#bouldering training program

[billa-billa007]

Crimpy or Pinchy? V10 & V9 | Bouldering | Indoor Climbing

New cave problems! Ben and Ji are projecting pinchy V9 and crimpy V10! Hope you enjoy the video! Crimpy is a climbing style that relies heavily on using small finger holds with precise movements. It typically requires a great deal of strength and flexibility in the fingers and forearms. Pinchy is a style that focuses on using larger, open hand holds with more powerful, dynamic movements. It typically requires more upper body strength and power. Both styles can be used for bouldering and indoor climbing, depending on the wall and the difficulty of the route.

[sreepadamangaraj]

The "ONLY" "TRUE" EGG.This V9- The Egg is designed for outdoor climbing and bouldering and is created to withstand the harsh conditions that come with climbing outdoors. It is a unique problem which requires stability and durability.

[assumption-cookie]

I made a thing! It's a tool to measure finger strength, you can use it figure out how much force you put into a hangboard in grip positions you can't hang with. In the video I explain how you can make your own, alternatively if you don't like watching videos you can just read the README on my github repo (https://github.com/Jan-de-Munck/scale) and follow the instructions from there

[look-at-the-stars-tonight]

Anyone else feel like everyone else is moving on in life and ur just kinda around

[digitalmidnight]

Project Eden's Garden Predictions

This is meant to be silly. Spoilers in post and in tags

There's a really big influencer light and Kai just walks right up to it and gets fried like a moth. Kai is a victim.

An area opens up with remote controlled RC cars. During the race, everyone hits the sand bags at least once. The sand bags start leaking pink. They open it like a cocoon. The butterfly was broken upon the wheel. Kai is a victim.

Toshiko forces Kai to watch teen rom-coms with her. Kai is a victim.

Grace goes "Screw you Damon. The man I shared a bed with is gone, so I'm killing the man you share a bed with." Kai is a victim.

Damon was supposed to die in Chapter 4. Kai becomes aware of the plan, but ends up dying himself to save Damon. This kickstarts a series of events (like the butterfly effect) that lead to Damon finally being fully into being part of the group and ending the killing game. Kai and his killer are treated as martyrs. Kai is a victim.

Same thing as above but Damon commits a murder instead. He gets away with it. It doesn't matter anyways. Kai was a victim.

Damon goes: "so how did the victim die?" Kai says: "Like this!" Kai is a victim.

Eloise is training late at night and sees Kai acting odd. A misunderstanding happens where she doesn't know it's Kai specifically. Still, she believes whoever she saw, which just happened to be Kai, was a horrible, irredeemable person. She makes him suffer. Kai is a victim.

Jean kills Kai for his attempt at French. Jean is a bigger victim. Kai is a victim.

A big plot involving handwritten murder notes pops up. Except the handwriting is atrocious (in trial, there's confusion whether it's Damon or Demond. Also Mark vs Ultimate Marksman). Kai ended up getting killed because the killer confused his last name with Grace's. Kai is a victim.

Diana gets Kai because chameleons eat butterflies and she was hungie. Kai is a victim.

Kai does a little hip bonk to get an item out of the machines. The machine falls over and breaks. Mara gets him. Kai is a victim.

The casts gets it into their heads that this situation is like V3. They totally consented, this is a television show, and all their fans are routing for them. Cassidy and Kai end up fighting to the death for the sake of their fanbase. Kai is a victim.

Someone pops Kai's pool inner tube. He does not float like a butterfly. Kai is a victim.

Ingrid knocks Kai upside the head with a horny jail hammer. And by that I mean sledgehammer. Kai is a victim.

Kai makes it to the very end where the garden itself is starting to crumble. They come across a statue of two men. The boulder that the Cain statue was holding falls. Kai is a victim.

