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techslideits · 3 years ago

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How to authorised e waste recyclers in Hyderabad

Eleven desirable Startups in the Sustainability space in Telangana showcased their products, features, journey to a global viewers, pleasant entrepreneurs

Authorised e waste recyclers in Hyderabad showcased desirable Startups in sustainability area to the international pool of , registered delegates absolute entrepreneurs, startups and cordial entrepreneurs from nations on day two of the TiE Sustainability acme .

The essential Secretary of IT Jayesh Ranjan while talking at the commencement the old day stated within the closing years because Telangana changed into shaped, the state has confirmed in umpteen domains how sustainability will also be completed. In continuation to that startups were made to current their agencies to the global viewers.

speaking on the occasion Shanta Thoutam from the IT branch talked about, in when the Telangana accompaniment became shaped it just had and strange startups. these days there are greater than startups. Telangana is the launch-up state of India. It has T-Hub, which antecedents India’s leading innovation ecosystem. It synergises startups, establishments, governments, academia and buyers to force transformative exchange she advised.

The accompaniment has ‘WE-Hub’, India’s aboriginal state-led incubator completely for ladies. although girls entrepreneurs are on the rise, still ladies entrepreneurs in India and across the world proceed to have difficulties in entry to capital & relevant infrastructure; appropriate industry access.; least expensive childcare; acclimation professional and personal existence; business skillsfundamentals;. Counselling and existence teaching; community to help girls Entrepreneurs; transportation and security. We Hub bridges this hole, she brought.

She spoke about graphic CoE, which is proposing elements equivalent to mentoring, technology aid and allotment for Gaming, animation, VFX, laptop, and so forth.

T-Works is another action brought to support the ecosystem Shantha observed. it is India’s biggest prototyping centre in Hyderabad constructed to create and have fun a subculture of hobbyists, makers and innovators who discover and experiment with out the concern of abortion.

She introduced commence-u.s.a.within the Sustainability area which consist of: waste Ventures; Marut Drones, Ewoke flat, Banyan Nation, coral Innovators, Eto Motors, Sanshodhan, an e-waste alternate Pvt. Ltd; D’CalHardwaterSoftner, Hala advancement and Architude.

Roshan Miranda defined their junk to price adventure. We compile waste from your doorstep and pay you. We assignment with additional decay pickers. I gave up my job in the united states and ventured into this as it continues me happy, he referred to. and introduced it gave him bifold happiness. The reason why we begun this become to divert the recyclable waste that turned into catastrophe up in landfills. We desired to accomplish people comprehend that there s loads of price in waste and with this idea, we began this challenge.

Prem Kumar of Marut Drones defined his experience. A crew of gifted and skilled individuals building end to conclusion solutions to permit and scale drone operations simply he referred to. He explained how they used drones to handle the mosquito risk. It has helped achieve an enormous drop in the accident of malaria and dengue instances. though we received ability seventy five years returned we don’t have abandon from the menace of mosquitoes. we ve identified it as the leading pain factor and built abstruse options round it, he talked about. And delivered that their Marut Drones’ HepiCopters are being used for door beginning of drugs from the sky in addition to temperature-managed vaccines.

Now it’s SeedCopter is spraying seeds from the sky in inaccessible places abysmal internal the forests and arresting terrains. It hopes to bulb lakh seed balls this cloudburst.

Shruti Rawal of Ewoke studio is smitten by using sustainability in the attire and bolt trade, and mindful consumption.

founding father of Ewoke – A design label for acceptable style, she is an alum of the country wide institute of vogue expertise. She all started Ewoke with a vision to empower women with the clothing they put on whereas making a favorable influence on society and the ambiance. Shruti aggregate her adventure. actuality an eco-aware adult, I all the time idea in regards to the trend industry which used to make contributions % of global carbon emissions.

I all the time thought of providing an choice. That finally ended in the delivery of Ewoke. I all started Ewoke with a transparent mission to curb local weather exchange. All our fabrics are biodegradable and recycled, with a basal carbon brand like hemp. We supply our lowers from wood and carapace. The leading cause at the back of here s to deliver acceptable garb which is the brand new trend, she brought.

We put sustainability into practice way back in says Rashi Agrawal, director at Banyan Nation. it is India’s aboriginal angular integrated plastics recycling business that makes use of data intelligence to integrate a largely palsy-walsy deliver chain. She gave an instance of how Unilever became authoritative respectable development against a waste-chargeless apple. It greatly stepped up its use of recycled artificial. and how few brands were the usage of bottles produced from recycled plastics. cream excel used % of its bottles made from recycled plastic.

baptize Warrior Kalpana Ramesh explained her experience and the way she has been impacting society. My dream is to peer water tanker free homes. We should still accept cocky-capability in baptize. Kalpana Ramesh took over the best abbot’s cheep address on the eve of ladies’s day in the past and gave a name to the general public to turn into baptize warriors.

Sikander Reddy Thandra of coral innovation defined that they ve constructed a cell app-based mostly belvedere making meter studying & announcement elementary and foolproof for Utilities and buyers. Our capabilities aid utilities to get rid of the guide punching in beat reading and enormously reduce the time taken for the monthly billing cycle at a lots reduce can charge than the presently incurred charge. Ours is an enchanting cocky beat reading app. It additionally gives insights into power burning, he explained.

Rajeev YSR, vp of Eto Motors observed essentially the most polluted cities on earth are in India. we re India’s no. EMaaS electric powered mobility as a provider company. We center of attention on the large-calibration deployment of multi-manufacturer electric powered fleets for cleaner cities. We boost and installation quite a number clean mobility functions that are acceptable.

we are eager for revolutionizing the electric powered mobility chronicle no longer handiest in one hundred key cities of India but also on the international roads. We install electric cars all across the country and we personal and function the agile with an aim to more suitable the livelihoods of drivers. With shared advancement, we are already seeing a lot of people relocating from car possession mannequin to automobile entry mannequin, he brought. He thanked the executive of Telangana for growing an Ecosystem for digital vehicles.

Dr S. Shalini Sharma of Sanshodhan noted that they allow corporates in lots of cities and societies throughout Hyderabad to determine and without delay switch their e-waste to govt-authorized, technically equipped recyclers. India generates more than two actor tonnes of e-waste yearly. It additionally imports a big quantity from developed countries. which you could eliminate ancient electronics sustainably in association with us, she said.

Uday of D’Cal hard baptize Softner defined how their invention equipment turns hard water delicate for one-tenth the fee. it s a bother-chargeless manner because the setting up doesn’t crave any pipes, plumber or electrical energy. All a user has to do is bead the bottle-fashioned equipment in the water catchbasin. The product has bought an overwhelming acknowledgment and they re exporting to america additionally.

Srikanth of HALA advancement explained that it is India’s aboriginal multi-modal ride-sharing belvedere. the usage of the app, you possibly can book a car of option in three clicks. VijayadurgaKoppisetti founding father of Architude referred to her infra-tech startup leverages tech to give eco-friendly building solutions to look after the environment. local weather change calls for that the constructing trade undertake greener and sustainable solutions, an artist VijayadurgaKoppisetti explained.

She said greener solutions aren t best critical to safeguard the environment but additionally the fitness and health of the occupant. each year, million deaths can be attributed to affliction from family unit air toxins, she introduced.

the entire eleven startups in the sustainable house bidding their happiness over the style the government of Telangana has been assisting them by growing conducive ecosystems for them to flourish.

#https://virogreen.in/#Authorised-ewaste-recyclers-in-Hyderabad

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netrack2018 · 3 years ago

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Netrack Air Diverter Solution in Dubai for data Center are designed carefully to Manage cooling requirements of side airflow Equipments, such as Cisco Nexus switch. Air Diverter systems are designed carefully to Manage cooling requirements of side airflow Equipments, such as Cisco Nexus switch. For more details: https://www.netrackindia.com/ae/air-diverter-solution.php

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enconengineers-blog · 4 years ago

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Passive Harmonic Filter proven valuable When Equipment Fails

Passive Harmonic Filter

With a passive harmonic filter, the harmonics reduce by absorbing it from the downstream load. It relieves harmonic stress on load end equipment and solves its failure and tripping problem. It permits the plant to achieve a full load run with reduced energy consumption. Encon facilitates the best harmonic solutions. Engineers worldwide depend on passive harmonic filters when the electric-load is sizeable, harmonic distortions alarming and yet there's a need to slash equipment footprint by designing a full load plant operation.

