#and the fact that i need something battery operated to listen

[chihoshisai]

A Lonely Flower Amidst a Garden

Pairing : Mycroft x Reader / Word count : 1254 / Genre : Fluff and lighthearted / Summary : Mycroft has been injured and stumbles unpon you.

A/N : i recommend listening to "summer" by joe hisaishi while reading this!

Legwork.

There are a few things that Mycroft disliked about his work such as cocktails - interacting with people he deemed as goldfish was no fun - the worst of them all was legwork. Being on the field, having to play an active role in operations that he would usually plan from the comfort of his office were dreadful. Unfortunately, today was one of those days. Things went south unexpectedly as he had been shot in his left shoulder. The pain was one he never felt before, as he covered his wound with the hand from his uninjured arm. 

He somehow managed to get away from the scene before things got too ugly and was now walking in an open field surrounded by hydrangeas. To make matters worse, a spring drizzle of rain enveloped the area, freezing his body. Panting, he kneeled on the muddy grass ; his phone had run out of battery and he was now stuck in a flower field with no choice but to wait for Anthea to find his location. Sensing a presence, he turned his head to the left and saw you, your back turned to him, hidden behind a lilac umbrella, befitting the colors of the nearby hydrangeas.

Mycroft winced from the pain, reverting his gaze to his arm. Before he found the courage to stand back again, thinking of asking to borrow your phone, you had already approached him while putting your umbrella over both of your heads. 

“Are you alright?” You asked him before seeing the injury on his arm. 

“Well as you can see-” Mycroft was cut short due to the fact that you had now crouched to be around the same level as him, resting the umbrella on your shoulder. 

“What are you doing?” Taking out a handkerchief from your pocket, you quietly whispered “stay still.” 

As Mycroft saw the fabric, he hesitantly moved his hand. You wrapped the cloth delicately on his wound. 

“There, it’s nothing much, but I believe it’s better than covering it up with your hand.” You raised your eyes to look into his, giving him something that faintly looked like a smile. 

“That was quite kind of you, thank you.” You stood up, still shielding both of you from the rain. 

“There is a small hospital not far from here. I can take you there if you’re interested?” In turn, Mycroft also stood up agreeing to have you lead the way. So you did, you walked next to him holding the umbrella. For a while, nothing could be heard but the sound of the rain hitting the flower field. Not wanting to inquire Mycroft about his situation you tried making conversation on another subject 

“The flowers are quite pretty at this time of the year. Shame it has to rain today.” Mycroft glanced down at you. 

“Indeed, I also would have wished to have walked upon such a place in much better conditions.”  You lowered your gaze to the ground, “so would I.”

Many questions floated in Mycroft’s mind. You being here, was it a coincidence or was there another reason for this? Were you really taking him to a hospital? Allie or foe? He had never seen you before, but as he was in a vulnerable position, and you didn’t seem harmful he had no choice but to blindly trust you. In any case, if you would dare to try anything, he was convinced he could manage to escape you like he did earlier today. 

“In normal circumstances people would have called an ambulance, why didn’t you?” He inquired, trying to deduce any clues about your intentions. 

“An ambulance is unable to come this deep in the garden. They would need to carry you back. In my opinion it’s inconvenient for you and for them. Plus you seem to be able to walk just fine so what’s the harm?” You blankly say. You did not bother looking back at him either, focused on the path before you. 

“Fair enough.” Mycroft did not discern any ill intentions from you therefore decided to press no further. 

“Plus, this is the least I can do. I can’t just leave an injured man all alone in a flower garden in such weather.” I do not need another reason to hate myself, you thought to yourself bitterly. 

These last words made Mycroft take a slight bit of interest in you. He scrutinized you ; you seemed  neither happy nor upset by the rain, while giving off an air of sorrow. Your eyes arbored no light, as if something was displeasing you. Yet, you were still strangers. It was not his place to ask about your personal life.  

“What is your name?” Mycroft tried to prevent the silence from falling back between you. 

“Let’s see… Mary Poppins.” This time, you looked up at him, a vague smile on the corner of your lips. Despite your flat response Mycroft couldn’t help but laugh. 

“Very well, so you shall be.” He understood your wish to keep your identity a secret and didn't press further. Appreciating the fact that you also didn’t inquire about his identity and circumstances. Before long, the two of you reached the hospital, both getting in. 

“Thank you for your help, you’re free to go wherever you wish now.” He felt his heart clutch at those words, catching himself wanting to spend more time with you. You weren’t annoying, over talkative or too energetic. Despite your gloominess, he liked your knack for humor, was grateful for your kindness to bring him here and most importantly was drawn by the mysterious identity that you made for yourself. Of course, he could easily find all there was to know about you thanks to his minor - yet most important - position in the british government, but somehow he wanted to discover it all by spending time with you. For once, he wanted to try doing what the common people did. Getting to know each other.  

“My job is not completely over, I'm afraid. You are not medically treated yet. Until then, I shall remain and make sure you get the treatment you deserve.” You remained expressionless, but a hint of concern could still be heard in your voice. 

“Alright, suit yourself.” Mycroft smiled at you, somewhat feeling relieved. Soon after, he was making a phone call, as you patiently waited for him in the waiting room, your umbrella soaking the floor in front of your shoes. He came to you, making sure to show you his bandaged arm. 

“You seem much better, I’m glad.” You creeped an awkward smile on your face, but soon returned to your resting face.  

“My ride should be here any minute now. I cannot thank you enough for all you did. May I call you a taxi? ” Mycroft looked at you, dreading the end of this encounter. 

“It was nothing much. Anyone would have done the same. But I see, may you get home safe, free of danger. No need for a taxi.” Both of you stood near the entrance of the hospital, side by side looking at the grey scenery made by the rain. Far too soon to Mycroft’s liking, his usual black car came. You saw him off, feeling he was disheartened, before his chauffeur closed the door, you couldn’t help it. 

“I hope we meet again. Perhaps on a rainy day. I would like that.” For a split second, Mycroft saw a glint of hope in your eyes, but you had already opened your umbrella and walked away before he could reply.

-------------------------------------------------------

A/N : will make a part 2 !

[bonesandthebees]

And then thirdly and finally, there’s Wilbur getting the chance to run and staying. There are a few important things to note 1. Wilbur's first instinct is to go find Tommy and his second one is going to the temple. We’re adding new irony to the opening sentence of the chapter : [ ].

Then Wilbur realises he could escape. Operation 2. Wilbur from a few weeks ago would have ran the second he realised. Current Wilbur, who, in his defense, is very drunk, needs a little longer to process. Bless his soul he does lay put an entire plan, but he doesn’t leave. Which again shows a lot of progress because that’s what he’s wanted for ages. He wants to have a purpose and be where he belongs. He wants Clara to like him.

But he’s also finally gotten the opportunity to speak his mind and in doing so, has finally admitted to himself how shit his life was. Just a little but, cuz there’s so much he’s still in denial about. And he did literally vent about how frustrating it is that Schlatt doesn’t listen. He knows that won’t change. So what’s the difference between being there or staying at the temple? At the temple he has Tommy. At the temple he can laugh and joke with Niki and Jack. At the temple he’s allowed to be a person, even if he still won’t let himself accept that he is one.

So Wilbur stays. Even if he can’t wrap his head around why he stays. Or around the fact that he wants to stay. His body makes him stay, but his mind wants to leave. Again not because he wants to, but because he thinks that’s what he’s supposed to do. That’s what Clara would want him to do. But it’s not what he wants. So even if he still wanted to force himself to follow Clara’s will, he ended up doing what he wanted. And that’s a victory. But I except it’s going to sit in his mind a bit because he doesn’t know why he couldn’t leave.

And then Tommy comes back and rightfully has a freakout. Because if Wilbur had run, Tommy would be in a lot of trouble. But Wilbur didn’t run and I think Tommy has a better idea of why. Or maybe he thinks he does. I don’t know how obvious it is to Tommy that Wilbur doesn’t want to go back because he’s (subconsciously) starting to realise that he’s better of here. Tommy does want to know why Wilbur didn’t leave, and he knows to push past the bullshit, but takes the [“I don’t know,”].

(3/3)

-🌲

lmao fun fact that irony of the first sentence was completely unintentional

he's so in denial about so many things still, but he's started to admit to himself how much he hated being in the palace. he's been shown a different kind of life he didn't know was possible, and even if he's not thinking of it consciously, subconsciously he wants that. badly. nothing's going to change if he goes back because schlatt won't listen, so even though it's the selfish choice in his mind, why shouldn't he stay with his friends?

he wants to leave but he doesn't. he tells himself he wants to leave because he knows that's what he should be thinking, but it's not the truth. he made a choice for himself even if he wasn't fully admitting it. he didn't want to leave, so he didn't.

oh tommy definitely knows. something I feel is often overlooked with tommy as a character is how emotionally intelligent he is. he's really good at reading wilbur's emotions so tommy can fully tell that wilbur didn't want to leave. of course he doesn't know that for sure and is aware it could be wishful thinking on his end, but he knows that wilbur's excuse about clara was bullshit so what other reason is there? that's why he takes the 'I don't know' because even if wilbur doesn't know, tommy knows. and he's so, so relieved.

tysm for all your thoughts spruce!! as always i love hearing your analysis :D sorry if some of these answers felt rushed my smoke alarm is beeping bc of low battery so im trying to answer these before i go out to buy a new one so my dog stops panicking lol

[thewul]

The first thing we have to figure out about Bumper is how it is powered, whereas the thinking would be we have this base that is solar powered and so making Bumper having rechargeable batteries makes sense, in fact not at all

Solar panels have limited lifespans, and Bumper would have to return to the base in order to recharge its batteries

Rather what we are looking at is part of the future of space technologies, a flat battery, only Bumper's flat battery is way bigger than this one, accounting for about 90% of its flat surface, and it should last between 10 to 12 years

There are inherent limitations to these batteries and their lifespan, used or not they have a limited lifespan, stemming from the fact that its components are already activated

And so Bumper's battery is slightly more complex, its components become activated they're not already activated, which is achieved by have a slow decaying layer that should last the duration of the trip

When the decaying layer is completely consumed the battery's components make contact and become active

It is all a bit experimental for now due to the distance to TRAPPIST or GLIESE and in the essence time vs active components, possibly the first setting where we can see HEXIRON probes in action would be either Mars or Titan or both

Another way to do it is to develop Uranium based flat batteries, which skips on the issue altogether due to the lifespan of Uranium, and so forget what we just said about a decaying layer, solved

With ceramic wheels Bumper would last for much longer, as an exploration robot, up to 50 or even 60 years

Bumper has no moving parts except its wheels and drill platform located underneath it, and yes we just put it there but it needs to have twin bolts in front and in the back to keep steady in the base, during landing and after that if actually that base can hop from place to place

Providing its light enough maybe, and so we are looking at an aluminum tungsten alloy, strong and much lighter than steel

I like it, it is shaping up as an interesting and versatile set of tools, a base that can hop to another place some 100 miles away, and a robot that seemingly can go anywhere for extended periods of time

Coupled with an orbital probe that does anything aerial based, including communicating with and relaying to the ground probe, in terms of exploring exoplanets that would be it safe for having people on the ground

These things are very far however, and so the third element becomes relay satellites or relay antennas

It's mindbogglingly complex to operate and very simple at the same time the basic principles of it, also very satisfactory that HEXIRON turned out to be a one stop shop, including a hybrid ionic rocket delivery solution, and importantly that it's all been developed in Morocco

We only need Bumper to close the whole loop, DELTAHEDRON is something else completely, gravity and magnetism measurements, but it's nice to have, or maybe DELTAHEDRON can turn out to be some micro relay satellite that are just there in orbit to streamline operations across multiple locations in a system

There is, or was, a whole range of issues pertaining to exploring exoplanets, and as many people who would say that it is not possible, but it does look more and more possible

If you listened to them explaining how a solid or liquid fuel rocket could never make it, and all of the other reasons, you would have to concede every bit of it, proving them wrong however is that much more exciting

A rocket of the size that would be needed would contain so much liquid or solid fuel and dispose of such massive engines that it could never lift off, because both these aspects are relative to one another and proportional, it is all completely true, and false at the same time with a hybrid ionic rocket

Completely false

[cyncerity]

HEY! IM BACK!!

I know i said like,, three drawings,,,, it may be more than that,,,,,

anyway, here’s the first one!!

i finished this forever ago, it’s for the Flubber AU!! I’ve kind of at this point reworked most of the story, and I don’t know how much i’ve talked about Sam and Fundy in this au! Feel free to check the flubber au hashtag if you forget any of this au, cause it’s been a while since I talked about it. I’m gonna ramble under the cut cause i know myself and i know it’s gonna get long-

Ok, so, Quackity didn’t build Fundy, but he did build Sam. Fundy was stolen from given as a “gift” from another less moral but richer inventor/businessman named Wilbur Soot. He’s a local celebrity because, unlike Quackity, when he makes something new he sells it to the public. This wouldn’t be a bad thing if it weren’t for that fact that half of his things have trackers and spy equipment and whatever, and he has no qualms with stealing other people’s things (ideas, money, etc) to get himself on top. He steals a lot of Quackity’s ideas, and tries to flirt with him to make up for it, and Quackity can’t tell if he’s genuinely flirting or not. Needless to say, Q hates him.

Fundy:

Fundy was one of Wil’s first inventions, which is why he is less “competent” and more old-fashioned than his other creations (i tried to make i him kind of steampunk-y), and was just meant to be a little wind-up toy/small robotic butler, but Wil accidentally gave him ai advanced enough to make him a person. Fundy tried to explain that he was a person, but since Wil had never seen a robot with a personality, he dismissed him. Wil’s treatment towards him got so bad that eventually Fundy just ran away. However, like I mentioned before, he’s a wind up “toy,” meaning that he depends on people. He ended up getting stuck out in the rain in front of Q’s garage, where he was found by the human the next morning.

When Quackity wound him up, thankfully the rain didn’t damage much about Fundy as a person. His wiring was a bit fried tho. Fundy explained everything and Q, who hadn’t liked Wilbur already but hated him now, believed every word Fundy said. He fixed him up and upgraded him so that he ran on a rechargeable battery and didn’t need to be wound up, making him finally independent. However, Wilbur, like so many other things of his, had stuck cameras and mics in Fundy, so Q removed those, too.

When Wilbur saw the feed from before the spy equipment could be ripped out, he was infuriated. He had refused to believe that Fundy was sentient, and the price was that now Fundy could tell Q everything about his operations at the Soot factory. So Wil went to take him back, telling Quackity that Fundy was important to him, as his first successful attempt at human-like ai (despite the fact that it had been an accident), and went off about how Fundy was “like a son to him.” Q listened to about 10 minutes of it before watching Fundy, who was sitting just out of Wil’s perspective. He looked terrified. Q cut Wilbur off and told him to leave before he called the cops, and Fundy has been loyal to Quackity since.

Sam:

Quackity was really inspired by Fundy. He had never seen human-like ai before, and with every passing day living with Fundy made him want to test it more himself. That’s where Sam came in.

Quackity works tirelessly for months to figure out what Wilbur did to give Fundy his spark of life, and just can’t figure it out. No matter what he does, it never seems to be working, and he’s frustrated and angry and just really close to giving up. Fundy even says that Q can take him apart and put him back together to see if there’s some piece or something Sam needs, but Quackity refuses for obvious reasons. Fundy had already seen enough hell with Wilbur.

Eventually, after 5 or 6 months, Q relents and gives up. He can’t do it, he doesn’t know what he could be missing at this point. He goes back to his basement lab to turn Sam off one final time and scrap him but realizes that his computer is playing a youtube video, one about electronics and advanced code. Huh. He doesn’t remember putting that on. He wakes up Fundy, but, to his surprise, Fundy didn’t do it either. They both start to look around for an intruder or anything that could have set it off. Hell, maybe it was Quackity’s cat Tiger, who knows, but Q could have sworn she was up on his bed a few minutes ago. That’s when Fundy uncovers a pile of what looks like a few other Sam prototypes.

…Expect Quackity didn’t make prototypes for Sam.

That’s when Sam stops them both.

Quacktity is utterly dumbfounded when Sam begins to explain that he has actually been sapient for weeks and just didn’t tell anyone. He didn’t know exactly how he was alive, but he quickly learned how to infiltrate the computer that Q had been plugging him into, and from there just other technology. He also learned a bit about Quackity this way, and realized that Q had a lot to do and little time to do it, hacking into security cams and seeing Wilbur walking around him house like the creepy mf he is, Tiger knocking things down in the kitchen, him struggling to grade his student’s assignments from his day job, and reading his messages with Sapnap and seeing how concerned his boyfriend was. (Quackity honestly didn’t realize how stressed he really was until he heard all this)

So, Sam had started to build more of himself to help out, having learned from youtube videos from the computer he was plugged into. He had plans for more, but so far he was working on a security bot and a worker/help bot, dubbed Warden and Sam-Nook.

Quackity was obviously a bit annoyed that he didn’t know, but Sam said he didn’t want to introduce himself until he was done with the two others.

And when Sam was finally done, he became a huge help around the house. He was the voice of reason Quackity never had, making sure he ate, slept, and did things on time. Sam-Nook helps cook whenever he can, and makes sure to tidy up and play with Tiger when Quackity doesnt have time to. And Quackity had a lot of fun hooking Warden up to the sprinklers in his yard and watching Wilbur get drenched by them next time he came around. He even goes back to his day job at the university, though he still doesn’t talk to Sapnap or Karl yet.

Even if Sam is the only one that actually talks and has a proper personality (unless he shifts his consciousness into one of the other bots, which he only really does in emergencies), all three of the Sam bots are a huge help, and Quackity knows how lucky he is to have them.

[babblydrabbly]

Let Me Come Home (Rick Flag x Reader)

Pairing(s): Rick Flag x F!Reader

Warning(s): Language, angst/fluff :)

Word count: 1.5K+

Anonymous asked: may i request something angst in the beginning but ends up really fluffy. how rick plans to break up with reader after a mission bc he thinks she deserves better instead of always waiting around for him, but then he sees her and just melts and decides not to go through with it bc he can't let her go and maybe promises to leave his work some day? it doesn't have to be specifically that way tho, it's up to you! tysm again in advance if ever you decide to do this!!! <3

[ A/N: asdkgh;jkl Thank you, anon ;_; Wrote this while listening to this cover so I am feeling extra warm & fuzzy today! ]

He's a whole weekend late.

Rick Flag— Decisive, deliberate, diligent— cuts the engine in your driveway and sits there in the silence, in the dark, with grim uncertainty. An unfamiliar churn in his gut keeps him from grabbing the canvas bag in the backseat and just opening the door. He feels sick, and the fact seems to keep him stuck in his seat. He hadn't ignored your texts so much as stare at them blankly upon returning stateside— He watched as the little bubbles formed, your fingers typing up more questions he's prepared to leave unanswered this time. They're never about the operations; You don't ask about the mission details, or the criminals, or if he even succeeded. You ask the things that make Rick Flag feel like a fish out of water.

Are you alright?

Safe?

He lingered on base until the questions stopped coming in completely. Rick pries open the driver's side door, listens to his footsteps slide onto the pavement. The thought had hit him in the middle of a crossfire, stinging him more than the bullets that miraculously grazed past him over and over; Might not make it this time. It was an odd thought that had stabbed itself there for the rest of the mission. Odd, because it was far from a new idea, and yet it conjured with it the image of you, lying in bed— Like you probably were doing right now. You, waiting. You, without him. The house is dark when Rick shoves his key into the door. You weren't one to dote. But there's fresh food in the fridge, in the cabinets. The trash is empty— Everything ship shape. You ran your home like Rick ran his operations before this damn squad— With intention and a genuine mind for order. Rick drops his bag right there in the middle of the floor softly. When had the first nightmare occurred? After the first few months. After you'd slipped him a key to your front door without any doubts. He'd felt the weight of it added to his pocket, a weight that seemed to press down on his chest as he tried to sleep for more months after. Rick Flag doesn't die in those dreams. No. Against all logic, it's you. There beside him, despite never having stepped foot in those hellish places, those places absent of all light, and you. You leaving him. Somehow, those dreams were easier. But now— Might not make it this time. Make it back to you. He could never hurt you. But he will one day. Upstairs, Rick leaves the lights off on the way to your bedroom. He showered back at base. Did everything he could have done here at home, so that he may deny you this a little longer. You didn't need him, he reminds himself. You've joked about it so many times. It was your home, your life. You once told Rick that he swept in as he pleased, and he smiled, apologizing for the tornado he'd brought into your life. "Don't say you're sorry." You told him. You murmured it into his skin, into his ear; "Don't be sorry you're with me." He plans it within those forty eight hours he should have spent with you. He thinks about it tactically, though it brings something roiling and acidic up his throat. He could be blunt. Mean. You were patient; Had a way with coaxing the truth out of Rick Flag the way professional interrogators couldn't with pliers and car batteries and waterboardings. So he'd have to make it quick. Leave you with the least words and worst of all, an I'm sorry. Sorry for all this. You hated sorries. You'd hate him. Rick would turn on the bedside light. He'll throw his weight on the bed to wake you up and start before you can even greet him. He'll keep the boots on, the laces up. Sorry, Darlin'. Not stayin' this time. He planted the seeds by ignoring you so uncharacteristically. It was time to rip off the bandaid. Get in, get out, and burn it all down behind him. He did that every damn mission, didn't he? He opens the bedroom door quietly. He expects darkness. Instead, he gets a small blue square of light glowing at him softly across the room. It's your phone. In the dark, you've propped it up on the nightstand, screen left on and burning through the blackness. Rick steps inside, and he can see as he draws near that it's his name at the top; Your string of messages lined up and waiting for answers he hasn't returned. And you're not asleep. Rick sees your shoulder quake beneath the covers and without thought his hand flies to the lamp beside him. You sit up, startled. "Rick," You say. And fuck, Rick freezes at the broken little sob that follows after his name. "Baby," Rick sits down on the other side of the bed. — The side you've repeatedly reminded him is his. You run your hand over your eyes, brush the soft hairs stuck to the moisture on your face back in place. "What's wrong?" He finds himself asking. It's not the plan. Not the script. There was something he was supposed to say, and now it's lost, somewhere in the back of his head with all the

other stupid ideas he's ever had. You reach behind yourself and tip your phone over, face down onto the nightstand. You flash him and embarrassed look, and the roiling in Rick's stomach disappears, replaced with the kind of flips that happen whenever he's near you. "I just, uh, I don't know. It's nothing." You smooth the blanket over your legs, avoiding his gaze. "I thought maybe I got your dates mixed up. Then I was thinking about... how you were doing." Rick swallows, the corners of his mouth dipping into a scowl. "Did something happen?" You prod quietly. You look up at Rick, checking for any cuts or bruises. Rick sweeps all the plans to hurt you away, off the table, right into the trash. He steels his face but it's too late. Your searching eyes tell him he's already hurt you tonight. He attempts to brush it off anyway; He reaches down to yank one shoelace undone, then the other. Rick shrugs, "Nope. Mission accomplished." And on any other night, it's all he needs to say to close the book on that part of his life for just a little while. But he knows you. Knows by your silence that you think he's full of shit— You just don't know why tonight. Maybe it's not too late, he suddenly thinks. Maybe he'll hash it out here, with you, in this home that's been the only real safe place in his life now. Stomp it out. But you've been crying for hours. More than you'd ever confess to Rick right now. You wouldn't tell him how you spiraled— Your thoughts drawing together the awful conclusions. The worst case scenarios. How you wouldn't even get so much as a phone call from wherever it is he dedicated his life to— it wasn't like they were in the fucking phone book. So you don't wait for him to remove the other shoe when you wind your arms around Rick's shoulders. You pull him under the covers as he kicks off his boot hurriedly. Rick reaches for the lamp and plunges you both into the darkness again, quiet and safe. You toss the blanket back over the two of you. "Still got my jacket on, baby." He mumbles. And you pull away just enough to get the zipper undone. After he shucks it off, you replace yourself in his arms, burying your face in his warm chest without a word. He removes his belt too, the heavy buckle thunking onto the rug beneath the bed. "You're not sorry, are you?" You whispered. Rick shuts his eyes. A wetness burns the back of his retinas, scalding hot. He grips you back, squeezing you with both arms so tightly you nearly gasp. What the fuck was he thinking? "I am sorry." He confesses. He shifts to bury his nose in your hair, reacquaints himself with the smell of soft shampoo and your skin. You exhale into him. Your breath is still a little broken from earlier. He begins to draws small circles onto your back with his thumb as he stares up at the dark ceiling. "I was thinking today, too. Stupid shit." He feels you tilt your head up at him, waiting. He smoothed his palm down your back. "Am I selfish, [Yn]? Doin' this to you?" You snorted. "What? Holding me? Yeah, a real asshole." You get a chuckle out of him, reveling in the way his chest shakes softly under you. But you gulp, another sniffle escaping. Rick went on, "I told you, you say the word and I'm... I'll stop leaving you like this." "And I told you to stop saying shit like that." You shoot back. He's relieved to hear your voice come back to you, strong and firm and everything he's missed. Because he's missed you. Too much. You can see him watching you in the dark, your face inches from his as you lift you head up to shoot him a stern gaze. "I'm not going to be the person who tells you to be someone you're not, Rick Flag. You wouldn't do that to me, would you?" A hand lifts to your face, his thumb brushing over your frowning lips. "No, Ma'am." He said softly. "But maybe you're changin' me." Rick offered, surprising you. You almost shove off of him then. Almost tell him you're personally going to yank these blankets off the bed and leave to sleep on the couch if he's going to fill your bedroom up with bullshit. But he went on, his strong limbs

tangling themselves in yours, a plea to hear him out. "No empty promises." He recited— Your mantra. The one he'd been trying to work on—for you. "I was just... thinking it was time to start thinkin' about shiftin' some priorities around. At work. At—" Home. "Here." Because his scope was shifting. The space in his brain filled up with duty and missions and a life without warmth had been shrinking. It was free fall, the way he had begun to recognize what was taking it's place. He feels the warm press of your lips to his, the light grasp of your hand on his cheek. "We could talk about that." You said. There's a flicker of hope in your voice that makes something in Rick's chest melt away. You smile at one another in the dark. And just the idea of you smiling at him. In the night, in the morning. Over and over. Rick lies there as you drift off to sleep, the thought of tomorrow a solid, warm thing in his grasp, for once. Just once.

