading off to his room. Emily, who was usually loud and goofy, was unusually quiet. Piper glanced at her, and noticed that she blushed as Cam said that Piper had told her about how Emily played soccer, and that Cam used to play as well. Piper smiled and thought it was kind of cute that Emily had a crush, and decided to tease her about it later.

In Emily’s mind, she just felt weird as heck. As soon as Piper and Cam had walked in and Cam said hi to her, Emily felt like her face was turning red and her heart was beating faster and her hands were getting clammy. She wondered if it was some kind of bug, like the cold that was going around in her class three weeks ago. She hoped not, since she wanted to be able to play with her soccer team and all.

While Emily then started talking with Piper, Chrissy turned to Cam. “So, what do your parents do, Cam?” She asked. “Well, my dad is a writer by day and fancy cook in our house by night.” Cam added, smiling. “And my mom owns a hardware store in Copperdale. She also helps build sets for the local theater and she has her degree in engineering so she does odd jobs or consulting.” She said. “Okay, that’s pretty cool.” Chrissy said, smiling. “What about you?” She asked. “Currently, I’m in the chess club at Copperdale, and I help my mom in the store sometimes, plus she taught me how to build and fix stuff so anytime one of our relatives have an issue, my mom tells them to let me check it out as if I’m a pro, but honestly all I do is turn stuff on or off, or use my tools to fix some random thing.” Chrissy laughed. “Plus.” Cam added. “My dad and I take woodshop classes some saturdays at the rec center, and I built a wonky but useable chair.” Chrissy grinned. “If you’re trying to impress me, it’s working.” She joked. Cam laughed too. “I am, honestly, Mrs. Hecking-Feldman.” She said. “You can call me Chrissy.” Chrissy said. “And I understand, when I started dating Piper’s mom Luna, I was so nervous to impress her moms, and I’ve known them since I was a toddler.” She added convivially. “But anyway, it’s really great to meet you, Cam. I can see why Piper talks about you so much.”

Piper overheard this and said, “Mama, honestly.” And blushed. “What does she say about me?” Cam asked, giving Piper a mischievous smile. “There’s so much.” Chrissy said as Piper covered her face with her hands. “But one time, I took Piper shopping and as soon as she saw a 90s style black t shirt, she sighed and said, ‘This is just like something Cam would wear.’ And had such a moon eyed expression. She really likes you.” Piper groaned as Cam laughed and her mama grinned. Cam felt kind of bad that Piper had to be embarrassed alone, so she added. “Well, my mom and dad keep saying that I talk about Piper a lot too.” Piper grinned at her this time. “Anything specific?” She asked teasingly. "No, but according to them I keep bringing you up. Like Piper said or did this, and when my sister Cecilia talked about San Myshuno U, I brought up that you take art classes there." She said. Piper smiled at this.

#ts4 #mysims #Christine Hecking #Cameron Kang #Emily Liao-Feldman

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brothersgrim · 1 year

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FRUIT HEADCANON ASKS

@asteraex asked:

🍐- Taker

🍐 : how intelligent is my muse overall? are they smarter than the average person, or less than? are they primarily self-taught, or did they acquire most of their knowledge in school? are they more street smart or book smart?

Oh, he’s a smart guy. He's had to be. He was fourteen when he stopped receiving any kind of formal education, mostly because he was dead. Also because he was a slave. That didn’t help.

But he’s smart.

Like, let’s just look at all the things he, canonically, knows how to do. First off, he’s a carpenter. Yes, he makes coffins and caskets, but there were other projects in the workshop WWE gave him, including wagon wheels and furniture. Given that that’s HIS workshop, those are also HIS projects, so it stands to reason he just makes all sorts of things. I like to think he handles most of the carpentry/repair jobs in the Valley. (This actually has historical basis, too. Most carpenters were also undertakers back in the day, and vice versa. That was the case in my home town, anyway.) He’s also a blacksmith. A lot of people forget this one, but he is - he works a forge in some of the late 90s promos. He makes most of the hardware for the caskets and his other projects himself. He also repairs his own tools.

Speaking of repairs, he fixes bikes. He has a wide collection of them, and he’ll repair them, or even sometimes build them from scratch, on his own. It’s his favourite hobby, outside of working out and fighting, and he considers it almost a form of meditation. His bikes are his babies.