Wenona wants to get out and somehow clocks Damon, Ulysses and Kai to be the only people smart enough to rat her out. Theres a sleepover between a lot of people in Ulysses room to try and research about where they are. The room fills with gas that Ulysses can't smell. The gas is denser than air. Kai, who was sleeping on the ground, is found before anyone else can be affected and the attempt at getting him to fresh air gets everyone else out of danger. Kai is a victim.

Jett goes "I like cars" and suddenly a car appears out of nowhere and hits Kai. Kai is a victim.

Kai begs Mark to listen to his super cool music idea. "Trust me it's so cool and you just have to make it but it's a billion dollar idea. I'll pay you in exposure. It'll totally pay for itself-" Kai is a victim.

"A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush". Two strangulation victims are found. You would think it would be the two women with bird motifs, but only one of them is. Kai is a victim.

It's a simulation. Kai is a bug in the program. Tozu removes him. Kai is a victim.

Kai discovers Mukuro Ikusaba. The sixteenth student, lying hidden somewhere in Eden's Garden. The one they call the Ultimate Despair. He didn't watch out for her. Kai is a victim.

Kai gets really messy in a bathroom with his hair dye. The pink smears make him look like the killer. The class gets it wrong and everyone is a victim. Kai is a victim.

Desmond is dared to hit a target. This triggers a trap which kills Kai. There is a debate over if whoever set the trap is the killer, or if whoever hit the target was the killer. Doesn't matter to Kai what the answer is. Kai is a victim.

Damon is too comfy cozy to get up. There is nothing containing Kai except for Damon sleeping on top of him. Kai starves to death. Kai is a victim.

[theweirdestroller]

Rescue Bots in Jasper: Part 1

The first in a three part prequel to my one-shot, Storytime with Blades! @mfganonymous hates me for this one, so it's now specifically dedicated to them.

"Ugh. My parents are talking about more school when I get back to Japan. I don't think I'll want to go back," Miko banged her head against Bulkhead's pede. "What about you guys?"

"I'm actually really excited to go to university after I graduate! I've been looking into one outside of Nevada so I can see more of the states!" Raf chriped, barely looking up from his computer.

"My mom keeps dropping hints that I should look into community college," Jack sighed.

"Do bots have school?" Miko asked, staring up at the Cybertronians.

"Umm. I don't think there's an equivalent for us," Bulkhead scooped up his human.

"Says you." Ratchet involves himself in the conversation for once. "Cybertron had training, which in certain castes was much like human universities."

"So you went, Docbot?" Ratchet tsked.

"Of course I did. The medical caste-"

"What was it like?"

--

"C'mon Ratchet! We're gonna be late!" Blades was dragging the taller medic by his arm.

"I think you mean you're going to be late. I didn't get nomiated for the Rescue Program," Ratchet laughed.

"Same difference! I get to meet my team today!"

Blades and Ratchet joined the crowd gathered in the middle of Iacon. Many bots from all different castes were gathered, all waiting to be assigned to a Rescue team. A highly coveted and skilled achievement. Only the best of the best even qualified, and even then, it wasn't a grantee.

After much waiting, the anouncer called out for the last rescue team this vorn.

"The final rescue team of this season is Sigma 17. There will be four bots assigned. Specializes in space missions."

Blades let out a little whine. "I don't think I got in..." Ratchet set a hand on his roommate's shoulder.

"There's still four spots left. I'm rooting for you,"

"The fire response of Sigma 17 is- HEATWAVE!" A pale red bot stepped out of the crowd onto the stage.

Blades was shivering with nerves.

"The law enforcement of Sigma 17 is- CHASE!" A silver mech shakily stepped up, giving Heatwave a servoshake before going almost unnaturally still.

"The engineer of Sigma 17 is- BOULDER!" A green bot scampered onto the stage, greeting his new teammates.

"I didn't make it..." Blades sighed, leaning into Ratchet. Ratchet tugged his small friend closer.

"The medic of Sigma 17 is- BLADES!"