[zrtranscripts]

Home Front, Mission 17: Drone On

Take to the Skies

~

[mechanical work sounds in the background]

JANINE DE LUCA: Ah, is it that time already? No, Mr. Yao, I can do it. I have equipment here. No, you do not need to come down and help. Please continue calibrating the comms. Attention, listeners, Janine De Luca here. I've just been informed by Mr. Yao that it is time for today's workout session. Please take a moment to gather two or more tin cans, two bags, and if possible, a chair for exercises you'll be doing later on. Ensure the bags have strong handles. Once you're ready, commence warming up, perhaps by jogging on the spot.

Unfortunately, I'm rather busy attending to a task in Abel's workshop at present. Under the workshop, to be precise. I'm in a crawl space, stripping out old copper wiring for use elsewhere. Still, I have a portable mic, so we can conduct our workout as planned. In fact, being in a confined space has brought to mind exercises for those locked down with limited room, such as Runner Thirty-One, who is unfortunately trapped within a cottage pantry.

So on to today's first exercise: seated leg raises. For this, you'll need one sturdy chair and just enough space to stretch your legs. I believe Thirty-One has that much room in his pantry, along with several thousand legumes. If you don't have room, continue jogging. Otherwise, sit upright in your chair with your back straight and your hands on the chair on either side of you. Plant your left foot on the floor, then straighten your right leg so it extends in front of you with your hip flexed and your knee straight. Hold the leg there for a few seconds, then lower it.

We will raise and lower your right leg thusly for 30 seconds, then your left for 30 more. And start. That's it, keep going. 15 seconds down. You're doing well, everyone. Please ignore my working in the background. Very good. 30 seconds, listeners. Switch to your left leg. That's it, 15 seconds left, listeners. We are both nearly done. The wiring down here is from defunct pre-apocalypse electrics. There is little left to salvage. And exercise complete, as is my collection operation.

I shall trigger a music break while I emerge from the crawl space. You could continue exercising or relax, listeners. I admit I've let Mr. Yao pick out today's songs, so I imagine something cheerful should be about to play.

~

JANINE DE LUCA: Welcome back, everyone. I'm afraid I am far from done with the day's labors, so you will have to bear with me while I conduct essential work. Abel's machine shop has been rather cluttered for the last few months. Just before the superhorde, we recovered a crashed military drone from nearby countryside, an extremely advanced attack model. Mr. Yao claims it resembles a predatory bird, though I know few birds of car size. At first I was worried the drone was damaged beyond repair, but I have had ample incentive to work on it of late. Now while I rewire some circuits on the drone's underside, you've a round of torso twists to do.

Use the tin cans and bags you obtained earlier. Place one tin in each bag. Feel free to use more tins for a greater challenge. This ought to be a fine use for all those cans of condensed milk in your pantry, Runner Thirty-One. Of course, you wouldn't have been trapped by the horde if you hadn't disobeyed orders to go back for those cans. Now sit holding the weights very close to your chest. Twist from the waist to your left hand side, then twist back to the center, and then twist to the opposite side. Keep alternating twists like this for one minute. And begin.

Very good, 15 seconds complete. For camaraderie purposes, you may wish to know I am removing fused components from the drone. They are of a similar heft to your weights. That's it, 30 seconds elapsed. Patience is the key, listeners, in exercise and engineering. No matter how many panels need to be pried loose, one must persist. 15 seconds left, nearly done. And exercise complete.

It has been weeks of work, listeners, but I am close to restoring this drone, I know it. Air support in this day and age... it could bring us a major victory against the superhorde. Dr. Myers is concerned that I've been going without sleep for the project. For more than a few days, in honesty, but completion is so near. I need only... [components zap] Ah, damn! I need only bypass the power systems. The main battery still holds charge, but its connections are ruined. This wiring is delicate. I must concentrate. More music will follow. Rest or continue pushing yourselves and when I return, with any luck, some progress will have been made.

~

JANINE DE LUCA: Hello, listeners. You have just missed Mr. Yao, who has been down here on the pretext of delivering unsolicited cocoa. The truth is, weathering the superhorde, trying to plan a counterattack... the pressure has been intense. Bouts of flu and dysentery have other settlements low on medical supplies, beseeching us for aid. Tinkering in here is the closest thing to relaxation I've been able to manage. Hopefully you have found our exercises similarly restorative.

Today's next task: incline press-ups. If you're confined near stairs, find them. Adopt a press-up position with your hands shoulder-width apart on the second or third step of your stairs and your back straight. Bend your arms to lower your body until your chest is close to the floor, hold there for a count of two, then return to your starting position.

For those of you without stairs, like Thirty-One or Runners Nineteen and Twenty-Two who are trapped in the ale house toilet after a failed romantic escape, try wall press-ups. Stand before a wall with your legs together and your arms straight out with your palms on the wall at shoulder height, shoulder-width apart. Keep your back straight and bend your elbows to bring your nose close to the wall. Hold for two seconds, then return to your starting position.

There will be one minute of press-ups. Begin. 15 seconds down. I believe I am close to finishing the rewiring. 30 seconds down. The drone appears to be coming online. Excellent. 45 seconds down. I imagine wall press-ups are especially useful for Runner Thirteen, who is sheltering in an old police box, to Mr. Yao’s perplexing amusement.

And stop. The drone is ready for launch. With so little fuel, there is no opportunity to test it, but I have a plan in mind. The people need a victory against the horde. To be candid, I feel I need one, too. There will be a music break while I conduct the launch. Recoup or continue doing press-ups. When you hear from me again, we shall find out one way or another whether my efforts here have been in vain.

~

SAM YAO: Uh, hello? Hello, listeners, are you there? It's Sam in the comms shack. Janine told me to take over the broadcast while she launches her drone. Apparently, she's rigged up a remote to steer it, so she's got to focus on that. [paper rustles]Anyway, she's given me a list of exercises for you. Next one is... oh, planking. Janine says it's, uh, an excellent test of patience, inspired by Runner Twelve, who's stuck in the back of an overturned campervan. She's been planking to pass the time.

So lie down on your front, supporting your weight on your forearms and tiptoes. Keep your back straight and lock your core. You're going to hold that pose for 60 seconds. And go. Oh! Got an update from Janine. The drone just launched, and ah, I see it on the cams, rising from the workshop like a big scary robot eagle. 15 seconds down. That's it, plank like Runner Twelve. Halfway done. Huh, that's weird, the drone's just drifting over the horde. I mean, shouldn't it be, I don't know, shooting missiles or something? 45 seconds down. Keep your body locked. Imagine you're that drone soaring through the air like a plank. And done. Good job, everyone!

Yeah, there's still no bombs or missiles from our drone. It's uh, oh, it's losing altitude, drifting east toward Naxdale Settlement. Yeah, they've always been a bit twitchy over there. They keep claiming some mysterious beast is looting their stores. I mean, everyone knows it's just rats. Anyway, I'd better check in with Janine, make sure everything's okay. You guys know the drill, keep exercising or relax in the break and I'll be right back.

~

SAM YAO: Hey, folks! Me again. Couldn't get ahold of Janine. She must be busy steering the drone. Well, I guess we should just get on with our exercises. Uh, the next one is inch worming. According to Janine, it's Runner Thirty-One's favorite, even if he only has enough space to halfway do it in his pantry. Janine says it's the kind of bracing challenge that patience sometimes earns. Right.

So stand up straight, feet hip-width apart, then slowly bend forward, putting your hands on the floor in front of your feet as near as you can get them to your toes. Walk your hands forward, keeping your abs engaged, until your back is completely straight, then reverse it. Walk your arms back to your feet and stand up straight again. And well, just keep doing that over and over again for one minute. Ready? And go.

Hmm. Uh, you've done 15 seconds. Oh, that drone is getting really low. It's banking. Oh my God, it's going down!. Uh... uh, sorry, listeners. Um, yeah, you're halfway done. I'm just a bit distracted here. The drone’s careered right into the middle of Naxdale Settlement. Uh, I'm checking nearby cams. This can't be good. Uh, yeah, 15 seconds left, guys. Looks like the locals in Naxdale are surrounding our crashed drone. They look really agitated. Uh, good job, everyone. That's one minute.

Listen, I'm gonna raise Janine, find out what's happening. You just... hang in there. Janine's been slaving over that thing for weeks. If it's some kind of dud, she'll be devastated. Oh God, I hope Naxdale don't think we're attacking them. Okay, this could be bad, but don't panic. I'm just... just going to put on some relaxing music for you to cool down to while we get this straightened out. Oh boy.

~

JANINE DE LUCA: Hello, listeners. I apologize for alarming you and Mr. Yao. All is well, I simply chose to focus on implementing my plan before explaining it. Lost time is lost health in this case. The drone was never meant to fight the horde, you see. We lack the ammunition for that. No, the drone is packed with medical supplies. I gutted its weapons systems to make room. I have piloted the drone to our nearby neighbors.

And to those listening from Naxdale, you are entitled to 1/8th of its contents. The drone's landing gear is permanently jammed, hence today's crash. You will use spare parts aboard to repair any landing damage and I will pilot it to the next nearest settlement, where this process will repeat. The drone has enough fuel to deliver to every settlement for miles. You will all get the supplies you need. And if anyone tries to take more than their share, well, the drone has a self-destruct.

We could not beat the horde with one damaged drone, listeners, but sometimes the key to victory is redefining your success conditions. No settlement near Abel will run out of key supplies. That is worth a little lost sleep, I fancy. Alas, we are out of time for today's exercise session. Naxdale, I will be in touch to help prepare the drone.

And everyone else, please do watch the skies. I promise when you need Abel Township, we will be there. That goes doubly for Runner Thirty-One and all the other runners out there in tight spaces. One day soon, we will be coming to rescue you, no matter what it takes, I swear. This is Janine De Luca, signing off for now.

~

[ollieofthebeholder]

leaves too high to touch (roots too strong to fall): a TMA fanfic

Tumblr tag || Also on AO3

Chapter 32: Martin

They’re right. Jon Prime can’t see the colors of fear like Tim can. It’s something between a shock and a relief to all of them, but especially to Jon. Less pleasing is the news that, apparently, the one in the Institute who can see marks is Jonah, although Jon Prime admits he doesn’t know how he sees them, or even if he actually sees them or just Knows they’re there.

Tim gets very dramatic about this, but Martin suspects it really does bother him more than a little.

They won’t let Tim push himself to experiment, but he does a couple of carefully controlled and supervised peeks at objects and statements. Martin and Martin Prime are both extremely vocal and vehement in their opposition to him going up to Artifact Storage to have a look around, and even Sasha agrees it would be a really terrible idea. Jon makes it unanimous by declaring that Tim has met his quota of bad decisions for the year and begun borrowing against the next. Tim gives in gracefully enough.

He cheers up some when the first Sunday in Advent passes—not that any of them are churchgoers, but it’s a convenient way to mark the start of the season—and they’re able to decorate their house for Christmas. Martin hasn’t celebrated, really, since his grandfather died, and Jon even longer ago than that, but it’s hard not to join in with Tim’s enthusiasm. Jon finds a sprig of mistletoe and hangs it over the door; Sasha teases him about it, then evidently regrets it when it touches off a mini-lecture about its history as a protective plant to ward off witches and demons.

Martin finds himself staring at it every time they pass through the front door. It’s just a silly superstition, of course, but if he thought it would work, he’d deck out every door and window in the place. From the fact that he comes back from lunch one day and sees Tim with a search page called up for protective plants and charms, he suspects he’s not alone in that.

As the calendar goes over into December, they’re all beginning to relax somewhat. Jon is less neurotic; Sasha is less secretive and a bit more open about what she’s doing (emphasis on a bit). Martin is able to keep himself from overcompensating for his shortcomings (or, as Jon insists on referring to them, perceived shortcomings), and Tim hasn’t done anything catastrophically stupid in three weeks. Even the Primes seem more relaxed. Jon Prime is getting progressively stronger; he still says he has trouble thinking down in the tunnels, but he’s able to move around without needing to sleep for two days afterward. Martin Prime seems less worried about him, seems being the operative term. Martin knows it can’t last, but he hopes they’ll at least get through the new year before they have to start really worrying about fears and monsters and cops and bosses.

He should really know better by now.

Martin assumes the footsteps on the stairs belong to Tim or Sasha. He cut his lunch a bit short because he was expecting a callback regarding a statement follow-up, which he’s just ended, and he assumes it took longer than he anticipated. He looks up, ready to pass on the information, but the words dry up in his throat at the sight of the person striding towards him. Solid, with well-defined muscles and a blonde crew cut, the woman looks a good deal like the description of the assassin in the Jeffrey Archer book he did his last school report on, but despite being in plainclothes, she screams cop. This, then, must be Detective Alice “Daisy” Tonner, and Martin has no idea why she’s here.

Her eyes narrow when she spots Martin, and he shrinks back instinctively from the intensity in her eyes before he gets a hold on himself. He hasn’t, he reminds himself, done anything wrong. “Can I help you, ma’am?” he asks, his voice only squeaking a little.

“You’re Martin Blackwood?” she demands.

“Y-yes?”

“The Martin Blackwood?”

If this were any other situation, Martin might respond with a paraphrase of that line from one of the Hitchhiker’s Guide books, he can’t remember if it’s the second or third off the top of his head: No, just a Martin Blackwood, don’t you know I come in six packs? That, however, would be tantamount to suicide. Then he remembers that the Primes got pulled over. “I’m the Martin Blackwood that works in the Institute, yes. Can I help you?”

Daisy—it’s impossible to think of her as anything else—eyeballs him, then grunts. “Detective Daisy Tonner. I need to talk to the Head Archivist.”

“Yep. Of course. Right this way.” Martin jumps to his feet, nearly toppling his chair over backwards, and starts towards Jon’s office. “Uh, can I get you a…cup of tea or…?”

“I’m fine,” Daisy growls.

The small, furry mammal of Martin’s inner being flattens its ears and crouches in the grass, desperately hoping to avoid being seen, and Martin swallows hard. “R-right. Um. This way.”

He leads Daisy over to Jon’s office door and opens it cautiously. He’s pretty sure Jon isn’t recording, at least not on the tape recorder, but he’s usually careful anyway, especially since none of them knock anymore; Jon’s asked them to stop and they’ve decided, collectively, not to ask questions. Yet.

Jon looks up from the spread of papers on his desk and smiles, but it fades quickly. Martin can only imagine what his face must look like. “Martin. Is everything all right?”

“There’s a Detective Tonner here to see you,” Martin answers.

He is in complete agreement with whatever emotion Jon’s face is attempting to convey as he shuts the folder and shoves the papers aside. “Ah…send her in.”

“Okay. I’m, um, there’s something I need to run down,” Martin says. “U-unless you need me to stick around.”

Jon seems to understand. Of course he does. “No, I should be all right.” He doesn’t sound completely sure. “Make certain your phone is on you, though.”

Martin doesn’t bother pointing out that the tunnels don’t get service. “Right.” He steps out and nods to Daisy. “You can go in.”

Daisy doesn’t thank him, just pushes past him and shuts the door. Martin stands still for a moment, trying to shake the creeping feeling of dread, then turns and heads for the trapdoor leading to the tunnels.

Something I need to run down. Jon told Martin, after Melanie’s visit, that he liked that as a code phrase for ducking into the tunnels, so they’ve all been using it lately. Usually it’s to ask the Primes a question or clarify something, sometimes just to check up on them and see if they need anything. Jon and Sasha are taking it in turns to map out the tunnels, too—they’ve almost finished the first level. Maybe. Tim and Martin, on the other hand, occasionally go down just to get some relief from the constant pressure of the Eye.

It’s interesting, Martin thinks as he clicks on his torch and descends the steps, how differently they react to the tunnels, or more specifically to the effect of the tunnels on them. Tim embraces it, and Martin suspects he would spend all his time down there if he thought he could get away with it, but he usually goes down at least once a day, if only for a few minutes. Sasha finds it kind of exciting, not being able to just ferret out the tunnel’s secrets easily, but the problem is that she’s addicted to the mystery of it. Jon is in a weird place; on the one hand, he also wants to know everything about the tunnels that he can, but on the other, he’s already starting to get to a point where if he stays down for too long, he winds up drained and shaky. Both he and Sasha are under strict injunctions not to spend more than an hour a day in the tunnels, and privately, Martin thinks that might be too long for both of them.

And Martin? He’s in a weird place, too. He does like the comfort of not being constantly watched, and of knowing that he can ask people how they’re feeling and know he won’t accidentally compel them to answer, and if he’s being honest, it’s one of the two places in the world he feels completely safe and relaxed (his mind skips away from actually acknowledging what the other place is). At the same time, though, he feels…guilty. Like he’s abandoning someone who’s depending on him.

With a sigh, he leans against the wall of the tunnel for just a moment, then straightens up and heads down to the Primes’ “room”. The door is open, and Martin can just faintly hear Jon Prime’s voice. It’s too low to make out the words, but when he cautiously pokes his head around the doorframe, he sees the Primes sitting up against the wall of the room, their battery-operated camping lantern lit and casting a soft golden glow over the pair of them. Martin Prime’s head rests on Jon Prime’s lap, and Jon Prime absently tangles the fingers of one hand through his curls. In his other hand he holds a book, and he’s reading aloud in a low, soothing voice. Martin almost wants to duck back out again, sit on the floor outside the room, and just listen for a little while.

But Jon Prime glances up as he turns a page, sees him, and makes a small noise of surprise. “Martin. I didn’t see you there. Is everything all right?”

“M-maybe?” Martin feels his cheeks go hot. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt, I—”

“It’s fine,” Jon Prime assures him. He keeps his voice low, and Martin wonders if Martin Prime is asleep. “Come on in. What time is it?”

Martin points his torch at his wristwatch, just to be sure. “Almost one in the afternoon. I just—it’s maybe not an emergency. I can come back—”

“Sit.” Jon Prime sets the book aside and glances down at Martin Prime. “How are you, love?”

“I’m fine. It’s fading fast,” Martin Prime replies. He starts to sit up, but Jon Prime stops him with a hand to the chest. “Jon…”

“Relax. Rest. You don’t need to—you’re fine.” Jon Prime looks up at Martin. “You don’t mind, do you?”

“No, ‘course not.” Martin comes into the room and automatically makes sure he doesn’t shine the torch in Martin Prime’s eyes. “I just…I just wanted to let you know, I guess. Daisy just turned up.”

Jon Prime sucks in a deep breath. “Oh, God.”

“She’s just here to deliver the next tape, though, right?” Martin asks. Anxiety suddenly grips him. He shouldn’t have left the Archives, no matter what Jon said. “She won’t hurt him, will she?”

“N-no.” Jon Prime doesn’t sound too sure. “She didn’t hurt me this time around…not physically. But…in theory, yes, she’s just dropping off the next tape. I accidentally compelled a statement out of her—I hadn’t yet learned I could do that—and made her rather angry, but…well, let’s hope it won’t come to that.” He takes a deep breath. “Then again, she did encounter us. Who knows what she’s thinking.”

“Christ, I should’ve stayed up there. I-if Jon’s going to—God, he’s going to be exhausted after, and none of us are there to cut the statement.” Martin sucks in a breath. “And he’s alone, if she does anything—I’ve got to get back up there.”

“Go easy,” Martin Prime cautions him. “And don’t break the door to his office down. She might…you won’t be the one she takes it out on.”

Martin takes a deep breath. “Okay. Okay. Um, d-do you two need anything?”

“Some paracetamol, maybe?” Jon Prime asks. “We’re getting low.”

Martin winces and glances at Martin Prime. “Migraines?”

“Mm-hmm. Hadn’t had one in a while. I kind of thought I outgrew them, but…” Martin Prime gestures vaguely at his head. “Been bad for the last week or so.”

“I’ll be back later with some aspirin,” Martin promises. “Works better for migraines. M-maybe some of that ginger tea, too? We’ve got a ton of it.”

“Thank you,” Martin Prime says with a soft smile. “Be careful.”

Martin hums in agreement, then heads back to the stairs.

By his watch, it’s been no more than five, ten minutes since he came down into the tunnels—not nearly enough time for Jon to take Daisy’s statement, and Tim and Sasha probably won’t even be back yet. He climbs the stairs, head bowed in thought, pushes the trapdoor open, and steps out into the Archives.

And flinches.

Elias—Jonah—stands next to Martin’s desk, hands clasped in front of him, patiently waiting. His piercing grey eyes are fixed on Martin as he stands, half-in and half-out of the tunnel.

“Martin,” he says calmly. “I wondered where everyone was. Surely you don’t all go to lunch at the same time—have you been exploring the tunnels on Institute time?”

Martin panics slightly. He swallows hard, and he knows his knees are shaking as he climbs out and lets the trapdoor close behind him. “I-I came back from lunch a bit early to take a phone call. Jon told me t-to go ahead and take the rest of it once the call was done.”

“In the tunnels?”

Martin swallows hard. He’s usually fairly good at coming up with a plausible lie to cover something he shouldn’t do, or at least of distracting people from the fact that he needs to lie. But somehow, he doesn’t think he’ll manage it. Not completely.

“I’ve—I’ve been putting some things together,” he says. He manages to take a step closer, then another, until he’s by his desk and not far from Elias. Definitely closer than he wants to be, but it seems important that he do it like this. “Making connections.”

“Have you now,” Elias says blandly.