He can also draw, and, from the brief glimpses of his work we see, he’s a pretty talented artist. We mostly just see the blueprints he makes, but the anatomy is clean, the lines are crisp, and it seems to have a slightly cartoon-y style, which is oddly cute to me. I dunno.

Anyway, he's also a practising mortician. He does the whole embalming, dressing, and clean up process on his own, especially when Paul's not around. That requires a lot of knowledge of human anatomy, chemistry, and colour theory, among a lot of other things. It takes a LOT.

He’s canonically at least bilingual, speaking both English and Ancient Gaelige. (The second is mostly in his Ministry Era, but he does speak it on multiple occasions - including the chants in the Ministry theme song.)

He’s a great fighter, which requires strategy, problem-solving, and a knack for quick thinking. If you can’t make plans, you can’t fight, simple as. If your opponent can outthink you, you’re going to lose. And he’s a damn good fighter.

He’s also pretty people-smart, which surprises a lot of those who know him. There are a few examples of this. First off, again, he’s a funeral director. He has to know how to talk to grieving families, and if he does a bad job of that, the home goes under. Second, he’s really good at handling Kane. Yes, he loves his brother, but there’s more to it than just that. The way he talks to Kane - and I know I’ve said this before - is actually exactly how therapists recommend talking to people in abusive relationships. It’s not your fault, it’s okay, you’re safe, I’ll be here for you no matter what, you don’t have to choose between us, so on and so forth. When Kane messes up the Last Ride in their match against Kai and Tai, instead of getting mad at him, Taker pauses the match, shows him how to do it properly, and makes a point of expressing pride and approval when Kane gets it right, because he knows that’s what his little brother needs. Even outside of Kane, the other guys in the locker room have a tendency to listen to and respect Taker, and even go to him for advice. This is most obvious during the American Badass era, and even more so during the Invasion era. Vince, Chris Jericho, and a bunch of other guys say that they need Taker in meetings for anyone to take them seriously. This even extends to other eras - in the mid 2010s, Team Smackdown can’t agree to work together, so, after Edge and Jerry Lawler fail to get them to play nice, they call in Taker to make people behave.

It works.

Yes, he threatens to murder them, but it works. He deals with different people different ways.

The last example I can give of this is how he deals with Shawn during the feud with Triple H that lead up to the infamous cage match. This is a brutal thing that mostly involves Hunter gaslighting the fuck out of Shawn to pit him against Taker. Interestingly, Taker in this feud mostly retaliates by trying to build Shawn back up. Hunter convinces Shawn that Taker is shit-talking Shawn behind his back. This drives Shawn to yell at Taker, retaliate to how he thinks Taker is talking about him, and Taker doesn’t yell back. You can tell he’s annoyed by the whole thing, but he keeps it pretty reeled in, all things considered, and tells Shawn that Shawn should know him well enough by now to know he would never talk behind anyone’s back - but Hunter would. This culminates later in a face-off between Hunter and Taker, with Shawn standing by. Hunter was trying to get in Shawn’s head again, Taker comes out, and gives one of my favourite lines of his - “Remember when I said that Shawn was better than you? … He is.” And leaves at that. It’s great on both ends, because he knows that’s what Hunter hates most, he knows Hunter’s insecure as hell behind the front he puts on, and more than that, he also knows it’s what Shawn needs to hear - and saying it in front of Shawn means Hunter can’t say it didn’t happen.

He’s a manipulative bastard when he wants to be, that deadman.

But, yeah. All this to say, he’s clearly demonstrated high intelligence in a number of different areas. As for where he learned it all, in most fields, he’s largely self-taught. Mortuary sciences, carpentry, smithing, he started to learn that from his parents, yeah, but he was twelve when they died. He got a lot of hands-on experience, he watched them his entire life, but again, he was twelve. He only had so much time, and there was only so much his parents would let him do at that age. Motorcycle repair, that’s self-taught. The Gaelige, he started learning that from his mother, picked it up later from some residents of the Yard (and the Morrigan, who is only there sometimes and doesn’t fully count). The fight smarts, that’s self-taught. It had to be. You either learn to fight, or you wake up in the crypt again. And his people smarts, I think it’s a mix of self-taught and learned. Some of what he’s working with, you can’t be taught, you have to just be the right person for it. Some of the kinder aspects, again, he learned from watching his parents. He learned from watching them with each other, with him and Kane, with the grieving families the home served before the fire. Some of it is, again, just who he is under all the emotional armour. The mean stuff… Well, that’s the same way. Except he learned it from Paul. He learned it from Paul, and Ted, and even Vince to some degree, and the people they dealt with.

