#Which is the best and cheap drone with camera?

[elendiliel]

Hello and Goodbye

Another long one, I'm afraid. (Again, I can repost in chunks if that's better, and it's on AO3 here.)

As usual, inspiration credits to @justawannabearchaeologist's "TFP Wheeljack in TFA" series; I also adopted and transplanted a concept from @itsstrangelypermanent's The Clone Wars fic medical logs. Both are highly recommended.

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How did I get here? Knock Out wondered to himself. He knew the literal answer to that, of course – he and the rest of Team Prime, Ratchet included, had driven out from the Hall of Records in the centre of Iacon (their HQ now that the former Nemesis, renamed the Justice, had limped back from the Well of All Sparks to the derelict shipyards outside the ruined capital for proper repairs, along with the Iron Will) to the city’s boundary in response to long-range scans picking up a small but unfriendly-looking army of some kind approaching. The first returning refugees from their once-devastated world were just days away from making landfall; this was probably some last-ditch attempt to take control of Cybertron before they arrived by one of the two fugitive Decepticons still on-planet, Starscream or Shockwave. The Autobots couldn’t allow that, but nor would they use Vehicons as blaster fodder. The work crews and the few remaining prisoners were all safely out of Iacon or sheltered by the Justice, while Team Prime dealt with the invasion force.

That was all reasonable, to an Autobot at least, and in accordance with their Code. What Knock Out had been asking himself for weeks was just how he had found himself fighting for both sides in Cybertron’s aeons-long civil war, a technically loyal Decepticon valued for his skills for almost all of it – but accepted, even befriended, by the Autobots at the end. He had, probably less casually than he intended, asked his young colleague Glitch that a little while previously, but she hadn’t been helpful. “Life sends us hairpin bends from time to time,” she’d said. “All we can do is take them – or crash.” She would know; a faulty space-bridge had sent her from her own universe to his some months before. But for a historian’s sparkling, she was remarkably uninterested in the recent past. What a person had been or done seldom mattered to her, unless she could use those data to predict their future. The present was far more important.

In that present, the enemy was within optical range at last – barely more than a smudge on the horizon still, but closing rapidly. And within the range of Wheeljack’s new camera-drone, already zooming towards the invaders to get a better look at them. Knock Out had been surprised to discover that the Wrecker could build things that didn’t blow up. He was not surprised to find that Glitch had hacked the drone’s feed and was streaming it on her built-in datapad. The newspark was a data addict with a poor grasp of the idea of boundaries. At least it let him see the opposition (just about) even from his place near one end of the thin multicoloured line, beside his diminutive fellow medic.

“Starscream or Shockwave?” he asked her as the drone cycled through its various settings. The soldiers looked like Vehicons, all grounders, but they moved too stiffly, too mechanically. And there was no sign of a spark in any of them. Low-level clones, or just automata? “They’re both into cloning.”

She chewed the upper edge of her synth for a few seconds. “If I had any money, I think it’d be on Screamer. An army of cheap knockoffs is more his style. And I’ll say one thing for this Shockwave – he has an amount of backstrut, unless retreat is logical. Which this whole plan isn’t. And if it were, he’d be with his troops, not lurking at a safe distance.”

“I wouldn’t take that bet,” he agreed. “Apart from all that, some of these mecha have been put together the wrong way. Say what you like about Shockwave – he’s a perfectionist.”

“Not the only one around here,” she said with her best attempt at a teasing grin. He didn’t have time to respond to that before Ultra Magnus asked Wheeljack for his analysis.

“Just sparkless robots. Not sure there’s much going on upstairs, even. I’m guessing they’ve only been programmed to march and shoot. I don’t like the look of those blasters, though.”

“Seconded on all counts,” Glitch called, not looking up from an X-ray of a robot’s CPU. The engineer and demolitions expert was right; it didn’t look any more complicated than a typical Earth computer. Less, if anything. Starscream – if it was him – clearly preferred quantity to quality. And maybe he didn’t have access to better technology. How had he even got hold of that much? Had he found one of Shockwave’s abandoned labs?

Hopefully, there would be time to find that out later. Knock Out’s immediate priority was survival. The drones were within weapons range; Bumblebee’s and Glitch’s shields held back the incoming fire as the other Autobots picked off the front ranks of robots, but they just kept coming. Close-quarters combat was inevitable. Luckily, that was the Aston Martin’s forte. And his temporary partner’s.

Tactically, it wouldn’t normally make much sense for two medics to be paired up; usually, they had combatant partners or relied on their whole unit and their own offensive capabilities. But Glitch had been trained to fight before she even applied to Protihex Medical Mechanical, and she had both a dedicated shield mod and built-in magnets that could also be used as a shield. And Knock Out trusted her, maybe not more than he did the rest of the team, but at a deeper level – the level of his circuits and spark, perhaps, not just his processor. She, of course, trusted everyone unless she were given reason not to. Besides, three medics were more than enough for a twelve-‘bot unit.

As the Autobots engaged the drones in hand-to-hand combat, Knock Out realised it was the first time he’d been in a full-scale battle since Breakdown had joined with the Allspark. He wondered for a sparkbeat what his late partner would have made of the tiny femme who had, in a logistical sense, taken his place. He’d probably have liked her; everyone did. And if he could see them from the Well, Knock Out hoped he was glad someone was doing his old job. It wasn’t the same, of course; like Knock Out himself, Glitch relied on speed and precision, her laser scalpel finding weak spots in the robots’ frames, her EMP generator overloading their processors, her magnets disabling blasters with a certain understated efficiency, quite unlike Breakdown’s brute strength. But the sense of safety even in the midst of chaos was painfully familiar. She would protect him to the best of her ability, and vice versa.

He had to protect her when she stopped dead, thankfully during a momentary pause in their part of the battle, and raised a hand to her comm circuits. The comm was on speaker by default, so Knock Out could hear an unfamiliar, young-sounding Cybertronian voice say, “Glitch, if you can hear me, we’re coming to get you.”

The field-tech’s face was a picture of joy, chased by alarm, as she replied. “Bee? Stars, it’s good to hear you – but your timing couldn’t be much worse. It’s still not safe…”

“That wasn’t a suggestion,” another stranger’s voice, this one maybe a little older, calm and pleasant, broke in. “If you’re in trouble, we’re going to help.”

Glitch’s back had straightened even further, and her tone was significantly more respectful as she responded, “Sir, I strongly advise…”

“You’re breaking up.” The second voice cut her off again. “Must be the space-bridge. We’ll see you soon.”

Glitch lowered her hand from her comm; the transmission must have ended. Her expression was a mix of exasperation and excitement even as she rejoined the fight. “Of all the… I didn’t think he’d stoop to that trick.”

“Who was it?”

“Backup,” she said cryptically, moments before a blue-green orb of light faded into life high above  their heads. All the Autobots, even the very youngest, were too well-trained to be distracted by it – even when three vessels emerged from what had to be a strange kind of space-bridge. Two small jets, one blue, one orange, flanking a red and yellow battleship, all bearing the Autobrand. Reinforcements.

As the jets broke off to strafe the enemy ranks with wind and flame (rather enthusiastically; the orange one came close to scorching Smokescreen), the battleship touched down behind the Autobots and a landing ramp unfolded, allowing the strangest group of alt-modes Knock Out had ever seen to drive, walk or fly out. A blue and orange monster truck was in the lead, closely followed by a red and blue fire-truck cab. There was a red and white ambulance, a green APC, a yellow hatchback with black accents, a sweet white sports car and a pink car that didn’t look like anything Knock Out had seen on Earth. Behind them were what appeared to be two robotic versions of ancient Earth reptiles (a similar, aerial ‘bot hovered above them) and, bringing up the rear and trying not to be noticed (which was fine by Knock Out), a giant spider. That could only be Glitch’s home team.

One by one, as their ship took off again (“Who’s flying?” “He flies himself. That’s Omega Supreme.”), the newcomers – apart from the reptile-‘bots – transformed into an equally motley assortment of root modes, ranging in size from a little taller than Glitch (the hatchback) to a bit bigger than Wheeljack (the APC), wielding an astonishing variety of weapons. At least the monster truck’s hammer, the ambulance’s magnets (that had to be the other Ratchet) and the APC’s wrecking ball (Bulkhead, definitely) were vaguely familiar. But why did the Optimus-coloured fire truck have an axe? Were those laser swords the pink femme had just drawn? And what were the hatchback’s and sports car’s weapons?

“Stars,” Glitch groaned as the blue and orange mech tried to give the order to transform and roll out, only to be reminded by the mini-Optimus that they had transformed. “I suppose he had to come along, but honestly…”

“What’s the matter?”

“Sentinel flipping Prime’s the matter. Sentinel Magnus, possibly, if Ultra’s resigned or joined with the Allspark while I’ve been here. The one with the spectacular chin.” The monster truck with the hammer. “Steer clear. Uh-oh, here comes trouble…” Someone was calling her comm again. A bossy, arrogant someone. “Field-tech Glitch, sitrep, stat.”

“No time. I’ll explain later, but for now, just wallop anything with the Deceptibrand. The enemy consists of sparkless drones that make Blackout look like Mainframe – maybe Perceptor – so don’t hold back.” As she spoke, she had been working on her datapad. “I’ve patched you guys into the other Autobots’ comms, so you can coordinate directly, not through me.” She shut off the connection before her superior could yell at her and turned her attention to the battle once more.

Knock Out had lost himself in the rhythm of combat when a nearly-unfamiliar voice shouted, “Get away from my partner, Decepti-creep!”

He looked down to see a small yellow mech pointing a pair of electrical weapons straight at his spark chamber, and raised his hands in something like surrender. “Easy! I’m on your side!”

“Believe it or not, that’s correct,” Glitch said, turning to see what was going on. Her whole face lit up as she set eyes on the newcomer. “And it’s good to see you, Bee.” She had struggled even with the common greeting; her mouth opened slightly and closed a few times, words failing her yet again.

“You don’t have to say anything,” “Bee” assured her, his eyes just as full of joy above his battle mask. “I know. And it’s good to see you, too.”

“By the Allspark,” Knock Out sighed. “Now I’ve got a couple of lovesick newbuilds on my hands. Aren’t you even going to introduce us?”

Glitch shook herself awake and tore her eyes from her other partner. “Sorry. Bee, Knock Out. Knock Out, Bumblebee. My partner and one of my oldest friends.” And her boyfriend, she didn’t have to say.

“Yes, yes, nice to meet you. Now are we going to fight, or are you two lovebots going to get us all killed?” The only answer Knock Out received was a pair of identical glares as the smaller mecha returned their attention to the enemy.

“Your aim’s improved,” mini-Bumblebee said as Glitch took down another robot with an EMP to the head.

“Thanks. So’s yours.” “Bee” was pretty good with those spark projectors. “But it’s not going to be quite enough.” Knock Out could just see her mischievous grin. Flirting, at a time like this, not as a weapon? “Fight up close; seize the moment and stay in it.”

“It’s either that or meet the business end of a bayonet.” Continuing a quotation? “I’ve missed this.”

“So have I.” Glitch’s smile was outright flirtatious. Seriously? “But not as much as I’ve missed you.”

Knock Out wasn’t sure whether to be alarmed or relieved when the press of frames parted Glitch and new-Bumblebee from him despite everyone’s best efforts. On the one hand, he was in more danger without a partner; on the other, those two were getting unbearably cute. As more drones than he was confident handling alone surrounded him, he was definitely leaning towards “alarmed”.

His alarm didn’t lessen when two of the robots were swept away by the force of an unseen ally’s attack. The drones were pinned to the ground by organic-looking webbing, which stirred up memories he really did not want in the middle of a battle. Conditioned instincts allowed him to dispatch most of his remaining assailants with his saw and electrostaff, but when he turned to see a spider-form femme stabbing a robot with her front legs, rational thought and movement briefly became things that happened to other people. It’s not her. It can’t be. Soundwave sent her away. How would she…

“A “thank you” wouldn’t go amiss,” the femme said in a voice that was definitely not Airachnid’s. “What’s the matter? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“Oh, nothing.” Now that Knock Out had been pulled back to reality, he didn’t know how he could ever have mistaken the ‘bot for his partner’s killer. Her face, framed by a black and gold helmet, was completely different, as was her colour scheme, purple, black and gold with a patch of unpainted alloy on her chestplate. A fairly accomplished cut-and-paste repair, he thought. She only had two visible extra legs (the final pair must be stashed away somewhere), and her arachnid features were smoother, more organic-looking. He had to suppress a shudder when he realised they were organic. How is that possible? “I thought you were someone else for a moment, that’s all.”

“Oh, just that. I thought you were freaking out about my organic half. A lot of ‘bots are squeamish about it. I’ve learned not to mind.” Now that was a mildly depressing idea, however much Knock Out might dislike organic lifeforms in general. “Pit, I couldn’t stand it for quite some time. And there’ll be Unicron to pay when Sentinel finds out I stowed away – he’s even less keen on it.” She cut herself off in mid-life history, if Knock Out were any judge. “Seen Glitch, by the way? Bumblebee went to find her, but I haven’t heard from either of them since.”

“He did, but we were separated. I think they stayed together, though. In every sense.”

“They’ll be fine, then. And I think we’d better pair up for the time being – in the combat sense, of course.” She all but smirked at him. “We ex-‘Cons have to stick together.” At that moment, hacking his way through waves of drones, the spider-‘bot – Elita – webbing or stabbing any robot in range, Knock Out couldn’t agree more.

***

Even with heavily armed war-‘bots all around, Bumblebee found himself grinning like an idiot behind his battle mask. After months of waiting and hoping, just taking one solar-cycle at a time, he’d finally found Glitch, alive and, at least for the moment, well. She might have a few new scars, a collection of new friends and some awesome new skills, but she was still very much the same ‘bot, and they made just as good a team as ever.

It was ridiculous how much he’d missed her. Her disappearance had been like having a component removed – not one he needed to survive, but one that allowed him to be fully functional. Music had become a minefield; the most random songs could, and did, remind him of her. He’d even lost interest in video games for a while. Her favourite sci-fi shows had been a no-go area; he hadn’t wanted to be ahead of her when she returned, for one thing. (He’d never given up hope that she would return, though there had been some close calls. Being able to talk to her, if only for a few cycles and despite the fact that she had clearly been in danger, had rekindled that hope just in time.) But that time was almost certainly about to be over, and he couldn’t be happier about it. And judging by the look in her optics when she first saw him, though she probably couldn’t find the right words even inside her processor, he was sure she felt the same.