Martin takes a deep breath. He’s got to give Elias just enough of the truth to make it plausible, but not let on how much he knows, and most importantly, he can’t let Elias know the others know, too. “I’ve been thinking about the statements. One in particular. That woman who ran into Gerard Keay and the—the burn victim. There’s something he said to her, something I can’t stop thinking about—‘For you, better beholding than the lightless flame.’ I wondered what that meant, and—and then I started thinking. You know, I-I feel like—we all feel like—we’re being watched a lot down here, a-and I know it’s not CCTV or anything because there aren’t any cameras down here, but that’s what it feels like—like someone’s peering over our shoulders all the time. And that statement had a lot of eyes in it, you know? There was even an eye pressed up against the camera for just a minute on the footage we looked at.” He swallows hard. “When I go down in the tunnels—I don’t feel that. I can think down there, because I don’t feel like someone’s looking at my thoughts a-and judging them. It’s not just the woman’s imagination, o-or a crazy delusion. There is something that watches us. It might even be called the Beholding. A-at least, that’s what I’ve been calling it. And it’s here. I think it’s watching the Institute. All the time.”

There’s a brief silence, during which Martin swears he can almost hear the Eye blinking. It’s fond of you, Martin Prime said, way back in the beginning of all this, and Martin desperately hopes that’s true. Or at least that it’s fond enough of him to keep Elias from knowing how much he’s withholding. Then, suddenly, he realizes that’s going about it the wrong way and starts instead hoping that the Eye is curious enough about how this interaction will play out to keep Elias from knowing how aware the Archives team is.

“That’s very clever of you, Martin,” Elias says after what’s probably no more than a second, but feels like an eternity. “How long have you known all this?”

Not thought you’ve known, Martin notes. Known. Interesting. And frightening. “A while. At least since the Jane Prentiss attack. I-I was alone a lot, I had time to think, so…I did.”

Elias hums slightly. “I see. And what are you going to do about it, exactly?”

“Wh-what? I mean…” Martin flounders slightly and casts an involuntary glance in the direction of Jon’s firmly shut office door. “I-it’s not like I can—what do you mean?”

“I mean, Martin, do you intend to keep this knowledge to yourself?” Elias lifts an eyebrow. “Or do you plan to tell Jon?”

Sadly, there’s no right answer to this question. Martin tries to summon up his train of thought from back when Martin Prime first started telling him about all this. What would he have done if the Primes hadn’t been there to tell Jon? “I—I have to. He gets upset when we keep things from him, a-and he’s paranoid enough as it is, so if he thinks I’m keeping secrets…I promised I wouldn’t anymore. W-we all did.”

“Of course.” Elias’ voice drips with soothing insincerity and makes Martin’s skin crawl. “Will he believe you, though?”

“I’ve got—I can show him the connections I made,” Martin says. “He can be a bit skeptical sometimes, but he’s not stupid. A-and we’ve all seen enough, done enough, between Jane Prentiss and the couple of things we’ve been able to verify and—I at least have to try.” He swallows. “I don’t think he’ll be skeptical about this.”

“No,” Elias agrees, which surprises Martin. “I don’t suppose he will. And I’m sure your evidence is very convincing. But what will you do if he doesn’t believe you?”

Martin licks his lips and tries to shrug. “Protect him, I guess. As best as I can. If I’m right, he’ll find out the truth eventually on his own.”

“Oh, you are.” Elias’ frank admission makes the breath catch in Martin’s throat. He expected Elias to prevaricate, or attempt to convince him he was imagining things, but…no, no, this is definitely more frightening. “You’re absolutely right, Martin. And I’m sure, as smart as you are, that you’ve gone over a number of other statements beyond Ms.—Saraki’s, was it?—and found even more connections to support your theory, so you know this goes well beyond the Institute.”

“I-I…yes?” The more Elias agrees with him, or seems to praise him, the more frightened Martin gets. Which is probably the point.

“Mm. I wonder, though, if you really understand the implications of what you’ve discovered. There is so much more to this than you realize, Martin, and I wonder if you realize how harmful telling Jon would be.”

“Why? Because he’ll ask the wrong questions?” Martin asks before he thinks about it. “If Jon—he won’t quit or anything, if that’s what you’re worried about. Not now. He’ll, he’ll look into things, start investigating. If I don’t have answers for him, he’ll try to find them on his own—that’s not a bad thing. What do you think will happen if I do?”

Elias jerks his head back slightly a split second before Martin tastes the static on his tongue and realizes what just happened. He tries not to let it show on his face. He’s fairly certain he isn’t supposed to know about that, and there’s no reason anyone would suspect that the Beholding gave them spooky knowing powers. Certainly he’s not supposed to have them. Hopefully his reaction doesn’t show on his face.

It doesn’t seem to. Elias gathers himself quickly. “You’re getting emotional, Martin. Just calm down.”

Martin isn’t sure if he’s relieved or alarmed that Elias seems able to resist his compelling. Then again, he’s not all that powerful. “I’m not emotional! I-I’m just—I was asking.”

“Of course Jon will try to find answers. But please understand that some of those answers…may not be in his best interest. Or yours, for that matter.” Elias leans slightly forward and meets Martin’s eyes. “Allow me to give you an example.”

Martin can’t stop the frightened gasp that rips itself from his throat as Jonah’s—there’s no denying in this instant that they belong to Jonah Magnus—eyes bore into Martin’s. The world seems to go black and white with a green wash and fill with static, and the thoughts fill his mind, thoughts and sights and memories not his own—

Her name on his lips is almost like a curse, and she lets one of her own fall as she sets aside the can and looks into those eyes, and she needs no prompting from the Eye to know what he has come to do. Even as they talk, as they both try to taunt each other and figure out who has the upper hand, she reaches into her pocket and fishes out the lighter, Gerard’s lighter—she never should have left the boy behind, but maybe it’s better this way—flicks it on. One little spark, and it will all end for him. But he reaches into his own pocket, pulls out a dark and ominous object, primes it, aims it at her. It comes to this, to which of them can ignite faster. She dares him to do it. He fires. She feels the impact, gasps and collapses, and for a moment, she wishes she had made other choices, she wishes—but no. She is dying, but in all she has done, she has kept safe that which she swore to keep safe. Still. She thought it would hurt more.

—and the color rushes back to the Archives, all the grey sucking into Jonah’s eyes as he blinks and straightens back up, adjusting his suit jacket with an imperious tug. Martin is pressed back against his desk, clutching it behind him with both hands and barely keeping from crumpling to the floor. His face is wet and his breath coming in short pants and gasps, and he realizes he’s sobbing, not sure if it’s with sorrow or fear. Maybe it’s both.

“Knowledge can be dangerous, Martin,” Elias says, as calmly as if he hasn’t just made Martin experience the death of a fiery old woman from inside her own head, at the hands of the man in front of him. “Do keep that in mind.” He turns to walk away, then pauses and glances over his shoulder. “Oh—and I would be cautious who I shared that knowledge with, if I were you. Jon isn’t the only one who would require proof, and I rather think Detective Tonner might have cause to suspect you had…ulterior motives in making such a wild and bold claim without evidence to back it up.” With that, he strides out of the Archives.

He passes Sasha coming in on his way out, or at least Martin’s pretty sure it’s Sasha; all he can see right now is a blur as he tries without success to get his sobbing under control. It’s definitely Sasha’s voice that speaks next, sounding worried. “Martin?”

“I—I’ll be right back,” Martin manages to choke out. He turns and bolts blindly from the Archives in the direction of the washroom. Once there, he locks himself in and slides down to the floor, buries his face in his arms, and cries.

It’s one thing to know Elias Bouchard murdered Gertrude Robinson. It’s another thing to experience it, to feel her dying moments imprint on him—what she felt in the moments leading up to it. And now he knows what it feels like to be shot, wonders if it felt like that for Martin Prime. God, he hopes he never has to deal with that again.

He takes a deep, shaking breath as the sobbing finally subsides and wipes at his face, then gets up to wash the tears and snot off. Once he’s done, he studies himself in the bathroom mirror. His eyes are reddened, his skin bears the too-shiny look of being freshly scrubbed, but it’s the best he can do. Hopefully it’ll be enough. He takes a deep breath and heads back into the Archives.

He gets there just as the door to the main corridor slams, making him jump. From the fact that Jon is frozen halfway across the Archives and Tim is over by their desks with Sasha, Martin guesses it’s Daisy leaving. Jon sighs and runs a hand through his hair, then turns and freezes. “Martin! Are you all right?”

Tim turns, his face creased in concern, and takes a step towards him with his arms already stretching out, but Martin shakes his head quickly. “Don’t—not right now. Please.”

It’s not that he doesn’t want a hug. He does, desperately. After what he’s been through, he can admit what he shied away from when he first went down to the tunnels—that the safest place in the world is in Tim and Jon’s arms. But he also knows that if he gives in and lets either of them touch him right now, he’ll fall apart. He’s just managed to get himself back together, and they still have half a day to get through, somehow.

Sasha holds out a mug—his mug, or at least the one he usually uses, the cobalt blue one with the raised pattern that looks like a cable-knit sweater, which happens to match the one he’s wearing today—brimming with tea. Martin accepts it with quiet thanks, then manages to sit down before he falls over. Tim pulls out his chair, turns it around, and straddles it, resting his chin on the back; Sasha sits down at her own desk, but doesn’t fire up her laptop yet. Jon hovers nearby, his face creased with anxiety and exhaustion in equal parts. “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine,” Martin lies. He’s never felt less fine in his life, but he’s also not sure Elias isn’t listening; even if he’s not lurking right outside the Archives, he could be watching Martin, waiting to see how he’s going to bring up his “theories”. “I was—exploring the tunnels. While you were talking to Detective Tonner. Sorry for sneaking around on you.”

Jon looks confused for a split second, then suddenly seems to understand. “Well, it’s not like I haven’t been down there myself. We all have. In fact, I think we’d best just leave the trapdoor unlocked in the future. I’d like to have a complete map of it anyway. But please, all three of you—don’t go down alone. Certainly not without telling anyone. Take a companion if you feel the need to explore.” He slides off Martin’s desk. “Tell you what. Why don’t we all go down there right now? There’s nothing going on at the moment. We’ll take an hour and look around a bit. Together.”

Sasha grabs a piece of paper, writes BACK IN 60 MINUTES on it, folds it into a tent, and leaves it up on their desks, then gives Jon a charming smile. “Just in case Elias comes down to visit.”

“Right. Bring your tea, Martin, come on.” Jon strides briskly over to the trapdoor, which Martin didn’t lock when he came out.

Tea. Martin opens his desk drawer and pulls out the bottle of aspirin he keeps there, slips it into his pocket, and grabs the box of ginger tea off their station before following the others down into the tunnels. Tim waits for him at the foot of the stairs, makes like he’s going to put his hand on Martin’s back, then evidently remembers his earlier request and instead takes the box of tea out of his hands. Martin nods gratefully.

The door to the Primes’ room is still open. Jon pokes his head in the door. “Sorry to bother you, but I didn’t want to wait until after hours.”

“Two visits in a single day. I’m honored,” Jon Prime says dryly. He’s smirking a little, but his expression falls when he sees Martin come in the room. “I am now concerned.”

Tim hands over the box of ginger tea. “That makes…four of us. Five if Martin Prime there wants to join in the concern.”

“Sure. I love worrying,” Martin Prime says, his head still resting in Jon Prime’s lap. “I’m guessing it’s not your Jon we’re worrying about? Unless he’s more upset by Daisy’s statement than you were.”

“No, it’s Martin,” Sasha replies. “I came back from lunch just as Elias was leaving and Martin was—” She catches herself.

“Having a bit of a breakdown,” Martin replies softly.

“Oh, God. Already?” Martin Prime sits up abruptly, then winces, evidently regretting it.

“Have a seat. All of you,” Jon Prime instructs. He studies Martin in obvious concern. “What did he say to you?”

Martin pulls the aspirin out of his pocket and shakes it once before handing it to Jon Prime. “It’s…I don’t know where to start. He was waiting for me when I got out of the tunnels.”

Haltingly, clutching his tea in both hands and staring into its depths, he tells the others the whole story—Elias’ questions, his own half-truths. Sasha’s eyes brighten when he mentions accidentally attempting to compel Elias, and she turns to Jon Prime, whose lips are set in a thin line. He shakes his head. “I know what you’re thinking, Sasha, but it won’t work. He’s strong enough to resist you. I tried, once, with all the force I have…he answered me, but only because he wanted to.”

“So it’s like Zone of Truth? He can choose to fail the saving throw automatically?” Tim frowns. “That’s unfair.”

“Well, he’s had two hundred years to practice, Tim.” Jon Prime turns back to Martin, and his expression is grim. “I don’t imagine he was pleased with that. What did he say about that?”

“He didn’t mention it,” Martin replies. “I—I think I managed to not let on that I realized I’d done it? He just told me to calm down. Th-then he said…he said there were some answers that may not be in our best interest, and…” He takes a deep breath. “He showed me Gertrude’s death.”

“He what?” both Jons shout in unison.

Tim lets out a string of Italian hot enough to blister paint and starts to stand. Sasha grabs his pant leg and tugs him back down, but even she looks pale in the lantern light. “Showed you. How? Put the pictures in your head?”

“Not pictures. More than video, too. It was like…like VR, o-or—I don’t know how to explain it.” Martin’s voice shakes, and he has to set the tea mug down before he breaks it. “I-it was like I was Gertrude Robinson. I-I could, I could feel what she was feeling, I had her thoughts, a-and I was listening to her talking with Elias—with Jonah—a-and then he…she had a lighter, I think she was going to burn the Archives down, and he had a gun, and she was telling him to shoot her or leave her alone, so he did.”

Jon Prime closes his eyes tightly. “‘Thought it would hurt more,’” he murmurs.

Martin Prime rubs his chest absently. “She must have a higher pain tolerance than I do.”

“It wasn’t physical pain she was talking about,” Martin says. Something clicks into place and he knows it with a certainty he’s felt about precious little else in his life. “It was the emotional pain, the knowledge that she was dying, that her plan failed. That the Fears were still out there and Jonah’s plan could still succeed.” A stabbing headache, not quite a migraine but similar in intensity, hits him directly between the eyes, and he closes his eyes, rubbing at the spot.

“Christ, Martin,” Tim breathes. “Will you take that damn hug now?”

“Y-yeah.”Martin manages a smile as he opens his eyes again and Tim’s arm wraps around his shoulders, pulling him close. Jon reaches over and grips his hand hard; Sasha rests a hand on his other arm.

“God.” Jon Prime looks shaken. He clutches Martin Prime’s hand like a lifeline. “I-I always just assumed…”

Martin shakes his head slightly. “From what I could feel, she was—there were some regrets, but I don’t think actually dying upset her all that much, and I think that kind of surprised her.” He sighs. “Not that I was doing all that great. A-and then it all stopped, and I just…I’m pretty sure I was crying before all that, but I hadn’t noticed. Elias told me that ‘knowledge can be dangerous’, and then said I should be careful about who I shared the knowledge he’d just given me with.”

Tim tenses, but Martin Prime just sighs. “In other words, he thought your first instinct would be to tell Daisy he killed Gertrude. Only there’s no proof for that, so she would have assumed you were covering up for Jon.”

“She said they know I didn’t do it,” Jon murmurs. “They got the CCTV footage cleaned up…”

“Then she’d have blamed me,” Martin says softly. “Not that I would have told her anyway. I’m not stupid. But—”

“But he knew that,” Sasha completes. “I bet he was trying to convince you to tell her. Put the idea in your head. Maybe he thought you’d do it to prove him wrong…”

“And then either you or Jon would get arrested,” Tim says harshly. “Or worse.”

“Probably worse,” Martin Prime agrees. “He—” He suddenly freezes, his spine stiffening. “Oh.”

“Oh? What ‘oh’? I don’t like that ‘oh.’” Tension creeps into Tim’s voice.

“Tim, have you—looked at anyone on the team?”

“L—wh—no,” Tim sputters. “You mean with my—? No! I promised I wouldn’t—a-and that’s, that’s invasive, I don’t—why would I do that?”

“Because I’m wondering how many marks you all have. Separately and individually.” Martin Prime takes a deep breath. “If Jonah knows your Martin is developing powers…”

“No,” Jon Prime breathes. “No, he—he wouldn’t, it won’t—it wouldn’t work that way.” He pauses. “Would it?”

“If they’re all reading statements? Why wouldn’t it?”

Martin feels the other three draw closer to him, all of them managing to huddle in a group together. It’s Jon who finally asks, his voice full of trepidation, “Why wouldn’t what work?”

Dread runs down Martin’s spine as Martin Prime seems to meet each of their eyes, despite his blindness. “If you all have roughly the same number of marks, and you’re all developing powers from the Eye…Jonah might be considering whether or not he has to actually use your Jon for his ritual. Or if he could use one of you instead.”

[sophfic27]

The Mysterious Watch (You know the one)

Read on AO3

First, Next

Chapter 2: Mission Briefing

Word Count: 2,194

Yaz watched Joanna saunter over to the chaotic wall. Her head still felt like it was spinning. To be fair, she’d only been able to process the Doctor’s letter for a few moments. After a few years of adjusting to the concept of her friend being an alien, it was somehow even more disorienting now that she was suddenly human. Yaz had several conflicting feelings about the woman in front of her. She knew that ultimately she was still the Doctor and that in the end, the Doctor she knew would be back, but she still felt a little upset at the idea that the Doctor didn’t know her. At the same time, she was intrigued by yet another way the Doctor had managed to surprise her. And Joanna looked good in that jacket. And those jeans. And her hair.

“So, in 1972, these things called the Ralmaeth came to Earth.” Joanna had started her briefing, effectively snapping Yaz out of her rapidly escaping train of thought. Joanna was pointing at an old document on the wall, and Yaz followed her direction. “They came in a series of ships that UNIT detected arriving. UNIT established contact with the Ralmaeth, who acted amicable, to begin with. UNIT communicated with them, hoping to form a truce as well as make sure they didn’t disturb anyone living here. After pretending to be nice for a while, the Doctor discovered they had more sinister plans.” Joanna pointed now to a photograph of a man with curly white hair. Joanna paused and looked at Yaz to make sure she was keeping up. “You know who he is, right? He’s pretty important to UNIT history.”

Yaz blinked at Joanna for a second, bewildered by the sheer absurdity of the situation, and said, “yeah, I’ve heard of him.”

Joanna nodded, apparently satisfied, and went on, “so the Doctor had been suspicious of their arrival on Earth, and he insisted on investigating them further. What he found was these plans.” She pointed to a print out of some complicated plans for what Yaz thought looked like a headset. “This is a device that when placed on a sleeping person can keep them asleep indefinitely, and from what I understand, transmit their brainwaves in the form of something they can somehow use to power machinery.” Joanna looked back at Yaz, who was studying the plans with a baffled look and breathed a chuckle. “Yeah, I don’t know, either. Apparently, it can turn a sleeping person into a living battery. Not too good for the person, though, seeing as they never get to wake up and just deteriorate slowly.”

Yaz stepped closer to get a better look at the stuff on the wall, the blueprint for the alien device, and the photograph apparently of the Doctor. She saw Joanna standing next to her, watching her, and she realized she was waiting for her to give some indication that she understood everything explained. “Okay,” Yaz started, “so if these aliens were here in 1972, and the Doctor dealt with them, then they were stopped from using these things, right?” She looked to Joanna, who nodded. “So what are they doing back? And,” she paused, leaning in to scan the old document hanging at about eye level, “this all happened in London. So why are they in Sheffield now?” Joanna seemed to study her for a moment. “Last time, they tried to land discreetly in some random part of the moors, but UNIT noticed them, and brought all business with them to London.” She indicated a satellite image of Sheffield, “this time they came here specifically for this. We know that they have advanced technology, I think they may have studied us. They came here and appear to have rented a warehouse.”

Yaz gaped at Joanna. “A warehouse?” she said, “they’re aliens, what do they need a warehouse for?”

“To build something,” replied Joanna. She leaned back against the desk and crossed her right foot over her left. “Last time, their device would have worked on a small scale. This time they’ll be looking to work on a much bigger scale, which means bigger machinery, and they need somewhere to store it all. Hence the warehouses.”

“How did you find out about all of this?” Yaz asked, mostly to see how she would respond. She was curious to find out how deep this disguise ran.

Joanna narrowed her eyes a little, “I read the mission briefing,” she answered. She reached over and picked up one of the files on the desk she leaned against and extended it toward Yaz. The look on her face and her tone told Yaz that she thought it was obvious, and a bit of a ridiculous question to ask.

Yaz decided she needed to say something else. If she wanted Joanna to trust her and work with her, it would help if she didn’t think Yaz was some idiot. “Right, ‘course, I meant how did UNIT find out?” she tried as Joanna scrutinized her. “About them returning, that is,” she looked for something to ask that Joanna wouldn’t judge her so much for. Even though she knew Joanna wasn’t exactly the Doctor, she still didn’t like the idea of the Doctor thinking she was stupid.

Fortunately, Joanna seemed to accept Yaz’s clarification, and explained, “UNIT detected the Ralmaeth landing again, and knew pretty certainly that they would be up to no good. They located them in the warehouse district, and to be honest, the machinery stuff is mostly speculation based on their previous activity and reasonable use for a warehouse. They sent us to determine exactly where they are, what they are up to, and stop them if need be.” Joanna craned her neck to study her information-covered wall, and hummed thoughtfully, “I think that’s most of it. You can consult the files for more details from UNIT. Oh, and,” she pointed at a cluster of papers on the wall and explained, “I went through the rented warehouses in the area and narrowed down these five, which when rented did not give clear answers for what they would be used for. That’s our first lead. If those don’t pan out, we can take a look at the ones that haven’t been rented in case they’re using one illegally. Take your time going through this stuff, we’ll head out to one of the warehouses whenever you’re ready to go,” she finished. Joanna patted the desk as if to punctuate her sentence. She picked up the laptop on the desk and walked over to the couch. She sat down as if she was falling, crossing her legs in such a way that her left boot was on the floor, and the right boot was on the couch under her left knee.

Yaz studied her for a moment. She relaxed so differently from the Doctor. The Doctor would sit down and lean forward, always eager, and listening. Joanna sat with her shoulders back against the couch, as if nothing in the world affected her. Yaz kept looking for differences, her general posture, the way that despite the fact that it was the same face, her resting expression was completely different from the Doctor’s. When the Doctor looked neutral, she still kept her eyes wider, always alert, and ready for the next exciting thing to happen. Joanna’s eyes were lidded, and her mouth turned down in the corners. She had what Yaz thought was the most attractive resting-bitch-face she’d ever seen. Joanna had a devil-may-care attitude totally different from any the Doctor ever had, but damn if it didn’t work for her.

Yaz pulled her focus away from the other woman. She felt her cheeks burn, suddenly hyper-aware that she had been staring, and not wanting to get caught. She turned instead to the files Joanna had given her and flipped the folder open. She scanned them. Joanna had already gone over most of it, and what she hadn’t gone over was technical specifics on how UNIT had supposedly detected the Ralmaeth’s arrival. She looked up at the old document documenting similar events in the ’70s. She had only heard of UNIT when the Doctor had occasionally mentioned them in passing, citing some time she had apparently spent working with them. It seemed that she had been referring to some time in the ’70s if these documents were to be believed about the Doctor’s involvement then. But the letter had explained that UNIT’s services were suspended, which meant the files she held were fake, put together to perpetuate the illusion for her clueless human self. Yaz thought about the logistics of Joanna’s mission. Sending just one or even two operatives to investigate and stop someone already known to be hostile and potentially dangerous? Yaz didn’t know much about UNIT, but she knew it was absurd for a military operation to send two people to deal with something so potentially threatening, and with no way of requesting back-up. It was a flimsy story, and Joanna must really not have questioned it, or she would have probably seen through it in a second. It was definitely not how the police would handle something, mused Yaz, but the Doctor had asked her to play along, and that’s what she would do.