Unlike the ineffective series type passive harmonic filter, the highly effective passive harmonic filters are always parallel type harmonic filters. It eliminates load generated harmonics by drawing them towards it creating a short circuit path, and then absorbing harmonic within it. It thus eliminates the need for any equipment derating even with extreme harmonic distortions and allows plant operation at a hundred percentage loading for all plant machinery.

Unlike active filter, a high-power shunt passive harmonic filter is highly flexible for any input voltage design which covers the complete working voltage range of plant equipment from as low as 120 volts to 36 kV. It enhances the plant's 3P, power, productivity and profitability by manifold. We manufacture the most valued passive harmonic filter - type Super Tuned which is a top-end custom-built product.

When you have problems - repetitive failure in process drives, electronics, servers and in electrical equipment or unwanted tripping and high neutral current and neutral voltage; it will solve all your problem. Needless to say that it will mitigate harmonics (both voltage and current) to tolerable limits as defined by IEEE-519 standard. A super tuned harmonic filter is of high power capacity which reduces extremely high harmonic distortions in both voltage and current waveform within a safe working limit, thus identifying it as harmonic distortion filter.

There are few other variants of passive harmonic filter though, series type passive harmonic filter, detuned harmonic filter and triplen harmonic filter. The series passive harmonic filter introduces an impedance before an individual load that reduces a little current harmonics, by the principle of ohm's law. It seems to work without causing equipment tripping problem when a transformer has very few non-linear-loads. Series harmonic filter finds its application connected in series, with a smaller non-linear-load, within a much bigger transformer wherein harmonics remain within IEEE-519 limits, thus indicating it as IEEE harmonic filter. But by doing so, it increases voltage harmonics which could cause tripping in sensitive electronics and VFD drives, with little voltage fluctuation, if there are sizeable series harmonic filters within a transformer.

De-Tuned filters do not mitigate harmonics but improve power-factor (PF). When its added to an electrical power system, it creates two paths. One path is into the filter, and another is toward the source. The harmonic current does not flow into the detuned-filter as it offers a high impedance path and diverts into the low impedance source, as per the current divider rule of ohm's law.

Data center servers, electronic gadgets and large LED light installations generate high neutral harmonic current wherein neutral current equals the phase current. Besides, that increases the neutral voltage. It's triplen harmonic filter which suppresses neutral harmonics and mitigates high neutral voltage across UPS loads. It has many names being a neutral current eliminator - zero-sequence harmonic filter, third harmonic filter and 3rd harmonic filter.

Passive harmonic filter - why Super Tuned?

1. It Eliminates equipment Failure and voltage fluctuation Tripping.

2. It Prevents Arc Flash and Electrical Blasting. Refer to the case study.

3. It Reduces the running temperature of equipment. We have achieved up to 10-deg.C.

4. It Reduces CAPEX and footprint by eliminating the need for that costly de-rating.

5. It Reduces OPEX, first by reducing footprint and then by enhancing energy efficiency.

6. It Reduces end product quality rejection. We have achieved up to 50% on six-sigma scale.

How Power and Harmonics Flow?

1. Being a Current Source, it flows in the opposite direction from downstream load to all branches in the upstream power system.

Power & Harmonics Flow diagram

2. By Ohm’s Law, it flows across all paths in the power system based on each path’s relative impedance. Along its flow path, two-events happen.

3. Firstly, the downstream equipment and cables, designed for 50/ 60Hz absorbs these high-frequency harmonics causing excessive stress to themselves. It causes equipment failure, high running temp, tripping and malfunction. The super tuned passive harmonic filter by creating a short-circuit path diverts the harmonics and troubleshoots the problem.

4. Secondly, the grid being relatively a lower impedance path absorbs the remaining harmonics leftover by the downstream plant and machinery. The active harmonic filter prevents these harmonics from going over to the upstream grid.

Passive Harmonic Filter - why a reliable troubleshooter?

1. It alters the dynamics of the harmonic flow by creating a Short-Circuit path for the flow of harmonic frequencies like 250hz for 5th harmonic etc.

Passive Harmonic Filter - Working Principle

2. The load harmonics now, instead of getting absorbed in the downstream loads, are diverted as soon as it’s produced through this short-circuit path into the filter, thus solving equipment failures, tripping, and malfunctions. It allows only a small harmonics within a limit over to the grid, meeting the IEEE 519 harmonic standard, for both voltage and current harmonics.

3. Besides, it's a stored energy LC power bank which will oppose any momentary change in voltage fluctuation, either sag or swell and power surge which may originate either within the plant or outside in the grid. A passive harmonic filter is an indispensable tool in eliminating nuisance tripping of critical plant equipment - process drives, control system, computers, server to name a few.

4. By relieving the downstream equipment from the burden of harmonic absorption, it eliminates that need for costly de-rating saving CAPEX and equipment footprint cost.

5. It saves OPEX cost in the manifold. Firstly, it eliminates harmonics naturally and allows full load plant operation sustainably. Secondly, it troubleshoots failures and thirdly it enhances energy efficiency.

6. The harmonious operation with the optimum power quality results in lesser end-product quality rejections which we have tracked up to 50% savings on Six-Sigma Scale.

Passive Harmonic Filter - why direct corporate clients select us?

1. There's no-one like it before and someone that you like has arrived. We pride in manufacturing the most Beautiful passive harmonic filter - super tuned type.

2. Its beauty is a deception. It's a monster. It mercilessly Slashes down harmonics as no-one did before.

3. It's Rough and Tough (IP55) to withstand a harsh environment. Unlike active harmonic filter, it does not need an air-conditioned room installation.

4. It's 50kA, 1sec Short-Circuit proof, and Basic Insulation Level (BIL) compatible for 12kV/ 4kV. That withhold Arc-Flash hazard.

5. This beauty is for ever. Its design life is over 40-years.

6. It's Fully Automatic, Variable and adjusts with process load variations and harmonic distortions in the power system.

7. Thanks to you, our 350+ corporate clients, for believing in it and every time designing your projects with it. Your trust on us, over three decades, has catapulted Encon's passive harmonic filter as the most valued brand in today's world market.

Passive Harmonic Filter

#passive harmonic filter #passive filter

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technogeekstmr · 5 years ago

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Airflow Management Market Trends, Drivers, Strategies, Segmentation Application, Technology & Industry Analysis Research Report to 2027| TMR

The explosion in the amount of data generated has led to the growth of data centers globally. However, the major problem data center owners and operators face is the need for additional cooling capacity as the present system does not offer adequate temperature at the data equipment inlets. But in most cases, the problem is not one of insufficient cooling capacity, but of poor air flow management. Airflow management involves directing and blocking of conditioning and exhaust air by using many devices such as raised perforated tiles and grills, grommets, blanking panels, containment and more. The main aim of using airflow management solutions is essentially to improve and maintain the required cooling temperature in order to improve the efficiency of the data center. So, adopting effective airflow management strategies results in two progressive variations. First, by decreasing the volume of air that needs to be supplied, less energy is used for data center cooling. Secondly, the distribution of temperature across all cabinets is vastly improved. The most common air flow management strategy is arranging all cabinets in parallel rows with the inlet side of the server facing each other in order to separate hot and cold air streams. Other methods include installing blanking panels in all open slots within the cabinet so as to eliminate internal paths of bypass and recirculation, and placing perforated tiles in cold aisles. The absence of these arrangements affects the efficient airflow management strategy which can result in risk of IT system failure, poor efficiency, escalated costs, and loss of energy as air is allowed to recirculate within the rack or between the aisles.