He learned a lot from them.

#&& reburied; ooc #&& whispers from the crypt; deadman answers #&& necronimcon; deadman headcanon #asteraex

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learningnewways · 1 year

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Second Day

After a busy first day meeting the team, we had a much shorter day today, visiting a local church and a family from that church who live in a slum.

There are 11 people living in their tiny house, which is essentially a shack. The house would probably be around 15m2, all one open room with bedding, clothing and cooking equipment altogether. Children sleep on the floorboards or under the house on hammocks, as the house is built on poles since it floods in the rainy season. They share a toilet with many other families, so around 50-70 people. People “shower” with no privacy, it really is communal living. It was humbling to be invited into their home and to see how they live. It felt like I was in the movie Slumdog Millionare, but Cambodian version, sitting in their tiny shack with a tin roof and a communal toilet.

It’s interesting to be back in a third world country, walking through slums and meeting locals. It’s hard to see how they live, knowing there’s not going to be change anytime soon. Children sleeping altogether on mouldy floorboards next to rubbish and mud, very vulnerable to sickness and exploitation. It’s also hard to know what to do to help, to provide support that is actually helpful and going to change lives positively. Giving handouts is seldom a good thing and given that we’re here so short term, quality relational work is also a bit difficult. Luckily, Q used to be a builder, so he is proving to be very helpful over here. The team knew Q’s skill set, and knew this family’s home, or shack as we would call it, needs some work, so we’ve organised for him to help out.

While we were visiting with them, looking at what needed to be done and hearing about their family, they asked us to pray for them. I honestly didn’t know what to say, and just looked over at Q giving him the, “this ones all yours” look! The family are Christians too and when you see the way they live, their circumstances and how despite all of that, they are faithful to God, it makes you feel pretty stink about your own faith or lack there of. When they asked us to pray for them, you could tell they were so excited to have white people praying for them. Even though they spoke no English so couldn’t understand our prayers. It felt weird to be seen as somehow more spiritual or qualified to pray for them than others, as we are no better than them. Perhaps it was simply that people saw them as people worth caring about that made them happy? They said they had been praying for help with their house and that we were an answer to prayer. Wow. That was incredible.

The temperature over here is around 35-40 most days, so their little house was very hot, even with the fan on. Only around 20% of homes in the villages have aircon or refrigeration of any sort, and power itself is super expensive. In both homes we visited, they turned on the fan only once we arrived. Most houses we’ve seen have connection to power or solar panels for charging phones and operating fans. It’s so interesting that everyone has cellphones and dresses so nicely, yet live in such hard conditions. It was the same in The Gambia. You’d never know their living conditions based on their appearance. When they’re in the slums and villages it does look like it, but when they go out, they put on their best clothes and look just like everyone else. I was even surprised by S’s standard of living, because when we first met he had such a nice backpack and what looked to be a brand new shirt, it was so clean and tidy.

After our visit to the family, we went to a hardware store to source building materials so Q can fix their flooring, as it is rotting and uneven. Q is very happy to have a practical way of helping out here. Not sure how helpful I’ll be with the project... I guess I can measure things... I’m surprised by the lack of English spoken here too, with only around 20% of the population speaking English. In The Gambia, almost everyone knows English, especially the younger generation. But over here you have to pay more to go to an English speaking school. To find such a highly tourism reliant city where the next generation don’t speak great English is fascinating.

It was a short day but still an important one. I always really appreciate visiting locals and seeing how they live. It reminds me of the excess I have and how much further our money goes over here. I know that going into locals homes is rare, that most Westerners and tourists don’t get that opportunity to see the reality of life. We are looking forward to getting stuck into this project, although the heat will be a big challenge!