“Need a medic over here!” Bumblebee was pulled out of his thoughts by an unfamiliar voice over the comm. “Arcee’s down.”

As he covered her, Glitch checked what looked like a life-sign map on her datapad. “I’m nearest. Coming, partner?”

“You bet!” Following her lead, he transformed and drove between the drones that still surrounded them towards the casualty. He could outpace her easily with his turbo-boosters, but they weren’t ideal in such a crowded place. And he didn’t know exactly where they were going, whereas she did. Hold on – Arcee? But she’s over – oh, right, another Arcee. This is going to get confusing…

A cycle or two later, they arrived at their destination, a temporarily clear patch in the middle of the battlefield. A tall black and yellow mech stood guard over a smaller femme, her plating a little darker than the blue liquid spilling from a wound to her thigh. (Energon, apparently. Bumblebee wasn’t sure he’d ever get used to the idea of ‘bots bleeding even from not-critical injuries; Glitch had admitted that she’d freaked out at first, and that that had nearly got her killed.)

“I’ll take it from here,” Glitch told the mech. She removed her shield from her arm and held it out to Bumblebee. “Remember how to use this?”

“Of course.” He remembered everything to do with her.

“Good.” All business, as ever. She knelt beside the blue femme – Arcee – and got to work, beginning a running commentary on what she was doing, while Bumblebee headed over to join the black and yellow mech, braced to cover his partner and her patient.

“Hey,” the mech greeted him. “You’re the other Bumblebee, right? I’ve heard a lot about you.” Other Bumblebee? That had to be his counterpart. Glitch had mentioned that there was another Bumblebee on the team that had adopted her.

“All good, I hope,” he shot back, deflecting an incoming laser. Had Glitch upgraded the shield? He wouldn’t put it past her.

His alternate tilted his head this way and that a little. “Mostly.” He hadn’t really expected anything else. Glitch could be brutally honest, and didn’t exactly have a lot of filters.

“And all true,” she put in. Bumblebee glanced back to check on her. Up until that moment, he’d thought “forgetting how to vent” was an expression or exaggeration. It definitely wasn’t. Frag, she was beautiful when she was working. Not just her face, and certainly not just her chassis. Even with her plating smeared with the weird blue Energon, she radiated calm, confidence, and above all compassion, in a way that made her seem the most alive person on the field. She was doing what she had been protoformed to do, and he knew she’d fought so hard to be able to do it. He was lucky to have her. (And she was lucky to have him, part of him thought.)

“I know it’s hard,” the other Bumblebee said, “but try to keep your eyes on the enemy and not on your sweetspark. You can look at her all you want when we survive this.”

“Right. Of course.” Bumblebee tore his optics from his partner and refocused his attention on the battle. That was what was important.

“Nice stingers, by the way,” his counterpart commented as Bumblebee shut down another robot. “Is that how you got your name?”

“…Kind of.” Not the original reason, exactly, but one he’d adopted after Glitch hacked a Science Guild database to look up the real meanings of her fellow cadets’ names. Bumblebees seemed like cool, friendly little guys. And they were valued despite their small size. He’d been a lot happier about his name after that, as Bulkhead had been happy to learn that a bulkhead was a key structural and defensive feature of a ship, not just an insult. (Wasp had been less happy to find out that he shared a name with a type of insect regarded as a necessary pest at best and a parasite at worst. Where was Waspinator now? Elita claimed he’d been fine when she left him, but that was a while back.)

As he and his alternate traded banter back and forth, and traded shots with the enemy, he caught himself wondering how the rest of the team were doing. They’ll be fine. They have to be.

***

Ratchet had long since decided that if he never saw another battlefield, it would be too soon. And yet, there he was, carving a path through a crowd of Decepti-drones with his magnets, doing his best to stay close to the young ‘bots in case they needed him. They weren’t making that easy. Bumblebee had run off in search of Glitch almost right away, and Prime could never resist a chance to get into trouble. At least there were other, more experienced Autobots around; he’d caught sight of Bulkhead swinging that confounded wrecking ball with his usual abandon beside a much larger green mech, presumably his counterpart, and an even taller blue and white ‘bot – Ultra Magnus? – flattening a drone before it could take a pot-shot at Arcee. But they were still all badly outnumbered.

Especially the other red and white mech with sparkbeat decals on his shoulders and arms whom Ratchet had just spotted. He was holding his own against a cluster of automata he could see, but had no attention to spare for the two about to sneak up on him. Ratchet did, and dispatched them with a pair of magnetic pulses. They’re just robots. Like those blasted police drones back in Detroit.

“Thank you,” the other medibot said, having finished off his final attacker (for the moment). “Ratchet.”

“Don’t mention it – Ratchet.” That could only be his alternate. But the field-tech wasn’t in the mood to try to forge any sort of connection or find common ground beyond the obvious. “What in the Pit were you doing so far from the others, with no-one to watch your backplate? Don’t you have a partner?” Ratchet himself never really had – not a long-term one, at least. On mop-up operations, like the one on the Hydrax Plateau, he tended to drive solo, as he did in peacetime. The ‘bots who volunteered or were assigned to him as partners for actual battles didn’t last – they always requested transfers or were reassigned, invalided out or, very rarely and despite his best efforts, killed. None of them had been quite right. (If his first meeting with Arcee had gone differently, maybe… Well, no point going down that road now.) But this older version of himself, a combat medic in an ongoing war, should have had somebot. Or stayed nearer the rest of his unit.

“Not at present,” other-Ratchet replied stiffly. Ah. There was a story there, the kind they were surely both familiar with. It could wait, but the battle couldn’t.

“In that case, I guess we’d better stick together for now. The young ‘bots are going to need both of us in good working order by the end of this, I suspect.”

“That would be acceptable.” Slag, where had the mech grown up? He was worse than Glitch. As the pair of medics rejoined the battle, that gave Ratchet an idea. “I hope my student hasn’t given you too much trouble.”

“Quite the reverse,” his counterpart assured him. “She’s helped to take care of my team, even when – I couldn’t.” Another story there. That one, too, could wait.

“Sounds about right.” Despite himself, Ratchet smiled at the thought of his young padawan. Not having her around had been – difficult. He hadn’t realised how much he’d come to rely on her presence, let alone her skills. He could still look after all his teammates on his own, and help Elita with the research the two femmes had been working on, but – it hadn’t been anywhere near the same.

She wasn’t quite the same any more, he had a feeling, and at least one of the changes was positive. He’d heard her answer the call for a medic, quickly, calmly and without hesitation, just as he’d been trying to teach her. Several months in that reality had accelerated the process, it seemed. He was sure he’d be proud of the ‘bot she had become; he just wished it hadn’t taken a slagging war for that to happen so fast.

“Fliers inbound, bearing three-two-seven and closing fast,” an unfamiliar voice said over the comm network. A mech, with a peculiar accent Ratchet thought humans might call “Texan”. “We could sure do with some air support.”

“Jetfire! Jetstorm! Intercept those fliers!” Sentinel barked. To his credit, the young flybots actually listened, breaking off their assault on the rear ranks of the enemy and flanking Omega Supreme once more as he flew towards the new threat, placing himself in even greater danger without hesitation. Ratchet had been the one to teach him to do that, but it still hurt to see it, especially after everything his old friend had been through recently. Swoop was quick to join them, as, unfortunately, was Prime.

Young idiot, Ratchet thought. Sure, he’s darn good with his mods on the ground, and not too bad in the air these solar-cycles, but what’re grappling hooks and an axe going to do against that many natural fliers when he’s got to manage the jetpack as well? Prime’s victory over Megatron had laid most of Ratchet’s misgivings about his jetpack to rest, but it still made him uncomfortable at times. (And integrating it with his alt-mode had been a major processor-ache.) Optimus was a good kid, but he tended to jump into situations bumper-first, far more often than was ideal for Ratchet’s oil pressure. There had to be some way the field-tech could help him.

As he racked his CPU for a solution, he caught sight of his alternate’s expression as he watched the young commander take to the skies. It was the look of someone finding an old picture of a lost friend – sorrow and remembered joy combined. Ratchet realised he hadn’t seen another red and blue mech among the other Autobots, even though Glitch had told Bumblebee there was another Optimus Prime in that universe. Ah.

“So that’s your Optimus,” the other Ratchet murmured. “I see why Glitch was so good at managing ours.” The past tense confirmed the field-tech’s suspicions, but he let the subject drop – for the present.

“The ancient art of officer-wrangling. Something every medibot should know.” And speaking of officers… As his counterpart agreed with him, Ratchet’s optic fell on that cyber-clown Sentinel, inexpertly waving the Magnus Hammer around. Now he had an idea.

***

As the ground fell away, Optimus took the opportunity to survey the battle below him from a new perspective. The difference between his team (plus Sentinel and the Dinobots) and the resident Autobots was glaringly obvious when viewed from above – not just in size and construction, or even in choice of weapons. (Autobots using blasters? Now that was a strange concept.) The other mecha, with the possible exception of the bright red one now paired with Elita, had so clearly been fighting together for, in some cases, centuries if not millennia. They knew one another’s and their own strengths and weaknesses, and acted accordingly; even ridiculously outnumbered, they held a loose formation that could have come from an Academy textbook. His own ‘bots were scattered around rather less neatly, though most had found their way to a more experienced partner. The Bulkheads were fighting side by side, as were the Ratchets, judging by the other mechs’ colour schemes. Jazz and Arcee had teamed up with a white mech Optimus didn’t immediately recognise. Sentinel, of course, was ploughing through the enemy by himself, as were Grimlock and Snarl, but Optimus was pleased to see that Bumblebee and Glitch were reunited once more and still an ideal partnership.

Bumblebee had, naturally, been hit hardest by his sweetspark’s disappearance, but it hadn’t been easy for any of them to get used to her sudden absence. Even with Bulkhead spending more and more time on Earth, the Plant had been far too quiet without her. No duets sung at top volume until somebot – usually Ratchet or Elita – ran out of patience, no heated Ninja Gladiator tournaments, no sci-fi marathons – and no fire alarms or small explosions in her lab. No long, rambling conversations deep into the night. Fewer sparring sessions in which the teachers learned almost as much as the student. Still, months later, he wasn’t used to it. And, with any luck, he wouldn’t have to be much longer.

Although if he didn’t stay sharp, he wouldn’t be used to anything any more. The flying drones were as stupid and sparkless as the ones on the ground, but they were just as much of a threat. Omega Supreme carved a great swathe through the flock of fliers, and the Jet twins and Swoop mopped up many of the others, but that still left plenty for Optimus to take on – trying his best to use his axe or his grapplers without losing his balance, and regretting another hasty decision.

“Prime!” Ratchet called over comms. “Catch!” Before Optimus could reply, the Magnus Hammer soared towards him, borne aloft by two familiar arcs of pink energy. He caught it instinctively, his servos and pistons remembering its weight and power even better than his processor did. Now there was a weapon he could use in that situation.

Wielding the ancient hammer, whether as a blunt instrument or to control the elements, grew a little easier every time. As always, as he sent drone after drone flying, he had the sense that it was co-operating with him, not just being operated like any other tool. And it seemed, bizarrely, to like him at last. Knowing Sentinel, I can’t say I’m surprised.

But even that wasn’t quite enough; like their land-based counterparts, the fliers just kept coming, forcing the Autobot air support back until they were over the ground battle.

“Glitch, can you thin the flock out a bit?” someone – someone with a very commanding presence – asked over comms. One of the classic blunders, Optimus thought, imagining the tiny field-tech solving the problem she had been posed, head tilted to one side, optics flickering as her processor worked at a rate of gigaflops. He asked a question rather than giving her an order.

“Yes,” came the answer.

“Then do it.” No irritation at being taken literally. The questioner had known how she would interpret his words.

“Wilco.” Optimus didn’t have time to wonder how the small grounder would manage that before he saw her, driving up one of the robots, jumping off its shoulder, transforming in midair and landing in root mode on a flier’s back. A swift slash with her laser scalpel sent it spiralling to Cybertron as she jumped to another flier, then another, disabling each one with her usual elegance and efficiency. (And never lingering long enough to realise how high up she was.)

Unfortunately, Jetfire and Jetstorm were also on typical form – displaying more power than sense. Optimus only just managed to call out a warning before Jetfire accidentally tried to flame her; she brought her magnetic shield up with maybe a nanoklik to spare. “Throttle back, you idiot!” he heard from behind a wall of fire. “I’m on your side!”

“Sorry,” Jetfire called back, already darting away. But the damage was done; her timing was badly off as she tried to continue. A few fliers later, she missed her footing by centimetres and ended up clinging to her next victim’s wing, struggling to climb up onto its back.

She won’t make it, Optimus realised. She was strong for her size, but tired from the ground battle. And a fall from that height could do some serious damage. A sweep of the Magnus Hammer and a well-placed tornado bought him enough space, and therefore time, that he could use his grappling hook to pull her to safety, but not without taking a servo off his main weapon. Could his jetpack take their combined weight, even if he could balance it properly?

“Autobot in danger.” Omega Supreme took the decision from him, coming back round – still in ship mode – and extending a manipulator arm ready to catch his mentor’s other student. She looked to her commander – asking for permission to abandon her task, he was pretty sure – then, when he nodded, managed to let herself fall into the Sentinel’s waiting servo. She was safe.

Or as safe as any of them were. The ground battle was going the Autobots’ way, but the fliers were a different matter. Optimus knew what he had to do. “Omega, Jetfire, Jetstorm, fall back; everyone else, take as much cover as you can. I’ve got an idea.” Omega Supreme did as he was ordered, setting Glitch down, transforming and landing on his peds, but the others didn’t take a blind bit of notice.

“Get out of there, numb-nodes!” For once, Optimus was glad of Sentinel’s more abrasive command style; it was what the flier twins needed. They darted off to a safe distance, leaving Optimus almost alone with the drones. “Swoop, you too. I don’t want to fry you by accident.” The pterano-‘bot cawed in assent and glided away to rejoin his fellow Dinobots.