The main drivers for growth of the global airflow management market is due to rapid increase in demand for cloud based solutions which has in turn led to the growth in the number of data center solutions globally. The increasing demand for data center chains are making use of efficient cooling techniques is helping in the growth of airflow management market. Also, airflow management helps in improving the thermal management and cooling efficiency in data centers which is expected to boost the overall growth of the global airflow management market during the forecast period

Get Sample Copy of the Report to understand the structure of the complete report (Including Full TOC, Table & Figures): https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=38984

The global airflow management market can be categorized on the basis of offering, cooling system, data center type, industry, and region. In terms of offering, the market can further be classified into components and services. On the basis of component, the global airflow management market can again be categorized into blanking panels, grommets, air filled kits, containment, enhanced brush/top & bottom covers, air diverters, high-flow doors and others. On the basis of cooling segment, the market can be categorized into chilled water system and direct expansion system. On the basis of data center type, the market can be categorized into enterprise data center and hyper scale data center. In terms of industry, the market is categorized into BFSI, IT and telecom, government and defense, retail, manufacturing, healthcare and others. On the basis of geography, the global airflow management market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa, and South America.

The major players in the global airflow management market are Schneider Electric, Upsite Technologies, Subzero Engineering, Eaton Corporation Plc., Triad Floors, Kingspan Group, Polargy Inc., Adaptivcool, Geist, Conteg, Data Clean Corporation, EDP Europe, and Halton Group among others. These companies are investing extensively in their R&D so as to incorporate new technologies in their systems, engaging in partnerships, and developing new products to increase their market share in the global airflow management market.

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A separate analysis of prevailing trends in the parent market, macro- and micro-economic indicators, and regulations and mandates is included under the purview of the study. By doing so, the report projects the attractiveness of each major segment over the forecast period.

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submonitor · 5 years ago

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Electric Vehicles in Egypt: Overlooking the obvious.

Photo Credits: Revolta Egypt / Cairo Scene

Recently, there’s been a lot of talk about Electric Vehicles (EV’s) in Egypt. Certainly, it is part of an interesting technological trend of EV’s and (re)exploring it’s role in reducing carbon emissions and local air pollution. For instance, Alexandria Governorate recently inaugurated around 15 new electric buses as part of the Alexandria Transport Authority’s fleet.

According to Revolta, one of the first (and perhaps the sole) EV charging network in Egypt, there are at least, by the start of 2019, 14 charging stations in 4 different governorates. They promise to have a network that would allow “an electric car to charge everywhere in Egypt by 2020”, in addition to building Egypt’s first EV accessories manufacturing and maintenance factory in the City of 6th of October, in Giza. Not to mention that Revolta is also involved in importing and reselling both used and new EVs in Egypt, as more and more people (mainly affluent Cairenes) are directly importing EVs through brokers, benefiting from the recent removal of all tariffs off EVs (except the VAT tax) and a discount on Hybrid vehicles.

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Video: AP video on first electric vehicle charging points in Egypt by Revolta.

It seems though that what has been powering the trend towards EVs in Egypt, is the significant increase in Egypt’s energy production in the years in the aftermath of the crunching energy crisis in 2013/2014, reaching a surplus of as much as 25% in March 2019.

A member of the Transport committee in the Egyptian Parliament, MP Yousif ElShazly, already brought up – and effectively made the connection between – the increase in Egypt’s energy reserve and the need to build more infrastructure to absorb the future proliferation of private EVs. Also, the Energy and Environment committee similarly held sessions to review the challenges facing the operation of Electric cars and the need to spread EV charging points throughout Egypt.

Putting these positive policy and field developments aside, other forms of electric mobility were not as lucky: At a time cities are rebuilding their former tram and light rail networks, Cairo Governorate removed the remaining stretch of rails off the streets of Heliopolis. The removal of the remaining tram lines and green street medias, opened up the way for mega highway and flyover projects dissecting the heart of formerly leafy and green street medians.

Construction of a new flyover on former tram tracks in Nozha street, Heliopolis Photo Credit: Michael Hanna - November 2018

While this might provide some relief for traffic on the short run, induced demand will result in future catastrophic results as traffic volumes on these new corridors surge and consume all the available capacity, and block all nearby subsidiary roads.

With the current administration, all roads seem to lead to the so called “New Administrative Capital” (NAC), which is built entirely around the private vehicle, epitomizing the upper middle class fantasies (and in of itself being the produce of ‘elite’ Egyptian engineers).

Poster produced by the Urban Development Consortium (UDC+5) that placed the designs for NAC and currently oversee its construction. Photo Credit: UDC+5 Facebook page

It’s not to say that the government doesn’t build any mass transit infrastructure, quite the contrary: there are several ongoing projects and plans to extend the monorail lines from the NAC and 6th of October city, to Cairo and Giza respectively.

The new Adly Mansour intermodal / Interchange station currently under-construction is earmarked as a future Cairo “Ostbahnhof” or a ‘Cairo East’ railway station, creating an interchange point with Cairo metro (Line 3), El-Salam microbuses/Shared Taxis and other public buses, and planned monorail and electric train connections towards new communities such as ElSalam city, New Cairo, the NAC, Sherouk and 10th of Ramadan city, connecting them with existing towns nearby such as Bilbais, and Ain ElSukhna.

Yet, the common denominator in all of these projects is how they divert all traffic from Cairo center, and seem to bypass the city altogether. These actions, while they seem arbitrary and random to some, is actually the continuation of a half a century old national plan by the Egyptian government to build a new capital, “de-concentrate” the population out of the Nile river valley, and to invade the expansive ‘empty’ deserts. This plan has over the past decades translated to state wide policies that lead to meager funding to existing localities in favor of new communities.

These policies, in their current form and focus on car friendly cities, will affect Egypt’s ability to adopt carbon neutral transport and to be able to deploy sustainable forms of public transit in the future. Also, they tend to overlook the underlying socioeconomic factors that hinder lower middle class and low income families from moving into such new communities or to benefit from the extensive road network that connects new cities. According to Ahmed El-Dorghamy and David Sims (based on data from 2014)*, only 11% of families in Egypt have private vehicles.

Screenshot: A public post by Eng. Sherif Yassin from the ENR, discussing whether it is wise to invest in heavy diesel locomotives with short-life spans, versus electric traction which according to Eng. Yassin is the same price per unit and much better and durable. Photo credit: Facebook group عالم النقل والسكك الحديدية

The mass majority of Egyptian families rely on walking, Shared Taxis/microbuses, Public Transit buses and Metro/regional and inter-city trains when available. Hence, these families will continue to prefer living in denser areas, even if the housing conditions are precarious. Any new city that is not dense enough or at least walking and transit friendly will not achieve it’s original population targets.

Keeping these factors in mind, it is imperative to note that the current approach in Egypt towards EVs, and specifically electric buses and cars, are more or less bound to follow the same patterns the current mobility split; which is heavily reliant on private cars, minivans and Mircobuses/taxis. Existing or previously existing solutions, such as tram and LRT upgrades in Cairo and Alexandria, and electrification of the Egyptian National Railway (ENR) services continue to take a lower priority (and is in desperate need for more investments). In fact, the remaining tram lines in Heliopolis, Cairo – once a landmark of this neighborhood – were recently removed and replaced by wider lanes and more flyovers.

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Video: Recently produced GE Diesel locomotives for the ENR. There has been recent debate within the ranks of the ENR on whether it should invest more in diesel or make the move to Electric traction already.

It is important to note, that electric cars are still much better than the current situation in Cairo, for example, a city that has one of the highest particulate matter air pollution in the world. Not to mention that contrary to popular belief, electric cars are much more efficient in power consumption per mile than combustion powered cars. So even if the energy that supplies these cars comes from a fossil fuel powered plant, electric cars consume less energy per mile than a petrol car would.

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Video by AP: End of the line for Cairo's iconic trams

Having that said, I believe there are two main issues when it comes to the proliferation of privately owned EVs in Egypt:

1) Private cars are less efficient at moving people and occupy way to much space on the road at all stages of it’s lifetime. No matter how wide the motorways and arterial roads are, there won’t be enough capacity to handle the volume of commuters if we are to depend mainly on private vehicles.