Yaz considered the information Joanna had given her and the explanation from the Doctor's note and tried to piece together the full picture. The Doctor had encountered the Ralmaeth in the ’70s and now felt the need to literally become a human to face them again. Yaz’s best explanation was that the Ralmaeth likely had some way of detecting the Doctor. If a criminal thought the authorities were onto them, they disappeared, went underground. Joanna said they had technology that dealt with brainwaves, and the old documents said that they had demonstrated proficiency with understanding brainwaves outside of their sleep-inducing headsets. Maybe they had some way of detecting differences in brainwaves. The Doctor, being an alien, and a genius, would have very unique brainwaves from humans, hence needing to be disguised. Yaz considered if UNIT was still in operation, they would likely actually be dealing with this. With them gone, the Doctor must have seen this convoluted plot as the only viable option for stopping whatever the Ralmaeth had planned without scaring them into hiding, making it that much harder to find and stop them. Yaz looked at the five sheets with rental information Joanna had put up, and wondered briefly if aliens doing something probably horrible that they didn’t want discovered would bother renting a warehouse. She looked at Joanna and decided that if she saw this as a lead, it was a start at least.

While she studied the wall and files, the room was quiet, the only sounds came from traffic outside, the soft shuffle of papers, and Joanna typing on her laptop. Yaz puzzled over where the Doctor even got a laptop. Finally, she decided to break the silence. “Okay, so which one of these places are we going to first?” She asked, laying the file back on the desk.

Joanna looked up at her and to the wall. After a moment, she shut the computer and stood to put it back on the desk, connecting it to the charging cord. She turned to Yaz and looked her up and down. “D’you have a car?” she asked.

“Yes,” Yaz replied.

“Great,” Joanna pulled a phone from her pocket, “I’ll navigate, you drive.” She brushed past Yaz as she made her way to the door. Yaz looked after her as she pulled the door open and looked back at her. “Comin’?” she said, tilting her head slightly.

Yaz nodded and followed her out of the room. They made their way down to the parking lot together, and Joanna followed Yaz back to her car.

As they climbed in, Yaz realized that she hadn’t driven the Doctor since the first day they met, it had always been her taking Yaz places in the TARDIS since then. She looked over at the woman who was the Doctor but wasn’t the Doctor. She was pulling up a map on her phone. That’s when Yaz noticed that it appeared to be a different phone than the Doctor normally had.

When had she gotten it? And now that she thought about it, Joanna had mentioned having Yaz’s letter for days, and all of the stuff in the room seemed like it would have taken time to put up. She wondered just how long Joanna had been… Joanna. She’d spoken to the Doctor on the phone only a few hours prior, but more time had clearly passed for the Doctor since that call. Joanna had been alone for a few days.

Joanna shifted in her seat and help up the phone, the map ready. “Okay, so you’re gonna take a right out the lot, and then go straight for a while,” she said.

“Right then, come on, Jo,” she said as she started the car and made to pull out. Joanna raised an eyebrow at her, and Yaz grinned slightly. “I’m calling you Jo, ‘cause we’re friends now,” she echoed.

Notes:  Lotta exposition in this one, sorry. I just like writing exposition. Class starts again tomorrow, so I might not have super regular updates from here, but I'll do my best.

[ossaward1122]

DangoBuds Review 2021 – Are These New Earbuds Worth It?

 If you are someone who is insanely into music, you definitely need a pair of good-quality earbuds to enjoy music at its best. Today wireless earphones are trending, and that has led to the overcrowding of the market, which makes it tough to choose one from such a wide array.

But here in this post, we will be talking about one such brand out of such a saturated market of earbuds. The one we are talking about is the affordable pair of DangoBuds which is not just portable and lightweight, but you can also carry it with you whenever you are traveling and also recharge it.

DangoBuds is known for providing a top-tier audio experience with its excellent sound as well as completely blocking the sounds in the surrounding, which means that you will not have any interruption in whatever you will listen to. They are easy to wear, thanks to the three in-ear tips made of silicone that come in various sizes viz small, medium as well as large. This means that it can fit anyone with any ear size.

Here in this article, we will be giving a complete review about the Dangobuds that can help you know all that you want to know. So let us get started with knowing more about the DangoBuds.

What is DangoBuds Earbuds?

The DangoBuds come with a storage case which makes keeping them easy, and it can be used without cables. These highly efficient earbuds can be paired easily to any device with Bluetooth connectivity making them effortlessly portable. It is fully equipped with the current technology and delivers active noise cancellation along with complete stereo-quality sound. The in-built HD microphone makes sure that you can always make your calling hands-free and charge it with ease. 

You can connect it to various gadgets right at the same time, and it can fit in any bag. These earbuds can work great for everyone who wishes to listen to their favorite songs with incredible quality. The manufacturing company guarantees quick handling and a safe tone. DangoBuds has an incredibly unique design that ensures a perfect fit in your ear canal even when you are running, playing sports, or jogging. 

For connecting the earphones, you need to make sure that the host system has Bluetooth Connectivity. When the DangoBuds are scanned and found by the host device, you just need to click on the connect button for pairing up the devices. You can then keep on listening to music as long as the connection is maintained between the host device and DangoBuds.

You can charge it really quickly with the type-C port for charging, meaning an Android adapter can be used. If your DangoBuds are completely drained, it will take about 2 hours for the case to be completely charged. As soon as you take it out of the case, you need to connect it to the host device. You just need to toggle on the earbuds, and it gets connected in just a single press. It gets deactivated just as you put it back in the charging case. Overall it is hassle-free to use the DangoBuds.

Features Of DangoBuds

Long Battery Life – There is nothing more annoying than the earbuds that keep draining constantly, and this is the main reason why people prefer the wire alternatives despite the fact that the wireless ones are much more portable and comfortable. But this is not the case with the DangoBuds. These completely wireless earbuds have a really long battery life, and they can be used all day long. It can last for about 120 hours without charging them up.

Rapid Charging – Once the DangoBuds are discharged, you can completely charge it back to 100 percent in just a couple of hours. It has a Type-C port, and thus it can be charged with a normal Android adapter.

Compatible With Every Device With Bluetooth Connectivity – DangoBuds is compatible with all the iOS and Android devices because all it takes to link these earbuds to the host device is Bluetooth connectivity. It can sound the exact same crisp on all the devices.

Broad Networking Spectrum – The DangoBuds earbuds are known for the wide range of communication that can reach from 10 meters or 33 feet, and thus the user can walk to another room without worrying about the connection break. This ensures that the consumer is not bound to the host device and ease of movement.

Sleek And Beautiful Design – The DangoBuds have an innovative and elegant look on the charging case as well as the earbuds. These lightweight and portable earbuds are currently available in white and black, but their elegance will not disappoint you ever. Its charging case has the LED screen indicating the battery status of the earbuds. This adds a futuristic vibe as well as keeps the user updated.

Advanced-Level Noise Cancellation – The advanced-level technology of noise cancellation of DangoBuds can suppress unneeded noise as well as create a soundscape for every user. The ambient noises get detected by the dual microphones as well as produce the inverse waves that can cancel them. This basically means that the user just hears the sound coming from earbuds; may it be called on voice on the other end, podcast or music.

Just like any other gadgets, the DangoBuds have their own set of pros and cons. In the next section, we will be discussing the pros and cons of DangoBuds wireless earphones. This way, you will have a clear idea of whether you should get them or not.

Pros

Incredible Tone.

Compact design making it easy to carry it around wherever you go.

Outstanding quality and workmanship.

Easy to recharge even when you are traveling.

Operation on a single touch.

You do not need to be a techie to use it.

Compatibility for multiple installations.

Cons

You can get them only online.

Technical Facts About DangoBuds 

5.0 Bluetooth

Color: White or Black

With dual microphones

Active Canceling Noise (ANC)

Earbud batteries: 65mAh Li-polymer

Charging Case Battery: 5V/550mAh Li-polymer Li-polymer

Port Type-C for charging

6mm silicone replaceable in-ear tips (small, medium, and large)

Why Do I Need Earbuds?

Basically, the DangoBuds are manufactured for anyone who needs to listen to good songs at a high level. The age range is meaningless. It may also be assumed that they are appropriate for men and women alike. Whether you have already worked with a similar product before is not relevant. Without delay, these earbuds will easily be checked out. The company guarantees a safe tone and quick handling.

They have a nice match and suppress distracting sounds that have a detrimental effect on the music at the same time. The DangoBuds work well on the move, so the earphones will help virtually everyone making use of a cell phone or tablet.

Overall, it is also tough to precisely identify the goal category. For virtually anyone who likes to listen to good music and wants the listening experience to be compelling, the DangoBuds are of importance.

How will the DangoBuds wireless earbuds help me?

Very honestly, whatever you use them for, the DangoBuds inner ear headphones will give a superior audio experience. The sound quality is outstanding, and they have a full noise block, ensuring that whatever it is you are listening to will no longer be disturbed by the sound of traffic, crying children and your partner snoring in bed next to you. With three silicone in-ear tips, in sizes small, medium and big, they are easy to wear, so someone of any ear size will be able to wear them without fretting about them falling out and getting lost. Lastly, because they are wireless and operate up to ten meters from the device to which they are attached, you are not bound to one spot or wrapped up by irritating wires.

DangoBuds Benefits

You might be thinking why DangoBuds? Why not get something affordable? Well, let me tell you that DangoBuds are highly affordable for the features they provide. They come with multiple benefits that you generally do not get in basic ear buds.

Active Noise Cancelling: DangoBuds has active noise cancellation which means the ear pods make it so that you do not get to hear any noise in the background while only focusing on the tunes in your ear.

Quick and Effortless Pairing: Connecting DangoBuds to a variety of different devices is easy and effortless.

Ultra-Long Battery Life: Only charging DangoBuds for less than an hour can provide you with approximately a full days worth of charge.

10 Meter Connectivity: You can leave your paired phone with music playing on the DangoBuds and have the freedom to move around and do your daily tasks. The ear buds allow you a range of up to 10m or 33 feet.

Customizable Ear Tips: If you are worried about them fitting in your ears, don’t be. DangoBuds come with customizable ear tips that you can change according to your requirements.

Dual Microphones: It also comes with built-in microphone for a totally hand-free approach to calling.

Bluetooth 5.0: The latest in Bluetooth technology allows for an instant wireless pairing service which does not drop off so easily.

Type-C port: It comes with a type-C charger for easy and accessible charging.

Wireless charging: When placed in the dock, you can charge your DangoBuds on the go.

Does DangoBud Work?

Yeah, DangoBuds perform and act exceptionally well. The method is simple, as described above. To connect these earphones, all you have to do is to ensure that the host system has an open Bluetooth connection. Once your DangoBuds earbuds can be found by that device, simply click on the “connect” button and wait for all devices to pair up.

You can listen to music for hours on end, as long as the host device’s Bluetooth stays on and the link between the two is not broken.

It’s really quick to charge your DangoBuds too, and every DangoBuds review says this. Because it has in-built wireless charging functions mounted, the case that holds the earbuds automatically charges each bud.

Nevertheless, the case would still need to be prosecuted. There is a Type-C charging port in the device, which means you can also use any modern Android phone adapter for this. Just insert the adapter into a power socket and attach the case to the Type-C port of the charging case for the earbuds.

It takes approximately two hours for the case to achieve maximum performance if the battery is zero, i.e., 100 percent.

One of the best performing ones is the battery processing used in the case and earbuds. Rechargeable batteries based on lithium technology are Li-polymer batteries or lithium-ion batteries. They are considered to be used with nearly any modern wireless technology out there and have a lifetime of two to three years.

In addition, a hassle-free link and a wide compatibility range are also assured by the Bluetooth functionality to identify any host computer.

If you are going from one room to another, you do not need to have your host computer near you as long as you are within the given range. Therefore, the earbuds perform well and promise a top-quality user experience with integrated battery and Bluetooth technology.

Where to buy DangoBuds and how much are they?

You can get your very own pair of DangoBuds directly from the merchant website. Buying from them ensures you get to avail all the discounts and offers the company provides its new and returning customers.

You can get,

1 DangoBuds for $79.99

2 DangoBuds for $122.48

3 DangoBuds for $179.98

4 DangoBuds for $219.97

Wrapping It Up

The DangoBuds are one of the best performers when it comes to the wireless earbuds. These earbuds offer amazing perks like being super easy in usage, and you do not even need to have any technological expertise for using them. Because of its amazing compatibility, you can use it with any device having Bluetooth-Connectivity. The earbuds offer noise suppression that helps you in enjoying the music with great pitch. It is easily adjustable to fit in the ear.

All in all, it offers the same functionality as that of a leading brand. It also offers the IPX7 water resistance to dust as well as sweat. Hopefully, this article helped you in figuring out if DangoBuds can be your next pick or not.

Frequently Asked Question

Are The DangoBuds Compatible With The iPhone?

Yes, the DangoBuds are compatible with both Android as well as the iOS devices.

Does The DangoBuds Offer Water Resistance?

Yes, the DangoBuds are immune to sweat and water, thanks to the IPX7 water resistance offered by them. But it is not intended for being used in baths or water sports.

Can You Use The DagoBuds Individually?

Yes, especially when you are out in public and walking down a busy road, it is best to use a single bud so that you can also hear the noises coming from around.

How Long Does The Recharging Of The Buds Take?

It needs about 2 hours for complete charging, but even 5 minutes of charging can get you 1 hour of listening time.

Does The Battery Of Host Device Get Exhausted When Connected To The Earbuds?

No, the Dango Earbuds have a battery of their own, and thus the amount of energy consumption coming from the connection to the host device is pretty much limited.

Where Can You Purchase The DangoBuds?

You can purchase the DangoBuds wireless earbuds only from the official website.

[cordytriestowrite]

Calendar Days

Steve Rogers x Reader

One Shot

Summary: a series of monthly one shots focused around one of your favs

July

It was a rare thing to be alone yet so unlike the almost constant throbbing ache of being lonely. Steve didn't feel either so much anymore but unlike those lonely aches he was prone to suffering from time to time, the moments when he was alone were to be savored, treasured even. He did a lap around the entire floor plan and then had Jarvis run a scan just to be sure. Only with confirmation it was only him on this floor did he let his shoulders relax and eyes draw to his secret obsession. 

An acoustic guitar hung off a mount set into the wall between two tall bookcases. He had never seen anyone take the instrument down let alone play it and that fact was apparent when he strummed his fingers across the strings a few weeks ago and a flat note pushed against his eardrums worse than a punch to the side of the head. He had smacked his palm against the vibrating strings, holding it solidly as he would over someone's mouth and nose. It worked to silence the offensive sound just as well. 

He didn't touch it for a long time after that, not only because slight swell of intimidation under his tongue but because the chance didn't arise. 

It didn't stop his morbid curiosity. Without practical application Steve transferred all his obsessive energy into reading about guitars. In theory he knew how to play, in theory he knew how to tune, and now was his chance to try it out. Grabbing it firmly by the neck he lifted it from the hook mount and held it tight in front of him like a live snake hissing a threat and ready to strike. Walking backwards he eased himself down onto the couch and repositioned, bringing the instrument close in his lap with arms wrapped almost reverently around the body and neck.

With a deep breath Steve willed his heartbeat to slow so he could hear the notes past the blood rushing in his ears. Thumb against the taut top string Steve pushed down and let the horrid, untuned note ring out.

"Calendar day! Calendar day! Calendar day!"

The chant was his only warning and judging by the increasing volume he had very little time to react. Still, as a super soldier with lightning fast reflexes he made an attempt to right the room in time. Everyone rounded the corner into the sitting room just as Steve's hand pulled away from the guitar now hanging in its rightful place. Wiping his hands down the front of his jeans he watched you round the corner followed closely by Sam and Bucky all clapping along to their ceaseless chant.

"Calendar day! Calendar day! Calendar day!"

Steve groaned, rolling his neck to hide the grin threatening to lift his lips.

"Is it the first already?" He asked, feeling a flush of heat up the back of his neck.

"Oh you bet your ass it is Rogers. And you know what that means!"

Sam and Bucky bracketed the calendar hung on the wall across from the slightly swaying guitar, arms held out like game show assistants displaying a shiny new car. You practically skipped up to the display and Steve could only watch your back as you flipped the page to display the July page. 

Bucky let out a high pitched wolf whistle while Sam openly giggled in a way he wouldn't admit he could ever do. 

"The birthday boy in his birthday suit." Bucky teased, throwing a wink at Steve who had half his face covered with his large palm as if he could somehow avoid the embarrassment this month would bring.

"I have never hated that shield more in my life." You joked, letting your eyes roam across the image but unable to keep from tracing the lines of Steve's Adonis belt until the muscle hit the sharp blue rim of the strategically placed Captain America shield. 

"Steve, man, I can't believe you let them set you up like this." Sam managed to say through his throaty giggles.

"It was for charity!"

"Yeah, but no one else got naked for charity." Bucky countered.

If anyone could look away from the calendar they would have seen Steve collapse onto the couch, turning his head to bury it in a throw pillow. 

Taking Steve's silence as surrender you stepped in to help out your captain.

"Buck, just wait til next month."

Throwing his arm around you he cocked his hip with catty confidence.

"Hey, I looked good and I didn't have to strip down to do it."

"Alright," Sam interjected, letting out a few more weak chuckles. "Alright let's let Cap pout by his lonesome. We got all month."

The men sauntered out, noise trailing behind them and suddenly Steve wasn't alone on this floor anymore. 

You bit your lip, holding back words in favor of just watching Steve sink further into the couch, his body twisted in a way that was both humorous and sad. You moved closer to him, wondering if he would accept a comforting pat on the back for once.

"Sorry, Steve. But you knew this was coming! Honestly, it's not that bad after the first week. Just ask Tony or Wanda or -"

"It's fine. Really." Steve half mumbled into the throw pillow before sitting up and glancing right past you to the guitar on the wall.

It didn't take your years of training to catch the look. When Steve wasn't dead-set on a mission he let his face wear every thought and desire openly. Glancing in the direction of his gaze reminded you Steve was standing closer to that wall when you had come into the room. With an eye on Steve you moved closer to the wall, waiting for any sign you had hit the source of Steve's gloomy mood. Your fingers glanced along a set of strings, barely making a sound, and Steve swallowed.

"Ah ha!" You exclaimed, yanking the guitar off the wall.

"Fess up Rogers."

You offered the guitar up when Steve extended his arm for it. He settled into the position he was in before your interruption. Striking a cord you cringed for only a second before schooling your expression. Steve fiddled with the corresponding tuning knob. You watched him work, taking a seat on the ottoman as the minutes passed.

To see Steve struggle was not new. You had been by his side practically since the man came out of the ice. He struggled to adjust to a time he was never meant to be part of. He struggled to find Bucky, to bring him back onto the side of good. He struggled to patch things up with Tony and put ego aside in the name of friendship. But to see Steve struggle with something as innocuous as a musical instrument? It made your heart swell with a feeling you couldn't quite name.

Eventually Steve found the correct tuning. A solid, clear A note resounded proud and strong, finding harmony with Steve's wide smile and bright eyes. You smiled back, chin resting in your palm thoughtfully.

"You know they make tuners for that."

Steve's eyebrows stitched together in confusion. 

"Little battery operated things that will tell you the notes. You could even get an app on your phone if you bothered to use it old man."

The joke didn't quite land judging by Steve's slight frown. He looked down at the guitar in his arms with a gravity you wish you could say didn't suit him. 

"This isn't something I want to take shortcuts on."

You didn't think before scooting closer and laying your hand just above Steve's knee. You did take a moment to think about the squeeze that followed.

"It's not a shortcut, Steve. It's a tool. The same as your shield or the team."

"You're not tools." He argued.

"Well, Tony can be a tool sometimes." You countered, earning a breathy snort.

Steve looked down at the guitar, this time donning a small smile. He let his fingertips strum across the strings, pulling a face you imagined was similar to yours as the hideous notes clashed with each other and your senses. 

"Show me this app."

-

July passed quickly and it seemed like only a few days ago the team celebrated Steve's birthday in what ended up being a weekend bash that began with a cake with the screen printed image of Steve's scandalous calendar photo and ended with a groggy re-entry into the world of the living with a splitting headache, queasy stomach, and the distant strumming of an acoustic guitar. He wouldn't let you watch him practice, wouldn't let anyone really, but it happened every day, almost constantly. No one commented on the way Steve's fingers worked chord progressions on any surface, or how the guitar that once hung in the sitting room had taken permanent residence in his bedroom. You wondered if anyone cared to take an interest in the captain's new hobby, or if there was just an unspoken rule to not talk about it. Now that the month was coming to a close you were practically itching with the need to know how Steve was progressing.

The knock on your door was so soft you almost didn't hear it over your too-loud thoughts playing keep away with sleep. You sat up, listening for the sound again, ready when it came the second time.

"Come in."

It was Steve, his acoustic guitar in front of his midsection like he held his shield for the calendar shoot. You tried not to think about the hard planes of Steve's body currently hiding underneath a white muscle shirt and grey sweatpants.

"Did I wake you?"

You shook your head. Sitting further up in bed and turning on your bedside lamp as he entered your room and shut the door softly behind him. 

"I've been working on something. O-on the guitar." The clarification wasn't necessary, but you didn't want to scare away what felt like a very delicate moment being shared.

"I'm not ready to...do this in front of everyone but you have been there for me since the beginning of this and I...can I play a song for you?"

You wanted to cheer, to clap, to do that weird flailing then you do when you're super excited that Clint would inevitably mock with his own exaggerated version but now didn't seem like the time to make a big fuss, now felt like a time to just listen.

"I'd love to, Steve."

He smiled, nerves ensuring it didn't quite reach his eyes. He sat down on the edge of the bed, half in shadow and thus partially obscured from view. You leaned onto your right side, arm supporting your head, just to see a bit more of him.

He strummed a simple progression of E Minor and G once, twice, three times. And even though you knew the song you were still surprised to hear him sing.

"I need an easy friend. I do, with an ear to lend."

That feeling you had in your chest before was back. That first day in July when you watched Steve struggle to tune the guitar you knew in his hands there would be no shortage of dedication to the cultivation of this new skill. That same guitar he now played beautifully with a flow that looked so natural you knew he had to have practiced it all month and with that time and practice he chose to learn a song that meant something to you. You closed your eyes, going back further than the start of the month to the start of your friendship, to a man who was trying to navigate the world with only a little notebook of media to give him a jumping off point.

"Star Wars without a doubt. And Nirvana." You had said with a matter-of-fact tone that promptly ended the conversation. He wrote them down and that was that.

He did eventually see Star Wars, him and Bucky, but there was no mention of Nirvana in the years that had passed. You assumed he just hadn't gotten to it.

But here he was singing About A Girl in your bedroom, mumbling through the chorus as he concentrates on the chords.

Steve strums one final note, letting it ring out instead of stamping it down like you imagine he wants to since he cannot seem to look away from the wall opposite him. You give yourself a moment, needing a beat of silence to try to release some of the pressure in your chest. Instead, your heart flips and flutters as the lamplight crossed Steve's cheek when he glances almost imperceptibly your way.

"Steve Rogers."

He faces you fully now, face open for you to see the uncertainty and anticipation and tiny waves of pride that managed to break up the endless sea of self doubt. 

"I think I love you."

It was the only thing you could think would explain the balloon in your lungs, the feeling of overwhelming adoration directed toward this one person. The fullness in your chest ached so much it squeezed a few fat tears from your eyes. You smiled as you wiped them away.

"I love you too."

You couldn't tell if he meant it in the same way you did, but you didn't think it mattered. Steve set the guitar down, leaning it against the foot of your bed before turning as much as he could towards you. Rising to your knees you shuffled into his open arms and held onto him like letting go wasn't an option. 

"I have to tell you something." He mumbled as to not break the moment. 

You didn't pull away to reply.

"What?"

"I don't think I'm a fan of Nirvana."

You pulled away, mouth open in shock and the air filling your chest to bursting finally finding an exit.

"What?! How? Steve, I don't think you understand the genius of grunge music."