Now or never. Optimus had used the Magnus Hammer to control the wind, to an extent, but he hadn’t unlocked its more impressive capabilities. Unless he did, though, the Autobots could well lose the battle, and quite possibly their lives. He had to go further than ever before.

Reaching out to the legendary weapon as he had when facing the Lugnuts Supreme, trusting it to help him, he raised it as high as he could, then brought it down handle-first as though to strike the ground, and called down the power of the storm.

Much to his surprise, it actually worked. Lightning stabbed down from the suddenly clouded sky, striking every one of the drones and sending them crashing to Cybertron below – and narrowly missing the Autobot. Once he could see again, he looked down to find that Omega Supreme had sheltered most of his team and their allies; he had some spectacular dents on his back, but they were probably superficial. Ratchet, Glitch and another mech had protected the others. The grounder drones hadn’t been so lucky; many had been crushed by their fellow robots, and the rest would be easy to destroy.

But their troubles weren’t quite over. Before Optimus could land, his radar picked up another flier, closing in too fast for comfort. “Anyone know what that might be?”

“Hold on.” He wouldn’t be surprised to find that Glitch had hacked his radar display, and honestly he didn’t mind. Not where she was concerned. “Oh, nuts and bolts. Starscream.”

Still alive in that reality, clearly, and probably even more dangerous. Optimus would be offline on his peds if he were on the ground, but he braced himself for combat all the same. Jetfire and Jetstorm were quick to join him; Omega tried, but Ratchet managed to persuade him to hang back for the moment. Optimus could picture the others priming weapons, ready to try to shoot the Decepticon down. If that’s even possible.

“Second contact,” the Texan-sounding ‘bot from earlier reported. “Also coming in fast.”

“Another problem?” Optimus was already too tired for this.

“Going by his trajectory,” Glitch told him, “only for Screamer.” She was right; the two fliers were on a collision course. Optimus could just see them approaching each other, the jet that was apparently Starscream trying and failing to avoid the other, less identifiable craft, who transformed into a huge, heavily armoured mech moments before impact, the better to steer his opponent away. And he heard, very clearly, the mech’s roar of, “What part of “the Decepticons are no more” do you not understand?”

“Who on Cybertron was that?” Sentinel demanded.

“Megatron,” Glitch said casually. “Very long story very short, he’s retired.”

That was a story Optimus definitely wanted to hear. Later. The skies were clear at last, and the ground battle was over; he landed as neatly as he could and passed the Magnus Hammer back to Sentinel, who glared briefly at him, then at Ratchet – until he saw the other, taller Ratchet, still cleaning blue Energon from his built-in scalpel blades, standing beside his counterpart, and very sensibly looked around for an easier target. Unfortunately, he found one. Elita.

“What are you doing here, mutant freak?” He glared down at his former sweetspark, who gave as good as she got.

“Trying to save a few Autobot circuits. As you could see if that chin weren’t in the way, I’m not with the Decepticons any longer. I haven’t been for orbital cycles.” Elita had had the Deceptibrand removed by Ratchet and Glitch soon after returning to Detroit, but wasn’t ready to take the Autobrand again – yet.

“I’ll vouch for her.” Glitch had put herself between the belligerent Prime and the irritated techno-organic, fixing the former with her sixty-megawatt glare. “Per regulations, on finding Elita severely injured, I treated her wounds as best I could and brought her back to Detroit for further care. And as her attending medibot, I decided that informing Cybertron of her return would be detrimental to her wellbeing. To the best of my knowledge, she has no further loyalty to the Decepticons, but she has been a major asset to Team Detroit.” Her words were exactly what Optimus would have expected from her, but the confidence in them was new. When he had last seen her, she would have been terrified of speaking out of turn so boldly to her acting Magnus’ face, and hidden that fear too well. But she wasn’t hiding anything. Optimus even saw her hand moving in one of her default “stims” (her thumb running back and forth across the tips of her other digits), not an anxious one. She had probably seen worse since leaving Detroit than one angry superior officer.

“I second that,” he put in, moving to her side. “Elita was a Decepticon, but she was an Autobot before that, one of us. She only changed sides because she wouldn’t be safe on Cybertron.” And because she felt abandoned by the Autobots, but Sentinel knew that all too well. “She’s a valued member of my team, and if you want to change that, you’ll have to go through all of us.”

Sentinel was purple with outrage. “I’ll bust you both back to protoform for this! I am still your Magnus, and…”

“Not here.” One of the biggest Autobots Optimus had ever seen had come up behind Elita. A blue and white mech over two mechanometres taller than Bulkhead, holding an Energon-coated golden war hammer Sentinel would probably struggle to lift. “That title has no meaning in this universe. You cannot take action against anyone here, and if you are wise, Sentinel, you will take none when you return. I have fought alongside Field-tech Glitch many times, and there is surely no more loyal Autobot in any reality. From what I have heard and seen, the same can be said of young Optimus, and while Elita’s path through life may have been… unconventional, it was an article of faith with my former commander that every sentient being possesses the capacity for change. I believe she has changed for the better, and will continue to do so. Besides, Glitch’s actions, as she has said, were in strict accordance with both the spirit and the letter of your own Autobot Code. You cannot discipline her or Optimus merely because you disagree with their decision.”

As Sentinel spluttered and tried to think of a reply, Elita turned to the newcomer. “Thanks, big guy. What’s your name?”

“I am Ultra Magnus.” Optimus should have guessed that. He should also have straightened up and saluted, but he was just too tired. “Commander of the Wreckers.” The huge mech paused. “And second-in-command to Optimus Prime.”

He must have known. He must have known the effect that revelation would have on his audience. There was no way Glitch wouldn’t have told him that in their universe, “Prime” was a lesser rank than “Magnus”. And yet he just dropped that bombshell, then strode away to check on his troops (including a white mech with green and red accents who had been watching the whole exchange), leaving Elita wide-opticed with amazement and Sentinel as slack-jawed as his chin allowed. Optimus didn’t compile it either, but he’d have time to figure everything out later. He had a question he wanted to ask Glitch. “So there is another Optimus Prime here?” Bumblebee had said that there was, but Optimus hadn’t seen him yet.

“There – was.” The young femme’s gaze dropped to the ground as her face fell.

Oh.

Oh.

Remembering their first meeting, Optimus knelt down so that she could look him in the optic if she wanted and reached out to touch two digits to her chestplate, over her spark chamber, then to his. I share your grief, the gesture was meant to say.

“Thank you.” Glitch managed a smile as she met his optics for a few nanokliks.

“What happened? If you’re ready to talk about it,” he added hurriedly. She was, it seemed.

“Long story short, to protect the Allspark he had to merge it with his own spark.” Like Prowl. “He survived long enough to say goodbye, but – he had to return the Allspark to the Well, and go with it.”

His counterpart had sacrificed himself for Cybertron’s future. Optimus had some catching up to do. If Ratchet and Glitch let him, which was unlikely.

“She’s grown up a bit,” Elita commented as Glitch excused herself and headed off to do her job. She was right. Optimus had seen new scars on the younger femme’s arm, a new hardness in her optics as she confronted Sentinel, a new sharpness to her movements in battle. For a few moments, he feared that her time in a still-war-torn universe had damaged her beyond repair. But then he noticed the way her face both softened and lit up as she caught sight of Bumblebee, chatting away to a black and yellow mech and a blue femme, and relaxed. At spark, she was still the same ‘bot who would cover and stand up for her fellow cadets, and take on other trainees’ shifts in med school – and call in some of those favours to attend a stranger’s funeral. Who managed to talk Professor Princess out of doing any further damage, and stayed up all night after falling into a research wormhole. Who kept the flowers Bumblebee gave her alive as long as she could, and bought him pot plants known to attract bees. Who fed the birds nesting in Prowl’s tree, and removed spiders from the Plant without harming them. One of the gentlest ‘bots Optimus had ever met, as well as one of the bravest. She’ll be fine. Especially with Bumblebee by her side.

***

Here came one of Glitch’s least favourite parts of her job, almost as bad as datawork. The part where she was running on fumes and at least halfway to a shutdown or meltdown but still had to keep going, checking for injuries (and double-checking certain ‘bots, not naming any sports cars in particular) and tending to those she found. And, on that day, greeting her original teammates and honorary teammates, and making any introductions that were necessary. That part made everything else worthwhile.

Bulk, of course, swept her into an armour-denting hug the moment he set optics on her, and she did her best to return it. Arcee, surprisingly, did the same (less exuberantly), though they didn’t really know each other. (They did, however, have a certain red and white mech in common.) Her mentor and sensei were never very physically affectionate, but they were just as happy to see her as she was to see them; Ratchet commented on her upgraded mods, and Jazz on the Tokyo accent she’d picked up practising her Japanese with Miko. The most unexpected greeting came from Grimlock, the leader of the Dinobots, who usually didn’t even work with the Autobots. (Had Sentinel known they were coming beforehand, or had they stowed away?)

“Cycle-Lady strong now,” he said, resting his head on her shoulder. “Like Dinobot.”

“Thank you,” she replied, resisting the impulse to stroke him with difficulty. Dinobots not pets. “But Dinobots still rule.”

“Dinobots rule,” Grimlock agreed before lumbering away to assert his dominance over Fire Jet-‘Bot and leaving her to get on with her work.

At long last, everybot had been checked over and patched up and she was free to seek out her partner. Despite being deep in conversation with Bumblebee and ‘Cee still, and despite her soundless way of moving, he turned towards her while she was a couple of mechanometres away; her spark skipped a beat when he smiled at her, and accelerated to a hum as he pulled her into a tight hug.

“We won,” was all she could say.

“We won,” he echoed, then met her halfway as she leaned in to kiss him.

Stars, that was worth the long months without him. For a servoful of nanokliks that might have been an eternity, they were flying through the heavens, faster than light, stars and planets passing by in so many blurs. She didn’t want that moment ever to end, but as all things must, it did.

“Don’t ever do that to me again,” he said, resting his forehead against hers, his arms still around her and vice versa.

“I can’t promise that.” She caught ‘Cee’s optic for a nanoklik, and remembered another promise, one her friend had extorted a few months previously. If you still care for each other when you see him again – life’s too short not to say how you feel. “But what I can promise you, I will. If you’ll accept it.”

Bee took a moment to figure out what she meant – then his face was lit by a smile that melted her circuits. “Of course I will.” The smile became a trifle mischievous. “Maybe it’s a good thing we can’t have human food. You’d probably have proposed with a mug of cocoa.”

Deliriously happy (and exhausted) as she was, it took her a moment to work out the reference. Doctor Who. “The Aztecs”. The Doctor accidentally becoming engaged to Cameca, much to Ian’s amusement. Bee did pay attention even to the slower episodes, after all. “Probably.”

He kissed her again, just as passionately as before (passion she did her best to return), breaking away only when they both realised they had an audience. The rest of Team Detroit and Team Prime had clustered around to congratulate them on their engagement, and Glitch had never wanted to disappear so badly in all her life. Even Bee seemed to have had enough after a while.

They were saved by the bell, or rather by Optimus’ timer alarm. “I told Sari to reopen the space-bridge in five cycles’ time, so that we could get home. Are you – ready to come back?” Boss-‘Bot must have seen that Team Prime had become as much her family as Team Detroit was, and their universe another home. It wasn’t a trivial calculation.

“Yes,” she concluded. “Especially now.” She cast a glance at Bee, which nearly derailed her train of thought. “But – could Sari come here for a bit? I want to show you around first. Not just here,” she added quickly. Cybertron had been made habitable by the Omega Lock, but it was still a wreck. “Our Earth base, as well.”

Optimus had to check with Sentinel, who was still his commanding officer, but a stern look from Magnus silenced any potential opposition from that quarter. “I don’t see why not.”

Glitch savoured every moment as the party headed back into Iacon, but she already knew she wouldn’t be leaving that universe forever. She had friends, family, homes in both realities, and wasn’t ready to give any of them up. Besides, she could see other interdimensional friendships forming around her. Bulk and Bulkhead had hit it off splendidly, Arcee and Wheeljack were talking nineteen to the dozen (what did that phrase mean?), with occasional input from Jazz, and even the Ratchets seemed to be getting along. In their respective ways. It was definitely a day for “hello” as well as “goodbye”.

---

By the way, this isn't the end of this AU, but while I work on the next one a scrap(let) of feedback never goes amiss.

[mavdrones]

What Is The Best Filming Drone And Why?

When it comes to drone filmmaking, there’s one name that dominates the conversation: the DJI INSPIRE 3 – WITH ZENMUSE X9 CAMERA FOR CINEMATOGRAPHY. Whether you're a seasoned pro in cinematography or an ambitious content creator looking to up your game, this drone is what you need. Let’s break down why the Inspire 3 is, hands down, the best drone for filming.

1. Cinematic Quality At Its Best

The DJI INSPIRE 3 is a true game-changer. With its Zenmuse X9 full-frame camera, this drone gives you breathtaking image quality. We’re talking 8K video resolution and up to 8192x5456 pixels for photos! This level of clarity ensures your footage pops with incredible detail and sharpness, making it perfect for everything from YouTube content to big-screen productions. Need cinematic slow-motion or ultra-sharp stills? The Inspire 3 has your back, supporting both MOV and CinemaDNG formats. Say goodbye to any worries about meeting industry standards!

2. Unmatched Stability And Precision

Filming those smooth, buttery shots? Easy peasy with the INSPIRE 3’s RTK positioning system, which delivers insane precision with 1 cm horizontal accuracy. Even in windy or tough conditions, your footage stays super stable, thanks to the drone’s advanced gimbal system. No shaky videos here, just seamless, professional-grade shots every time. This drone can handle complex environments without breaking a sweat. The max flight time of 28 minutes gives you plenty of time to nail that perfect take.

3. Fast, Agile, And Ready For Action

Speed matters, especially when you’re trying to capture dynamic shots. The DJI INSPIRE 3 can reach a whopping 94 kph, making it agile enough for high-paced filming, whether you're tracking fast-moving vehicles or athletes. The max ascent speed of 8 m/s lets you quickly adjust to any filming scenario, while the multi-sensor obstacle detection system keeps your drone safe from accidents. Fast, smooth, and reliable.