2) Actively promoting the use of private EVs by building car friendly new urban communities shifts the costs and urban mobility operations to the individual car owners, putting an extra burden on those who are barely able to afford keeping and maintaining a private car, and completely excluding those who cannot drive or are unable to afford buying a car in the first place.

3) Heavily relying on private cars for urban mobility puts a tremendous burden on traffic regulation authorities and traffic police units, who are not originally responsible for the planning of the cities but usually find themselves stuck between a rock and a very hard place as they try to keep the roads flowing, while they also having to control other aspects of traffic safety and law enforcement.

Cairo Tram Network since 1896 - with overlay of the Metro lines. Inter-connectivity between buses, trams and Metro could have been the bread and butter of Cairo's Urban mobility plan (Map by: Dörrbecker n.d.)

Verdict on Electric Cars in Egypt: Yeah nah?

While the role of Cairo’s old trams, it’s buses and even metro is overlooked by the current ongoing new projects and plans in Egypt; it is also extremely difficult to close the door entirely on EVs.

Ideally, an integrated, inclusive and expansive network of public transit is much more desirable than simply switching the gas guzzling private cars to EVs. Privately owned cars just simply take up too much space, and in Egypt are mostly out of reach of the vast majority of the population.

However, all things considered, electric vehicles do represent an opportunity as were the Electric trams and LRT in the late 19th Century in Egypt. While it may not immediately resolve the issues related to accessibility to public transit, it might be a start to talk about and tackle the worsening air pollution conditions in Cairo.

If EVs are integrated as part of a National Sustainable Mobility plan, the outcomes of switching from fossil fueled cars to EVs will bring great benefit to Egyptian streets. Those benefits, which come first and foremost in terms of reducing particulate matter pollution and decreasing energy consumption per miles traveled; can also have further benefits in the future as new renewable energy projects commence and the share of renewables in the energy mix increase. Not only would that wean Egypt off it’s heavy reliance on oil markets, but it would also set a good example of a developing country in terms of fulfilling some of it’s Nationally Determined Commitments (NDCs) under the Paris Climate Agreement and contribute to the 2030 UN Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs)

#cairo #trams #metro #urban #mobility #electric cars

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wunderlass · 8 years ago

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Smoke & Mirrors Chapter 29: The War Council

His captors think him defeated, but even Odin doesn’t know the secrets Loki holds. Before long, he’ll be free, events set in motion by Frigga’s best intentions and Loki’s worst instincts. He’s seen his future, and nothing is going to stop him from stealing it. Loki/Darcy, M rated

You can also read on AO3 or FFNet.

Thanos looms above New York, and Darcy and Loki must convince everyone that they've found a solution before he destroys the world.

Guess who's back? Back again? It's me, with year four of this story! Can I get it finished before Ragnarok (either the film or the end of the world)? We'll find out. Un-beta'd so any mistakes are mine.

The ship hung in the air like someone had taken a serpent and thrown it into the sky, where its long body had been pinned. It bore a helix twist down the full length like it had been writhing as it was tossed upward, and though it appeared to be built from metal, the narrow segments that formed its outer wall even looked like snake skin. There were no visible windows and the metal itself was dark and pitted, the casualty of space travel and battle.

It all meant that, despite the ship bearing no markings, Darcy knew who it belonged to, and that its purpose was war.

“We’re too late,” she said in dismay.

“No,” Loki replied, reaching out a hand as if he was thinking of soothing her, before pulling it back. She noted a fine tremor that he hid from her observant gaze by clenching his fist. “The city is unharmed for now—there are no flames or smoke. He is here to parlay, or at least to pretend to. He wants the Tesseract before he begins his scourge.”

“So what exactly is her plan? If he’s here, she’s cutting it fine.”

“I don’t know,” he admitted.

“Is there a chance she’ll…y’know. Double cross us?”

Loki shook his head. “Unthinkable to her. She deals in truths, however unpalatable they might be. If she had intended not to aid us, she would have told us so, and likely kept us there for her entertainment.”

“So we have to wait until she comes through.”

“Yes, I suppose.” He swallowed. “Or we buy the realm some time.”

The suggestion seemed casual until Darcy noticed the shudder that went through him, the flash of panic and fear he hastened to bury. Before it would have seemed unthinkable to her, but now…now, she knew what he’d been through. She’d been in his head while Thanos tore into him, over and over.

“You can’t be thinking of facing him again!”

“I must,” Loki said. “It may be the only way of keeping him from beginning his destruction—he has little patience as it is. Once he knows that the Tesseract is no longer on Midgard, he will think nothing of letting the Chitauri reduce it to ash, and moving onto Asgard.”

“And when you can’t tell him where the Tesseract is, he’ll take his anger out on you, and he’ll find creative new ways of trying to get that information out of you. I don’t think Mistress Death is going to take too kindly to you returning so quickly, do you?”

“Ah, but I can let him know that I have seen his Mistress recently. Nothing diverts his attention better.”

“So what’s your grand plan for getting to see him?”

“First, we must contact my mother. She will undoubtedly be involved in the diplomatic mission.”

“Great. Do you have her cell number, because I forgot to ask for it?”

Loki rolled his eyes at her and clapped his hands, making her jump at the sudden, sharp noise. “We have other methods of communicating.” He stared at the sky for a moment until a black object, far away, began to descend towards them. Darcy fumbled for her glasses, still perched on top of her head, and when they were in a position to help her see again, she realized it was a bird. A crow, or a raven—she’d never learned the difference.

The bird landed on Loki’s outstretched arm, its little black eyes unnervingly perceptive as it stared at the man who’d called it. He had a moment of silent communication with it, before it erupted into the air again, heading for the city.

“Is she going to let you know where she is?” Darcy thought for a moment, then sighed. “Are we going to have to do that thing which ends with me throwing up?”

“Unlikely. Though it may help if we head towards the nearest road.”

Darcy pointed in the direction of the traffic she could hear, and they began the trudge to the road in silence. The raven did not reappear, and the road turned out to be further away than she expected, so her calves were aching once they’d crossed the fields. She’d done too much walking over the last few days for her liking, and wanted nothing more than a hot bath, but she doubted it was on the cards for her. The looming presence in the sky only promised chaos and sleep deprivation.

Even Loki was looking worse for wear, deep circles blooming beneath his eyes and his skin sallow, tight across his cheekbones. He wore his weariness like a shroud.

“How are you doing?” she asked quietly. Because no matter what she’d been through in the last few days, it was nothing compared to what had been done to him within the last hour. Having part of your life force ripped away had to hurt—and even if there was a gentle way to do it, something told Darcy that gentleness wasn’t in Death’s repertoire.

“Hmm?” Loki responded, distracted. “I am…tired. Yes, I believe tired covers it. Or possibly exhausted, down to the marrow.”

“Maybe we’ll get to sleep soon.” Oh, she wanted that too. She’d even pass up a bath to collapse into bed right now. Any bed, even her lumpy old cot at the facility.

“I believe it will be over soon, one way or the other. Whether it is to our favor is yet to be determined. Eternal sleep is not off the table.”

The unspoken end to that possibility hung between them: a swift return to Death’s company. They had to be careful how they proceeded until she came through on her word.

“When this is over—if we survive…” Loki seemed to ponder how, or if, he should finish the sentence. “I would like the opportunity to court you. Properly.”

“I think that ship has sailed,” Darcy replied, putting as much flippancy into it as she could. Because the idea was too…too everything to contemplate right now, especially with everything else going on. Too big, too much, too complicated. And the right answer had to be no, had to be to turn him down flat and make sure there were light years between them. No matter how he really felt about her, or how sincere his feelings may be underneath it all, things had been tarnished from the get-go in ways Darcy didn’t think they could come back from.

“Perhaps. But I would like to try anyway.”

She had no answer to that, so they carried on walking in silence. When they reached the road, it turned out to be little more than a back country ribbon of tarmac cutting through the farmland, though the traffic seemed regular enough. It was strange to think there was open space this close to the city, but the skyscrapers seemed no closer than they had before, their size making them appear closer than they really were. She stood with Loki at the side of the road and waited for their ride.