He shrugged, face forming a half smile as you took a soapbox for a generation defining genre. Because he loved you.

Permanent tag list

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[dangerdaysdiary]

From Cassie the Venomous... A Danger Days FAQ

You can find the original post on Cassie’s website here.

Frequently asked 'Danger Days...' Questions Answered!March 18, 2011Now that My Chemical Romance's Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys is out, I'm finding more and more questions about it leading people to this site. I figured it would be beneficial to address some of the ones that are asked most frequently in one place for the benefit of all! I hope this helps! ORIGINAL POST:  November 24, 2010 @ 11:57 P.M. UPDATED: March 18, 2011 @ 9:47 P.M. ____ The Killjoys Fun Ghoul -Corresponding MCR member: Guitarist, Frank Iero -Raygun: Green with horror-style stickers attached to it -Symbol: A smiling face with one eye crossed out and a jagged mouth -Physical Description: Wears a yellow shirt with black-striped accents over which he wears a military vest. In the video for "SING," Fun Ghoul bears a scar on the right side of his face at his mouth. -Mask: Purple and green Frankenstein mask -Additional Information: ... Jet Star -Corresponding MCR member: Guitarist, Ray Toro -Raygun: Blue with red and white details and the text "BECAUSE I SAID SO" -Symbol: Star with a face and a lightening bolt rising from its left side -Physical Description: Wears an eyepatch on his right side. His jacket displays an American flag on its back. -Mask: Black astronaut-style helmet -Additional Information: The original name for Jet Star was "Raygun Jones." Kobra Kid -Corresponding MCR member: Bassist, Mikey Way -Raygun: Red with white details and a decal that says "deluxe" (his raygun was originally named "Demon-shark Deluxe"). -Symbol: the face of a hissing cobra -Physical Description: Wears a red jacket over a yellow-and-black zebra-print shirt -Mask: Yellow helmet with blue and red eye-like details that displays the message “GOOD LUCK” on its visor -Additional Information: In addition to his raygun, Kobra Kid can also be seen using a power glove in the video for “Na Na Na…." Mikey describes Kobra Kid as a "misunderstood" character with a "short temper" who "knows Kung-Fu." Party Poison -Corresponding MCR member: Vocalist, Gerard Way -Raygun: yellow with pink details and "Give Me Money" written in Japanese on its side. -Symbol: pill with an "X" beneath it -Physical Description: Wears a blue jacket with red details, a "dead pegasus" logo on the front and his Killjoy symbol on the back -Mask: yellow domino mask with blue circular details and clown-style eyes or a decorated "mousekat" helmet. -Additional Information: Party Poison was among the Danger Days... characters active on Twitter preceding the album's release. The Killjoys' names, which Mikey Way told NME are "themed after designer drugs," started as the names of their rayguns, but later turned into character names. The band has said that their Killjoy personas are not characters they are playing, but how they picture themselves in the future. Are the Killjoys Dead? Currently, as a result of the “SING” video, the Killjoys are presumed dead. However, a picture from Gerard Way of “Party Poison” in what appears to be an unzipped body bag (left) captioned “Killjoys never die” has many fans questioning how dead they truly are. UPDATE: April 10, 2011 Dr. Death Defying tweeted: that "there are four acceptable levels of dead after posting an ode to Party Poison, whom he called "dearly departed." More information will follow if the four levels of dead are explained further. Dr. Death Defying Played by Steve Righ? of Mindless Self Indulgence, Dr. Death Defying is the smooth-talking narrator who filters in-and-out of Danger Days…. He is a D.J. for 109 F.M., WKIL, a pirate radio station that operates in the Zones. He is recognized by his “Slaughtermatic Sounds” jacket, which also says “Jackals” and “Philly,” his aviator sunglasses and the bandanna he wears tied around his head. Dr. Death Defying uses an electric wheelchair because of an apparent injury to his left leg, to which an electric brace is strapped. In an hour-long video “listening party” hosted by the D.J., the character implied that he is a veteran, possibly of the Helium Wars, which have been alluded to vaguely. Show Pony and the Girl Show Pony, the character who can be recognized by his "NOISE" half-shirt, blue-and-white polka-dot tights & helmet and rollerskates is the companion of Dr. Death Defying, the narrator of Danger Days... (played by Steve from Mindless Self Indulgence). Show Pony is played by performer Ricky "Rebel" (Twitter | Reverbnation). Rebel opened for My Chemical Romance as Show Pony at the band's Hollywood album release show. The actress who plays the Killjoy girl in the videos, whose character name has thus far only been "the Girl," goes by Grace Jeanette. She, too, is an actress and a musical performer. The Girl's role in the Danger Days world appears to be a significant one; as, she was kidnapped by Better Living Industries for a stull-unknown reason. The Zones and Battery City

The Killjoys world centers around Battery City and its surrounding concentric Zones. The map to the left shows how the Zones are laid out in relation to the city. Utopian Battery City is central, corporate, clean and the center of manufacturing. It is where Battery Towers is located. Battery City, California is the setting for My Chemical Romance's "SING" video, to give you a better perception of what it looks like. The setting for the "Na Na Na..." video is in the Zones, which are a more lawless, desert terrain in which the Killjoys live, run and fully embrace their freedom. The Zones are dirty, wild and dangerous-- the opposite of Battery City. Geographic landmarks include: Route Guano, which is the road on which Gerard has said, "the shit happens." It is where Jet Star and Kobra Kid are "ghosted" by an exterminator in the Danger Days... track "Jet-Star and The Kobra Kid/Traffic Report." "The Getaway Mile," which may be a specific location, is mentioned in the song "Bulletproof Heart." There is also a place which Dr. Death Defying on Twitter called "Wolfblood Beach." Better Living Industries Better Living Industries (Also known as BLI, BL/ind, or BL industries) is the corporation that controls Battery City. The corporation strives to bring about structure in a post-apocalyptic world. It is known for producing emotion-eliminating medications as well as every other manufactured product one can acquire in 2019. BLI crosses over from the Killjoys world and into real life. The made-up corporation has its own  web site with products that you can actually purchase, a mission statement and a "Zone Report" in both Japanese and English.  Also, MCR takes it a step further by having changed the name under which their music is published to "Better Living Industries Music," which you can see in the liner notes of Danger Days.... BLI also overtakes the edited version of Danger Days..., whiting out the internal album art, taking away the lyrics and putting its smiling face logo (above right) all over it. The Danger Days: California 2019 Edition box set is packaged in a BLI box and the 3-song The Mad Gear & Missile Kid E.P. that comes with it is printed on a disc made to look like a BLI brand CD-R. Check out some BL/ind commercials and "Fact News" reports. Dead Pegasus Dead Pegasus is a 2019 oil company. Korse, Draculoids and S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W

Korse is an exterminator for BL/ind's SCARECROW Unit. In the videos, he is played by comic writer Grant Morrison. The "SING" video has raised speculation among fans that Korse could possibly a robot of some sort; as, he is seemingly "activated" in his chamber by the push of a button. Some also speculate, based on Gerard Way's character sketches and his indicating that Korse suffers from "Zone sickness," that he may stay in the  chamber shown in the "SING" video for medical reasons. Grant Morrison revealed to MTV that Korse is "intimately connected with the Killjoys and their secret history," which has yet to be revealed. The SCARECROW Unit of BL/ind is a sort of police force. Korse leads it, and The Draculoids are the other exterminators that appear to be of lower ranking than Korse. They're a "clean-up crew" for the Zones, getting rid of the things and people who do not comply with the monochromatic standards of Better Living Industries. The Mad Gear And Missile Kid

The Mad Gear and Missile Kid is My Chemical Romance's alter-ego band for Danger Days... Mad Gear is what MCR imagined the Killjoys would listen to in 2019. Fans who ordered the California 2019 Box Set received a bonus E.P. of the three tracks MCR recorded as The Mad Gear And Missile Kid: 1. F.T.W.W.W. (acronym for "fuck this whole wide world") 2. "Mastas Of Ravenkroft" 3. "Black Dragon Fighting Society" The genesis of TMG&MK came with the writing of "Black Dragon Fighting Society," which was originally recorded for the pre-Danger Days album the band "scrapped." "F.T.W.W.W." and "Mastas of Ravenkroft" followed as songs created specifically for TMG&MK. Gerard Way told Alternative Press that the MCR is interested in creating a full album as The Mad Gear and Missile Kid and that they would like to play shows as the alter-ego band on off-days of tours in the future. EVENTS in the Zones 2012: The Great Fires 2017: The Pig Bomb ?: Helium Wars

-- If there's something about which you are confused that you would like added to this post, let me know! Consider this a perpetual draft that will update as often as you, Reader, need it to. Also, please don't hesitate to submit corrections! I have compiled the information in this post using knowledge I've gained from interviews of the band by several sources. Suggested Reading to Expand your Killjoys Knowledge: The Twitter development of the Zones presented in a linear fashion. A full interview transcript series posted by Coup De Main Magazine. XoXo c.

[tetsuwan-atom]

Recently with listening to certain kinds of music again, combined with the thoughts of plotting and roleplaying a bit of angst, there is a bit of musing into the mindset of Bowen Chuuno that I may or may not have elaborated in the past. The character development asks may have played a role in getting this out too.

This is put under a read more due to triggers. Tagged appropriately below. This is real heavy stuff, be warned.

Bowen Chuuno is not all roses and sunshine.

Lying underneath what is his best side, his genuine kindness and care, lies a shattered individual on the tip of breaking. Considered to be one of the best Operators for the Ministry of Science, he is usually put forward for the most dangerous assignments. It's not all about exploration, it's about fighting, carnage, the defeat of evil, the dark, constantly. All without any help. It isn't afforded. He is a god, a powerful being supposedly capable of handling anything. He is it.

This has ended up creating a mentality that it's all on him. 'If it is to be, it is up to me'. It is a behaviour that rejects help, not just out of the concern and safety of others, because in that too, he cares for other people and wouldn't want their lives risked, but he feels he has to do it himself. That's what he's there for. He's the silver bullet.

It is of incredible risk, his life is on the line, again and again. Self worth is diminished when there is work to do, worlds to save. He will fight as ferociously as he can, but the consequences of failure do not enter his head. What if he does die? He can't think about that, it's a distraction. And the cycle continues, over and over again.

He does not realise the very system that brought him up to his position is using him. Not for any ulterior gain, but throughout the fact that he is the priority pick, he is on the front line, they don't consider his own wellbeing, they can't afford it, he is their greatest chance of success, over and over again. It doesn't help when the Ministry of Defence may well have a hand in his assignments, a department notable with little regard to life in itself. The constant fuel of adrenaline and iced coffee can only go so far. He is already at risk of overwork, of headaches, of nightmares and trauma. It's bad enough what happened to him at 17, but even with the war, the system hasn't changed, just the game. You're on your own, you are meant to solve it on your own. A breakdown may well clearly be looming for him, even if it will set him back quite a way. What will cause it? It is hard to determine, it could well be anything.

And then, there is what happens when even on the ball, a thought, a moment, he ends up second best. He is still developing in abilities and powers, he is not immune. Injuries sustained can be quite serious.. and with little time for medical attention, he takes matters into his own hands. Electricity heals him, his IDND runs on a battery that carries at least a 240v charge. A quick process that heals his wounds in no time at all, no matter how bad they are, but it is not recommended. The pain endured is excruciating, having that much electricity flowing through one's body like that. Sometimes it can leave a scar, where he shoved the instrument right into his body, but the pain can last for hours, that, is what will likely double him over.

Once is enough, but the requirement has happened more than once. He can certainly hide it all well, he doesn't like bothering people at all with the nitty gritty of his work. What would they think? He can't imagine it would be something anyone can handle.. and so he keeps it to himself. Sadly, in doing that, looking after himself becomes harder, as this makes him feel that this is ingrained in him, that he has to keep doing what he's doing, not tell a soul, for people depend on him. He is always, always depended upon.

He needs a break, most certainly, but what he truly needs is comfort, the greatest treatment for such suffering. That will take him away from such growing nightmares, the bad memories, keep him happy. There is no greater feeling than being looked after, when one can't truly care for oneself, not without support and care, to be told, that he isn’t alone, that he doesn’t have to do any of this.

That he matters, that he will always matter.

[crqstalite]

From the prompt list? I'm sending in something simple with will, hopefully, just go in any direction you want. And that's "Always." For whichever pairing you wish :)

posting this before i chicken out, because i’ve been at this for like eight hours already lol. trying my hand at a little shakarian [petrakarian, in this case], and there’s a sprinkle of happiness if you squint ;)

edit: i’ve also never written garrus before honestly. definitely tried my best but i’m sure there are mistakes in there somewhere. regardless, happy to provide.

pairing: brione petrakis/garrus vakarian. word count: 2,611

-

She's putting it off. Leaving, as it was.

Honestly, she doesn't know why. Her bags are all packed, her dress blues are pressed and folded on the cot next to her. Her datapad has been prepped to send all of her reports straight to Alliance Command. Yet she's left her comb in her duffel, hair decidedly unbrushed around her shoulders, still sitting in her fatigues and they're only an hour out from the Citadel. She could be in the crew quarters, going over any possible assignments they could give her. She could be trying to get another couple of winks in. Anything other than being here, and desperately hanging on to what felt like the last thing she had in the galaxy.

It would've been so much easier not to be here right now, but nothing in the last year had been easy. It's harder to force herself out, hell she's been sleeping in here for the last week or so.

The lights flicker just above her, the battery still stuttering in a way that frustrated Garrus to no end. Not that they had much need for it these days, but she'd offered to take a look at it. He'd been content to let her sit nearby. Talking about trivial things during the first few days after the suicide mission with some of her senses glossed over by pain meds, maybe more than a little wine in their systems. Then it waned into painful silence as they grew closer to the station, wine bottle empty and all sentiments aired. All the things she knows she can't say, all the things she wants to.

She rolls another bandage around her hand, pulling taut. It'd been her good hand too, a lucky shot taken by a Collector that had left her unable to snipe properly during the last leg of the base assault. Still bruised and trying it's hardest to bleed through. Mordin hadn't been there to do it properly, so it had been her, hearing gunshots against the barrier they'd set up, blood gushing from her hand with Garrus asking her if she was alright. Medi-gel spilling from her shaking hands, only being able to offer suppressing fire with her Carnifex before Shepard told them to retreat. Her wrist whined from the motion, and she barely catches a blue eye darting between her and the UI when she groans.

"Still bothering you?" His voice is softer than usual when she catches him in the act, hands stilling over the keyboard, "Chakwas should really take a look at that."

"She can once we're back in Alliance space," Brione haphazardly cuts off the end of it, tucking it under one of the other wraps. She tests a smile with the nearly healed scar on her lip, "Besides, you're the one who was apparently up and fighting with Shepard not even two days after you nearly died, Garrus."

Another beat of silence before he starts again, mandibles flaring as he sighs. Exasperated with her, maybe. He'd been bothering her about it for days now, usually asking how it was and if she needed anything, "We Turians are a bit hardier than our human counterparts," He gestures to the scarred side of his head, bandage recently removed. "Brione-"

"Don't." She lays the gauze down next to her, unable to meet his eyes. She doesn't want to think about the fact these are their last days together, the fact this could very well be the last time she hears him say her name. There wasn't much guaranteed after their non-human crewmembers stepped off the ship, nothing saying he had to stay with her, even over light years separating them, "I'll see Chakwas once, once everyone is gone. Shepard will have my head if I lose a hand before we get there anyway."

"You can't hide in here forever, Brione," Is all he says, giving her a concerned look but finishing his diagnostics on the console first, "No reason in putting it off."

This talk has been a week coming. He hesitates, unsure of himself while she tries to will the tears away, turning away from him. What was she, six? She could handle a suicide mission (which they'd all nearly died on), so why was saying goodbye, saying see you later, saying that she'd see him again soon so hard? She was a captain of the Alliance military, not a babbling schoolgirl with a crush.

Except, that's what it felt like, navigating a relationship with him. She'd downright giggled at something he'd told her.

Does he know just how much he means to her?

It wasn't as if extranet access would be blocked for her when she got back to Earth. By every law that Shepard had learned (and in turn exploited) surprisingly quickly, most of the human operatives aboard the SR-2 wouldn't be arrested under the same duress she would be. Brione could still send messages to Palaven, could still say hello every once and a while.

Hello wasn't the same as being able to sit in a comfortable silence with one at the console, the other completing her daily reports with her legs folded under her, hair tied up in a messy bun at the base of neck. Hello wasn't the same as finding leftovers from the dinner prepared earlier and pulling all-nighters just to spend some time together.

Brione wasn't sure when this had turned into more, when she had started to want more. When she couldn't think of a tomorrow without him. At first, she'd just entertained it as little more than a fling, if she was going to die at the end of the year, then she could cross a few things off her bucket list. And, he was a friend. They'd met a few years before the SR-1, a one off meeting during her shore leave. Then they'd been squadmates, fighting their way through waves and waves of Geth, two snipers snipping at each other for their aim. It boggled the mind that it'd been so quick after Alchera, that she started to discover little things about him when she had little else to do. The small visits about the battery that turned into hour long conversations once she'd rejoined the Normandy. One or the other venting about a minor problem or a large one they'd held onto for so long they'd made a joke of it.

He'd patiently listened when she recounted the dressing down she'd been given after Torfan and the therapy sessions she'd attended afterwards. That, she'd never told anyone about in detail. Hated reliving the day, but it slipped from her mouth so easily while she'd been sitting on the crates. Then she'd sipped on some sort of tea Shepard had picked up on the Citadel, listening to him about Sidonis, about his time on Omega in general. That by the time they were within range of the relay, she'd simply decided she didn't want to let go. That there wasn't anyone like him, that there was so much left that she still wanted. They'd spent the night on the cot he'd dragged in here sometime ago, and she'd never felt so alive.

Then they'd survived. And then there was a whole new life expanding before her, with the Reapers looming over them. But she'd lived, they'd lived, and now she wasn't sure what they were. It wasn't a fling anymore, but she didn't know where he fit into her life.

Whether he wanted to fit in her life. She's sure he could have just about anyone, and he hadn't seemed too upset, giving her the way out of asking whether she wanted something closer to home.

How did he become her home? It could've been anywhere else, on Earth, in London, on the Citadel. But instead, it was a certain Garrus Vakarian.

"This isn't -- it isn't the end, Brione, not if you don't want it to be," He holds a hand out to her, "If I know Shepard, and I'd assume I do, she'll get us back into the thick of it within a couple months. If that."

"That might be a little optimistic," She responds, toying with her hair for a moment before grasping his hand, pulling herself up off the cot to look at him properly. She gently holds a hand against the scarred side of his head, brushing the rough plates with her thumb, "I would've been rather stupid to think this would last forever, running into the sunset. I'm just glad we had what we did, Garrus."

He leans into her touch, his other arm snaking around her waist. Why did it have to be him that she'd become attached to? The first person that'd make her feel more like a living being than a cold blooded killer that remained a few seconds from death every time she stepped off the ship?

Why is he all she can think about these days?

"I," He pauses again, "I'll always just be a comm away. If that's what you want, of course."

"Always, hm?" She asks, "Don't know how timezones work from Earth to Palaven, but if you haven't noticed, I'm not much of sleeping person. You could lose a lot of it, talking to me. But you've never minded it before now, I guess."

"It'd be better than nothing." He responds, when she drops her hand and instead pulls him closer to her. Maybe it's not the most comfortable with him in armor, and her still regularly needing their dwindling supply of pain meds, but she just wants to feel something, anything. She can't go back to the way things were, alone, and cold in an alliance apartment with nothing but her next meal going for her.

"I don't want to leave you, Garrus," She admits, her voice cracking. Brione won't cry, she wills herself not to, even as the dam strains against them, "You, damn you, you're...everything."

"You're...lovely yourself, Brione. Not like I'm itching to leave either, not when everything's already going right for once," He responds, the words thrumming through what she thinks are Turian subvocals. If Turians even can whisper, she's pretty sure he is while gently running his hands through her hair, then trailing down her back, "But I'm not sure I look all that good in...what was it Shepard called it? 'Jumpsuit orange'? Not sure how friendly the Alliance would be to me either."

"Probably not very," She tries to laugh, tries to force anything out at all, but instead all she gets is a choking sound that she could compare to a varren. A rogue tear slips out anyway, and all she hopes for is that Garrus can't see it. Why is she falling apart? Why now? She has a million and three battles under her belt, and this is what shatters her? Not a shotgun, not a scion, but this.

She'd said goodbye to so many people before. To her various adoptive parents over the years, her old COs, even Alenko more recently. None of them destroyed her like this was.

Relationships. They're impossible. They're weaknesses and vulnerabilities that your enemies are just waiting to take advantage of. Even more if your's is a cross-species liaison, one that shouldn't have become everything that it was now.

Brione doesn't want to live without him.

She can't bring herself to say it out loud, so she doesn't. He holds her a little while longer, they don't say anything but reassuring the other all would be well. Or at least they try, and it dissolves until silence when there isn't anything to say but repeat themselves ten times over. They sit for a while after that, time whittling down all the while. Her hands fit a bit oddly in his, but she can't find herself wanting to let go all the while.

Shepard's voice comes over the comm with a timer on their arrival, and she has to pick up her things, fastening the last button on her jacket and throwing her duffel bag over her shoulder. Garrus offers her one last lingering forehead touch when they reach the airlock, and she kisses him softly, knowing if she stays any longer, she won't be able to leave.

But she does. She has to be able to.

She sees him off, the glint of his blue armor the last thing she sees. She thinks she's the perfect picture of someone who was trying (and inwardly failing) to stay afloat with a forced grin and a wave as he walks off. Brione doesn't care, as much as the crew teases her about calibrations in more than one capacity. A few get a smile out of her, but she feels numb the rest of the way to Earth.

Cold. It settles in like an all too familiar blanket. The chill of not really seeing the faces of the people around her, nor acknowledging what they had to say.

She slips back into her normal routines, after the hearing. Doesn't even realize it at first, but without her usual visits to someone who wasn't dolled up in Alliance blue, there's nothing to it. She's shuttled back to the Citadel after a month, sent to work with Udina. A liaison to Alliance and from the Council, is effectively her job description. It's like clockwork, sleep, work, find something to eat if she was feeling physically up to it, work until she couldn't, then reluctantly sleep again. Fix up her sniper rifle on the weekends, take it to a range to keep herself sharp.

There's no Turian on her six though. No one there to bother her that her shot is off just a few inches so that clips the outside of the target.

She sees his face in every single one that walks by until they all blur together. She hears his voice in every C-SEC officer that speaks to Udina, to her.

It isn't until two months later that she receives a mail on her comm. Right in the middle of another one of Udina's tirades about the lack of Council support and funding, she opens it like any other email she'd received before. Calculating, tired, she reads over the sender, the subject line and is halfway through scrolling through it when the glaze over her eyes recedes and she realizes just who it is. Her breath catches in her throat, taking her leave for the afternoon.

She finally gets a call after work that day. And just as suspected, it keeps her up all night. There's so much to say, so much that she hadn't known. Her new job, his new task force. And yet, he still seems so indescribably happy to see her. That her eyes are barely being held open to focus on him, but that he's here, as much as he can be.

"Sure you don't want to take back that offer of always being on the other end of the comm? Now that we've done it, I might get a taste for it," She says, yawning as she absentmindedly rubs an eye. Udina will give her shit for being there late in the morning (in a couple hours really), but she doesn't care.

"As long as you want me to be," He nods, "Well, hopefully you don't start calling me at the oddest hours of the night or in the middle of meetings, but always, yes."

"Hm. I'll file it under consideration," She perches her head on her palm, taking in every detail the vid would let her, "Always?"

"Always. Now get some sleep, Brione," His voice softens, mandibles flaring into a smile as her vision blurs, "Good night."

Five months after that, communication to Palaven goes dark. The Reapers attack, and she watches wide-eyed as they touch down in Earth.