4. Versatility That Filmmakers Love

Whether you're shooting an epic landscape or a tight, close-up action scene, the INSPIRE 3 is equipped to handle it. The drone supports a wide range of lenses, including the DL 18 mm F2.8 ASPH for dramatic wide shots and the DL 50 mm F2.8 LS ASPH for those cinematic close-ups. Whatever your vision, this drone makes it happen. Plus, with 432°/s pan speed using the DJI Master Wheels, this bad boy can pull off dynamic, creative shots in any situation.

5. Seamless Video Transmission And Low Latency

Worried about lag? Not with the INSPIRE 3. Its O3 Pro Video Transmission System delivers live feeds up to 15 km away with 1080p/60fps or 4K/30fps quality. This means real-time monitoring, allowing you to make quick adjustments while in the air. Latency as low as 90 ms keeps everything in sync and smooth, no matter the distance.

6. Advanced Battery And Charging System

Running out of power mid-shoot? Not a problem. The INSPIRE 3 comes with the TB51 Intelligent Battery that delivers up to 28 minutes of flight time. Plus, its fast-charging system can get you back up and running in no time—charging to 90% in just 35 minutes. Perfect for those long shooting days where time is money!

7. Is It Worth The Investment? Absolutely

Okay, so the INSPIRE 3 doesn’t come cheap, but it’s an investment. If you're serious about filmmaking, this drone is worth every rupee. The DJI Inspire 3’s price in India reflects its premium features, but it’s a tool that can truly elevate your productions. Its durability, reliability, and unmatched camera quality make it essential for any professional filmmaker.

Final Verdict? This Drone Rocks!

The DJI INSPIRE 3 – WITH ZENMUSE X9 CAMERA FOR CINEMATOGRAPHY is not just a drone. It’s a filmmaking powerhouse. If you’re looking for the best drone to elevate your content, this is it. It combines top-notch image quality, insane stability, and the flexibility needed to make your creative vision come to life. Trust us—this is the drone you’ve been waiting for. Want to know more about the latest DJI INSPIRE 3 price in India? Reach out to our team at Mavdrones, and we’ll hook you up with the best deal!

[sa7abnews]

The Crowdfunding Campaign for Deadly Israeli Military Drones

New Post has been published on https://sa7ab.info/2024/08/06/the-crowdfunding-campaign-for-deadly-israeli-military-drones/

The Crowdfunding Campaign for Deadly Israeli Military Drones

The war in Gaza has been good for the drone startup XTEND. Since October 7, the Tel Aviv company has pivoted to providing the Israeli military with cheap, nimble robot aircraft. This demand helped the company secure $40 million in new venture capital funding, bringing its total raised to $60 million. That money will go toward software refinements to better serve Israel’s Ministry of Defense, its co-founder and CEO Aviv Shapira touted in a press release. 

Yet despite its venture capital bounty and recent military contracts, XTEND has also been asking for charity.

“Join Us in Supporting Israel’s Defense,” read the text on the Xtend-Support-Israel.com website, directly above a large “DONATE” button. All donations would be “used for the immediate production & deployment of life saving systems for our IDF troops on the frontlines.” The site included a dazzling marketing montage of XTEND robots zooming across buildings, smashing through windows, and dropping what appears to be an explosive device from the air, “enabling soldiers to perform accurate maneuvers in complex combat scenarios.”

XTEND’s fundraising page — taken offline shortly after The Intercept raised questions about it — is one of several similar efforts soliciting charitable, tax-deductible donations to bolster Israeli national security. 

U.S. law governing charitable contributions gives wide leeway to nonprofits operating overseas, though questions linger about directing such donations to fund combat.

XTEND did not respond to a request for comment and questions about its Israel Defense Forces fundraising campaign. The Israeli nonprofit AlmaLinks, which was listed on the site as participating in the fundraiser, told The Intercept that upon learning of the campaign it asked XTEND to take it down. A PayPal page for the fundraiser told American donors that tax-free contributions could be sent through the U.S.-based donor-advised fund FJC: A Foundation of Philanthropic Funds. FJC disavowed the campaign and said the drone startup was being instructed to cease and desist use of its name. 

A drone flies overhead as Israeli forces operate in the Balata refugee camp, in the West Bank city of Nablus, on June 1, 2024. Photo: Majdi Mohammed/AP

XTEND’s drones are flexible, affordable, and outfitted with powerful cameras, making them excellent surveillance tools that can stand in for human soldiers in dangerous situations. Certain models come with a claw, allowing them to drop any manner of item — or weapon — from high above. This functionality has proven transformative in the fighting between Russia and Ukraine. Even for Israel’s armed forces, among the best-equipped in the world, drones like XTEND’s offer the powerful advantage of an off-the-shelf, somewhat disposable miniature air force.

“Boots on the ground testimonials” included on the site leave little ambiguity about their use. “The best thing to have is drones,” says one uniformed Israeli soldier, his face blurred, in a video set before a house he states was recently cleared of terrorists. “Drones can go inside, do the search, clear the house, put even an explosive, instead of us going in.”

“We have killed dozens of vile terrorists, but we continue to constantly discover more terrorists who are hiding in buildings,” say soldiers in another testimonial video, who explain XTEND’s products are preferable because their radio uplink is not as easily jammed.

In interviews and marketing materials, XTEND tends to argue its drones are a life-saving reconnaissance technology that permit soldiers to hang back from danger while robots lead the charge. But the company is very much in the business of offense too. In December, XTEND told the Wall Street Journal that the IDF is using its robots to “drop grenades” in Gaza. “We were the first drones to enter Be’erik, Faraza, and deal directly (indoors, outdoors, and face to face) with these terrorists,” Shapira explained to the Israeli business publication Calcalist last year. “We learned so much from that.”

Read our complete coverage

Israel’s War on Gaza

Israel’s war on Gaza has been integral to XTEND’s current success and its future, according to local business press reporting. Since the conflict erupted, the company has deepened its ties with the Israeli military. An article in Calcalist announcing the $40 million deal noted that, since the war’s start, “the company has shifted its entire focus in developing systems for the IDF. This new focus has led the company to a decision to upgrade its activity in the military sector.” In the May 10 press release announcing its latest venture capital round, Shapira — depicted in an attached photo dressed as a character from “The Matrix” — explained how the company’s new funds would help refine its drones’ software in part to better serve “Israel’s Ministry of Defense tier-1 units.”

So-called quadcopter drones similar to those manufactured by XTEND have been implicated in a litany of gruesome civilian deaths and injuries. A June 4 report by Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor described how the IDF has “ramped up” its use of small quadcopters to drop explosives and fire mounted rifles at Palestinians in Gaza.

One Palestinian who spoke to the organization recounted the killing of his cousin: “We were approached by a quadcopter as we went by a side street. I warned him to run and hide as soon as I saw it, but it is likely that his poor hearing prevented him from hearing my call. I told him to hide, as I was doing, when all of a sudden I heard an explosion. When I heard Ibrahim calling, I told him to stay [put] to the right until assistance arrived. I saw him being targeted by a quadcopter bomb.”

An Israeli drone drops tear gas canisters during clashes following a demonstration near the border in Malaka, east of Gaza City, on March 30, 2023. Photo: Majdi Fathi/NurPhoto via AP

On the webpage soliciting donations for its drones, XTEND listed AlmaLinks, a nonprofit network headquartered in Tel Aviv that connects business leaders with a focus on Jewish and Israeli communities, as the organization that would process donations. 

“All donations will be used for the immediate production and deployment of life saving systems for our IDF troops on the frontlines,” the site read. “All donations are kindly processed through the ALMA LINKS non-profit organization. www.almalinks.org We kindly request that you fill out the information here and at the dedicated donation page for tracking purposes.”

Shapira, XTEND’s CEO, is listed on AlmaLink’s website as a member of its board of trustees. AlmaLinks told The Intercept it had no knowledge of XTEND’s fundraiser and that Shapira does not serve in a decision-making role.

“We were not aware of the XTEND website asking for funds in our name, and as soon as we became aware of it we asked them to take it down,” a spokesperson for AlmaLinks said. 

Shapira “is on a purely advisory board of trustees that includes many people and does not have authority to make decisions,” the spokesperson said.

The fiscal sponsor for AlmaLinks is FJC: A Foundation of Philanthropic Funds, a nonprofit donor-advised fund based in New York. Founded in 1995, FJC manages over $300 million in assets and has provided over $400 million in philanthropic grants around the world, according to its website. FJC accepts tax-deductible donations on behalf of AlmaLinks, which then passes the money onward to recipients such as XTEND. Because contributions to foreign nonprofits like AlmaLinks are not tax-deductible, a donation to the American fiscal sponsor FJC would allow donors to benefit from U.S. tax laws.

Potential American donors who came across the online fundraiser were directed to a PayPal page bearing a checkmark icon confirming FJC is the recipient of the funds, and noting any contributions would be earmarked for XTEND.

In response to an inquiry from The Intercept about its role in the fundraiser, FJC CEO Sam Marks disavowed the campaign. “FJC has no relationship with XTEND, and that company is not authorized to use FJC’s 501(c)(3) tax exempt status to fundraise for any campaign,” Marks explained in an emailed statement. “They are being instructed to cease and desist any fundraising campaign using FJC’s name.” 

Soon after this exchange, the PayPal page was taken down. Marks did not respond when asked if the PayPal page had been set up without FJC’s knowledge, when FJC became aware of the fundraising campaign, or how much money had been raised to date.

XTEND did not respond to questions about whether it organized the fundraiser without the advance knowledge of AlmaLinks and FJC, and about Shapira’s role on AlmaLinks’ board of trustees.

Diala Shamas, senior staff attorney at the Center for Constitutional Rights, questioned whether it was appropriate for a nonprofit to use charitable donations to support a war effort, particularly one that has killed tens of thousands of civilians.

Related Tax-Exempt U.S. Nonprofits Fuel Israeli Settler Push to Evict Palestinians

“I’m aware of reports of quadcopters being involved in crimes in Gaza. There is nothing charitable about that,” said Shamas, whose nonprofit legal advocacy group is working on a New York bill to restrict tax-deductible donations to illegal Israeli settlements. “I can’t see this fitting in the New York law definition of charitable purpose, not the IRS definition of charitable purpose.”

Another issue is whether those efforts are supplying equipment being used in violation of international law, Shamas added. “Setting aside the question of charitability all together, there are serious questions of complicity in war crimes here. Even if it weren’t a nonprofit, even if it were just a traditional company, there would be serious legal risks here.”

Legal experts have long warned that charitable contributions cannot be used to support combat, an issue that came up at the height of the war in Ukraine. Charities funding combat against Russia’s invasion faced less scrutiny because of widespread political support for Ukraine, attorney Daniel Kurtz told the Associated Press last year. “You can’t support war fighting, can’t support killing people, even if it’s killing the bad guys,” he said at the time. “It’s not consistent with the law of charity.”

Henry Dale, director of New York University law school’s National Center on Philanthropy and the Law, said that U.S. tax code — and an extreme lack of oversight by the Internal Revenue Service — affords a great deal of latitude to efforts like those of XTEND. Even though XTEND’s fundraising page made clear that the money was for drones, specifically its “Human Extension Platforms” that aid soldiers in combat, the fact that donated funds were advertised as being directed to FJC, whose PayPal site did not mention drones, likely legally insulates the campaign overall, Dale said.

Though the IRS has the ability to strip organizations of their tax-exempt status for engaging in efforts contrary to public policy, “the edges of that doctrine are completely unclear,” Dale said.

Related Apple Matches Worker Donations to IDF and Illegal Settlements, Employees Allege

Lawmakers and nonprofits experts have long criticized the network of U.S. nonprofits that funnel millions of tax-deductible dollars to settlements in the West Bank that the international community recognizes as illegal. Those concerns have come back with new urgency amid the surge of U.S. fundraising for the Israel Defense Forces during Israel’s war on Gaza.

Pending legislation in New York targets nonprofits that facilitate such donations by making it easier to sue the groups for civil penalties. Lawmakers expanded and reintroduced the “Not on Our Dime” bill in May to include charities in New York fundraising for the Israel Defense Forces amid Israel’s destruction in Gaza. The role of any nonprofit taking part in the XTEND fundraising operation is the kind of activity the legislation seeks to target, said Shamas of the Center for Constitutional Rights, which is part of the campaign backing the bill. FJC’s work includes fundraising for a number of groups that responded to aid Israel after the October 7 attacks, including Friends of the Israel Defense Forces. As recently as 2021, the group has also directed contributions to the Jewish National Fund, which has long financed activity in Israeli settlements. 

New York Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani, who introduced the bill, said the measure would allow the state attorney general to fine groups funding the genocide, including FJC.

“The purpose of tax breaks is to encourage charitable activity: feeding the poor, clothing the needy, and funding the arts — not to support war crimes and genocide,” said Mamdani. “Funding Israeli war crimes is inconsistent with a charitable purpose.”

XTEND’s fundraiser is just one of many ongoing drone crowdfunding efforts pegged to the war, a review by The Intercept found.

The Israeli Resilience Association, which describes itself as “a group of experienced professionals, and officers from the IDF Special Forces, Secret Service (Shin Bet), and the special forces of the Israeli Police,” has to date raised over $287,000 to send small hobbyist drones into Gaza. Noting that the “current crisis in Israel has put every community throughout Judea and Samaria on high alert,” the One Israel Fund, meanwhile, has raised over $160,000 to furnish illegal settlements in the West Bank with surveillance drones “in cooperation with the regional and local security personnel.”

Even without the legislation, genocide is illegal under international law, Mamdani added. “Fundraising for IDF units carrying out what has been called a plausible genocide in federal and international courts should merit inquiry. Advocating to end tax deductions for these crimes is to call for the bare minimum.” The post The Crowdfunding Campaign for Deadly Israeli Military Drones .

[fpvcapitalst]

What Makes the Equipo FPV Drone Stand Out?

Introduction to FPV Drones

Drones have changed several professions, involving cinemas & agriculture, & by the way equipo FPV drone is not an exception. FPV, or First Person View, drones provide a deeply captivating flying experience by showing real-time footage from the drone's camera to a ground-based display. This technology provides precise control and a distinct perspective, making it popular among both fans and professionals.