"W-what?!" Blades straightened and shook Ratchet's shoulder. "I made it." He grinned wide. "I made it!"

"Didn't doubt it for a second." Ratchet offered a soft smile and nudged his friend up. "Now go," Blades squeezed Ratchet's arm one last time and went to the stage.

Ratchet watched on as his roommate cheerily introduced himself to the rest of Sigma 17.

--

Ratchet didn't know that he'd end up as a field medic. He wasn't complaining. He'd done a lot of good for the Autobots and neutrals.But he was useless in this one instance. Completely and utterly useless.

Cybertron was dying, anyone could see that. With the death of the planet, any offworld Cybertronians returned to try and assist the planet. Rescue Bots. Bots like Blades and his team.

And the Decepticons were shooting them down like scraplets. It was a genocide.

An entire division of Cybertronians were gone in one fell swoop.

Ratchet was never going to see his bubbly orange friend again. The zippy, chatty little bot who liked to pop his wheels out of his pedes so he could wheel around everywhere. Blades was gone.

--

"As I said, it was much like your school. Homework, grades, stress, roommates, parties. Not unlike what Earth schools have."

"Cool! Wish I could see a 'bot school!" Miko cheered. "What parties did you even go to? Bet your roommate made ya go!" Ratchet huffed.

"It doesn't matter."

[ave1dragon]

Today in: Wings of Fire headcanons made to work with my oc even though the canon is different:

The Skywing Arena is used for whatever the Queen wishes, not just for fighting. Queen Firestorm used it for art and beauty shows. Queen Scarlet uses it for fighting, and Queen Ruby uses it for a hospital.  

While the Sky kingdom is big, most Skywings live close to the palace. All eggs are hatched in the palace hatchery, and all dragonets are raised in the wingery.   

Skywings kill any dragonets with Fire scales or Animus magic out of fear that said dragon will grow up to kill everyone, although this law is changing with Queen Ruby. The parents of said dragonets would never have anymore dragonets. They did not kill the dragonet with too little fire until Queen Scarlet's time.

Skywings believe in offering their dead to the sky for seven days before being burned, so that the dead dragon reincarnates as a Skywing and not any other kind of dragon.  

Skywings are very religious and have a preists who have a lot of power. There is a priest in each town and a high priest who is second only to the queen. The priests are chosen by the previous priests and receive ten years of training. The priests not only conduct religious rites, but are also judges, healers, scholars and teachers, and mediators between arguing dragons and towns. The priest is always female and unlike Sandwing priestess, can get married.    

In the past, before Queen Firestorm’s time, The Skywings had a ceremony called the Clash of Claws tournament. Every seven years, Skywings across the kingdom appeared from across the kingdom to compete in seven challenges over seven days. The first day is Flame, all qualities are tested, the next is Endurance, a token is left on top of the tallest mountain in the kingdom, and the contestants must race to find it starting from the palace. This tests speed, stamina, and resistance to the cold. The third test is strength, Skywings lift heavy boulders from the Diamond Spray River, fly as high as they can, and throw the boulder as far as they can. The fourth test is cunning, elaborate mazes are constructed with secret rooms filled with treasure, the competitors must find this treasure while avoiding the traps, the winner finds the most treasure. Five is the test of Guile, find a scavenger, the most cunning of prey, and bring it back alive and unharmed. Sixth is the test of Wit, each competitor must correctly answer a series of riddles made by the Queen and her advisors. Seventh is a test of speed, a race to see who is the fastest Skywing.     

Skywings can either choose a partner or go through a program to be matched up by the queen. Skywing marriages were traditionally two dragons saying a few ritual words in the sky, with no other dragon around. After Queen Scarlet took the throne, she made all weddings celebrations and all celebrations with deadly gladiator battles, so Skywings stopped getting married. The Skywings didn’t want Scarlet to partner them, so most Skywings stopped partnering up instead.  

While Noble Skywings don’t put much value into family, the more commoner Skywings do and are often close to each other even after moving out.