And her always becomes an empty promise with every refugee she watches come in during the days afterwards.

Garrus is not among them.

[herocentral]

Possible Hero 6

Evening folks Chapter 4 is here, sorry for the unfortunate delay I’ve been a little occupied with uni work. Plus I’ve been to see the Sonic the Hedgehog film, loved it loved the references and the action scenes, it defiantly deserves a sequel heck the games could learn from some aspects of it. Now without further delay heres chapter 4 of Possible Hero 6

I don't own the characters in this story this is just for fun! 

Kim Possible & Big Hero 6 (c) Disney, 2020

Chapter 4: Train up Hero style!

Things couldn’t be any worse for Big Hero 6 not only did their mystery villain thief AKA Shego escaped from them, twice and Momokase escaping as well with her intentions unknown. Now they return to Hiro’s garage to find Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable waiting for them, this could only mean one thing. 

“Hiro?” Hiro said but then coughed and straightened up. “Sorry Miss, uh Possible but I have no idea what your talking about.” He then acted. 

“Yeah, Ki.. uh, complete stranger who we have only met once at the…”

“Okay drop the poor acting Fred.” Kim said interrupting Fredzilla. 

“You, mean you…” Wasabi guessed. 

“Wasabi, Honey Lemon, Gogo, Fred Frederickson, Hiro Hamada and of course Baymax.” Kim pointed to each member of the team in a Batman like style which confirmed that she knew their secret identities. 

Everyone looked at each other in worry wondering what this could mean for the teams future. 

“Oh guys it’s so not the drama, your secrets safe with me.” Kim then assured. 

So one by one each member of BH6 removed their helmets/masks revealing their true identities and Honey Lemon put her glasses back on her face. 

“So how’d you know it was us?” Hiro asked. 

“Well for starters when I first saw Big Hero 6 and the tech they were using I could see that it looked a lot similar to each of your friends majors.” Kim began to explain. “Chemistry, mag lev suspension, laser induced plasma and of course Freds super hero theme all applied with the use of robotics, which with Hiro being a super genius could engineer.”

The team listened with interest and Ron as always was impressed by Kim’s deductive skills. 

“Plus when you told me that robot gauntlet was a souvenir from Alister Krei I could tell by your micro expressions that you were lying.” Hiro could only rub his neck in embarrassment as Gogo glared.

“And the final thing being, Tadashi’s death, his connection to the fire at SFIT and Professor Callaghan AKA Yokai. The fact being that Big Hero 6 appeared during his attack on Krei tech that day. Plus the coloured visors they’re terrible identity concealers.” Kim finished.

Everyone’s jaws dropped with amazement how could she have put together all the dots in such a way to find out their identities.

“Wow very impressive.” Gogo said with a raised eyebrow.

“Yeah told you she could do anything.” Ron added.

“Yeah that and being the daughter of a rocket scientist and brain surgeon doesn’t hurt.” Kim then added. 

“But I’m surprised that you were obviously followed all the way here and didn’t even notice, you’ve got to work on your security training.” 

“Wow, we do need to keep our eyes open or we’ll be blind.” Said a drunk Baymax. 

“Uh is he okay?” Ron asked. “Uh yeah he’s just low on batteries.” Hiro explained. 

Soon Baymax was out of his armour and on his charging station recharging his batteries. He begins to reinflate as he recharges. Meanwhile the rest of the team talk things over with Team Possible. 

 “So, now that you know are you going to tell my aunt Cass about this?” Hiro asked with worry. 

“No I’m....” “it’s just if she ever found out about this she’d literally put me under house arrest she worries a lot like a lot and.” Hiro said interrupting Kim. 

“Hiro!” Kim said getting his attention. “I’m not going to tell anyone about your identities.” 

“Oh.” Hiro said. “Actually when I first heard about Big Hero 6 I started doing some research I’ve seen the work you’ve done to help people and I’m pretty impressed how you’ve handled supervillains and kept the city safe.” Kim explained.

“But I do want to know why you decided to become super heroes in the first place?” She then asked. “Yeah I mean every super hero has a cool origin story.” Ron added as Rufus nodded his head.

Hiro took his time to answer but knew that since Kim and Ron now knew who they were that it was time to share why they do what they do. 

“Tadashi.” Hiro said then turned his attention to Baymax. “Show them Baymax.” 

Baymax’s chest monitor then lit up and began showing his video logs of Hiro’s brother building Baymax. 

“This is Tadashi Hamada.” He said introducing himself. Kim and Ron looked at the screen as did the rest of the team. 

“And this is the first test of my robotics project.” Tadashi then said holding up a black board with the words test 1 on it and he began testing his invention. 

“Hello, I am Baymax.....” Suddenly Baymax’s voice generated feedback which nearly deafens Tadashi. 

“Stop, stop stop stop!” Tadashi said as he quickly shut Baymax off. 

Kim saw who exactly this was whilst Ron was all but puzzled. However he saw the looks on the faces of everyone watching the video and could see some of them were happy and nearly brought to tears by the sight of this. 

“So is that...” “Yeah that’s Tadashi.” Hiro answered Rons question. 

The footage then moved onto the next entry log of the tests. 

“The seventh test of my robotics project.” Tadashi announced. He then activated Baymax to test him again. 

“Hello, I am Baymax.” Baymax said but suddenly began punching Tadashi with his inflated hands his left hand then flew off like a balloon quite literally. 

Tadashi held onto Baymax to try and get him to stop. 

“Wait wait stop scan stop!” Tadashi exclaimed. 

The next log showed Tadashi was completely exhausted, with bags under his eyes completely sleep deprived. 

“Tadashi Hamada again, and this is the thirty third test of my robotics project. He then said tired out.

Suddenly there was a spark and it completely took out the lights in his lab rendering leaving him in complete darkness. 

Tadashi then shines a torch  and looks over his creation though he was looking doubtful of making it work he wasn’t one to quit. 

“I’m not giving up on you.” Tadashi sighed. “You don’t understand this yet but people need you, so let’s get back to work.” Tadashi said shutting down Baymax to begin testing again. 

Kim just looked at the video in awe, she knew that Hiro’s brother built Baymax but didn’t know he saw difficulties doing it he persisted not giving up. She had to admit she was starting to admire him. 

The footage then moved to the next log it was the afternoon and Tadashi was looking a little tired after working hard through the night. 

“This is Tadashi Hamada, and this is the 84th” Tadashi sighed before continuing. “Test, what do you say big guy?” 

Tadashi activates Baymax and waits for another fault. 

“Hello, I am Baymax your personal healthcare companion.” Baymax said. 

Tadashi could only look in complete shock and surprise to see that his creation was operational and working. 

“It works.” He breathed. “IT WORKS!” Tadashi then shouted. ‘This is amazing! You, you work!” He said kissing Baymax in joy dancing with delight and excitement. 

“I knew it I knew it I knew iiiit!” He squealed. “You work I can’t believe it!” 

Ron nudged Kim’s shoulder and saw that there was a lone tear running down Hiro’s face and they could tell that he missed his brother. 

“Alright, alright big moment here.” Tadashi said as he stepped back ready for the biggest test of all. 

“Scan me.” Tadashi said and Baymax did as he was asked. 

“Your Nero transmitter levels are elevated, this indicates that you are happy.” Baymax diagnosed. 

“I am I really am.” Tadashi said in joy. “Oh man, wait till my brother sees you, your going to help so many people buddy.” 

Honey Lemon hugged Gogo slightly whilst Wasabi put a hand on Fred’s shoulder. 

“So.. many, that’s all for now, I’m satisfied with my care.” Tadashi said with a smile. The recording then ended and there was a minute of silence before Hiro broke it. 

“He wanted to help a lot of people, he cared, that’s why he worked so hard to create Baymax.” Hiro said gesturing you his robot friend. 

“So you became superheroes to, honour his memory?” Ron asked. 

“Well it didn’t really start that way at first, we did this to just catch the guy responsible for his death.” Hiro explained as the rest of his friends came over. 

“But after we saved everyone at Krei tech then after I enrolled at SFIT and stopping an army of rouge Baymaxes.” Hiro said. Kim could see where this was going. 

“The last thing that Tadashi ever said to me was, someone has to help.” Hiro explained. “So, that’s what we decided to do.” 

“Yeah Tadashi was our best friend, in a way his dream lives in all of us.” Honey Lemon added. 

Kim couldn’t help but smile at what she’d just heard, she knew they had the best of intentions and couldn’t help but relate to that sure when she first started out she didn’t ask to be a hero but after saving a billionaire collector and many other things after that, she knew this was her path.

“I see, well I know you guys have the best of intentions but Shego isn’t like most villains you’ve faced.” Kim then said. 

“I thinks that’s pretty obvious.” Wasabi said with a raised eyebrow. 

“Yeah even with our tech we have no way to fight her.” Honey Lemon said. “Come on guys we can’t just give up!” Gogo argued. 

“Yeah didn’t stop us before won’t now!” Fred said standing dramatically. 

“With our current skills I calculate our chances 0.000” Baymax explained. “Baymax no need for the number crunching.” Hiro said.

The team could see they would need to do something to be able to handle the likes of Shego but Kim seemed confident about what to do in this situation. 

“No big guys we can handle Shego and Drakken just leave this to us.” Kim said. “Ron, Rufus let’s go.” 

“Right behind you KP.” Ron said Hiro was all but shocked to see they were going to stop Shego by themselves however they had been following the case too and they couldn’t just let this go after tonight. 

“Hold on!” Hiro said getting the duos attention. 

“We’re coming too.” Hiro said standing forward. 

“It’s okay guys we got this.” Ron assured. “No.” Hiro said with confidence. “We have to help, my brother would have.” 

“Besides San Fransokyo is our turf, we’re not going to stand by and let this green lady or her boss wreck it.” Gogo said. “So you’ll need our help, like it or not.” 

“Yeah.” Said the rest of the team. In response to that the teen hero could only smile in response. 

“Good, that was actually a test, to see how committed you were to what you do, and I’m happy to say you’ve passed.” Kim said. “We could use help navigating this city.” 

Hiro could only smile in pride and relief. “Oh yeah I’m sensing a super hero team up!” Fred said practically jumping up and down in excitement. 

“Okay geek cool your jets.” Gogo said. “Yeah we still need a plan to take on this Shego.” Wasabi agreed. 

“Well maybe it’s best if we first get our facts straight.” Hiro said gesturing to his board of all the locations that Shego has robbed over the past week. 

“Hiro, you are due to wake up in 2 hours, sleep is recommended.” Baymax said 

“I guess your right Baymax we’ll talk more in the morning.” Hiro agreed to which Kim nodded because even heroes need their sleep. 

Drakken’s lair

Meanwhile as San Fransokyo slept Drakken’s evil mind was at work using the equipment stolen he began assembling something in his lair. All the while his henchmen were moving the components into place. 

“Now thanks to those plans we stole from the Krei tech servers our plans are now moving into place.” Drakken said as he worked. “Soon the world shall know my name and tremble before my genius! MUHAHAHAHAHAHA!”

“So you’ve said the last 23 times Dr.D.” Shego said filing her nails. “Quiet Shego your harshing my mellow!” Drakken said harshly.

“Yeah yeah whatever.” Shego said when she continued to do her nails. Suddenly an alert sounded from her phone and she looked to see she had received an email, from an anonymous sender. She opened it only to reveal a strange monster symbol in purple on her phone and then. 

“Greetings, I have a proposition I’d like to discuss with you  Miss Shego, I’ve attached directions come alone.” Said a voice from the phone. The message then disappeared. 

Shego was very much surprised, how could someone know her contact details only Drakken knew that, but at the same time she wanted to know how someone could find her. There was only one way to find out.

The Water front San Fransokyo bay:

In the dark of the night fog surrounded San Fransokyo harbour all was quiet in the air soon a figure arrived at the waterfront she was wearing a dark green jacket brand new Club Banana. It was Shego, she had to admit she was a little skeptic about this meeting but was never the less curious. 

It wasn’t clear but she could make out a faint light in the dark it was neon purple and it looked like a thin one sided skull face. 

The fog cleared to reveal Obake standing in the fog. 

“I see you decided to come.” Obake said smirking. 

“Okay, you got my attention what do you want.” Shego demanded. 

“Oh I have been watching you for a while my dear, and I merely wanted to meet someone of great potential.” Obake said simply. 

“Watching me?” Shego asked. “Yes, ever since you and your employer Dr.Drakken arrived in the city.” Obake said. “And I must say the power you have has a lot of potential, potential such as that shouldn’t be wasted on an amateur like him, for you see there is no limit to the potential you have, I learned that from an old friend of mine long ago” Shego listened you what this stranger had to say and a small part of her couldn’t wonder if he was right. 

“ That is why when the opportunity arose I decided to test you’re potential against another with similar ambitions.” Obake then said.

“Wait you sent that ninja lady!” Shego said in surprise. “Yes you see in truth I had no interest with that hard drive, I merely sent her to test your abilities against her. However the arrival of Miss Possible and Big Hero 6 did complicate things it did prove how much potential you have.” Obake said. 

“You said you had a preposition for me, what’s that supposed to mean?” Shego asked. 

“Why to merely have you consider what I’ve said, and to provide you with the means to expand your potential.” Obake said as he stood aside to reveal a small black crate. Shego was all but curious at this point. 

“Consider this a gift.” Obake said as he walked away. 

“Oh and if and when this scheme of your employers goes awry, you’ll know how to find me.” Obake said as the left side of his face glowed and disappeared into the mist. 

Shego used her powers to give a light in the mist to look for the stranger but couldn’t find him all that was left was the small black crate that he left for her. Being curious she opened the crate and found something inside, something that intrigued her. 

The following morning

As the sun shon on a new morning in San Fransokyo Kim and Ron were making their way to the Lucky Cat Cafe. They entered the cafe to see Cass seeing to her customers. 

“Morning Cass.” Kim called. “Oh morning Kimmie” Cass greeted. “Please Cass call me Kim.” Kim insisted. “Oh sorry your mother still washes off on me, even after high school.” Cass said. 

“Right so is Hiro around?” Ron asked. ‘“Oh of course Ron he’s in his garage with Baymax Gogo and the others just recently got here.” Cass said. 

“Right thanks” Kim thanked as she walked through to the back. “So how do you handle being...” Kim quickly pulled Ron away before he could blurt out anything. 

In the garage, the team was gathered, Hiro was working at his computer whilst Baymax scanned Gogo. 

“Gogo, you appear to have fully recovered from your minor concussion.” Baymax said. 

“Thanks Baymax but I’ve taken worse falls than that.” Gogo thanked. 

“So guys is anyone but me excited for this super team up with Kim Possible!” Fred said bouncing round in excitement. 

“Fred calm down.” Wasabi said. “Yeah besides this is a collaboration.” Gogo said. “Yeah to take down a common enemy.” Fred said “classic super hero team up, just like the time Captain Fancy teamed up with another super hero to take down their arch foes who teamed up!” 

“You read Captain Fancy?” Called a voice and they turned to see Kim and Ron standing in the garage doorway. 

“Oh hey guys.” Honey Lemon greeted. “Glad you could make it.” Hiro said. 

“Now, let’s have the sitch about what Shego’s been doing in the city.” Kim said. 

Soon Hiro pulled out his large board from the back of his garage showing all the Krei tech facilities that Shego has hit over the past week. 

“Okay, over the last week Krei tech has had several break ins at their warehouses in the city and we’ve been tracking them.” Hiro explained. 

“Yeah and at each one different things were stolen tech pieces both cybernetic and mechatronics.” Gogo then explained. 

“At first we thought it might have been one of our enemies like maybe Momakaske or Yama.” Wasabi added. 

“But it was actually Shego, who’s been taking these items for Drakken.” Kim eventually surmised. 

“Yeah so what’s the deal with that blue skinned guy?” Fred asked. 

“Right best you guys know what your dealing with, but it’s best to late Wade snow you.” Kim said. 

“Who’s Wade?” Asked Honey Lemon. Then all of a sudden the holo computer near the front of the garage lit up showing Wade in his room at the computers. 

“That’s me” Wade said startling everyone. 

“Guys, this is Wade our resident super genius and our secret weapon.” Ron introduced. “Wade meet Big Hero 6” Ron then gestured to the team in the garage. 

“Dude!” Hiro panicked. “Guys relax Wade can keep a secret.” Kim assured chuckling. “Yeah plus Hiro, he’s a super genius like you and graduated college at 13.” Ron added. 

“All are true.” Wade said. “Well okay, I’m Hiro.” Hiro introduced. 

“Hello I am Baymax.” Baymax introduced with a wave. 

“That’s Gogo.” Hiro gestured and she just blew a bubble gum ball. “He’s Wasabi” “How you doing” Wasabi greeted. “That’s Honey Lemon.” “Hello there.” Honey Lemon greeted. 

“And I’m Fred” Fred said introducing himself. 

“Pleasure guys been reading up on you guys pretty impressive.” Wade complimented. 

“Okay Wade show them everything we have on Drakken and Shego.” Kim said. 

“Right showing files now.” Wade typed in some commands on his keyboard and showed files on Drakken and Shego. 

“Well as you guys have probably guessed Shego is an ex superhero gone rouge, and she works with Dr. Drakken.” Kim explained. “Drakken is your typical mad scientist who wants to conquer the world, he never does though. His real name is Drew Lipsky he was once a friend of my Dad in college.”

“Wait he was a friend of your dads!” Hiro said in surprise. 

“Oh.. a twist I’m liking this origin story more and more.” Fred said sitting down on a chair. Gogo just nudged him. 

“Yeah but he dropped out when he couldn’t build a good robot and his friends laughed at him.” Kim added. 

“Classic!” Fred said. “But what’s with the blue skin?” Wasabi asked. “Maybe he turned blue with sadness.” Honey Lemon guessed. 

“Blue skin is often what happens when someone holds their breath for a long period of time.” Baymax diagnoses with a diagram on his chest monitor. 

“I have a theory.” Fred said with a knowing finger pointing up. “When he was laughed out he must’ve accidentally fallen into a vat of chemicals which turned his skin blue and made him a little insane.” 

Everyone looked in surprise, to what Fred just said Baymax just blinked. 

“Wow that’s actually a good theory.” Wade said in surprise. 

“Yep never underestimate the power of comic books” Fred said proudly. 

“Okay, so back to the matter of Shego, what could she want with these components?” Hiro said. 

“Knowing Drakken it could be another one of his take over the world schemes.” Kim said. “Now they know you guys are onto them we’ll need to work together to stop them and figure out what they’re up to.”

“Great, but don’t we need a plan we haven’t fought someone like Shego before.” Wasabi asked. 

“Well you guys are good and judging by the security footage you stood your ground against Shego, but you need to learn how to fight better to stand a chance against foes like her.” Kim explained. 

“So I’m going to train you guys how to fight and how to better use your tech in team work.” 

“Oh yeah! IT’S SHUGYO TIME!” Fred exclaimed taking a kung fu training pose. “To the mansion!” 

Fred’s Mansion the gardens

Soon everyone was gathered in Fred’s back garden which was rather large with very Greek like architecture structures and statues. Everyone was now dressed in training attire; Hiro wore a white shirt with his normal pants and sneakers, Wasabi was in his yoga gear which was a green shirtless vest with black pants and shoes. Gogo just wore her white shirt with her black pants and leggings. Honey Lemon was in her yoga gear and both were bare foot. Fred meanwhile was in a training suit. 

“Dude this back yard is huge!” Ron said in amazement with Rufus looking wide eyes.  

“Yeah we train here with our suits sometimes.” Fred explained “You see that statue over there.” Fred then gestured to what was left of a statue that was destroyed by something. 

“Baymax wrecked it with his rocket fist when we first got our suits.” Fred then explained. 

“Whoa!” Rufus squeaked. “But weren’t your parents tweaked about that?” Ron said concerned. 

“Nah my dad didn’t like that anyway it was imported from someplace called the Southern Isles they didn’t want it for some reason so my mom bought it.”Fred then added. 

“Alright guys gather up.” Kim called who was now dressed in training gear of her own which was comprised of a pink short sleeved crop top, dark pink yoga pants and sneakers with a grey shirt underneath. Everyone soon gathered as she placed down some training gear such as punching pads. 

“Okay guys in order to stop your opponent you first need to know more about how they fight.” Kim explained. “So when you first fought Shego what did you see?” 

“Shes fast.” Hiro said “Mean!” Fred said “Fights dirty” Gogo then added. “Loves the colour green” Honey added. “And uses plasma blasts!” Wasabi then said. 

“All good answers.” Kim said with a thumbs up. “Shego’s style is all about attack and going on the offensive, and yes she uses energy blasts which trust me sting if you get hit.” 

“Got that notion.” Gogo said remembering her fight with her last night.

“So, how do we fight someone like that?” Honey Lemon asked. “By learning how to fight better and use teamwork.” Kim said “Now lets get you guys in fighting shape.” 

(Music Starts: Call me Beep me Sadie Stanley)

Kim holds up some punching pads in her hands and Gogo begins punching them followed by some kicks and Kim manages to block them all. Soon she and Wasabi are facing each other on the grass. Kim motioned for Wasabi to come at her, though he was a little hesitant at first he knew this was training so he charged forwards and threw a few punches which Kim dodged and then grabbed Wasabi’s arm and flipped him onto his back. 

Hiro was lasting a little longer when training against Kim she threw a few punches and kicks whilst Hiro avoided some of them and Hiro threw a few punches of his own. However Kim did a leg swipe and tripped Hiro up. 

He looked up and saw Kim offering a hand smiling which he took. 

Ron meanwhile sat on the sidelines with Rufus, Mini max and Baymax. Those who weren’t training namely Hiro, Wasabi and Fred were sat resting and with towels. 

Meanwhile Kim was doing a two on one with Honey Lemon and Gogo, they came at Kim with punches and kicks which Kim was able to block, and gave advice whilst doing so. 

“Remember coordinate like a team.” Kim said between kicks and punches. So the two responded by working as a team Gogo slipped past Kim whilst Honey Lemon threw a roundhouse kick and Gogo came up from behind and performed a leg swipe tripping Kim up who was quick to recover. She looked to the two impressed knowing they were learning. She then came in with back flips and then performed several round house kicks. 

From his viewing point Hiro was amazed by Kims fighting skills but given she said she was a cheerleader it did help a little, however when he looked to Baymax an idea soon sparked in his head. 

Later at the garage, Hiro was typing at his holo computer keyboard and was looking at recordings of their training session and Kims fighting skills. He knew exactly what to do with this. However, he then noticed Rufus was in the lab and looking at Baymax’s armour lying around and he saw the little mole rat was pretending he was firing rocket fists from his hands. Hiro could only chuckle a little but he then got an idea and so slid his chair over to the rear desk and picked up a small scanning device. 

“Hey Rufus.” Hiro called getting his attention. “Arms up and hold still.” He then said and Rufus a little confused held his arms up and Hiro scanned him creating a 3D render in his computer. 

Back at the mansion Kim had set up an obstacle course for a training exercise the course consisted of several benches hoops and even a balancing beam.Fred was suited up in his Fredzilla suit. Kim then ran forward and performed some of her cheer leading moves back flips on the benches, swinging on the hoops and then bouncing on the beam to back flip and land on two feet. She then gestured for Fred to try.

“Oh yeah!” Fred said putting on the top half of his suit on then charged in. “SUPER JUMP!” He exclaimed. He performed a super back flip with the enhanced springs in his suit and then jumped and then swung round the hoops and launched forwards jumps on the board and finally span in a circle breathing fire from his suit and landed on the ground in a dynamic super hero pose!

Kim nodded in approval of Freds success. Soon she was facing Wasabi again and this time he was more confident in his hand to hand combat skills and was able to avoid Kims leg swipe and then performs a round house kick knocking her to the ground. She saw him offering a hand which she took. Hiro too was improving not only with his own knowledge of self defense compliments of his brother, but with Kims help. 