If anyone recognized the apparent hitchhikers, wrapped in furs despite the sunshine, they ignored them. Or maybe they did recognize the man beside Darcy, but kept their eyes on the road, pretending it was an illusion, the beginnings of an urban myth. “One time I was driving on this country road upstate and Loki himself appeared in the middle of the road, holding the Casket.”

It was a measure of their fatigue that they didn’t hesitate when a dark-windowed SUV pulled up, and trudged over to get in. A familiar figure rolled down the driver’s window.

Nat smiled at Darcy. “Get in losers, we’re going to save the world.”

It was strange to be back in Stark Tower, returning to it through the underground tunnels they’d once used to escape.

“Traffic’s backed up,” Nat explained. “Everybody’s trying to get out of the city.” She also confirmed that Frigga had sent her to pick the pair of them up and bring them to the war council that had been hastily assembled. She didn’t probe about where they’d been, her face thoughtful as she drove.

Loki was uncharacteristically quiet too: Darcy thought he might have been napping in the backseat.

“What happened when we left?” Darcy asked. “Did you and Frigga get into trouble?”

Nat snorted. “I don’t think anybody has authority over Frigga—not on this planet. Fury tried to read me the riot act, but then Thanos arrived and a state of emergency was declared. They need everybody on the team, not me on the bench. I’m sure if we manage to survive this one, I’m looking at disciplinary procedures, but I’d rather be alive and fired than dead.”

“But Thor can’t be happy with Frigga.”

“He isn’t. Wasn’t. She hasn’t let him sulk about it, though, and keeps pulling rank on him.”

“Can she do that?”

“She is queen and ambassador,” Loki said groggily. “He is merely the crown prince.”

“As she keeps reminding him.”

They parked in Tony’s private garage and used the elevator to ride up to the floor that had been given over the war cabinet.

It was being staged in one of the open plan rooms that took up nearly an entire floor of the tower, but the windows had been blacked out and replaced with screens that showed maps, streams, and scrolling data.

“I don’t see the threat—” someone was saying as the elevator doors opened. “It’s one ship! Hardly the flotilla you keep mentioning.”

“Thanos must have acquired a portal,” Frigga calmly replied. “It is the only way he could have got here so quickly—and that will allow his army to follow as swiftly.”

The cabinet themselves were seated around a circular table with more screens gathered in the center, above head height so they could still see each other. Darcy glimpsed Frigga, Fury, and most of the other Avengers, as well as a few figures who looked exactly like Darcy always pictured shadowy diplomats.

She got one glimpse at the table they were holed up at, and then a wall of heavily armed agents blocked the way. Loki could probably see over them, but she sure as hell couldn’t. Nat gave an annoyed huff beside her.

The debate at the table came to an abrupt end, replaced with tense silence and stillness.

Tony broke it. “Where have you been, young man?” Darcy heard him say, his words dripping with sarcasm. “We’ve been worried sick!”

“Stark”, Fury cut in, “Stand down and shut the hell up.”

Amazingly, there wasn’t another peep out of him, though another voice spoke up.

“Get him out of here,” said Thor. The agents parted to let him through. “And her, too.” He didn’t even look at Darcy, and though he tried to hide his anger beneath an imperious mask, it seeped around the edges like boiling water.

One of the agents stepped up, gun firmly pointed at her face, and gestured for her bag. She handed it to him without question—there wasn’t anything interesting in there, unless he had a thing for protein bars. No clues to where they’d been.

“Ah, brother,” Loki replied. “So good to see you again. Your injuries seem to have healed to an astonishing degree in even a few short days.” It was the true—the angry scars that had criss-crossed Thor’s arms had now faded to faint, silver patches. Soon there would be no evidence of Loki’s attack at all. “I suppose my absence has given our mother time to fully attend to you.”

It was entirely the wrong tack to take if they wanted the room on their side, but apparently Loki couldn’t resist the chance to poke at old wounds. Darcy stood on his foot, shooting him an annoyed look, but he seemed as determined to ignore her as his brother did.

“The furs are a little ostentatious, don’t you think?” Stark said. Darcy had left hers in the SUV, aware how ridiculous it made her look, but Loki was still wrapped in his.

“Take them,” Thor commanded. “Separate locations, twenty-four hour surveillance, do not let my mother into see either of them.”

“No, Thor.” Frigga passed through the wall of agents too. “They will not be going anywhere until we have heard what they have achieved.”

“Why should I listen to you, when you let them escape?” Thor seemed to have no qualms letting his fury spill over in Frigga’s direction.

“Because they returned.” She reached out a hand towards him, and he stepped away. “We must listen to what they have done.”

“Clearly, they haven’t done anything!” Thor motioned in the direction of the warship, neatly framed on one of the screens. “In fact, knowing Loki, he has only managed to make things worse and has come to us for shelter.”

“He hasn’t,” Darcy said. Around them, the agents were filtering away, back to lining the walls at gestured commands from Fury. “He had a plan, and we did it, and then we came back.” Now Darcy could see that the Warriors Three were also here, and Sif was glaring daggers her way.

Fury was eyeballing her with intense interest, but Thor continued to ignore her, pretending as if Loki had spoken instead.

“We can prise information out of him under lock and key if we need to, though no words which pass his lips will be anything but lies.”

“I, for one, want to know where they went when they got that bridge working,” said Tony, “and how the hell they landed back on Earth without using it again. Because we were monitoring it.”

“Thing is,” said Fury, “we’ve got bigger issues right now. There’s only so long we can delay Thanos and convince him we know where the Tesseract is. We need that time to prepare our armies, and every resource we have to throw back at him when he starts a fight. We can’t be babysitting Loki or letting him distract us from the real problem.”

“That doesn’t matter!” Darcy spoke again. From the corner of eye, she noticed that Loki’s sallow skin had taken a turn for gray. It was why he wasn’t standing up for himself—he needed rest, or it wouldn’t be long before he’d keel over. “Loki’s dealt with Thanos. He’s probably saved us all.”

“Uh, Lewis, he’s right up there in the sky,” said Tony. “Sent us a big list of demands not fifteen minutes ago.”

“He told us he’ll destroy a major city every hour until the Tesseract is handed over,” Steve said gravely. “That’s no version of saved I’m familiar with.”

“We cannot listen to her—she is under his thrall!” Thor said, turning his back on her completely.

“It’s Stockholm Syndrome!” Jane cut in, speaking for the first time. “Like I’ve been trying to tell you all—it’s not her fault.”

“I don’t have Stockholm Syndrome, okay?” said Darcy. “You all just need to listen—”

“So we can hear his lies come from your mouth?” Thor growled.

“Be quiet, Thor!” instructed Frigga. “You are letting your emotions rule you. Director Fury, I would like the right to speak to my son—my younger son—and determine where he has been. That way, you may continue with your council, and I will return with any information I deem important.”

“Is he going to try to escape again?”

“No,” said Loki, and the strain in his voice was apparent to everyone. “I would not have returned if I intended to flee again.”

“How will you know he’s telling you the truth?” Fury asked Frigga.

“He has never been able to lie to me,” she replied, and Thor nodded begrudgingly in agreement.

“Alright. There’s an office on this floor. You should use that.”

“I want to speak to Darcy,” Jane said, rising from her seat.

“Very well,” Frigga replied. She cast a concerned glance at Loki. “I would like a moment to examine my son in private anyway.”

Darcy didn’t much want to be separated from Loki or Frigga—she didn’t have the energy to spare on dealing with Jane right now. The last time she’d seen her friend was when she’s revealed to half of SHIELD that Darcy had slept with Loki, and the guilt on Jane’s face said she was all too aware of it.

She was ushered into the corridor to wait outside the room where Frigga was attending to Loki, and no agents followed them, but Thor did, and that was another thing Darcy didn’t feel much like dealing with.

“I’m sorry,” Jane murmured, looking around for anyone that might be listening to them. “I wasn’t thinking, and I had no idea they’d drag you away and lock you up. I spent hours arguing with Fury, threatened to quit my research if—”

“I know,” Darcy said flatly.