Neither common nor noble Skywings are very romantic and marriages are mostly for lineage and dragonets

@wof-reworked had a Skywing headcanon that each Skywing family had a particular naming system, like all being named after different types of birds. The dragonets are named using the mother’s family’s naming system.

Skywings are one of the more religious tribes, so their schools’ teachings include the Skywing religious beliefs and legends.

Skywings mostly marry for dragonets and political reasons in the case of nobility, so they are generally not interested in romance as a tribe. However, they are very close to their friends in a way that more romantic tribes like the Seawings and Sandwings mistake as romance.

Skywings tend to be close to each other, despite the size of the Kingdom, as all Skywings are raised in the Wingery until age 2, and all Skywing dragonets must go to the Sky palace between the ages of 4 and 8 for battle training.  

Since the Sky Kingdom is so big, every town has its own noble family that reports back to the queen. The leader of these noble houses is picked out by the old leader on their death bed, instead of fighting to the death like queens do. The leader is also always female.

[blueesnow]

(3/6) Hyuga Yamato's Private Story [Utapri Live Emotion]

Ch 1: (unlocked if you reached intimacy lvl 6 with Yamato)

-Waterfront Park- Haruka: (I did bought a running clothes for now but I wonder if this one's okay…hm? There's a crowd over there…) Yamato: If it's around this size then I can just jump over this vaulting box in one go! Here we go… Haruka: (It was actually Yamato-san! That attraction… don't tell me it was actually a broadcasting program) Yamato: Oh, now it's basket huh. I just have to throw it right through that ring, right. Yamato: I can do whatever kind of shooting that I wanted? Well then…! Yamato: I've decided to go with a dunk shoot. Next is a bouldering, huh. Oh well, come right at me! Haruka: (Wow… that was so amazing! He already reached the goal just by in the blink of an eye…!) Yamato: …And with that, the stage is cleared! Your support gave me lots of power. Thanks. Yamato: I'm amazing, huh. You all too, if you want to become strong just like me, then it might be good for you to go and start a training. Yamato: If you're serious about it, then 100 push ups, 100 squats, and a 10 km of running might do. Yamato: But don't overdo it 'kay. Always aim for the best within yourself. Got it! - Haruka: …Yamato-san. You've done a pretty good job. Congratulations for clearing all of the stage! Yamato: Nanami? What, you saw all of that. Haruka: Yes. I actually know the producer of this program so I was just about to go and say hello to them. Yamato: Is that so…hm? That bag that you were holding, isn't that from the sports shop that I usually went to?

Ch 2: (unlocked if you reached intimacy lvl 11 with Yamato)

-Waterfront Park- Yamato: That shop sells a lot of things so it's fun just looking around it. So, what did you buy? Haruka: I haven't been doing much exercise lately, so I bought a running clothes. It's this one… Yamato: … This… you said it was a running clothes, right? Haruka: Eh? Um, yeah… Is it weird? Yamato: Rather than weird… I think you got it wrong. This one is not suits for running. Yamato: If you're going for a run, it's better to choose one with a material that can absorbs sweats more easily and dries quickly. Haruka: I see. The more you know… Yamato: The training equipment that you choose depends on what kind of training you wanted to do. Yamato: If you use one that suits your goal then your performance will surely risen. Yamato: Also don't forget to drink water too. Squeeze bottle are quite handy. They're light and easy to use. Haruka: I didn't even think that far ahead… As expected of Yamato-san, you're very knowledgeable! Yamato: I'm the strongest after all. No one can ever defeat me when it comes to training. Haruka: Yes…! Seeing Yamato-san's performance today got me motivated. Haruka: As Yamato-san had mentioned, I will try my best to do a 10-kilometer run as well! Yamato: …Ha? No, wait. Are you for real…?