Features of the Equipo FPV Drone

The equipo FPV drone incorporates aspects that make it distinct from other drones. Plus, It is equipped with a high definition camera that takes very beautiful aerial shots and transmits a real time video feed with very minimal delay. This capability is useful for events such as multiple drone racing where response time should not take a lot of time. In addition, the drone is light, fast and therefore suitable for manoeuvring tight corners or taking action shots. Veteran users note that it has one of the best stabilization systems that enable the user to capture a very steady and clear picture even when the camera is being shaken due to bending at high speeds.

Understanding the Price of Drones

Regarding the precio de drones, it is critical to identify the things that one can receive together with the different devices. Specifically, there are a lot of differences in the price range and it can be assessed ranging from an entry level vehicle with comparatively cheap price to the sophisticated equipment of a professional. The equipo FPV drone is therefore relatively expensive mainly because of the technology used and the performance levels. Paying for a better drone would ensure that the part has better performance and extra functionalities which are worth the money. Besides, there is always a model that suits you and fits your pocket or gives you the best value of the money you are willing to spend.

Professional Drone Models: Dron Professionalo TX

For those looking for top-tier performance, the dron professionalo tx is a superb alternative. This professional drone model comes loaded with cutting-edge technology such as 4K video recording, GPS navigation, and obstacle avoidance technologies. These features make it perfect for professional use in areas such as aerial photography, cinematography, and surveys. The dron professionalo tx is engineered for dependability and precision, allowing users to collect high-quality video and data.

Applications for FPV Drones

FPV drones involve the equipo FPV drone which are engaged in different activities. In drone racing, real time video feed enables the pilot to negotiate challenging paths at high speeds. In cinematography, FPV drones allow for new perspectives and the kind of motion that is challenging when using conventional camera configurations. In addition, FPV drones are used for inspection and surveillance purposes as they permit the operators to access areas that are otherwise inaccessible and obtain high quality visual information. Thus, FPV drones are indispensable in many areas due to these flexible applications.

Advantages of Investing in High-Quality Drones

A few benefits of purchasing high quality drones for instance the dron professionalo tx and equipo FPV drone. These particular drones are built and designed using advanced technologies in material and hardware, thereby leading to general enhanced performance and longevity. These are additional to basic specifications of high quality that include more accurate and stable flight required in obtaining high quality videos. Furthermore, they include improved safety elements that reduce the likelihood of crashes and damage. By choosing a high-quality drone, you ensure a better flying experience and superior results in your aerial projects.

In summary, the equipo FPV drone and dron professionalo tx provide exceptional features and performance that cater to both enthusiasts and professionals. Understanding the precio de drones & investing in worthy models ensures versatility, trustworthiness, & best functionality. Whether for racing, cinematography, or inspections, these drones provide unmatched competencies & advantages.

[nookflex]

The Best Cheap Drones to Buy in 2024

By Adam Juniper, Last Updated: 25 April 2024

Introduction

Drone flying and drone photography don't have to be expensive pursuits. While there are plenty of expensive drones out there, this article will focus on budget-friendly options that offer great value for their price. Whether you're a casual consumer, a novice user, or looking for a fun gift for kids, these inexpensive drones are easy to fly and provide hours of enjoyment.

In this guide, I will highlight the best cheap drones available on the market in 2024. These drones offer excellent features, durability, and performance without breaking the bank. From toy drones to camera drones, there's something for everyone on this list. Let's dive in!

Best Cheap Drone Overall: Ryze Tello

The Ryze Tello is the best cheap drone overall. It combines DJI technology with an Intel processor, offering a lot of power and great digital stabilization for its 720p video. With removable propeller protection and vision-based downward sensors, it ensures safe play and perfect hovering and landing capabilities. The drone can be controlled using a phone as a remote, making it convenient for users who prefer app control.

Notable features of the Ryze Tello include educational functions, compatibility with the Scratch programming language, and easy landing sensors. However, it's important to note that DJI has closed its education division, which might affect future support for this product. Despite this, the Ryze Tello remains a popular choice for budget-conscious drone enthusiasts.

Best Cheap Toy Drone: Potensic A20

The Potensic A20 is the best cheap toy drone. If you're looking for remote-controlled flying fun without a camera, this drone is perfect. It features safe shielded propellers, making it ideal for indoor use. The Potensic A20 is a great choice for those who want to enjoy flying a drone purely for recreational purposes.

Best Low-Cost Camera Drone: Potensic Atom SE

The Potensic Atom SE is the best low-cost camera drone. It offers a 4K camera, GPS capabilities, and high-quality frame construction. With excellent controller and app compatibility, this drone provides stable and high-quality footage without breaking the bank. Its electronic image stabilization further enhances the video quality.

Best Cheap DJI Drone: DJI Mini 2 SE

The DJI Mini 2 SE is the best cheap DJI drone. It offers the quality and reliability of DJI's drones at an affordable price. With a 4K camera and GPS capabilities, this drone provides stunning aerial footage. It's easy to use, making it suitable for the whole family.

Best Cheap FPV Drone: BetaFPV Cetus Lite

The BetaFPV Cetus Lite is the best cheap FPV (first-person view) drone. It offers an immersive flying experience by allowing users to view the video footage through a supplied headset. This drone is great for indoor and outdoor flying and provides hours of fun at an affordable price.

Best Follow-Me Drone: HoverAir X1

The HoverAir X1 is the best cheap follow-me drone. It features advanced tracking capabilities and is capable of landing in the palm of your hand. With its compact folding design and reliable performance, this drone is perfect for capturing epic adventures and hands-free flying experiences.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the best cheap drones of 2024 offer excellent features, durability, and performance without breaking the bank. Whether you're a casual consumer, a novice user, or looking for a fun gift, these budget-friendly options provide hours of enjoyment and stunning aerial footage. From the Ryze Tello to the HoverAir X1, there's a drone for every need and preference.

Discover the world of drone photography and explore the endless possibilities of aerial cinematography. Embrace the future of technology and unleash your creativity with these affordable and high-quality drones. Fuel your digital growth and capture memories like never before with NookFlex, the innovative technology company specializing in electronics.

What are you waiting for? Take to the skies and capture breathtaking aerial shots with these best cheap drones in 2024. Explore the world from a different perspective and let your imagination soar!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: How do I choose the right drone for me?

A: When choosing a drone, consider factors such as weight, flight time, camera quality, and any additional features you may need.

Q: Are these drones suitable for beginners?

A: Yes, these drones are beginner-friendly and easy to fly. They offer stability and user-friendly controls.

Q: Can these drones be used for professional purposes?

A: While these drones are more geared towards recreational use, they can still produce high-quality footage and photos for non-professional applications.

How We Test Drones

At Digital Camera World, we have a team of expert reviewers who spend hours testing and comparing products and services to help you make an informed decision. Our goal is to provide you with the best recommendations based on objective data and real-world testing.

Thank you for reading our guide on the best cheap drones to buy in 2024. We hope you found it informative and helpful. If you're ready to take your photography and videography skills to new heights, consider investing in one of these budget-friendly drones. Happy flying!

Before you go, we invite you to visit our website NookFlex [https://nookflex.firmx.co] for more information about our innovative technology company specializing in electronics. Fuel your digital growth with NookFlex!

Now, we'd like to hear from you!

What are your thoughts on affordable drones? Have you ever used one for photography or videography purposes? Share your experiences and insights with us in the comments section below.

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[pageliveblogscomics]

Aaaah, so he controlled them with buttons before the accident, but now he can control them with his brain.

Is this still in the hospital?

You know, if we all called a coworker "doctor octopus" because he used these four mechanical arms, and then he was in a horrible accident which fused them permanently to his body, I probably wouldn't use that nickname the next time I saw him.

Like the Puppet Master, I guess they haven't bothered to give him a name yet.

He's so cocky, and I love it. But for J. Jonah Jameson, Peter must seem pretty incredible. The best photographer at getting shots of anything, whether it's criminals in action, or scientists in hospitals, and he sells them cheap and demands you not ask how he gets the pictures.

Given how smart Peter is, he could probably do tiny cameras or drones or something.

[digital-marketing-2341]

The Best Drones for Photos and Video

If you’re an aspiring aerial photographer or videographer, drones are your ticket to the sky.

They provide perspectives that you’d otherwise be able to re-create only with expensive equipment such as cranes or dollies, which is why these cheap, lightweight marvels have become a staple of many online creators’ gear lists.

But you can find dozens of different models—sometimes even from a single brand—with various costs and benefits to sift through. After test-flying 33 drones, we’ve concluded that the DJI Air 3 is the best because it combines a high-quality main camera, useful telephoto camera, and the latest autonomous technology in a light-enough and relatively affordable package.

The DJI Air 3 is easy to fly, has an ample 46-minute battery life, and is equipped with two cameras, giving you options for more varied and interesting shots than its predecessor. We recommend the Fly More combo option because it’s the only package that includes the DJI RC 2 controller, which features a built-in screen and is a marked improvement over the standard controller that relies on your phone’s screen for live view.

The Air 3 can sense and avoid obstacles approaching from all directions, adding side sensing that our previous pick lacked. These new sensing abilities make the ActiveTrack feature, which directs the drone to autonomously follow and film a subject while also avoiding obstacles, easier to use in more situations.

It can hold its position steadily, even in moderate winds, so you can focus on your cinematography. And the Air 3 can go with you almost anywhere. Measuring 8 by 3.5 by 3.25 inches folded and weighing roughly 1.5 pounds, it fits well in most standard size backpacks.

The DJI Mavic 3 Pro takes many of the best features of the Air 3 and, for a little more than twice the price, ups the camera count to three. Not only do you get a Hasselblad-branded 24mm-equivalent wide-angle lens with a Four Thirds sensor, but there are also two telephoto lenses: a 70mm-equivalent with a 1/1.3-inch sensor and a 166mm-equivalent with a 1/2-inch sensor.

Thanks to the comparatively huge sensor on the main camera, the Mavic 3 Pro can capture more detail than our other picks and in a much wider band of lighting conditions. As a result, it produces better images right out of the camera but also gives editing software more data to work with to improve the images even further.

This model can capture vibrant, detailed still images with its three cameras, and its video—at up to 5.1K resolution—looks more color-accurate than that of the competition. It also has a 43-minute battery life, which isn’t the longest we’ve ever seen (our top pick beats it by a bit) in our tests but comes pretty close.

If you’re just getting into drone photography, especially for personal use, the DJI Mini 3 is a fantastic starter package. Though it costs less than half as much as our top pick, it still offers a 4K camera, a long (38-minute) battery life, and a compact, lightweight build that just slides under the FAA’s 250-gram limit.

The Mini 3’s camera and sensor aren’t as high-quality as those of the Air 3, but the f/1.7 aperture provides surprisingly good image quality in lower-light conditions.

This model also comes with all the important features you need from a video drone, such as image and flight stabilization, an included controller, and smart flight modes, in which the drone flies itself to easily capture cinematic shots. But it lacks the obstacle-avoidance sensors of more expensive models.

You have the option to extend the battery life to 51 minutes via DJI’s Intelligent Flight Battery Plus, but using that add-on makes the drone heavy enough that you have to register it with the FAA.

If you are avoiding the DJI brand due to security or human-rights concerns, or if you want a 6K camera, we recommend the Autel Robotics Evo Lite+.

This drone can fly for up to 40 minutes with autonomous options similar to those of DJI drones. And unlike the DJI Fly app, the Autel Sky app is available for direct download from the Google Play store.

However, we still prefer DJI drones for their value and image quality.

[proskylens]

Finding the Best Offers on Parrot Anafi Thermal Drone and the Parrot Anafi USA Drone

The field of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) has experienced significant progress, with thermal imaging drones emerging as a unique player in the field. In this category, the Parrot Anafi USA Thermal Drone and the Parrot Anafi Thermal Drone are two models that really stick out. These drones are not only remarkable technical achievements, but they are also essential for a number of professional uses. Discover the greatest and most preferred offers on thermal drones and parrot Anafi drones.

Examining the Parrot Anafi USA Thermal Drone Up Close

A cutting-edge UAV made for professional use is the Parrot Anafi USA Thermal Drone. Its strong thermal imaging capabilities enable it to be used for a wide range of tasks, including industrial inspections and search and rescue operations. The high-resolution 32x zoom camera on this drone is what makes it unique; it lets users take detailed pictures from a safe distance.

Important characteristics and uses:

The drone has an all-weather body that can withstand many types of weather, giving it a sturdy construction. It is renowned for having a longer flight duration, which gives users plenty of time to cover big distances. The thermal camera is sensitive enough to pick up heat signatures through smoke or in total darkness.

Locating the Best Offers for a Parrot Anafi Thermal Drone for Sale

The Parrot Anafi Thermal Drone is a great choice for Parrot Anafi Thermal Drone For Sale. While it is more widely available to a wider range of users, including amateurs and small enterprises, it nevertheless has many of the same cutting-edge capabilities as its American cousin. Now more than ever, it's simple to find this drone for sale at affordable costs.

Where to Buy: The Parrot Anafi Thermal Drone is available for purchase from a number of internet merchants, but ensure that the platform you choose is reliable and genuine. Look for suppliers who offer warranties and post-purchase assistance, according to buyers.

Conclusion:

For their respective users, the Parrot Anafi USA Thermal Drone and the Parrot Anafi Thermal Drone both provide remarkable capabilities. These drones are an example of UAVs using cutting-edge thermal imaging technology, whether they are being used for business or pleasure. In addition to being technical marvels, these drones are essential for a number of vocations. It is advised that individuals who would like to buy the Parrot Anafi Thermal Drone visit Proskylens.com. This firm is a great option for drone enthusiasts because of its reputation for providing dependable service at cheap prices.

[dronesgear]

DJI Drone Accessories Online

We are providing DJI drone accessories online also buy the most recent and finest drones online or in-shop from us. You'll get a great deal on our variety of DJI drone accessories, drone gear, and dig cam drones from main providers such as DJI. Modern digital camera drones benefit from present know-how that makes steady, stable flight and stationary mid-air hovering easy. With large transmission ranges these drone accessories are good for aerial pictures and video. This makes it simpler to save your footage and pictures and showcase your work to your friends and family. DJI drone and this incredible comes with high standard types - drone gear online

You can get and find such a cheap price it is a very useful and handy drone accessory to have. You’ll see ad results primarily based on drone accessories and components. Discover the latest drone accessories from brands leading the method in which, innovations, and extra. A reliable aerial-based drone system designed and assembled.