She glanced briefly at Thor, who was still doing his best impression of ignoring Darcy’s existence, hoping that made it clear to Jane that she didn’t want to do this in front of him.

Jane caught on. “Thor, sweetie, could you maybe back off? Or even leave us alone for a moment. It’s private, girl talk.”

“I cannot do that, Jane. I have sworn to protect you.”

“Protect me from what? It’s Darcy.”

“She is Loki’s—” However he was intending to finish that sentence, he thought better of it, slamming his mouth shut instead. “You cannot trust her.”

“Alright, buddy, that’s it!” Jane poked him in the chest. “You once swore to protect Darcy as well, so if there’s anyone we can’t trust, it’s you, for going back on your word. It’s you, for being a judgmental A-hole about my friend. So what if she slept with Loki? It helped us defeat Loki! You have actual blood on your hands from centuries of battle, and you want to blame her for something she did in the middle of a war that harmed nobody except maybe Loki’s ego?”

Thor was gaping like a fish now, and Darcy had the feeling she was too.

“You start treating her with respect,” Jane continued, “or we’re going to have serious problems in this relationship. She is my friend, she’s been around longer than you have and she’s saved my ass more times than you, too. So the next time I catch you badmouthing her, you think of all the nights you’ll be sleeping alone. And no, she isn’t going to hurt me—I don’t care how much Loki has or hasn’t got into her head, Darcy would not ever do that.”

It was, possibly, the most words Darcy had ever heard Jane say at once that weren’t related to science. The effect on Thor was obvious—he clamped his mouth shut again and backed out of the corridor, behind a door where he could peer through a glass panel to watch the conversation. Jane had her back to him, but Darcy could feel his eyes on her through the glass over Jane’s shoulder, and the message was clear: I don’t care what she says, I still don’t trust you around her.

She had no idea how to go about making amends with him, or if it was even possible, but she had one good friend standing in front of her who’d just come to her defense despite everything, so that was the relationship she’d focus on repairing first.

“It’s not Stockholm Syndrome,” she began in a rush, “I swear! I remain completely aware of the fact that Loki is an asshole.”

“You do?” Jane asked.

“I do.”

“But are you aware that I’m an asshole too?” The question came out in the tiniest voice ever.

“Janie, you’re not asshole.”

“I am! I got you locked up, and Frigga told me what that cell was like. All because I was snooping, and then I didn’t think, I just blurted it all out there. I was too involved in what I was feeling to think about you at all. And that obviously goes for more than that day, since you didn’t feel like you could tell me what happened.”

“No, Janie, that’s not it at all.”

“Really? Because it seemed like a big deal, and you had to go to a therapist rather than speak to me.”

“I know, I know, but—you were busy. Trying to save the world busy! We were all busy, and you had Thor to look after too. Plus, I couldn’t count on Tony not bugging every inch of this tower while we were here. So keeping it a secret seemed safer.”

“We could have found a way to talk!”

“Then you’d have had to keep it secret from Thor, and that wouldn’t have been fair either. I’m not saying I enjoyed being locked up, and I don’t look forward to being a pariah around here, but so long as you’re still my friend it doesn’t matter.”

Jane’s chin lifted defiantly. “Of course I’m still your friend! And don’t worry about anyone else—one wrong word, one dirty look, and Natasha will have their guts for garters.” She pulled Darcy into a hug as she spoke, and that brought Thor out from behind his door, glowering at Darcy.

“Jane—” he muttered in warning, and she whirled on him.

“I mean it, buddy! See, she hugged me, no stabbing happened, are you happy?”

He nodded begrudgingly, but Jane didn’t seem appeased. “You could have done so much more to get Darcy out of prison, and you didn’t—yes, your mom told me! So you owe her an apology too.”

“Actually, Jane—” Darcy cut in “—I think, in the end, Frigga had the right idea, getting me out like she did.” Thor scoffed. “No, really! Because she was right, he did have a plan. And it turns out he needs the therapist more than I do.”

Thor scoffed again, louder this time, and it was Darcy’s turn to whirl on him. “Hey, did you ever even ask him what happened to him after he fell off the Bifrost and into the void? Ever think that maybe it’d be important to find out how he turned up on Earth as Thanos’ bitch?”

“Of course we asked,” Thor replied, cold anger washing through his words. “He refused to tell us the truth.”

“So you never thought to ask him how he got to be on first name terms with Mistress Death, then?” The spasm in Thor’s jaw suggested that, actually, Loki probably had mentioned her at some point, and been disbelieved. “Because, true story, I got to meet her too.”

Jane gasped and Thor shook his head incredulously. “More lies, even as you profess not to be in his thrall.”

“You met Death?” Jane asked.

Darcy nodded in response to her question. “Not my favorite memory, but it turns out Loki’s spent enough time there to find us all a way out of this mess.”

“How?” Even Thor was paying attention to this answer, but the door opened behind them, and Frigga emerged.

“Darcy, we are ready for you.”

“No, we need to hear this first,” Thor insisted.

“You must still learn patience, my son,” she replied. “This won’t take long.”

“I’ll wait out here,” Jane promised.

Darcy stepped into the room with Frigga on her tail, and it took her eyes a moment to adjust to the dimmer lighting. The overhead lights had been turned off, and instead the only illumination came from several glowing balls gathered around a couch against one wall. They were like the one Loki had conjured in Death’s realm, but she doubted he had the strength to produce that many of that size. No, these had to be Frigga’s handiwork.

Loki was on that couch, sprawled backwards in a pitiful imitation of his usual arrogant posturing. His head resting against the back cushions, tipping his face towards the ceiling. His eyes were closed, but he peeled them open as she approached the couch, though he didn’t move his head at all. Pure exhaustion was carved into his features.

His armor and regalia had been loosened and stripped away, so the leather hung loose around his chest. Darcy only had one night to measure it against, but she was pretty sure he’d been—bigger—then. Not that he didn’t still have plenty of muscle, but she swore she could see the shadow of his ribs at one side.

“I have tried to get him to explain to me what has happened,” said Frigga, drawing level with the couch so she could smooth Loki’s hair away from his fair, “and where you have been, but all he does is plead for rest.”

“You would understand,” Loki murmured, “if you knew.”

“You want me to explain?” Darcy asked Frigga, to which she received a nod in response.

“He is changed. Physically, he is as he ever was, but I sense a change to his energy.” Frigga moved her hands above Loki’s body, in an arc in the air around him. “Normally he has an abundance, but now it had dissipated. I have never seen such a thing done before. It is as if it has been stolen from him.”

Loki managed a dry cackle at that. “Oh, not stolen, mother. Freely gifted.” His eyes drifted shut again.

“What? How?” She turned her attention back to Darcy when it became clear that Loki would not answer her.

“He offered it in exchange for help in saving Earth.”

“But who would have the ability to do such a thing? And why?”

“Death does.”

Frigga stared at Darcy gravely, as if waiting for the punchline to follow, but when none followed she took her by the hand and guided her to sit on the couch beside Loki. “Please, explain everything.”

Darcy did her best, helped in her story only by dry commentary from Loki that did little to advance the narrative. She left out Jotunheim and skipped straight to their visit to Death’s realm. She even tried to avoid the subject of Loki’s torture by Thanos, but Frigga kept asking how Loki knew how to reach Death until Darcy cracked.

In the end, Frigga knelt before Loki, cradling his face in his hands, and for the first time Darcy saw her tear tracks in the flickering light.

“Oh, my son,” she whispered, bending to press a kiss to his forehead. “You have been so brave.” She turned to Darcy, taking the girl’s hand in her own. “You have both been so brave.”

“And all for nought,” Loki replied, opening his eyes once more. “I am mortal, and we may yet all perish.”

“You were always mortal.”

“It never felt that way.”

“You are not dying yet. Not again, not unless this Mistress Death wishes to come claw you from my arms. You are merely weary, and I can help with that.”