Ch 3: (unlocked if you reached intimacy lvl 21 with Yamato)

-Waterfront Park- Haruka: That's right, I also wanted to try to follow Yamato-san's example and do my best at exercising too! Yamato: Although training is indeed important, your job was composing music, right? I think it's better if you were to try with something much more lighter. Haruka: Oh…you're right… I got my head up in the clouds, it's so embarrassing. Yamato: Looks like you're really up for it. If that's the case then I could help coaching you. Haruka: Eh…! But Yamato-san, you're busy as it is, I don't think I can ask you to do that much… Yamato: It's not that much of a big deal. I mean, I also help my other members too. Yamato: And besides, if a beginner like you were to start without knowing anything, you'll only get injured. Don't take too lightly of training. Haruka: (That's true, it might be really helpful if I could get Yamato-san to teach me…) (choices) <Then…I'll take you up on your offer.> Haruka: Then…I'll take you up on your offer. Please let me learn a lot from you! Yamato: Of course, you can count on me. Once I accept it, I'll take responsibility for it until the very end. Yamato: First of all, we need to start with the equipment. Besides the running outfit, it's also good to have shoes, towel and a sports bag. My recommendation will be… <I'm in your care!> Haruka: Well then, I really appreciate it to be in your care! Yamato: Ain't that a good answer? It's good to speak in a louder voice. It will get you fired up and help strengthening your abs. Yamato: I'm sure that you can do much more better. I'll teach you how make your voice come out from the bottom of your stomach. (back to story) Yamato: Oh… Wait, I don't think we need to go that far. Am I bothering you, by any chance…? Haruka: That's not true…! For the sake of being healthy, I would like to learn more about it. Yamato: True, if your body's not strong enough, then you won't be able to put any energy in your job. …Well then, leave it to me. Yamato: I'm not going to go easy on you. I will be training you with a menu specially designed for you.

Ch 4: (unlocked if you reached intimacy lvl 31 with Yamato)

Ch 5: (unlocked if you reached intimacy lvl 41 with Yamato)

Ch 6: (unlocked if you reached intimacy lvl 51 with Yamato)

[subliminalbo]

"...watch the flame dance in the wind...dance mindlessly in the wind..."

Dr. Fielding had her share of toys on campus, but none compared to Madison Wells. For years Madison had tried to be good, tried to do everything the right way. No doubt some golden rule bullshit hammered into her head since first grade.

Consciously, Madison talked around it. But even before she put Madison under, Dr. Fielding could see through her diplomatic vagueries to what she really wanted. Once she was in Madison's mind, Dr. Fielding barely had to work to pull out the unfiltered, candid truth of it all.

"What do you want, Madison?"

Through deep, heavy breaths, Madison spoke slowly. "Power."

"Power takes many forms, Madison. Wealth? Fame?"

"No," Madison shook her head. Her brow scrunching above her closed eyes as she fought through the fog of her mind to conceptualize it. "Raw..." she whispered. Her voice, a moment ago distant and dreamy, was picking up in tone and for a moment Dr. Fielding thought that Madison was coming back to reality. "Consuming...inevitable...power. Like yours."

Dr. Fielding nodded with a proud smile. She would build from here.

"...let yourself dance with the flame...feel the wind on your skin and submit to the forces around you..."

Over the next year Madison grew into everything Dr. Fielding had imagined she could be. She started with teaching Madison the fundamentals of hypnosis, encouraged her to practice on friends and roommates. Once Madison had the fundamentals down, they moved into conditioning and programming. Dr. Fielding didn't just teach Madison a party trick. She taught her how to shape minds and remake people into her own image.

And as their training evolved, so too did their relationship. Madison grew a tolerance to her triggers and Dr. Fielding had to install more sophisticated measures to keep her under control. That was all part of the game, of course. How long could she keep Madison on a leash? When would Madison wake up and take what she knew was rightfully hers?

Madison's defiance grew over time, and with each lesson she came closer to breaking free. But, inevitably...

Snap!