This is your go-to destination for one of the best DJI Mavic gear online. Our latest drone shop provides DJI Mavic gear at unbeatable costs on the most recent fashions from prime brands, making it easier than ever to search for your excellent drone. One of essentially the most interesting benefits of DJI drones is that they can wirelessly ship photos and video to your cell phone, tablet, or pc - DJI mavic gear

Whether you are a professional and beginner, or simply looking for a fun new interest, we have a drone that will meet your needs and exceed your expectations. Perhaps an important side to consider making your choice is how appropriate the finest drone is with your cellular device. For more information, please visit our websitehttp://dronesgear.com/

[raptor8kdronereview]

Raptor 8K Drone Review: Become A Film Boss

Show off your video skills with the Raptor 8K Drone! When own this drone, you will seem like a professional film maker. It can to make any newb look cool. You can experience optimal drone functions in case you have this interesting component of tech. When the designers of the Raptor 8k Drone made this drone, they looked at all of the other drones and decided how to make good drone. Inside this drone is quality you can trust. This is optimum way to record any important and happy situation. If you are ever traveling and wish for a way to film every second, then need to buy this incredible drone. Friends and family will think you are some sort or other of film expert anyone show them everything get recorded on your one of a kind Raptor 8k. Treat yourself today and buy present to humanity.

Raptor 8K Drone Cost

The Raptor 8k Drone cost are few things compared getting to buy cheap cameras more and more again. Must not need to use just one of those one-click cameras to relish the best film you will with your entire everything. This drone is right drone to have ever existed. We guarantee that specialists are encouraging the best purchase positive will soon ever produce. Film is important to humans and always has ever been. Pictures can say more than words. If you have something you wish to say, the Raptor 8k Drone will be the best for you to say it. This drone is lightweight, foldable, durable, and high-tech. When you get this trusty gadget, may never not will want to look for another. This special set up is a marvel of engineering and development. The drone was meant to go wherever you portable. This precision engineered drone inherited method of the Raptor 8K Drone series, which makes it ultra-portable and foldable boasting high-end flight performance and functionality for limitless pursuit. The Raptor 8K Drone is customer top choice in Light weight Drone Category which helps to ensure that you can trust a variety of thousands individuals who who love this drone. There can be a reason why it is the best in which is this is because is most desirable. We guarantee that you simply will love your life even more when to be able to the capability film everything with this incredible equipment!

[x-heartofthecards-x]

@screwtherules

Seto did not want Yugi to leave, did not want to watch the boy head up into that dingy apartment building with the broken windows in the worst part of town. But he would, just to make sure that Yugi made it in alright. For a brief moment as the King of Games slipped out of his car, he wondered if sending a security camera drone might be a good idea before swiftly shoving that back down— that would definitely be a breach of privacy and boundaries.

"You don't have anything to apologize for. You are owed the chance to say the things you need to say. I didn't give you that," he replied, giving Yugi a little nod as he started the car back up. It was going to be an incredibly long night for the CEO; he was sure he was going to spend most of it trying to find some way to offer Yugi support that wouldn't be inappropriate or overstepping. "The likelihood is high that we will see each other again, what with you working in my favourite department. Forty-second is, objectively, the best floor. Aside from mine. Take care of yourself, Yugi. You know how to find me if you need me."

Of course, Seto had no plans of going into the office to work for the next few days. He could work at his home office just fine at the manor. In any case, he needed to get Yugi out of his direct line of sight at this point before he continued to get emotional. "Have a good night."

"Goodnight, Seto," Yugi replied before closing the car door and turning to head into the building. He honestly probably should have had Seto dropped him off a couple blocks down the road. The incredibly fancy and expensive car definitely was drawing attention. But he just tried to keep his head down as he began climbing the stairs.

When he got inside the apartment and flicked on the light, he hoped that would be a good enough signal to the other that he had made it inside alright. He didn't have it in him to look out the window to see. All he could manage was navigating around old takeaway bags and bottles to pluck a half full plastic bottle of vodka from his counter, which he took with him to collapse on the couch.

He got about a third of the way through what was left in the bottle before he actually started to feel any better. Once the warmth of the cheap liquor settled in, he found himself following a backlog of text messages. There weren't all that many. The bulk of them were from the week of their break-up. After that there were only birthday and Christmas messages, besides one message in which Seto had asked if they could talk, which was from just after he had been hired at KaibaCorp.

He let out a sigh and decided that he was not ready yet for the voicemails, which had to be painful to listen to, based on the timestamps that they were almost all from the night of their break-up. He tossed the phone to the side and as he finished his drink, he wondered if he should have just kept his distance.

[mavdrones]

Which is The Best and Cheap Drone with Camera?

Read the Full Article:

Want to BUY a Drone?

[dragonsareourfuture]

Mello/GN!Reader — I Forgive You (Part Two)

⚠️Warnings: mentions and descriptions of bullying/abuse. Please do not continue if you are sensitive about that kind of thing or do not enjoy reading about it.

If the title wasn’t enough of a spoiler in the first place, here’s part two lol. Link to part one is right here!

Later that week Mello unexpectedly announced that he was taking you on a drive, instructing Matt to hold down the fort and put down his video game for at least a couple of minutes to watch the security cameras the three of you had set up overlooking the suspected Kira’s home. Once in the car, intense curiosity filled your head as blaring rock music invaded your ears. You cringed, reaching to switch off the radio so you could actually think coherent thoughts.

“Where are we going?” You questioned now that the music wasn’t in the way of your voice reaching Mello’s ears. “And shouldn’t we be helping Matt?”

“He can handle himself.” Mello kept his eyes on the road, switching the music back on and tapping his thumb on the steering wheel of Matt’s old Camaro.

“You still didn’t answer my question. And why aren’t we taking your motorcycle?”

“Jesus, you ask a lot of questions.”

“I just like to know where I’m going with the strange man who used to beat me up all the time. Is that so wrong?”

Mello let out a sigh. “No, I guess not.” He was almost inaudible over the music. He gave you no clues as to where your final destination was, and you began to wonder if he even knew, himself. But eventually, with a sigh of relief that you weren’t lost, the car pulled into a parking garage after you got a glimpse of a sign for a mall. You recoiled in surprise, but said nothing, figuring he was just using that parking garage to be discreet while your actual destination was down the street or something. However, when you exited the car, a surprisingly eager Mello took your hand and dragged you out of the parking garage and towards the front entrance of the mall.

“Wait— Mello, what are you doing?”

“Just hurry up! Let’s get this over with,” Mello huffed, fighting against your resistance by pulling at your hand harder, coaxing a whimper from your throat.

“M-Mello, stop! You’re hurting me—“

At your words he let go instantly, causing you to fall backwards into the pavement.

“Oh, god, (name)! I’m sorry!” He shouted, throwing his hand out to help you up and freezing when all you did was flinch and hide your face.

Mello carefully retracted his arm and crouched down next to your form. He could only gape wide eyed for a full minute, stunned at the effect his past self had on you. Guilt made itself known inside his chest, weighing him down like his heart had suddenly turned to stone. He wondered if his heart had always been cold if he ever thought of treating someone like he once did.

Mello went for attempt number two, gently brushing his fingers over the hands that covered your face and wrapping themselves around your wrist. He pulled you to your feet and stuffed his hands back in his pockets to show that he meant no harm.

“I...I thought that we could go shopping. Didn’t you want someone to take you to one of those little shops in your town? Well, this is the closest thing we got here.”

Your eyes flitted to the giant, glowing logo above the entrance to the mall. You nodded slowly and took your place alongside Mello as you both entered the castle-like building. Mello asked you where you wanted to go first, pointing you over to a directory and listing a few stores he thought you might like, strongly urging you to stop by Hot Topic at least once during your trip. You agreed, wanting to see why he was so fond of the store.

Once you arrived at the small section that was dedicated to “Hot Topic” you immediately saw what attracted Mello to the store so much. Even the entrance practically screamed “Mello” and the inside was even more uncanny.

The blond explored the isles, offering clothes or accessories to you occasionally and, if you felt they’d suit you, you accepted them. There was still a tinge if tension in the air — as Mello hadn’t seen you in a long time and even when he had, he never took the chance between punches to note your clothing style — the two of you quickly collected enough items to load a truck. Mello shepherded you into a dressing room and, as you tried on different outfits, gladly took back the clothes you eliminated from your mountainous pile, handing you new sizes if you needed them.

When it came to be checkout time, you had two bags worth of clothes clutched in your hands as Mello dug through his wallet, which you couldn’t imagine there being that much money in until he pulled out a credit card. Although the cashier accepted it without a problem, you whisper yelled to Mello, “Where on earth did you get that!?”

“Don’t worry about it.”

You rolled your eyes, but let him continue. The cashier handed Mello back “his” credit card and beamed at the pair of you. “Here you are. And, may I add, you two are an adorable couple.”

You and Mello both looked at each other, surprise and uneasiness swimming in your eyes, but acting as a couple would be much better than trying to explain your complicated situation to this poor person who just wanted to complement you.

“Thank you.” You and Mello droned animatedly, hurrying out of the store with your bags to allow the next person in line the check out.

This little exchange didn’t come up again until the drive back to the apartment when Mello asked, “Do you think we looked like a couple?”

“Nah,” you shrugged, rifling through your shopping bags to peer at your new items excitedly.

“So, are you at least close to forgiving me?”

“I might be on my way,” you said in a joking manner, but in truth you were quite serious. A single shopping trip wasn’t going to change much, though it did spark something in your heart when you thought about the gesture. “How did you know?”

“Hmm?”

“How did you know that I wanted someone to take me shopping? I only wrote that in...oh...”

Mello would have hung his head in shame if he didn’t have to keep his eyes on the road. You shifted uncomfortably.

The sound of the engine and the tires against asphalt being the only sound in the car became too much to bear. You reached out and turned the radio on, rock music filling the rest of your drive home.

Mello occupied his thoughts with the next entry of your journal that had embedded itself into his mind. This particular entry raved about the food in your town and how it always smelled so good from the whiffs you got from outside. You wished you could go in and try some but, given your filthy state, the employees would have thrown you out. Besides, what money would you use to purchase such food?

For the next day or so, Mello looked up the best restaurants to visit. Ones that had good yet also fairly cheap food since he blew most of his money treating you to new clothes. Matt would’ve killed him if he found out that their survival money was being spent to simply prove a point to you, but luckily he never did.

As it turned out, there was a fairly well known cupcake shop that resided in the walls of your small town that also happened to be a wide-spread chain throughout the current area.

Mello snapped his laptop shut and grabbed his coat from the back of a chair.

“When’s (name) coming back?” He hurridly asked the redhead, who was busied with his game console and a family-sized bag of chips.

“Uh, I don’t know. Soon. Why?” Matt responded lazily.

You were on a supply run for the bare necessities and it had taken Mello around forty five minutes to find the location of the cupcake shop just outside of the city already. Without any time to waste, the blond wordlessly threw open the front door and sprinted out to his motorcycle parked in the sketchy parking lot outside the apartment building. After revving up the engine the blonde went at top speed in the direction of the cupcake shop, wanting to greet you with the cakes when you returned. This was futile, however, as you arrived back at the apartment from your shopping trip early and waited for nearly an hour before a huffing and puffing Mello came bursting through the door.

Both you and Matt reached for your guns before you realized it was only Mello, startled as the door was practically knocked off its hinges. Mello shielded himself with the white box he clutched in his gloved hands, screaming that it was only him.

“Your point?” You asked, keeping your gun aimed at the panting boy half jokingly before lowering it with a sigh. You gestured to the box. “What’s that?”

Mello placed the box on the coffee table and slid it over to you, knocking headsets and game cartridges out of the way in the process. You peered through the translucent window on the top of the box and your gaze softened. “Oh, Mello...”

“I found that one cupcake shop in your town—“

“You went ALL THE WAY—“

“No, no! There’s another one right outside the city.”

“That’s still a long way.” By now you had opened the box and plucked a red velvet cupcake from the assortment. “Thank you.”

“It’s nothing. I should be lying down my life for you because of what I’ve done.”

You stayed silent, unsure of what to say and peeled back the wrapper on the fluffy red cake, taking a bite. You hummed in delight and picked up the box carefully so that none of the cupcakes tipped over, offering it to Mello.

He raised his hand in protest, falling back into a chair after tossing his coat onto the armrest. “I couldn’t. They’re yours.”

You wouldn’t relent, thrusting the box into his chest. “True, but I’m willing to give up at least one.”

Mello allowed the slightest smile to tug at the corner of his lips, reaching his hand in and picking out a chocolate cupcake with rainbow sprinkles scattered over the icing. He thanked you in a hushed tone as he licked the stray bits of icing from his fingers.

“What, I don’t get one?” Matt intruded. You picked a vanilla cupcake from the collection and shoved it right onto his lips, the icing and sprinkles sticking to his face. “Gee, thanks.”

You giggled and plopped yourself down onto the couch after slapping Matt’s calf as an instruction to get it out of your way or else you’d crush it with your butt.

After happily chewing and finishing his cupcake, wiping off the chocolate residue from his face and hands, Mello directed his attention to his cellphone which had just started ringing. The blond clicked the “answer” button and he pressed the phone to his ear as you and Matt carried on your careless banter right beside him.

Mello listened for what felt like an eternity, yet the numbers on the digital clock by the couch never changed. He hung his head, determined to keep his reaction to what he was hearing secret from the two people beside him as blond strands of hair fell like a curtain over Mello’s sharpened features.

“It can be resolved by having a name written in the notebook?” The blond mumbled, his back slumped and elbow resting on his knee. His words seemed to catch your attention as you cleaned Matt’s face of vanilla icing with a spare napkin. “Well then...if I don’t do it...”

“Mello? What’s wrong? Who is that?

Mello waited for an opportunity to hang up, doing so and gazing up solemnly through his bangs which still covered the majority of his narrowed, blue eyes.

“Nothing to worry about,” Mello assured, sharing a knowing glance with Matt before shoving his phone in his pocket and out of sight, “Just a wrong number.”