She bent to kiss Loki once more, her lips lingering on his skin, and Darcy swore she saw the air around them glow faintly—even as the floating orbs dimmed and drooped. When she pulled away, some of the pallor had drained from Loki’s face, and when he opened his eyes there was a refreshed focus to them.

The door opened, and Fury strode into the room with Tony hot on his heels.

“I’d like to be patient,” he addressed Frigga, “but that’s a luxury we can’t afford right now. Have you learned anything useful?”

Thor loomed in the doorway and Darcy caught sight of Jane hovering behind him, undecided, before she slipped into the room as well. At a sideways look from Fury, the door was closed for more privacy.

“I don’t think you’d believe me even if I told you,” Loki replied with a tight smile.

“I’d believe Frigga, if she thinks it’s the truth.”

“What I’m wondering,” said Tony, cutting in, “is if it’s a coincidence that you turn up around the same time Thanos does? That would explain how you didn’t need to use the bridge to get back to Earth.”

“It’s certainly an explanation,” Loki agreed. “Though not the correct one. I have not seen my old master for since before I came to Midgard the first time; those are not chains I would readily return to.”

“We took a shortcut through Death’s realm,” Darcy announced, to skeptical looks from the gathered men.

“That is the truth as I understand it,” confirmed Frigga. “A deal has been struck with Death, and she intends to send aid to allow us to defeat Thanos.”

“Death is a she?” asked Tony, before shaking his head. “Never mind. What aid are we waiting for? Do I need to paint a big welcome sign on the helipad?”

Jane, who’d been following the conversation with a furrowed expression, tilted her head towards him at his last sentence. The frown had deepened, but Darcy knew her well enough to recognize the metaphorical light bulb appearing. Whether it was about anything useful, or some entirely theoretical piece of science that had no bearing on the situation, was another thing altogether.

“We don’t know,” Darcy admitted.

“Then understand why I’m not willing to rely on it,” said Fury. “Her. Whoever. If you have nothing else helpful to say—”

Jane wafted a hand in his direction to silence him. “The helipad. I have an idea.”

“Yes?”

“I need Erik. And my lab. And something I’m sure is already here in the Tower because Tony was trying to figure out how it worked. But Erik would know, because he helped build it.”

Whatever it was, Tony and Fury were one step ahead of Darcy, because they seemed to understand what she was talking about without her needing to provide further explanation.

“I can have it taken to your lab,” Tony agreed.

“And I need Darcy,” Jane continued.

“No,” said Fury. “Her clearance has been revoked.” His tone broached no argument, but that didn’t stop Jane.

“She’s the best assistant I ever had, and the others have all either run away or been sent home, so you need to un-revoke her access!”

“Dr. Foster, while I appreciate your assistance, and I admire your loyalty to your friend, I have yet to see any proof that neither she or our would-be Emperor are not conspiring against us. We can discuss it again if we manage to survive.”

Jane clenched her jaw and looked like she was going to argue more, but Darcy laid her hand on her friend’s arm. “It’s not worth it. You go science. I’m not going anywhere.”

“Are you sure?”

Darcy nodded, and Jane returned the gesture, squeezing Darcy’s hand before pulling away and leaving the room with one last dagger-filled glare at Fury. Tony went with her, presumably to retrieve whatever she’d been talking about.

“I have a war council to return to,” Fury said. “Thanos only gave us a few hours to get the Tesseract to New York. I trust you two aren’t going anywhere?”

“I will ensure it,” said Thor, and the pair left the room, Thor returning to sentry outside the door, his broad frame blocking the view through the glass.

“I guess there’s nothing we can do,” Darcy said. “Since we’re grounded.”

“You can rest,” suggested Frigga. “Whatever is to come will require all our strength.” She held out a hand to Darcy, guiding her to the sofa where Loki rested. There was plenty of room on it, so Darcy had no qualms about curling up in one corner with one of the cushions.

It was funny. In her old life—before gods came invading, before aliens were a part of her reality—she’d always struggled to get to sleep, and never been able to nap. But now, she could sleep anywhere. Or maybe she was just that tired.

The next time she opened her eyes, she could tell hours had passed by the way the light had changed in the room, coming through the window at a different angle. She was amazed to feel refreshed, rather than groggy, even if it took a moment to stretch her limbs out and get rid of the kinks. Loki was awake and watchful, while Frigga sat on one of the other chairs in the room, posture regal as ever, her expression pensive. The atmosphere had thickened in the room, an electric hum that Darcy could almost reach out to touch.

“He approaches,” Loki murmured. “Can you feel it?”

That made Darcy and Frigga glance out of the window at the ever-looming presence in the sky, but that looked unchanged. Instead the door opened, with a grim-faced Thor stepping through.

“Thanos has arrived.”

“I should be there,” said Frigga, rising to her feet.

“No,” Loki protested. “He wants to know where the Tesseract is. You represent Asgard, and in that capacity you are not permitted to lie.”

“I do not need to lie to him. I have been a diplomat, in one way or another, far longer than you have lived. They may say your tongue is made of silver, but mine is golden.”

“Mother, you don’t understand. When he senses that you do know where it is, he will target you.”

“I can protect myself.”

“At least allow me to attend.”

“Absolutely not,” said Thor, his tone broaching no argument.

“There will be a video feed,” said a voice from behind him, one that almost made Darcy smile in spite of herself. “We all get to watch from the outside.”

Nat stepped around Thor and while she didn’t even acknowledge Loki, she smiled at Darcy and held her arm out to Frigga. “My lady, allow me to escort you.”

They left the room, Thor leading the group with a rough grip on Loki’s arm that the younger prince bore with an amused smirk. Whatever mojo Frigga had performed had restored him to a good imitation of full strength, and that apparently went hand-in-hand with trying to rile up his brother.

It was only the tension in his shoulders that indicated he wasn’t looking forward to being so close to Thanos.

Thor ushered them into a meeting room where the other Avengers waited, some paying more interest than others while Thor and Frigga disappeared further down the corridor to the War Council. It didn’t escape Darcy’s notice that Nat hovered close to her and Jane, her constant pacing motion cutting a line between them and Loki. Steve cast a wary eye down the room, and Tony was eyeballing Loki with no amount of disdain.

The video screen covering the wall behind him showed the war room, with Thor and Frigga entering through a set of double doors. Something about Frigga’s demeanor had changed, her bearing instantly more regal despite the simple clothes she wore and the lack of a crown. Thor looked less refined, but he was still charismatic and undeniably powerful.

The man sat at the head of the conference table—if you could describe him as a man—had to be Thanos. He easily matched Thor for size and bulk, though it was hard to tell when they weren’t side by side, only Thanos was more heavily armored. And deep violet-blue, like the ugliest of bruises.

Loki wasn’t looking at the screen, not yet, but his hands were clenched into fists as he stared out at Manhattan below them. Darcy had never met the man, but even the memory of Loki’s memories made her stomach turn. The way he sat in a simple chair—lounging, legs spread, hands gripping the arms like he was on a dais—suggested he was entirely comfortable in the situation, even enjoying it. He held all the power, and he knew it. The smug tilt to his lips suggested he liked it that way.

Thor helped Frigga to her own seat, pulling out the chair beside Fury for her, before taking up watch against the real wall. It was clear who was here to speak to Asgard, and who was intended to be an enforcer. He was framed by his warrior friends. Frigga and Fury shared a wordless look. Other world leaders sat around them, fanned around the curve of the table, but those two were in the middle, the symbolic leaders of the contingent against Thanos.

“Thanos,” Frigga began, “thank you for agreeing to meet with us. I am Frigga of Asgard.”

Thanos’ face peeled into a sickening grin. “Here I thought I was on Terra. What business is this of the queen of Asgard?”

Only half of Darcy’s attention was on the unfolding discussion—instead she watched Loki shudder at the sound of Thanos’ voice, and then his gaze swing towards the screen as if compelled by magnetism.

“This realm is under our protection,” Frigga continued.

The grin broadened. “Much good it will do them.”

“Do not underestimate us. We have defeated invading forces on Midgard before, and we will do so again. If you take your leave now, we will not pursue you. I am able to grant clemency if you agree a ceasefire.”