He was able to avoid water blasts from water guns that Ron was firing at him from behind a cardboard cut out of Shego. Gogo who was now wearing her mag lev skates slide past all the water blasts grabbed Hiro’s hand and then swung him towards the target and gave it a round house kick. 

Hiro and Gogo gave each other high fives. Back in the garage Hiro was transferring data to something and out of a disk burner came a small data chip coloured in green. He then placed Kims signature logo on the chip compliments of Wade. He then went over to Baymax and opened his access port revealing his health care and superhero chip. 

“Okay buddy ready to take it to the next level.” Hiro asked. “Doing shugyo makes me a better health care companion.” Baymax replied and so Hiro placed the chip into Baymax which then retracted into his chest. 

Soon everyone was taking a break from their training and soon Hiro arrived with Baymax armoured up. Hiro then laid out some small devices in the garden and then opened his laptop typed in several commands and then Wade appeared on his desktop. 

“Okay Wade let it rip!” Hiro said “Right initiating training exercise.” Wade said as he typed in several commands and then activated devices which then projected holograms of several villains including Baron Von Steamer, Shego, High Voltage and Duff Killigan. 

“Baymax Go!” Hiro said and Baymax responded by rocketing forward and the holograms became aware. Holo Steamer fired a huge blast of steam which Baymax then formed his wings flew up into the air then came slamming down to the ground fist first, knocking the hologram to the ground. 

Holo High Voltage then attacked, and Baymax was quick to avoid it and rocket forwards performing a round house kick then saw Shego coming and backflipped over her back and in slow-motion fired his rocket fist from his left hand and knocked down the two holograms in one shot.

Kim was all but amazed by Baymax’s abilities and noticed how his fighting style was similar to hers, she then remembered how Hiro told her he’d made a chip full of combat programs for the original Baymax (the one Tadashi built) when they were starting out. So it was clear he had programmed him with her skills. 

Holo Duff then fired some explosive golfballs and Baymax quickly reacted by deflecting two with his left hand then jumped into the air rolled into a ball then kicked away the next three that holo Duff fired which didn’t hit him but Baymax then landed in front of him and then just looked down on him. 

“Aye I surrender!” Said Holo Duff and with that Wade and Hiro ended the exercise and the hologram disappeared.

(Music ends)

“Whooo!” Fred said in excitement. “That was amazing Baymax!” Honey Lemon said. “Not bad.” Gogo said. “Boyah Baymax!” Ron said excitedly. 

“Spankin job big guy.” Kim congratulated. Baymax then turned round to Kim and lifted up his right fist. 

“Uh..” Kim said confused. “Now we fist bump.” Baymax then said blinking. 

“Wait you know how to fist bump?” Kim said with a raised eyebrow. “Yes Hiro taught it to me.” Baymax replied. 

“Yeah I kinda did.” Hiro said rubbing the back of his neck. 

“Come on KP just go with it.” Ron suggested. “Don’t leave him hanging” 

Kim decided to just listen to Ron and the others and so. 

“Okay.” Kim then fist bumped with Baymax. “Bah-la-la-la-la-la-la” Baymax then said wiggling his fingers in the air after the bump leaving Kim with an even more confused look than before. 

Just then Kim’s Kimmunicator beeped and she answered it. “Go Wade.” She said. 

“Kim you guys may want to check the latest news casts.” Wade advised then bringing up a news report from San Fransokyo and their reporter Duff Blunder was on the scene. 

“This is Duff Blunder reporting live from San Fransokyo bridge where citizens are being attacked by what appears to be three individuals with jet packs.” Duff said through his microphone as he was on the bridge with panicking citizens. Suddenly dropping from the air came three armoured individuals two men and a woman each wore matching black armoured suits with grey underneath and red visors on their faces.

The first was a caucasian male with blonde hair and a muscular build, with a darker beard than his hair colour. The second was a dark skinned male who is bald and has a dark beard on his face and is more muscular than his compatriots. The woman was tanned skinned has long brown hair but a shaved off part on the right side of her head and wears red lipstick. 

“I’ll take that thanks!” Jack said snatching the microphone off Duff blunder and looking into the camera. 

“Hi there the names Jack, these are my compatriots Jaq and Jack” He said introducing his compatriots who took up action poses. 

“Together we are the Mad Jacks, normally we’re mercenaries for hire but today we’re making an acceptation several months ago we were humiliated and defeated and so I hereby announce a challenge to Big Hero 6, unless they agree to face us at the bridge my associates and I shall detonate bombs at key points under the bridge.” Greg Jack announced 

“So what’ll it be Heroes? you have two hours don’t keep us waiting.” Greg Jack said. 

The team looked at the footage in shock especially Hiro and his friends. 

“Old friends of yours?” Ron asked “Not exactly.” Hiro said. 

“Yeah the Mad Jacks are villains we’ve faced before their an elite special ops unit who work for the highest bidder.” Fred explained. 

“I’ve heard about them professional mercenaries for hire, and I thought Team Impossible gloated a lot.” Kim said. 

“Well Hiro was able to help us stop them despite being sick and with a broken leg.” Wasabi then explained. 

“Whoa talk about being a stubborn patient.” Kim pointed out. “Well if you think about it KP you went on a mission when we were full of a cold.” Ron pointed out remembering their Sick Day episode. 

“So it looks like their back for a rematch.” Gogo said. “Then it’s time we put our training to the test.” Hiro suggested. “Hey guys care to give us a hand?” 

“No need to ask we’re in.” Kim said confidently. “Okay guys suit up!” Hiro then announced. 

The team each suited up in their armours and bore their gadgets, whilst Kim and Ron dressed in their normal mission clothes Kim span her hair dryer grappling hook round her finger then placed it into her belt pouch. Then Rufus appeared and Ron noticed he was wearing armour identical to Baymax’s except it was in the same colour scheme as Kims mission suit and he wore the armour on his chest and hands. 

“Whoa Rufus sweet armour!” Ron said “Yep” Rufus squeaked. “Yeah saw him taking an interest in Baymax’s suit so I made him one of his own.” Hiro said and soon everyone was riding Baymax’s back as he rocketed across the city with his jet boosters. 

Hiro rode on Baymax using his magnetic gloves and pads while Gogo, Honey Lemon and Kim held onto the wings while on Baymax. Rufus held onto Kim as well. 

“Okay I’ll admit this is a killer view.” Kim said impressed. “Maybe if you were on his back!” Ron called as he and Wasabi were holding onto Baymax’s arms while he held onto Fred via his suit collar and he was posing like super man as Fred pretended to fly.

Ron wasn’t enjoying a single moment of this. “This is not cool man!” He said practically yelling. 

“How’d you think I feel I’m terrified of heights!” Wasabi exclaimed to Ron. 

Soon they were approaching their destination and the police were doing the best they could to barricade people off the bridge until the crisis was over.

“Look!” Called a woman and they saw Big Hero 6 and Team Possible arrive on the scene and the crowd cheered knowing the heroes had arrived. 

Baymax landed on the bridge and the rest of the team disembarked, however there was no sign of the Mad Jacks anywhere. 

“Where are they?” Honey Lemon said the rest of the team looked around but were a little cautious, Kim didn’t like the looks of this one little bit. 

Baymax scanned the area for any sign of trouble and when he looked up he saw something alarming. 

“Oh no” Baymax said and Kim looked up to see what he was alerting them about and her eyes widened in shock.

“LOOK OUT!” Kim shouted and everyone jumped out of the way of an incoming laser blast and were quick to avoid the impact. Everyone quickly recovered and got back up on their feet just as the Mad Jacks floated down using their jet packs.

“Well look who decided to show.” Said Jaq with a smirk. 

“So you guys still sore about us beating you last time?!” Hiro said “Oh you mean how you outsmarted and humiliated us!” Greg Jack said with a smirk.

“Well now it’s payback time!” Jack grunted. “Oh and I see you have help, your going to need it.” Greg Jack said noticing the presence of Kim and Ron. 

“Mad Jacks lets take em” Greg Jack yells and they fly in and attack, the team then scatter Hiro climbs aboard Baymax who takes to the sky after the three villains. 

“Jack, Jaq, take care of the six on the ground I’ll take care of the big bot and their leader.” Greg Jack ordered. “Copy that!” Said the two Jacks. Baymax and Hiro began chasing Greg Jack in the sky whilst the rest of the team take on the other two. 

The two Mad Jacks pull out their laser blasters and try to blast the team. Gogo and Honey Lemon jump to the left whilst Kim, Ron, Fred and Wasabi jumped to the right. 

“We need to find those bombs if they go off everyone still on this bridge will be toast.” Gogo said. 

Kim then reached for her Kimmunicator. “Wade scan for the bombs!” Kim said “Way ahead of you.” Wade said and after a few typing commands on his keyboard he soon heard a beep sounding that he found what he was looking for. 

“Got it! They’re under the bridge on the centre support!” Wade relayed as he showed a diagram of the bridge. 

“Wade put me through to Hiro!” Kim ordered. Meanwhile Hiro and Baymax were in a dog fight with Greg Jack who was trying to shoot them down with his laser bazooka. 

“Eat laser bot!” Greg Jack exclaimed. Baymax was able to doge the blasts and Hiro held on to his back. 

“Hiro you there!?” Kim said on the coms. “Yeah kinda busy!” Hiro replied. “We’ve located the bombs there under the bridge, near the centre support.” Kim relayed. 

Hiro looked down to the bridge and with the scanner in his helmet scanned the bridge and zoomed in to see several bomb like devices attached to the bridge. 

“I see them.” Hiro relayed. 

Back on the bridge the rest of the team were contending with Jack and Jaq. Gogo used her mag lev skates to skate and avoid the blasts then jumps and throws her mag lev disks at Jack which he then deflects. 

“That all you got speedy!” Jack exclaimed. “Okay time to use our training.” Gogo said 

“Honey let’s ground these chumps.” Gogo said “ Thought you’d never ask.” Honey Lemon said as she typed in a formula on her chem-purse and made two chem balls and threw the, both at the bridge supports, they explode and expand into a splat wall of elastic goop. 

(Music starts playing- Immortals Fallout boy)

Gogo then kneels down on all fours and revs up on her discs and launched herself forward into the ‘sling shot’ and pulled back all the way to the other end of the support until she was catapulted forwards into the air, heading straight for jack pulled back a fist then POW right in the face which sent him flying into the pillar at the far side of the bridge. 

Gogo then skated as she landed on the ground and Honey Lemon rushed to her. 

“Oh yeah Speed punch!” Gogo said “way to go Gogo!” Honey Lemon said giving her a high five. However they didn’t notice that Jaq was flying towards them. 

“Guys heads up!” Ron called to them they turned and saw Jaq arming her arm cannons. “Your Jacked!” Jaq yelled but suddenly. 

“SUPER JUMP!” Called a voice and she saw Fredzilla jumping in the air above her. 

“FLYING DROP KICK!” Fred yelled and performed a drop kick mid air knocking Jaq to the ground. Honey Lemon peeped a Chem ball and tossed it to Ron. “Throw it Ron.” Homey said and so he threw it to the spot where Jaq landed and it created a pink goo ball trapping her inside. 

“Grr!” Jaq growled as she couldn’t get out of the ball no matter what she tried. 

“You just got gooped” Ron cracked. “Boo yah!” Rufus squeaked. He then noticed Kim was not with them. Kim was below the bridge using some magnetic discs. She held the Kimmunicator up to the bombs so that Wade could properly scan them. 

“Kim I’ve got bad news!” Wade said. “Okay let’s hear it.” Kim asked. 

“Well, the bad news is the bombs can’t be disarmed manually there’s about five different triggers.” Wade explained. “Is there a way to disable it?” Kim asked with worry. 

“Yes disable the master detonator and that’ll disarm the bombs.” Wade surmised. 

“Well where is the trigger?” Kim asked. “I’ll scan for it” Wade began scanning for the bomb trigger and soon found it.

“Oh boy.” Wade said 

Baymax and Hiro were still in the air fighting Greg Jack who is chasing them with his laser bazooka Baymax was able to avoid the blast Hiro looks back and sees the Mad Jack behind them. 

“Hiro there’s a way to disarm the bombs!” Kim relayed on the coms. “Okay what is it?” Hiro asked. 

“The guy chasing you he has it, it’s located in his gauntlet on the left wrist.” Kim relayed. “Right that’s going to be a problem.” Hiro said seeing how Greg Jack was dead set on shooting the, down. 

From the bridge Kim could see the issue and from her back pack forms her jet pack and rockets into the sky. 

Back on the bridge the Police try to keep the crowd back within that crowd was Karmi who was trying to record what was happening. However she looked up to see Baymax and Hiro or as she knew them Captain Cutie and Red Panda fighting Greg Jack whilst the rest of the team deal with Jack who had regained consciousness. Then all of a sudden she saw a figure emerge fro, the bridge she zoomed in on it using her phones camera. 

“No way is that!” Karmi gasped her phone camera showed her it was Kim Possible fighting alongside Big Hero 6 she couldn’t believe it.

Meanwhile Baymax launches his rocket fist at Greg Jack, who used his jet pack to avoid it then fires his blaster at them which Baymax quickly avoids it as his fist returns to him. 

Then suddenly Greg Jack received a kick in the back delivered by Kim Possible he manages to stabilise himself and looked to see Kim just as Baymax flew next to her with Hiro. 

“You got the drop on me impressive miss...” “The names Kim Possible, ring a bell.” Kim said answering Greg Jacks question. 

“Oh yeah now I remember your the hero with a lame website it doesn’t even have a cool theme song.” Greg Jack cracked. 

“Says the guys all called the same name, Greg” Hiro then cracked. “Wait your names Greg but your all called the Mad Jacks?” Kim asked “yeah it’s really a code name found that out when we first fought and won.” Hiro then added. 

Greg Jack just growled with frustration. “Enough talk time to blast stuff!” He yelled as he blasted the two of them but they quickly avoided the blast. 

He kept blasting the three heroes with his bazooka until finally he clipped the wing of Kim’s jet pack causing her to spin out of control.

“Kim!” Hiro yelled, Kim quickly managed to get her jet pack off but was still falling to the ground Baymax quickly rockets down after her and reaches out with his hand. Reacting quickly Kim pulls out her grappling hair dryer and fires it towards Baymax who grabs it and swings it round lifting her into the air for her to land on Baymax’s back. 

Her grappling hook retracts leaving Hiro completely amazed. 

“You always carry a hair dryer with you?” Hiro said in amazement. 

“Never leave home without one, it’s saved me on multiple occasions not just life and death but also hair crisis.” Kim breathed. 

Suddenly Baymax avoided another blast from Greg Jack and flew away as he chased him. 

“He is still shooting at us.” Baymax said “no kidding, we’ve got to get that detenator!” Kim said to Hiro, “Then we’ll need to ground him.” Hiro suggested. 

(Music ends)

Back on the ground Wasabi was using his plasma blades to deflect blasts from Jack who was recovered and blasting them with his wrist blasters. Ron was running quickly to avoid them. 

“Yow, yikes!” Ron said avoiding the blasts. Fred then charged forwards and using his suits enhanced jumping skills he performed a triple back flip.

 “Homey chem ball me!” Fredzilla said and she fired a pink chemball from her purse and on the third flip Fredzilla kicked the ball into Jack and the chemball exploded and stuck him to the ground. 

“Boyah Fred!” Ron cheered. However their celebration was interrupted by the sound of laser fire they looked up to see Baymax, Hiro and Kim struggling against Greg Jack and getting the detonator from him. 

“We’ve gotta help them!” Honey Lemon said. “They’re too high up and none of us can fly.” Gogo said knowing that Baymax was the only one on the team who could fly. Or was he? 

Rufus pulled on Rons shirt and he saw that his mole rat friend was wearing armour similar to Baymax including its ability to fly. 

“Wait, Rufus! You can help them!” Ron said and Rufus nodded and almost on cue wings emerged from his armour and he posed like superman and rocketed into the sky. 

“Go get um!” Ron called which left the rest of the team skeptical looks as to how a small mole rat can help their friends. 

Greg Jack is going all out trying to shoot Baymax down he was beaten by these heroes before there’s no way he was going to let this happen again it would be an insult to his profession. 

However he felt a tap on his head and he turned to see a small pink rodent dressed up in armour with a jet pack. 

“Whuh?” Greg Jack said in surprise. “Hello” Rufus squeaked he then kicks Greg Jack in the face who cries in. Pain as he got hit in the mouth Rufus quickly flies away and Greg tries to grab him but misses. 

“Hold still you little..” Greg jack growled and Rufus just spits his tongue like a child which winds up the Mad Jack even more. 

However he’s so focused on the armoured naked mole rat he neglected a certain someone coming right at him. 

“Hey!” Called a voice and Greg Jack turns to see Baymax heading right for him with Hiro and Kim riding him. However strangely as Greg braces for impact he sees the flying red robot missed him as he flew right by. 

“Ha! You missed!” He shouted. Suddenly Hiro lands on his back and then hits a button on Greg’s jet pack which releases it from his armour. 

“Oh no...” Greg Jack gulped. “JACK DOWN AGAAAAIIIIIN!” He yelled as he fell to the ground and Hiro was falling right behind him but then Baymax swings in and Kim manages to grab him as they fly down and grab Greg Jack and lower him to the ground safely. 

“Nice one guys!” Honey Lemon cheered just then Rufus hovers down and lands on Baymax’s shoulder who turns to see him. 

“Flying makes you a better companion Rufus.” Baymax said and Rufus smiles and offers his tiny fist for a. “Fist bump” he squeaked. 

Baymax raises his fist and they bump them. 

“ “Bah-la-la-la-la-la-la” The two said. “So” said Greg Jack getting their attention. “You think this is over?” 

“Uh yeah.” Kim said taking the detonator from the compartment in his gauntlet and presses a red button that said disabled. Below the bridge the bombs then deactivate. 

“Your bombs are disabled, your revenge done.” Kim listed. ‘“Oh and look.” Kim then pointed and they saw a fleet of helicopters but they didn’t belong to the SFPD. 

“There’s Global Justice already here to Cart you guys away to prison.” Kim then pointed out. “Seems you guys have worked for a number of people on their most wanted list and you’ve committed a number of offences on their radar.” She then explained. 

“Yeah sounds like someone tipped them off.” Ron then added with a smirk. 

“Grr how did you guys get so good!” Greg Jack then asked Big Hero 6. 

“Easy ‘Greg’ we’ve been training.” Hiro smirked “with the best.” He said looking to Kim who could only smile. 

Soon Global Justice took the three Mad Jacks away to be incarcerated at their jail facility, whilst an officer of GJ explained everything to the police officer at the scene. 

“Okay guys seriously, were we awesome? Or were we totally AWSOME!” Fredzilla said in excitement. 

“I’ll admit, that was cool we’ve never taken down an enemy of ours that easily before.” Gogo admitted. 

“Yeah, did you see that sling shot move we did!” Honey Lemon bounced excitedly. 

“Yeah I hereby dub that move the Slingshot Punch!” Fred said. 

“Yeah not to mention I was totally alive out there!” Wasabi said. “What about me I was helping too I drew his fire!” Ron pointed out feeling left out. 

“We acted very efficiently in neutralising the target.” Baymax diagnosed. 

“We stopped the bombs, thanks to Rufus.” Hiro said thanking the Molerat. 

“But Kim I have to know how did you know that the Mad Jacks were wanted by those GJ guys?” Hiro then asked. 

“Oh that’s easy during the fight I had Wade do some research into them hacking their website..” “Cool theme some by the way.” Ron then interrupts Kim. 

“...yeah anyway Wade found the list of a number of clients they’ve worked for in the past including a number of war lords, crime bosses and of course a few super villains.” Kim listed 

“To cut a long story short forward the info to some fiends of ours in GJ and off to jail they go.” Kim finished. 

“Wow, you really can do anything.” Hiro said impressed. Kim could only smile humbly by this compliment. Just then.

“Oh my, that was AWESOME!” Shrieks a voice and they turned to see Karmi standing behind them. 

“An actually team up between Kim Possible and Big Hero 6!” Karmi said excitedly. 

“Oh I’ve got to get a picture of this.” She then said holding up her camera phone to take a photo. 

The nine heroes just stood bemused but decided to pose for a photo while Hiro just kept a natural expression. Karmi takes a photo showing her a photo of Big Hero 6 and Team Possible together. 

“Oh I’m so writing a fan fic about this Captain Cutie teams up with teen hero Kim Possible!” Karmi said practically bouncing away in excitement and could already picture her fan fiction taking place featuring chibi versions of the team and Kim. 

Hiro just grimaced at the thought of what she just said. 

“Captain Cutie?” Kim smirked with a raised eyebrow “Don’t ask” Hiro groaned. 

Meanwhile

Whilst events transpired at the bridge, far away in a old derelict warehouse on the dark side of town a lone figure stands alone in the darkness. 

It was really Shego except something was different on her wrists she now wore metal gauntlet like devices with glowing green lines on them. Ever since her little meeting with Obake he left them for her as a ‘gift’. Though a little skeptical she decided to test his present somewhere away from prying eyes and she knew Drakken would just ask questions. 

She looked at the gauntlets and they did seem to fit perfectly and surprisingly they didn’t clash with her outfit. However she was still unclear to their function. 

“Alright let’s see what glow face’s toy can do.” She said to herself. 

She infighter her powers as normal this then caused the gauntlets to activate which then caused her energy to glow brighter even her eyes started to glow a little. 

She threw an energy blast at a crate in the warehouse and it immediately blew it into a million pieces. She was completely shocked.

“Whoa! My blasts were never that powerful?” She said in amazement. She looked to her gauntlets and when she touched one of the lines it took her energy and formed it into a blade comprised of her energy. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

She then smirked and swung her arm blade like a samurai and then with one swipe let loose a huge energy wave that completely incinerated two of the rear pillars. 

She then bore a sadistic smile as her eyes glowed green and her hands burned with enhanced energy. 

“Oh ho ho ho! Me likie.” She said “whoever that guy is he’s right it’s time to see what potential I have!” Shego said and let loose a huge blast of energy from her hands. 

End of chapter 4

Whoa looks like Shego got an upgrade, looks like BH6 is gonna need that training Kim’s given them. Yes Obake has started to get involved in this story but still not the main villain (yet) The gauntlets were actually inspired by the KP 2019 live action film whilst they did make it look like the source of Shegos powers it didn't work for me so I’ve repurposed them as energy enhancers in this story.In terms of the Mad Jacks I always thought of them as the Team Impossible of the BH6 Universe except with more showmanship and cooler toys. So I was a bit gutted not seeing them in season 2 of the series lets hope they return for season 3 , but this did give me an idea revolving around their absence namely caught by higher authority. Chapter 5 coming soon. 

[snarkwrites]

FFT:no selfies in the bathroom please ; captain america

Notes:

This one got buried deep on my blog too but I truly did enjoy writing for Cap. And I’m probably gonna do one hell of a lot more of it. For now, this is a start.

Summary:

Roxy is on a cruise and it’s not going well at all. A phone conversation with Captain America, however, gives her something to look forward to.

Pairing:

Captain America x OFC, Roxy.

Warnings:

uhhh innuendo, flirting..

“I’m rethinking my decision to go without sunscreen. Holy shit, everything hurts.” Roxy cringed at her sunburnt skin in the mirror. The cell phone pinged and Roxy grabbed it, scanning the text from Natasha.

← How’s Cancun?

← Meet any guys on the cruise?

Roxy bit her lip and dragged a hand through tousled deep golden brown waves. She’d have to worry about her skincare predicament later. She’d gone almost a week with no contact and she knew that Natasha texting was a passive way of her team mate pointing it out, so she figured that rather than risk Fury sending down agents and ruining what was left of her vacation, she’d better just answer.

→ Welp, I’m sunburnt so bad that I don’t even wanna think about clothes, I drank so much rum I tried to go into the wrong cabin and now there’s a storm rolling in for the rest of the week, so.. 5 out of 10. Not too bad, but could’ve gone so much better. How’s the mission going? How’s Captain?