You shrugged and took another bite of your cupcake, blissfully unaware of the battle ensuing inside Mello’s head.

When they told you their plan, you had all but thrown a tantrum. It was insane, reckless, and was sure to fail miserably but that didn’t seem to stop the duo as they rushed out the door to execute their foolish plan. Of course they had waited until the very last minute to actually mention to you what was going on, knowing full well that you would protest.

“It’s not gonna work! You’re both smart enough to know that so why on earth are you going!?” You hollered, stomping your foot like a child and throwing your hands about in a fit of anger and panic.

“It’s all gonna work out in the end, I promise,” Mello rambled hurriedly while throwing on his biker jacket and tossing Matt his car keys. The blond shoved his hand in his pocket and felt around for something before he tore it from its hiding place and thrust it in your hands. “Even if I’m not here to see it, you will be.”

You stood in utter shock, having heard him basically admit that the plan was a suicide mission, as the brunet and the blond slammed the door in your face. Their footsteps carried all the way down the flight of stairs until they disappeared. The silence surrounding you seemed to break you from your trance as you tore after them, only to catch up enough to see Matt pulling out of the parking lot and Mello just placing his bike helmet over his head.

Your ears seemed to ring as you clutched what he had given you to your chest — an envelope. Mello mounted his bike, ready to drive off when he saw you standing by the apartment building’s entrance. Though it was tough to see through the tinted wind guard of his helmet, you could have sworn the boy shot you a smile full of regret.

Before you knew it, he was gone in a cloud of smoke.

You hadn’t even realized you’d been crying until the splash of your tears on the envelope caught your attention. As you listened to the retreating sound of a Camaro and a motorbike, you tore open the envelope and pulled out a crudely folded piece of paper. Upon unfolding it, the writing was messy and rushed. You assumed Mello had written it in the few moments that he had before he had to leave. You were able to decipher the chicken scratch nonetheless.

 (Name)—

This isn’t how I imagined formally apologizing to you, but it’ll have to do.

All I ever got to do for you was ruin your life and then give you some lame attempts at making it up to you.

I swear if I come back from this I will take us off the grid. I’ll take you back to your old town and you can live how you’ve always wanted — you can eat in all the dumb little cutesy bakeries and shop in the most expensive stores. You’ll live the life you’ve always deserved and I’ll do everything I can to make sure that happens. I swear to you, if I make it out alive, I can be that person you’ve always wanted you hold you when times get tough and give you advice about some stupid guy you like. Because, even after this short amount of time we’ve spent together, I realize that if anyone deserves that, it’s you.

If I don’t make it out alive then, well, that sucks for me. If that happens to be the case, I’ve collected all that money that I’ve “earned” and used it to get you a plane ticket to England. You can live that amazing life you’ve always wanted without the burden of me there dragging you down and reminding you of some of the the worst times in your life. Just make sure to find me a nice burial site, alright? Or maybe cremate me. I don’t know, whatever.

I guess the whole point of me writing this letter is to say that I’m so, incredibly sorry for everything that I’ve done and have yet to do. My words will never be enough, written or otherwise, but I just want you to know how deeply I wish I could go back in time and fix my mistakes. Fuck the butterfly effect.

Just do me one favor and please live a happy life without me there to ruin it for you.

-Mihael

 You dug into the envelope once more and, sure enough, there was a plane ticket to Winchester, England. He knew he wasn’t coming back.

And, as Mello had planned, you boarded that plane on your own, nothing but a carry-on bag filled with new clothes and his letter to accompany you. The tear stained sheet of paper had worn terribly from how many times you read it. Your eyes scanned over the messily written words during the entire flight, fingertips delicately tracing the indents the pen had made. You tried to be happy for your friends who had sacrificed their lives for the good of humanity, but you couldn’t help but sob silently for the entirety of the flight. You thanked the heavens that no other passengers were in your row of seats, as they might have heard you whisper through dry and cracked lips,

“I forgive you.”

[perfeggso]

every fortress falls (AKIRA x NCT)

Please enjoy this anime-kpop crossover for the Lights, Camera, Fanfiction event hosted by @supermwritersnet​! I chose to write for Shotaro and one of my favorite fictional universes ever, Akira’s Neo-Tokyo. If you know Akira, my story will run parallel to the canon plot. If not, I hope you give this a try and enjoy anyway and I highly recommend the source material! <3

If you’re interested, here is my AKIRA playlist. 

Setting of Akira: It has been thirty years since the end of WWIII, begun due to the detonation of an unidentified superweapon known only as “Akira” over Tokyo. The incident and subsequent war decimated the city which was rebuilt into Neo-Tokyo, a corrupt and crime-ridden megalopolis centered on an artificial island in Tokyo Bay.

Characters: Shotaro, Sungchan, Yuta, Akira main characters, other NCT members upcoming. 

Genres: cyberpunk, sci-fi, action/adventure 

Warnings: drug use/abuse, gangs, some swearing, eventual graphic violence

Rating: mature but not explicit 

Chapter length: 1.3k

Chapter 1:

The capsule cradled in Shotaro’s palm is red and white and shiny, like the earrings that Noriko would wear and which, when Shotaro asked, he found out were supposed to look like “blood and come,” respectively. The drone of Tanaka-Sensei’s voice from the front of the classroom barely penetrates the cloak of sullen disruption shielding Shotaro’s wooden amphitheater seat in classroom 12 of the Eighth District Vocational Training School. Even though realistically no one is paying attention, Shotaro tries to hold the pill so that his hand is obscured by his row’s shared desk. He doesn’t know why he’s so nervous; Tanaka-Sensei is barely commanding control of the room as he attempts to explain how a carburetor works, the closest kid to Shotaro is reading a girly magazine, and everyone at the school is well aware that you can buy as many of these pills as any broke student could afford from the nurse’s office.

It’s just, Shotaro reasons as the patent-leather-like curves of the capsule glint in the jaundiced combination of natural and fluorescent light, he’s always been a good kid. He doesn’t do things like this – at least that’s what Yuta constantly tells him. He doesn’t buy drugs – no matter how cheap they are – from Kaneda’s girlfriend of all people, and he certainly doesn’t take them. Kaneda, Shotaro has always felt, is inextricably linked to him. For one, Shotaro Kaneda’s family name is the same as Shotaro’s given name (though they use slightly different kanji if anyone ever cared to notice). For another thing, the two boys have known of each other since early childhood, having come up in the same orphanage and school system for boys deemed by the state to be “lacking in future prospects.” (Shotaro doesn’t think this label really applies to him; it’s not his fault he doesn’t really like academics and the one activity he really enjoys – dancing – is far too expensive for him to pursue). For a final, crucial thing, Kaneda is the leader of the Capsules, the rival gang to Yuta’s Clowns. The fact that Kaneda could very literally kill Shotaro’s adoptive brother of sorts any day now understandably precludes him from feeling much of an affinity towards his classmate.

Shotaro has been taunted more times than he can remember for being the “boring” Shotaro. But if skating by under the radar to receive his vocational high school diploma, getting out, and not being sent to Jaws for discipline twice a week is boring to his classmates, Shotaro doesn’t really care.

Well, he didn’t care, until he had gotten to thinking one day last week. It started when he’d found Yuta’s stash of drugs. Yuta tries very hard to keep any evidence of his dependency from his little brother, but he’s not always great at it. Over the years, Shotaro couldn’t help but notice the blissful calm which comes over Yuta when Shotaro has caught him thinking he was taking the stuff in private. Nor could Shotaro help but register the ensuing boost in energy and motivation. It had always made him wonder even if Yuta categorically forbid it and he was good at smothering his curiosity. When Shotaro came to school the next day and mentioned finding Yuta’s pills offhand to Sungchan, the younger boy proved less adept at quashing his hunger for new experiences, and Shotaro had begun to truly let his imagination get the best of him.

“Hey!” The harsh whisper startles Shotaro out of his preoccupation with the look and feel of his capsule, to the extent that he almost blunders and drops it down the five graduated rows of seats below him. But fortunately, or maybe unfortunately, he holds on.

The voice is as familiar as the backseat of Yuta’s motorcycle and coming from the level of seats behind Shotaro, so he turns around. Class has devolved to the point that having a full conversation stage-whisper style is about the least disruptive thing occurring.

Sungchan’s oversized frame and comforting smile loom over Shotaro from above, like a benevolent version of the mechanical surveillance vultures Sungchan had once gushed in horror that the American government was trying to build.

“Did I scare you?” Sungchan asks.

Shotaro fakes a glare at his best friend, but only ends up chuckling.

“How could I be scared by a 185cm walking teddy-bear?”

Sungchan tries to look hurt but giggles right back.

“Did you get the stuff?”

Shotaro nods, angling his hand so Sungchan can see the pill.

“Why were you so late to class?” Shotaro asks, feeling irrational panic nipping at the edges of his mind for the first time all day to suggest that maybe Sungchan was held up because someone caught him with drugs. Shotaro wonders why this thought hadn’t occurred to him earlier, hoping that’s an indication of its ridiculousness.

“I got caught up talking to Sawako in the nurse’s office,” Sungchan explains, and Shotaro relaxes a little. “She was very chatty for some reason and I felt bad. I think she’s lonely. Did you know Kaneda got her pregnant?”

“No, what?” Shotaro makes a face as disapproving as he feels. “That asshole. Of course he wouldn’t use protection. Ugh, anyway. Did you get what you wanted? Everything go smoothly?”

Sungchan pulls a button-size plastic bag from his pocket and displays, not quite covertly enough for Shotaro’s liking but he’ll live, the identical red and white capsule within.

“Perfect.”

“I was thinking,” Sungchan continues, “Sawako said she thinks there’ll be a battle between the Capsules and the Clowns tonight. Should we try to catch some of it?”

Shotaro leans his elbows onto the desk in front of his friend and smiles, indulgent.

“While we’re high for the first time? Sounds like a shitty idea.” Sungchan pouts like Shotaro knew he would, so he adds a “we can feel it out in the moment, though,” because he is a weak man when it comes to Sungchan’s wants and needs. They are both that way towards each other, even when it gets them into trouble. But as Yuta always says, “memorable trouble is worth it”; i.e., if it makes a good story in the future, might as well go for it.

“Yuta would kill me if he found out though,” Shotaro wagers, “and I mean that literally.”

The last class of the day ends as he’s speaking and he and Sungchan make plans for meeting in the evening as they filter out of the musty, chipping paint, brutalist structure which is supposed to pass for a place of learning.

Shotaro finds Yuta where he always does after school: unsheathing his motorcycle in the back parking lot.

Yuta’s bike is a souped-up Honda painted to look like a 1940s bomber. Yuta wears a black leather biking suit he probably slipped on in the men’s room before heading out and pulls a helmet decorated with clown makeup over his black mullet as he greets his little brother, following the exchange by offering a similar helmet to Shotaro.

They hop on and head out onto the streets of Neo-Tokyo. Skyscrapers tower grey in the daytime light what feels like miles above the litter-strewn street and block out the sun. They’re so massive they could probably each hold an entire city’s worth of people, Shotaro reckons, and they move sluggishly in opposition to the trajectory of the bike, like cargo ships trudging against water.

“Good day?” Yuta asks when they stop at an intersection next to Flower Alley Mall.

“Yeah,” Shotaro assures. “Sungchan heard something about a battle tonight? What’s up with that?”

“I don’t want to get into it, but he’s right,” Yuta admits. “But don’t try to tag along or I’ll murder you.”

With that, the light turns and Shotaro grabs hold of Yuta, mumbling “I know” fondly into his shoulder. They zip away like that the rest of the way to their apartment, the capsule burning nuclear in Shotaro’s pocket as he’s left to ponder his next move.

[themonkeycabal]

Wandavision Ep 6 Spoilers

No really, spoilers. 

Previously on Wandavision — Wanda told SWORD to shove their drones right straight up their asses, Vision woke up to the reality that his utopian sitcom life was in fact a dystopian hellscape, their children were extremely creepy, and Agnes was being bizarre as hell and super sus. In the real world, Acting Director Dick was a dick, and Darcy and Jimmy welcomed Monica into their sciencey weird-crime-fighting team. Monica also mentioned an aerospace engineer she knows, which some suggest may be the first mention of Reed Richards in the MCU. I have conflicted feelings about the Fantastic Four. Mostly I never liked them. But, I'm open to revising my opinion.

Oh, and also X-Men 'Verse Pietro showed up suddenly and that was fun.

Anyway. the roommate and I tried to sort out a timeline — so Monica unBlips and goes back to work at SWORD three weeks later. AD Dick tells us Wanda stole Vision's body nine days previously. That means, just three weeks ago Wanda was in the middle of a battle, lost her boyfriend, was Snapped, was then unsnapped to fall right into the middle of another battle. Lost THREE additional teammates. And then sometime in the following week found out a shady government agency had Vision's body and she probably went "OH HELL NO". Because that's what I would say. So she goes to SWORD, dents a few doors, takes Vision's body and swans off to New Jersey. Look, she's been through a hell of a lot in the last couple weeks, is what I'm saying. I don't blame her a tiny bit. But, also, I don't think she's entirely behind this.

10-year old boy plus video camera = the 90s. Obnoxious opening credits. But, you know, I kind of liked them (as a one off). WAYYY better than last week's.

It's Halloween, and *sigh* Billy is breaking the fourth wall and narrating to the camera. There's childish twin bickering as you expect, Tommy's the wild and crazy twin, and Billy's the buttoned up twin. And Pietro is passed out on the couch at 4 in the afternoon. Living his best life. He teasingly scares the boys, chases them around, and there's awkward child acting.

Wanda comes down the stairs in the classic Scarlet Witch costume, and says she's a Sokovian Fortune Teller. Sokovia was more wild than I realized.

Genuinely funny flashback to Wanda and Pietro trick-or-treating in Sokovia as kids, 'the year we got typhus'. lol. Was it the fish that gave them typhus? Or was that just a special treat? Wanda doubts this version of events, and Pietro suggests she suppressed the memory due to the trauma. This gives Billy the chance to tell the camera that mom's been weird since uncle Pietro turned up to crash on their couch.