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allwave · 1 year

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State of the UC Union

Unified Communication and Collaboration (UC&C) is a combination of various communication methods and collaboration tools such as virtual whiteboards, real-time audio and video conferencing and enhanced call control capabilities to improve efficiency in the workplace. It provides a collection of easy-to-use solutions that can be implemented in various organizations to ensure that the end user receives a nearly real-time collaboration experience that works efficiently, smoothly and securely.

Video collaboration has been evolved from hardware-based codecs of traditional Polycom and Cisco Systems to more software driven solution of Microsoft Teams, Zooms, Google Meets, WebEx, post the pandemic. A lot of the solutions have now been replaced with simpler easier to deploy solutions for small meeting rooms, mid-size meeting rooms as well as larger boardrooms, meeting rooms, training rooms and large venue spaces such as Auditoriums and event spaces. However, the challenges of designing, executing and implementing the technologies and the user experience still remain. The intend of this whitepaper is to ensuring the reader to make the right decision based on today’s available technology. Video conferencing has become an increasingly important aspect of today’s world, as many organizations are transitioning to hybrid working environments. It has greatly aided in connecting people over a phone call where people can experience real-time video conferencing features while being located in different remote locations which would not be possible with Video conferencing platforms.

Types of Video Conferencing:

Telepresence Video Conferencing System

Integrated Video Conferencing System

Desktop Video Conferencing System

Video Collaboration Platforms:

Zooms

Microsoft Teams

Google Meets

Cisco

WebEX

What are Native and Non- Native Solutions. Why is it important in a Video Collaboration system?

Video conferencing is a live audio-visual connection between two or more remote parties over the internet that simulates a face-to-face meeting in real-time. In the business world, desktop video conferencing is a core component of Unified communications platforms that also include calling and messaging capabilities. Standalone on-premises and cloud-based video conferencing platforms are also available from numerous vendors who support desktop and room-based Video conferencing solutions with the ability to embed them into business applications, such as Telehealth, customer service and distance learning, etc.

The Primary difference between a Native and a Non-Native system is the user experience. Post Work from home and Back to office systems imply that the end users wants a user interface (IPAD, OEM’s touch panel, etc..) to have the same familiar look and feel that they are dialing/ joining directly from their laptop. Native user experiences also allow for a seamless connection to users within the enterprises in terms of a active directory integration as well. These native integrations have to be certified by the certified solution provides (Microsoft Team, Zooms, etc…) as a part of being through the ecosystem.

Though more expensive, native systems offer a more seamless experience to the management. Non-Native systems can be simply a Video collaboration bar in a room with a PC behind the display, essentially the PC is a desktop/ user laptop that allow content sharing as well as dialing/joining into the enterprise (As the main UC Engine). Non-native applications are easy to deploy, lower cost to maintenance as well.

Differences between Native and Non-Native Solutions

Hard Codec Running Native UC Platform Modes UC hardware often runs in “Native Mode,” meaning that the built-in Windows/Mac or Android computer is running a single UC Platform application such as Microsoft Teams or Zoom. The system is “locked in” to that platform. This is a great option if your business is already using a soft client version on employees’ laptops, as you essentially just extend this experience to the meeting room. Employees can then make a Zoom call from their laptops, or a Zoom call from a conference room’s dedicated “Native” platform. They are already familiar with the UI and so the transition to a hardware version feels seamless.

Soft codec Running Native UC Platform Modes

Soft codec systems are more commonly known as cloud or web-based video conferencing software. They’re “soft” as they don’t need codec hardware to work, and “codec” refers to devices or programs that compress and decompress data. It just needs a USB peripheral device such as USB camera, USB microphone and thin client PC in which all the software platforms can be loaded and they can initiate the call using wireless keyboard and mouse.

Unified Communication & Collaboration Tools for Native Interface

Zoom Rooms Zoom Rooms, the Modern Hybrid workspaces for Teams, brings HD video collaboration into any space – in the office, the classroom, or at home – and allows in[1]person and remote participants to interact in real-time. Zoom Rooms are the conference room experience you’ve always wanted, making it simple to start a meeting, book a room, and share content. Bring high-quality video, audio, and web conferencing to any sized room or workspace. Advanced features like Zoom Kiosks (virtual receptionist), voice commands & room controls on your mobile device. Enabling the hybrid workforce with features like Smart Gallery and Workspace Reservation. Google, Office 365 & Exchange calendar integrations support room booking, room status, upcoming meetings list, and more.