→ Yeah, several married fuckboys. I’ve given up on the stupid mixers they hold on this cruise, it’s pointless… I repeat, how is Captain holding up?

Scrolling through Spotify, Roxy found her favorite hair metal playlist and turned it up as loud as the volume would go to keep the sound of the neighbors hate fucking from echoing through the wall separating the rooms. When Bon Jovi barely covered the moans and growls and bed creaking, Roxy glared at the wall, flipping it off before stepping close.

“Can you two knock it the entire fuck off? Some of us are trying to take a nap before the next call to port.”

“Jealous much?” the muffled reply came through and Roxy rolled her eyes, sticking her finger down her throat as she pretended to gag while muttering to herself, “Not likely.”

Which was, of course, a total lie. Because hell yes, she was jealous. Very jealous. Insanely jealous.

…. If you’d stop being a little bitch and just make a move already…. Who knows? You two might have even gotten together and maybe you’d be getting your own action right now that’s not battery operated….

….Steve isn’t that kind of guy…. But at least you wouldn’t be alone on this damned cruise….

–

“Did you hear anything?”

The question had Natasha smirking to herself through a curtain of vibrant red hair. She knew telling Roxy total radio silence from the team for a while might be a good thing and if her suspicions were right, Cap’s tone held just the slightest hint of concern. Natasha finally pulled herself out of the text conversation that she was having with Roxy and looked up at the man, giving a shrug as she responded “Maybe?”

“Well?” Steve’s hand raised, slowly dragging through shaggy hair. Shaggier than he’d ever worn it before, but he refrained from cutting it mostly because he was too lazy and too picky. And maybe the new team member Roxy had something to do with it, the way she was always playing with it, his mind was quick to add but he shoved out the thought before it could fully form.

That would be too weird. Despite outward appearances and overall physical health suggesting otherwise, Steve kept circling back to one simple fact. He was old enough to be Roxy Davenport’s grandpa.

He lowered himself into the seat next to Natasha and before Natasha could move her phone out of sight, he caught sight of the screen.

Of Roxy in a bikini that was… Definitely daring. Left very little to the imagination. Natasha smirked triumphantly at the fact that he was gaping like an ass and after closing the screen out, she shrugged. “She hates the cruise. First the airport lost her luggage, so she had to buy clothes. Then she spent all night above deck at one of those mixers and apparently drank so much rum she wandered into the wrong cabin below deck. Then at the last port, she got propositioned by some really questionable looking local man. And now, she apparently fell asleep sunbathing and according to her, becoming a nudist is looking appealing.”

“Yeah.. The sunburn..” Steve was still trying to make words form properly and with a cough he finished, “It looked really bad. Didn’t she have any sunscreen?”

“Yeah. Here. In the bathroom on our wing. She forgot to pack it.”

Steve shook his head, clucking his tongue as he did so. “I told her a thousand times to pack it.”

Natasha’s cell phone started to ring and as soon as she saw Roxy’s contact information and photo on the screen, she passed it off to Steve and left the room.

Staying hidden outside the door, of course. Maybe if she forced them to talk they actually would. And they’d get along just like she felt they would.

They both needed someone, and they both felt something.. Steve was just more reluctant to show it than Roxy.

–

“Steve?” the reception was bad. The storm was starting to roll in and due to the water being a little choppy, they were currently docking at some island port to ride out the storm before going any further. Roxy stood on her bed, peering out the porthole window. “Where’s Nat?”

“Nat handed me the phone and left.” Steve shifted around in his seat, trying to will away the image of her in black fabric scraps. But he couldn’t. “Do you send all your friends personal pictures?”

“Huh?”

… way to go, Steve… way to make it awkward… Steve took a deep breath and shifted around in his seat some more, grabbing for the remote on the table in front of him. “Nevermind, I… That wasn’t my business.”

Roxy gave a soft laugh but eyed the phone with a raised brow. He almost sounded a little… Bothered… by the picture she’d sent Natasha so Nat could see her sunburn and how severe it was.

No, Roxy thought to herself, that cannot be it. There’s no way plain ol’ me has worked Captain freakin America up, nope.

It didn’t stop her from hoping that maybe she had though.

“Honestly, that picture wasn’t that bad. The stupid swimsuit didn’t fit but like… There’s worse on my Instagram, trust me.”

“Define worse.” Steve couldn’t help the way it just came out. He bit his lip as he tried not to say anything else. If he opened his mouth one more time, he was almost 100 percent sure that the way he felt -and how jealous it made him sometimes whenever Starlord or Thor flirted with her and she seemed to flirt right back, that was all gonna come tumbling out before he could stop it.

“You’ve seen it. You’re following my Instagram.” Roxy stifled a soft giggle. On his end, Steve took a deep breath and tried to go back in his mind, tried to remember what Instagram was and how he’d wound up following her. It hit him then.. Tony. Tony made him an Instagram and he’d followed everyone he worked with on Instagram. After the first few days, the novelty wore off and he rarely looked at it now.

Curiosity got the best of him, so while he was talking on Natasha’s phone, he took his own out of his pocket, going to the app. Going to her page and when he did, he coughed and swore to himself.

Roxy heard him mutter a quiet and almost growled “Fuck” under his breath and she raised a brow. “Everything okay there, Cap?”

“Everything is..” but he couldn’t get any words to come because his eyes were glued to her Instagram profile, snickering softly to himself when he hit play on a video she posted the night before, her singing karaoke to some song he’d heard her listening to a time or two.

“Yeah?” Roxy muttered, wondering what the hell was up with Steve. This was the most he’d said to her since the last mission they went out on together. The one where they had to act as husband and wife and maybe things got a little… Tense when they were in closed quarters.

… you walked in on him after he showered and then he accidentally grabbed your tits trying to secure the wire…

“Fine.” Steve finally managed to answer, letting out a shaky breath and continuing to scroll. That bikini made it’s first appearance further down the timeline. He tugged at the collar of his fitted white tee and took a deep breath.

“You sure? You sound like you’re not feelin well, Captain.”

“I’m fine. Just.. Hot. Yeah, it’s hot here.” Steve was partially telling the truth. “Have you done anything about the sun burn?”

“Ice bath.”

…. But the sunburn wasn’t the only reason I needed it, thanks a lot Tasha, posting a video of you sparring, sir….  The thought came quickly and Roxy tried to shove it out.

But even now, all she could see was him sparring with one of the rookies.. Or doing push ups, shirtless.

It was burned into her brain.

“That’s all? You need some aloe or somethin on that, doll. Because from that picture you sent Nat… You don’t look good at all.”

… way to go, Steve, there’s absolutely no way you could screw this up worse if you tried… you know what you’re doing, act like it…

“Gee, thanks.” Roxy pouted.

“I don’t mean like that, you look damn good, just.. The burn not so much.”

Roxy felt herself getting flustered. Everything about the tone and the phrasing… Was he flirting with her?

“Well, see, therein lies a problem, Captain. I kind of can’t reach the majority of the worst spots. And there’s no way I’m going to ask someone to rub aloe all over me.”

… unless it’s you, of course…

“If it’s still that bad when you get back I.. I mean if you need someone to rub…” Steve palmed his face, took a deep breath and finally managed to say it calmly and with a straight face, “I’ll do it.”

Roxy’s thighs tightened at the way he said it and the mental images it filled her mind with. “Oh you will, hmm?” her voice dropped a little and she bit her lip, suddenly fidgety. She settled down on the bed, trying to find some level of comfort against badly sunburnt skin. Oh god, I bet his hands would feel so fucking good against my skin… And that mouth.. He must have said something while she was on her little distracted mental tangent, because he said her name again.

“Yeah?”

“I was saying I’d do it.” Steve answered, trying to work up the nerve required to just go for it. Finally, he managed to do so. “Are you sure it’s a good idea posting those pictures you post?”

… so he’s looking at it now.. Interesting.. The thought came and Roxy gave a soft laugh, rolling onto her stomach and immediately regretting it when the thin blanket felt like prickly like a cactus instead of soft like it had before she’d gotten her sunburn. “Nobody really notices, I mean.. It’s a way to keep in touch with friends and stuff, let people see what I’m doing.”

Steve coughed a little, eyes scrolling through the comments on the black bikini pic. His breath hitched in his throat and he blurted out before he could stop himself, “I didn’t know you had a tattoo.”

“Yeah, it’s itty bitty. I lost a dare. Otherwise, I’d never have gotten it.” Roxy muttered, scrolling through her messages. “Are you sure you’re okay, Captain? You sound a little out of it.”

“I’m fine. Just tired.”

“Yeah, I saw you sparring with the new guy. Looked pretty intense.” - her giggle really did something to him, he clenched his fists and unclenched them, standing up. Maybe if he moved around, he could get rid of the situation currently on the rise.

… I had a good reason too, Steve thought to himself as he chuckled quietly and stretched, catching sight of the time. “You did, huh?”

“I did. It was… Interesting.”

“Oh?” Steve asked as he moved towards the kitchen and grabbed himself a bottled water, drinking down half.

“Yeah. Ya know, I had quite the view myself.”

Roxy wanted to punch herself in the throat as soon as she said it, but it was out, no sense in covering it up. Steve coughed a little and chuckled again quietly. She sounded flustered. No, he didn’t dare get his hopes up.  “Oh really now?”

Roxy took a deep breath. Now she could feel her face heating up and she could only imagine those baby blue eyes of his fixing on her.. That little smirk on his face and the way he rubbed his chin when in thought. She closed her eyes and imagined it almost perfectly, Steve wandering around the main room in the tower because he couldn’t ever really sit still when he had to have a phone conversation she’d noticed. Stretching his arms and the way the muscles would stand out as a result.

“Shit.” she gasped as she squirmed slightly and the thin blanket on her bed rubbed right against sunburnt flesh. Steve muttered quietly, “Language.” and Roxy retorted with a soft laugh, “Oh trust me.. If you were burnt like I am, you wouldn’t care about language.”

“I still can’t believe you forgot your sunscreen.”

“Me either.” Roxy groaned, lightly hitting her head against the mattress as she sighed and pulled herself up, sliding off the bed. “I think I packed some cooling gel though.” she rummaged through her suitcase. The neighbors were at it again, fighting as foreplay. She rolled her eyes at the wall and it must have been loud enough for Steve to hear because he asked what was going on.

“My neighbors have a makeup sex kink, apparently. They’re either fighting or going at it like rabbits.” she stopped by the wall separating the two rooms and banged loudly, “And I really wish they’d knock it the hell off so maybe I could get a little sleep.”

Steve snickered and coughed. Because naturally, given the current conversation and the fact that he felt like Roxy was definitely flirting with him and now he was attempting to do the same back, it was so much easier with the phone between them, his own mind went down an interesting path and he could imagine himself there with her.. Rubbing the aloe into her skin. Trailing his hands over curves. Pressing his chest against her back and laughing, giving her some kind of smooth remark about her ability to fall asleep practically anywhere and stay asleep not doing her any favors this time. Holding her as they drifted off to sleep.

“If you’re not havin any fun by yourself doll, why go on the cruise alone?”

“My grandma bought me tickets to this damn thing and I love my grandma, so I was not about to turn this down. She wanted me to come on here and meet someone like she did a long time ago.. But like..” Roxy laughed and Steve took another long sip of water, waiting on her to finish her sentence. Which she never did.

Steve wasn’t about to bring it up, either. But he did find himself wondering what she might have been about to say.

“Hey, Captain?”

“Yeah?” he took a deep breath.

“If you really wanna apply my aloe when I’m back at the tower, I won’t object.” almost the second Roxy let it slip out, she was instantly on pins and needles. Maybe she’d said it because she was lonely and she wished she wasn’t on the cruise by herself. Maybe she said it because she’d held in her feelings entirely too long. Maybe being on the cruise and having distance between them via a phone line made her entirely too brave. She took a deep breath and started to speak up and say it was silly, but to her surprise, Steve spoke up first.

“You won’t, huh? Well, see..” Steve wandered back over to the kitchen area, grabbing himself another bottled water. He was trying to make one last ditch effort not to say what he’d been holding back for so long, but he just couldn’t anymore. He took a deep breath, uncapping his water and drinking a little and then he continued to speak, “ The problem with this doll is that I don’t know I’d be able to just stop at rubbin aloe all over your burn.”

Out in the hallway, Natasha overheard and nearly choked on a cough. She stepped away from the door, pumping her fist in victory. It was taking everything in the woman not to burst in and tell him that she knew he had a thing for Roxy.

Steve wanted to kick himself, but then he heard her give this sexy little quiet whimper and it only pushed things a little further. “You’re a flirt.”

Roxy’s breath caught in her throat and she gave a soft laugh to cover the fact. “Yeah? And?” while she panicked internally.. Was he catching on to her subtly -and not so subtly flirting with him for months?

“Yeah. And sometimes,” Steve debated heavily on what he was going to say next, ultimately just going for it. Laying it all out there just seemed to be a good idea. “I mean, don’t get me wrong doll, I absolutely love it when you’re flirting with me. Others? Not so much..”

Roxy twisted a strand of hair around her fingertip as she mulled over what he seemed to be dancing around saying. She chose to play coy, asking instead, “ How’s this pertain to you rubbing me down, Captain?”

Steve caught the slight teasing tone to her voice and he rubbed his chin, took a bigger sip of water and then after about two seconds of contemplating it, he went for it, “It pertains because since I know I wouldn’t be able to stop with just covering your sunburns in aloe, doll… You’re gonna have to stop flirting with the other guys. Because I’m not really into sharing.”

Roxy did it again, that little whimper. If he could see her right now, she’d be as good as fucked, she was almost certain because she was fidgety and blushing all over beneath the sun burn, biting her lips and almost squirming where she stood, peering out the porthole window.

“What if I told you a little secret, Captain?”

“Oh? What’s that, baby doll?”

“I only flirt with them because you don’t seem to take hints well. So maybe I do it in the hopes that you’ll say somethin?”

Steve bit back a groan, leaning against the fridge as he chuckled quietly, dragged his fingers through his hair again. Suddenly it all made sense and he realized that apparently, Tony, Thor and Natasha were way more perceptive than he apparently was, because they’d all been telling him this for a month now and he refused to listen.

It felt freeing, laying it all out there, finally.

“In that case..” Steve’s breath caught in his throat and he went quiet as Natasha’s phone chirped, indicating low battery. “I’m gonna call you back on my phone.”

Roxy bit her lip and probably a little too quickly, she answered, “Yeah, do that. I really want to continue this conversation, Steve.”

“So do I, doll.” Steve muttered, grinning like an idiot as he hung up…

[gaiatheorist]

A little knowledge...

I keep starting this, and then deleting it, that’s either an indication that I’m trying to process as fully as i can, or that I’m being avoidant, and slipping into another depressive episode, I’ll keep an eye on it.

I have an untidy heap of paperwork at the side of my desk, it’s not ‘on’ the desk yet, because I’m not quite ready to fill it in. There’s no deadline on it, so it’s ‘floating’, rather than ‘fixed’, and the formatting of it is doing my head in. It’s the end-of-course review and coping plan for the Trauma Stabilisation Group I finished last week. I told my son a few days ago that the ‘mentals’ write their own coping plans, and he was incredulous, I’m relatively good at planning, and taking all factors into consideration, but the new medication, and the appeal against the denial of my disability benefit, and, well, 2020 are taking a toll on me, I’m slipping.

‘Introduction to Trauma Stabilisation Class’, three 90-minute sessions, delivered via Microsoft ‘Teams’, on account of the Covid-19 pandemic, we’re too unwell to be left to our own devices, so the online group was the least-bad option. It’s free, I know a fair few people who have had to pay for their own therapy, because they can’t access NHS treatment, and I know I’m part of a very small, but fortunate number, to still be on NHS lists. Groups of people with mental health issues are always a bit of a gamble, there’s the waiting-room-contagion factor, where some people will exchange symptoms and ‘unhelpful coping mechanisms’, and the weird mix of characters that are inevitable. This was either my third or fourth ‘Introduction to...’ group, and the online format was differently stressful to the in-the-flesh ones. I know ‘most’ of my group-dynamic bad habits, and there’s always a little bit of my cognitive functioning occupied with telling myself *don’t* do this, or that. In a nutshell, I’m a watchful show-off, the ‘feeling small and vulnerable’ part of my C-PTSD would, historically, lead me to muck about, or attempt to dominate groups, throw in my autistic ‘organising’, my professional desire to help, and the fatigue and over-stimulus from the brain injuries, and I *could* be a nightmare in groups. 

I was honest with the triage staff right from the beginning, it’ll be in my notes that I acknowledge my tendencies to ‘take charge’, as a means of coping with so much in my life that’s been beyond my control, it’s not all deliberate, and it’s sometimes really useful. I’m a sheep-dog, which is productive when I’m rounding up stragglers, and pointing them in the right direction, less-so when I’m distracted by a squirrel outside the window. 

Being what I am, and knowing what I know from my previous career is a double-edged sword. I know the fancy words for the theories and processes, so can be mildly irritated when the language has to be dumbed-down to the lowest common denominator. It does have to be, though, on the previous course, we had a couple of participants who couldn’t read the text on the worksheets (formatting issue, too much text crammed onto each page, to save on photocopying costs, they strained my eyes a bit) I can’t do my (TM) Autistic thing of assuming that, if I ‘know’ a thing, everyone else in the room does too. I can do my helpful thing of re-explaining something the facilitator has said if the group don’t seem to ‘get’ it, or clarifying something a participant has said if the facilitators misconstrue it. (One of the staff on the previous course was an absolute horror for that, she wasn’t listening actively, just barrelling on with what she thought had been said, people stop volunteering information when that happens.) I’m not there to ‘help’, or to ‘lead’, though. One of the participants in this last group threw a bit of a tantrum, she’d dominated most of the speaking in the previous session, and flipped when I was given air-time to explain something. That was hard to deal with, because I automatically switched to Mentor-mode, and very nearly lost track of the content trying to think of a way to alert one of the facilitators to check in on her, and try to bring her down from her agitated state before she hurt herself. 

I’m dabbling with the slightly paranoid theory that some participants, or even facilitators might think I’m a Mystery Shopper sort of thing. My ‘old’ practices and processes made a lot of people ask “How do you DO that?”, the ‘Matilda’-thing, I just do, I’m exceptional at a lot of very difficult things sometimes, but I can’t use oven-gloves, and, especially recently, I’ve been forgetting a lot of words. Other participants might think I’m a smart-arse, I am, it doesn’t matter, I imagine I frustrate the facilitators because I can give theoretically correct answers, but can’t consistently apply the theories in my own life. I’m not there to make friends, we all have to sign contracts of expectations saying we won’t form relationships, I understand that, an elective empathy with other high-end mental health cases is never going to be a good thing. My curious combination of conditions makes me a bit of a distance-er anyway, I stick as firmly as I can to the procedural pathways, it’s a process-with-purpose, not a popularity contest.

I’m struggling with the ‘be kind to yourself’ angle again. It’s not in my nature, I don’t know how. That bumps heads with the ‘normalising nice things’, even at this level of mental health intervention, we’re encouraged to ‘savour the taste of your favourite food’- food is just fuel, I don’t have a favourite, and, when people start banging on about chocolate, or cake, or whatever, I don’t get it. Visit a favourite place, phone/meet up with a friend, listen to uplifting music, go for a walk, buy yourself flowers, have a haircut, all of the ‘normal’ nice-things leave me cold, I don’t really have hobbies or interests, very few things spark my oxytocin or dopamine responses, I’m not a joyful type, that’s my baseline-normal, not a press-the-panic-button indicator that I’m depressed. 

“You’re just not trying!” Luckily, nobody ‘medical’ has trotted that one out, but it’s been the backing track to my life pretty much forever. I am trying, I’m trying very hard, especially since the brain injuries. There’s been a slow realisation that I have to pick my battles wisely, though. I’ve long maintained that anyone who’s ‘always’ happy must have a flap in their back where the batteries go, I’m not advocating living in a constant state of ‘Eeyore’ gloom, but constant joy must be bloody exhausting. I’m not always moody or maudlin, I’m just sort of ‘flat’, not particularly animated or enthusiastic about much, but I can engage for short periods when I need to. “Smile, love, it might never happen!” can get right in the bin, and, as the internet pointed out the other day, telling someone to ‘just think positive’ as a cure-all is ridiculous. Well-meaning, but oblivious people will chip in with their intrusive-insensitive opinions of how a bit of yoga, or more vegetables are all we need to be all-better, and it’s a challenge to not point out that some of us are a bit beyond ‘just snapping out of it’. 

That’s not defeatist. I’m autistic, my brain runs on a non-standard Operating System, the updates don’t always load, and I have to make a hell of a lot of work-around adaptations. Sometimes life’s like walking everywhere with my shoes on the wrong feet, and sometimes it’s like my appliances have come with the wrong plug, and I have to stick a spoon-handle in the Earth socket to make them work. On top of the autism, I had a succession of adverse experiences through the course of my life, which have left me with C-PTSD. I have a telephone-directory of medical conditions, and the icing on the cake was the brain haemorrhage  five years ago, I have brain injuries, bits of metal plugging up aneurysms, and one area of ‘risky’ defects on my brain-stem. Those are facts, I have a file of medical paperwork about two inches thick, but the UK disability benefit departments have decided to latch onto the fact that I’m not on any medication for mental health issues. (I’ve tried lots, none of them worked long-term, and now we know we’re dealing with a neurodevelopmental disorder, and physical brain damage, I don’t think a bit of Prozac is going to help.)

Knowing that my brain is physically and chemically different to ‘most’ people’s is not a get-out-of-jail-free-card. These are reasons, not excuses, and I’m doing what I can to work within and around my limitations. I’m not unique, or a special unicorn, I’m disabled, and damaged, and trying to work with the fragmented NHS. One of the issues with the trauma course was the assumptions. I absolutely don’t blame the facilitators, they’re working with pre-prepared material, and a ‘difficult’ cohort. I did gently correct the course-leader, when she started listing ‘normal’ coping mechanisms, the walk-in-the-park, cup-of-tea-with-friends type ones. Some of those ‘simple’ activities are incredibly difficult for some of us, that’s why we’re at this level of intervention, if we could have ‘just’ joined a knitting circle, or taken up photography, we’d already have done it. I explained the need for pacing, the other two participants had limited impulse control, so giving the ‘shopping list’ of strategies was a bit risky, I know I have a tendency to over-reach, so need to be careful with myself. None of us had mentioned nightmares or flashbacks, but they’re on the standard list of indicators for PTSD. There was an assumption that we all had them, in the same way as one of the other triage practitioners, ages ago, told me “It’s not PTSD, because you don’t have nightmares.” I have auditory and olfactory flashbacks and hallucinations. 

The doctors that didn’t make further investigations for the mutated migraines before the aneurysm ruptured. The gyneacologist that told my HUSBAND “There’s nothing physically wrong with her.”, the Occupational Health doctor who told me “It’s not vertigo, because that’s spinning.” and “It wasn’t a stroke, because you don’t have one-sided weakness.” I know they have to have lists of diagnostic criteria to start from, but Little-Miss-Autistic here spent far too long just-trying-to-cope because I didn’t fit neatly into their matrices. (Don’t get me started on DWP/PIP ignoring reams of evidence, and just picking out that I turned up to the assessment with my trousers on the right way around...) 

I know too much about some things, and not enough about others. My ‘flat’ presentation gives the impression that I’m calm when I’m not, and coping more than I am. The review for the trauma class isn’t until September, and I genuinely don’t know what the next step will be. I’m already on the waiting list for the ‘Compassion’ course, and the very long waiting list for the Specialist Neurodevelopmental Service in the city, to see if there’s anything ‘else’ I haven’t already tried to work within and around the autism. I’ve slipped through a million holes in a million nets, because I know enough to give the answers I ‘should’, the biggest irony is that when I answer “I don’t know.”, the assumption is that I’m being defensive or difficult. A little knowledge is indeed a dangerous thing.