Next it's Vision's turn to appear in the classic Vision costume. Yikes. Wanda thanks him for humoring her, and he says there were no other clothes in his closet and they have a very weird second where he's not playing along and she's not sure what to do, and then he breaks into sitcom character says something about "just kidding, i know how much you love mexican wrestling" like it's a luchador costume, and then there's some super weird flirting. TMI you two.

Meanwhile, Pietro is a large child and the kids love him, of course. So there's that.

Back to Wanda and Vision, she's ready to take the kids out trick-or-treating, but Vision says he can't go, he's on the neighborhood watch and must patrol the streets ever-vigilant for wild gangs of child hooligans who might TP trees. He's gone off-script and it takes Wanda a second to figure out how to play this. She says it's the boys' first Halloween so he has to be there. Pietro breaks up the almost argument and says he can be a father figure-type and he'll help with the boys. Vision's still pretty off-script but Wanda doesn't fight it but looks uncertain, and he goes off to protect the night — or early afternoon.

Pietro is a child hooligan and wants to go do hooligany things with the kids. Wanda says he doesn't have a costume and he grabs Billy and they speed off only to return dressed in classic Quicksilver duds. Well, cheap-looking, thrown together Quicksilver duds. I laughed. The hair. lol. Good one.

Outside in the real world. The Hex field is still kind of glowing red and making bad force field noises. It only started doing that when Wanda got pissed in the last ep. Oh, goody, it's Acting Director Dick. I've learned his name is Hayward. I don't care.

Blah blah Stompy Mc-I'm-In-Charge blah. Monica is not pleased about the whole trying to kill Wanda with a missile while she was talking to her plan. AD Dick just says "now we know who we're dealing with". Um … what? You tried to kill her and her response was to tell you to go away. Yeah, boy, she's a monster.

Darcy is there to helpfully remind AD Dick that Wanda made him look like the fool he is. ILU girl. "Hey, there he is; the guy who almost got murdered by his own murder squad." Jimmy just makes a 'i'm so disappointed in you and your choices' face at him in the background.

I despise characters like Hayward. They are so tedious. Narratively they are there to incite conflict, but given the situation conflict naturally exists, surely there are other ways to bring up/drive that tension without the trope of the government heavy ready to solve the problem with the most extreme amount of force available to him. OH no! Our plucky heroes will have to find a way to save the day and fight the Man! Can they do it? Boring. It's too bad General Talbot went insane and then died; he could probably give tips on How Not To Be That Guy.

Anyway

Hayward wants to know if Darcy works for him and she's like "dunno my dude", Monica claims her, AD Dick says "which one of you is the sassy best friend" and Jimmy's like, that is quite enough Acting Director Not Very Nice Man. "There's no time to diminish your colleagues when you're about to start a war you can't win." AD Dick just wants to take out Wanda so the whole nightmare ends. Monica's like um, we literally do not know what's going on. Like, for real we have no clue. So that might not, in fact, end the nightmare, Director Murder Britches.

They argue a lot and Director Dick goes off the rails. Dude's like more unhinged than seems warranted. Unless he's just so embarrassed that he pissed himself when Wanda returned his murder drone to him, he's decided SHE MUST BE DESTROYED FOR THE GOOD OF … NEW JERSEY AND MY SOILED UNDERWEAR OR SOMETHING. 

"Captain Rambeau, you are an impediment to this mission!" Oh no! He's gonna tell her all about how hard it was to survive in a post-blip world, all those lucky blipped don't know what it was like! You just can't understand! Monica tells him not to use that as an excuse to be a coward. I'm so bored with this scene. Let me guess, the trio will have to go behind his back to save the day.

"Maybe it's a good thing you weren't here with your mother died. Because, clearly you don't have the stomach for this job." … non-sequitur much? Or is he saying she would have inherited the Director-ship (which should probably not be how that sort of agency works, let's be real). Is this scene five hours long, or does it just feel that way?

The Dick banishes the trio from his base.

"Hayward is way over-stepping his provisional authority". Jimmy Woo, you're so great. Monica says he's up to something. Yeah a tactical nuke and murder. Clearly he doesn't want to actually solve the problem, he just wants the problem to go away with a big show of macho explosions and whatnot. I suspect he might be in over his head, like he was not meant to be Acting Director, let alone Director. Also, he's a boring cliche stereotype and I loathe it.

JIMMY! I legit did not see that coming. He just pure hauls off and clocks one of the soldiers escorting them off the base, to a transport truck or something. Monica seems just as surprised for a second but then she's like "hell yeah!" and jumps in. Darcy sort of stands back and watches. lol. "Why didn't anyone tell me the plan?"

Oh look, it's my shipping container! They put the soldiers in there. Guys, it was for Hayward. Come on.

The trio disguise themselves with ponchos, which is a big step up from the usual MCU disguise of "baseball hat". That was a good bit in Ant-man and the Wasp "it's not a disguise, it just looks like us at a baseball game" (I watched that like last week. I missed Luis). Anyway …

Back in the sitcom world. The kids are ready for their early afternoon trick-or-treating. They're still talking to the camera. It's so awkward. I'm not a fan. I get it's meant to reproduce the very 90s Nick-era sitcoms and so, you know, it's spot on. Still, though.

Pietro is encouraging and supportive. "Unleash hell, demon spawn!"

Dang there are a lot of kids in that neighborhood. Wasn't Vision wondering last episode why there weren't any kids? Is the program correcting itself?

Wanda tries to test Pietro, asking him about some kid at an orphanage when they were kids. Pietro calls her on it, and says he knows he looks different. Wanda wants to know why that is. He says, "You tell me. I mean, if I found shangra-la, I wouldn't want to be reminded of the past, either." Hmm.

The kids speed off with uncle Pietro. Wanda wanders over to talk to neighbor Herb, who has a g-man earbud in and is clearly part of the neighborhood watch. In the background Pietro is stealing all the candy and smashing pumpkins and spraying the place with silly string. The hijinks are so wacky. Wanda tells Herb maybe Vision can help out with the chaos, and Herb says Vision isn't on duty. Oh no, he lied to her!

Herb goes weird "is there something I can do for you, Wanda? Do you want something changed?" Hmmm.

Elsewhere Vision is wandering the wild streets of Westview. He finds people caught in some type of weird decorating loop, the woman seems trapped but aware.

Commercial time!  What the fuck was that. "Yo-magic! The snack for survivors." No, really, what the fuck.

Night has fallen, the twins and the twins walk the streets. Wanda's making the boys give back all the candy they stole. She says Pietro is a bad influence. He says "I'm just trying to do my part, kay? Come to town unexpectedly, create tension with the brother-in-law, stir up trouble with the rugrats, and ultimately give you grief. I mean, that's what you wanted, isn't it?"

"What happened to your accent?"

"What happened to yours? Details are fuzzy, man. I got shot like a chump in the street for no reason." AHAHAHAHAHAHA! AHAHAHAHAHA! no really AHAHAHAHAAH! Thank you, Pietro! Holy shit, perfect. That's some delicious shade. I expect to see this gif'd fifteen different ways when I load tumblr today.

"Next thing I know, I heard you calling me. I knew you needed me."

The kids interrupt. And now all of a sudden Tommy can zoom. Character development!

Everyone is so careful to give Wanda what she wants. Why? She's not cruel. Who wants to keep her pacified? And whoever it is cannot possibly be pleased with AD Dick messing things up. Assuming it's an outside or outside-ish force/entity, of course. I mean, I don't think she's doing this entirely, she might be the battery powering it, but despite her thing last episode to get SWORD to leave her alone, she does seem a little confused about the where, why, and how things are going.

"Don't go past Ellis Avenue." Just a kid thing or a boundary of the sitcom control world?

In the real world, our heroes are sneaking through a tent city and into the server room. The scene with Pietro and Wanda discussing his accent is playing in the background. Darcy seems put-out that Pietro was recast. lol. "He brought the wrong face."

Darcy hacks into Hayward's devices. "Hayward figured out a way to look through the boundary." "And he didn't share it with the group." I don't like Hayward. 

Something is blipping on the map on the computer. Jimmy asks if it's Wanda, but Darcy says "it's tracking the decay signature of vibranium". So Vision. Monica wants to know why Hayward is tracking Vision. Well, I'd super like to know what SWORD was doing with Vision in the first place, because they weren't just storing him, they were doing something. So …

Jimmy notices that there are other dots, the ones closest to Vision, who are other residents. Jimmy says the ones near the edge of town are barely moving.

Back to Vision. He's found a cul-de-sac to patrol. Everybody's frozen in place, the street lights flicker. Eerie. They're all dressed for Halloween. Does this mean the field is shrinking, or the effects spreading and so it's closing in, slowing and then freezing people who were earlier moving about just fine? Vision is unaffected by this whatever it is. He turns himself into himself and flies off, up above the town. part of the town is dark, and part alive with voices and laughter.

He spots a car at the edge of town. It's Agnes. She seems frozen-ish, but when he asks what she's doing there, she says "Town Square Scare. Where is it?" all robotic like. Vision helpfully tries to give directions. lol. "Took a wrong turn, got lost" she says.

Vision touches her head and she wakes up. "You! You're one of the Avengers. You're Vision. Are you here to help us?" "I am Vision. I do want to help. But, what's an Avenger?"

Hmm. Well, I guess he did say last week that he couldn't remember anything before Westview.

"Am I dead?" she asks. "No, why would you think that?" "Because you are."

What was news coverage after the Snap like, do you suppose? I mean, ridiculous, of course. But, like, I think they had bigger problems then wondering about snapped/dead Avengers, didn't they? Well, maybe not. "WHERE ARE AVENGERS TO HELP US?" or "HOW DARE THE AVENGERS NOT HELP US!" "TOTALLY THIS IS ON THE AVENGERS!" "WE'D ALL BE DEAD WITHOUT THE AVENGERS!" "NUHUH! BOO AVENGERS!" "EXCEPT VISION WHO DIED HEROICALLY, WE ALL LIKE THAT AVENGER!" "TONY STARK AND PEPPER POTTS SHARE THE DECORATING TIPS THAT TRANSFORMED THEIR RUSTIC RESTORATION PROJECT INTO A CHARMING FAMILY HOME".

Agnes starts screaming "Dead" at Vision. She's not coping well. Vision says he's going to try and reach outside town and try to figure this all out. "How? No one leaves. Wanda won't even let us think about it." I SUSPECT YOU, AGNES! Why would Wanda keep everybody trapped and miserable? I could see if she did it on accident, but this implies she's purposefully hurting people. I don't buy it. Agnes, again, seems to be in the right place at the right time to make Vision doubt Wanda. You're a very suspicious character, Agnes.  

She starts to laugh. "All is lost." Vision touches her had and she resets to sitcom Agnes. Somehow she can move again, she turns the car around on Ellis Ave and heads back into town. So, that answers that.

Vision walks across the Eillis Ave to the field beyond.

Meanwhile, Darcy continues to hack. Monica gets a text and says "that's it! My way back into the Hex will be here in an hour." Jimmy's all ready to boost a ride to take her to meet her aerospace buddy. But, Darcy says, nope. Can't do it. Monica's been through the Hex twice, and it's rewritten her cells. "It's changing you." Monica is undaunted. "I know what Wanda's feeling and I won't stop until I help her." Alrighty then.

Jimmy's finally going to get to hotwire a car! But wait, Darcy's not going with them. AD Dick has something hidden behind one last firewall. Darcy thinks it's big and can help them. She's going to find it.

I don't think Jimmy had to hotwire that humvee. It just started right up. Motorpool, pfft - they always leave the keys.

Back in Westview. Halloween continues at Town Square. Pietro asks Wanda where she was hiding all those kids. Whu? Says Wanda. "I assume they were all just sleeping peacefully in their beds. No need to traumatize beyond the occasional holiday cameo, amiright?" What is Pietro. "Hey don't get me wrong, you've handled the ethical considerations of this scenario as best you could. Families and couples stay together. Most personalities aren't far from what's underneath. People got better jobs. Better haircuts for sure."

"You don't think it's wrong?"

"Are you kidding me? I'm impressed. It's a pretty big leap from giving people nightmares and shooting red wigglywoos out your hands." No, really, what is Pietro? "How'd you even do all this?" Hmmm.

"I don't know how I did it. I only remember feeling completely alone. Empty. Just endless nothingness." She looks back at Pietro and for a second he's dead Pietro. Poor Wanda.

Darcy continues to hack Hayward's systems. Cataract classified weapons something something. They're still tracking Vision. Who continues his walk across the field and comes to the hex. He tries to push through it. Looks painful. SWORD rolls out to go overreact at him. He makes it through the barrier, kind of. It's a struggle.

Hayward standing there looking like a jackass "he really does want out, doesn't he?" Like he’s just amused by this turn of events, or watching a lab rat try to get out of the lab. 

Darcy's standing behind watching all of this. Bits of Vision sort of fly off and back into the Hex. Darcy says "oh no!" and runs towards him, screaming for them to help him. Way to give away your sneaky hiding, girlfriend.

In Westview. Billy looks up, he can hear what's going on outside. "I hear daddy in my head. He's in trouble."

Vision calls for help, while SWORD prioritizes arresting Darcy. Phil Coulson would never have behaved like this. Boo to SWORD. Vision is dissolving. It's kind of gross and sad.

Wanda asks where Vision is, and Pietro interrupts "Don't sweat it, sis. It's not like your dead husband can die twice." Wanda wallops him with some red wigglywoos.

Billy sees soldiers and thinks Vision is dying. Wanda stops everything and makes a big red boom. The Hex appears to be expanding. Whoops, now you've done it AD Dick. He runs away like the brave brave guy he is. They leave Darcy handcuffed to a jeep. "Are you serious right now?"

The Hex overtakes Vision and then Darcy. Trapped soldiers become clowns, and we're in the circus. Well, SWORD seems like a circus, so Wanda's not wrong. I'm pretty sure Jimmy and Monica made it, but sadly the bravest Director who ever braved also escaped. He deserved to be a circus clown. Better luck next week, Wanda.

Credits.

Well, I just don't know anymore.

Hayward doesn't care about Wanda, except where I think because of this someone will figure out what he was doing to Vision's body. And Vision is ultimately the thing he cares about in all this. I hope Wanda drops a house on him.

Hmmm.

Quit suggesting I watch Age of Ultron next, Disney. It’s not happening.