Workspace Reservation

Wireless sharing with proximity detection

Scheduling Displays

Digital Signage

Smart collaboration tools to keep projects moving Work from anywhere

Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams is an enterprise-ready unified communications (UC) platform. Teams connects people everywhere, on Windows MAC and other operating systems including mobile devices, as part of their everyday productivity experience. Microsoft Teams provides a consistent, single client experience for presence, instant messaging, voice, video and a great meeting experience. Microsoft Teams goes beyond communication. Easily find, share and edit files in real-time using apps like Word, PowerPoint and Excel inside Teams.

Chat: Share your opinion and your personality, send gifs, stickers and emojis in a group chat or in one-to-one messages.

Meet: Microsoft Teams offers real-time video conferencing. Host online meetings from 1:1, teams and live events up to 10,000 people.

Call: Make and receive calls with internal and external groups using Microsoft Teams Calling, Phone System, Calling Plan, or Direct Routing.

Collaborate: Store, share and edit files in real-time using apps like Word, PowerPoint and Excel in Microsoft Teams.

Digital whiteboard camera technology Kaptivo

Collaborate with remote team members with secure whiteboard/Interactive Display live sharing and video conference integrations.

Connect via Video Conference or Web Browser

Share Livestream of Whiteboard

Secure Whiteboard Image Capture

Save Snapshots and Track Changes

Kaptivo Cast

The Kaptivo Cast HDMI converter pairs with your Kaptivo to livestream vibrant, unobstructed whiteboard images to any HDMI capable input including traditional video codecs, displays, projectors, or lecture capture systems.

With the Kaptivo Cast, Kaptivo seamlessly integrates into meeting systems from all leading providers.

Quantum Leap Lite

The Leap Lite for Conference Room with Mounting Bracket is a step forward in conference cameras.

It features the camera and a display bracket mount that enables mounting your camera to the top or bottom of most display screens and monitors.

The lens of the leap lite with a 110-degree field of view that is suitable for most meeting or conference rooms.

No drivers are required to work on Linux, Windows, Android etc., the leap lite is also compatible with virtually all collaborative software platforms. And it connects your computer via USB, which makes it a simple plug[1]and-play video conference solution.

Quantum 4k PTZ camera with Condor Microphone

The advantages of Quantum camera is they provide stable product quality, 4k PTZ Camera from Value HD is the most cost-effective solution to provide effective communication.

With video in 4K Ultra HD and 82 degrees wide-angle lens, you can enjoy a superior resolution for all of your video conferences.

The 12X Optical Zoom is smooth and rapid and it delivers close-ups with superior resolution. With its patented 4K ISP solution, the lens of this PTZ camera can be controlled from a remote location. The software (Skype for business, Microsoft teams etc.) will be loaded in the thin client PC.

Display to be used to show Far end and Near end participants. During this mode Phoenix beamforming microphone with hemispheric pickup pattern in the room will get activated for audio pick up and reinforcement of far end audio shall be done via ceiling speakers.

The Phoenix Microphone is created with the vision of a clutter free conference table, the Condor sits above or below your monitor and with a pick-up range of up to 30 ft almost any conference room can use the Condor.

Conclusion

Enterprises today face a range of options, and we feel the top five takeaways are as follows:

Understand your vision for the Unified Collaboration rollout for your enterprise well in advance. (Spend time planning.)

Do trial runs with different manufacturers and end users to understand what works and what doesn’t across a range of budgets.

Deploy in small batches.

Understand the long-term value of the system as well as the compatibility with other systems that may come along the way that we may feel are going to be more software-driven.

Collect and analyze data around usage patterns using room schedulers, sensors on clouds, and analytics platforms to assist in improving the user experience as well as assisting with remote asset management and remote deployments.

To know more you can always contact Allwave AV on [email protected] or call us on 9372374450.

To view the complete document for State of the UC Union click here.

#unified communications #auditorium #audio-video #boardroom #audiovisual #microsoft

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