“What I don’t understand,” replied Thanos, leaning forward in his chair, “is how you intend to defeat us when your armies are light years away.”

“We have methods you cannot comprehend.”

“So do I. But I am willing to negotiate. I will leave this planet intact—mostly—if you hand over the Tesseract. I notice that despite my clear instructions, the stone does not appear to be here. Nor can I feel it nearby.”

“We cannot allow that you have it.”

“’We’? I’d say it’s in Terra’s best interests to give it to me.”

“It’s in no one interests for you to have it, because you seek to harness its power for greater destruction. Am I wrong?”

Something changes in Thanos’ expression, understanding lighting his eyes. Loki appeared to see it too. “No,” he cursed. “He knows.”

“Exactly how much say does Terra have in its own protection?” Thanos asked Frigga, and her expression went blank. She’d seen what he was trying to confirm—that the Tesseract was in Asgard’s possession—and would have to misdirect him.

“You have to let me in there!” Loki said to the gathered heroes. “I can distract him with the only thing he cares about more than that stone.”

“I don’t think so,” Tony said, and Steve moved to block the door.

“We have every say,” Fury said to Thanos from the next room. “We know that if you get that stone, you’ll probably destroy us anyway.”

“Is that true, your majesty?” Thanos replied, directing his question to Frigga, who his eyes had never left.

“That you will destroy them?” she said mildly. “Only you can answer that.”

“Tsk, tsk. I know a diversion when I see one,” Thanos chided.

Loki strode across to where Steve stood. “He knows the Tesseract is not on Midgard, and he intends to force my mother to confirm it. You must let me through. I can delay him.”

Darcy had never seen Loki this agitated, but his urgency didn’t move Steve.

“I can’t let you in there. You don’t represent us, and you don’t represent Asgard either.”

“He will hurt her to get the truth!”

“Your brother is in there too. He can protect her.”

“Fine,” but the way Loki was shaking his head suggested it was anything but. Instead he whirled, leaping across the room—up, onto the conference table, and across it—in the direction of Pepper, who’d been left alone at the other end of the room when Tony moved closer to block Loki.

“Loki, what are you—” Darcy began, as both Tony and Steve rushed to Pepper’s aid.

“If my mother is hurt,” Loki announced, laying one hand on Pepper’s shoulder, “she will be in turn.”

“JARVIS, I need my gauntlets,” said Tony, as he and Steve circled Loki. Pepper looked furious but did not attempt to twist away from Loki’s grip.

“No, said Darcy firmly, “she won’t be.”

Every head swiveled towards her, including Loki, who narrowed his eyes at her. “Pardon?”

“You are going to take your hands off of her, and find a better way to protect your mother than by threatening other women!”

She didn’t think it would work, but she hadn’t had the blessing of Frigga’s rejuvenating voodoo like he had, and her patience was beyond frayed. Had he learned nothing, in all these months?

“Why should I?” he asked, words quiet and icy.

“Because she would be horrified.”

He met her eyes, and the glare smoothed away, fading into vague revelation and a twinge of remorse. Though the latter could have been her imagination. Then he removed his hand from Pepper’s shoulder.

Darcy belatedly became aware that everyone in the room was still staring at her, and she was even less sure of her reading of their expressions—surely Cap wasn’t looking at her with respect?

Their attention was soon diverted by movement on the screen. Whatever had been said in the other room during their disagreement, Thanos was now on his feet. Darcy revised her opinion of him being the same size as Thor. He was bigger. No wonder Loki didn’t trust Thor or the other warriors to protect Frigga against him.

Loki followed their gazes to the screen behind him. It only took one glance, and he was on the move again, through the door before any of them could react.

Tony moved to followed, but Steve held up a hand to still him. “Let him go. We need all the distractions we can take right now.”

“You really don’t have Stockholm Syndrome, do you?” Jane murmured to Darcy. Darcy didn’t look at her, or Nat, who hadn’t appear to have moved during the whole thing.

Loki barged into the other room as Thanos took his first step towards Frigga, and that stilled Thanos, but only to fuel his uncanny mirth.

“What is this? Come to protect your mama?” He leered at Frigga. “Does he know any other jokes, or does he just relish being torn into scraps?”

“Neither,” said Loki, and his calm voice did not betray the fear he had to be feeling. “I carry a message from Mistress Death.”

That gave Thanos pause. “Impossible. Not unless you have died again, and from what I hear you’ve been very much alive.”

Loki offered an enigmatic smile. “I have traveled those paths so many times I have no need to cross that threshold any more. You have given me a great gift in that regard, and she knows it too. In fact, she has come to doubt the love you proclaim to have for her.”

“You lie!” Thanos snarled.

“Not at all,” Loki continued, with a charming smile that belied the knife he was about to twist in. “After all, I have readily visited her. I have shown willing to return to her, which is more than you ever have. Instead, you shy away, concocting grand schemes to delay the moment you will be in her embrace. Does that sound like a willing lover?”

Loki looked around the room, as if he expected an answer from the other people gathered there. “It doesn’t to me, nor to the Mistress. She wants to know why you won’t allow me to take you directly to her. You could leave all of this behind and be with her, forever, within moments.”

Silence fell on the room—both rooms, with only the underlying hum of air con and systems as a background to the tension, and the quiet breathing of the people waiting for Thanos to respond.

“You lie,” Thanos repeated, though he sounded unsure, as if he was testing the edges of a trap he knew was there and waiting to be sprung.

“It is the absolute truth,” Loki replied quietly. “I can take you to her realm and you would never have to be parted from her again.”

Another pause, as Thanos contemplated the offer. He knew the sincerity of it, as they all did at that moment, except he’d be a fool to trust the word of someone he’d tortured and killed repeatedly.

Thanos apparently agreed with that assessment.

“I have a better idea. It involves the Tesseract, which I know is on Asgard. But how to get Asgard to hand it over, I wonder? It would appear to me that if Terra is under Asgard’s protection, the existence of this planet should be sufficient enticement.” He strode towards the doorway. “You have one hour to bring the Tesseract from Asgard. If I don’t have it by then, I will destroy this realm for good.”

#fic #tasertricks #smoke & mirrors #my words

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netrack · 3 years ago

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chestnutpost · 6 years ago

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Raytheon kill vehicle hits ICBM target in first dual-salvo test

This post was originally published on this site

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif., March 25, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — For the first time, the U.S. Missile Defense Agency, in partnership with the Boeing-led industry team, tested two Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicles (EKV), which destroyed a threat representative intercontinental ballistic missile during a test of the Ground-based Midcourse Defense System, or GMD. One EKV intercepted the target and the other gathered test data in what is known as a “two-shot salvo” engagement.

The EKV system protects the U.S. against long-range ballistic missile attacks by destroying incoming threats safely outside the Earth’s atmosphere. The historic test mirrored a real-life scenario where launching more than one interceptor ensured destruction of the threat far away from population centers. If the first kill vehicle makes impact, the second can divert to other material.

“The system is among the most complex, and serves as the first line of ballistic missile defense for the United States,” said Dr. Taylor W. Lawrence, Raytheon Missile Systems president.

After receiving tracking and targeting data from Raytheon’s Sea-Based X-band radar and AN/TPY-2 radar, the EKV identified the threat, discriminated between the target and countermeasures, maneuvered into the target’s path and destroyed it using “hit-to-kill” technology. Both radars play critical roles in supporting the GMD system.

It was the eleventh intercept for the GMD program overall, and the second intercept of an ICBM. The Raytheon kill vehicle family has a combined record of over 40 successful space intercepts.

About RaytheonRaytheon Company, with 2018 sales of $27 billion and 67,000 employees, is a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, civil government and cybersecurity solutions. With a history of innovation spanning 97 years, Raytheon provides state-of-the-art electronics, mission systems integration, C5I™ products and services, sensing, effects and mission support for customers in more than 80 countries. Raytheon is headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts. Follow us on Twitter.

Media ContactJohn Patterson [email protected]

SOURCE Raytheon Company