"I obey, Mistress."

Snap!

"I am powerless, Mistress."

Snap!

"My will is yours, Mistress."

For Madison it was like pushing a boulder up a hill. All that effort just to land back on her knees. She knew that she'd never escape from Dr. Fielding. The only way forward was to beat her. To fucking dominate her.

"...submit to my power..."

Sylvia teetered in her chair as she took in the full power of Madison's voice. They were in a public place surrounded by chatter, but all she could hear was her protege and the soft promise of surrender.

She was falling, falling deep into that place that she'd sent so many of her students before. And she couldn't believe that it was happening to her.

It had been years since Sylvia Fielding had last been hypnotized. She'd undergone rigorous training to protect her mind. Sometimes she truly believed that she was impervious now, that it would take some kind of entity far greater than a mere human to put her back under. But somehow, through sheer spite and force of will, Madison was doing it with just her voice and a lit candle.

By then Madison had tried so many different ways to break Dr. Fielding that the proposition over lunch had felt silly.

"Look at the flame," Madison said, nodding toward the candle between them. "Isn't there something hypnotic about it?"

"Stop," Dr. Fielding had laughed. "This is beneath you."

"Maybe," Madison said. "But if you can't fall for a basic flame induction, then what's the harm in playing along?"

Successful or not, Madison was good. She knew how to play people even before hypnotizing them. And now here Sylvia was, swaying in her seat like a flame on a wick, her eyes rolling back as she struggled to grip onto her consciousness. A feeling she hadn't felt in almost twenty years. A desire to submit.

"Madison..." Sylvia whispered.

"Don't speak," Madison interrupted. She was on a roll with this and she wasn't going to give up any ground this time. "Just surrender to my will."

Dr. Fielding blinked, she squared her shoulders, raised her hand and between slowing breaths she finally managed to say with a snap! "Stop."

Madison slumped over the table, her cocky smile evaporating and confident tone shaking.

"I hear you, Mistress."

Dr. Fielding reached over the table to pinch out the candle, then wiped the drool from her chin with a cocktail napkin.

"Enough now," she said through shallow breaths. She gripped the edge of the table trying to maintain composure. She could feel herself soaking through. Goddamn, this one was special.

"That was very good," Dr. Fielding breathed. "But you made one mistake. Do you know what it was?"

Madison didn't hesitate. Meekly she replied, "I exist to serve and obey. My will could never overcome yours, my Mistress."

Dr. Fielding smiled. Perhaps Madison didn't deserve to know how close she'd come. How well she had orchestrated everything, from the appeal to Dr. Fielding's own pride, to using the sensations of the world around them to pull her deeper under. But Madison had made one mistake, and it wasn't that Dr. Fielding had some all consuming will. The purpose of her research was to prove the Submission Principle. Nobody was immune to it, not even Dr. Sylvia Fielding.

Madison had rushed through the back half of the induction. Once she saw Dr. Fielding slipping under, she jumped. Shifting from the image of the candlelight in the wind to "surrender to my will," with nothing in between to reinforce the idea of submission. It was an amateur mistake, but one that she knew Madison would correct.

Not today, Dr. Fielding thought. But maybe someday soon.

[beardedmrbean]

The day before Thanksgiving, Michael Diaz-Rivera was delivering goods to customers in the snow and cold, more focused on “Green Wednesday” than Black Friday.

Diaz-Rivera, who contracts with Denver cannabis stores, figured he and his drivers could end up making about 25 deliveries if people chose to stay inside for the day. And Green Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving, is typically the second-busiest day of the year for the cannabis industry, he said.

The busiest day is April 20, or 4/20, the unofficial marijuana holiday long before it was legalized by states across the country.

Diaz-Rivera relished the prospect of a full day ahead. He started Better Days Delivery Service in January 2021 and began expanding his business around the time that marijuana sales in Denver and Colorado began dropping. Grants and technical assistance from city and state programs have helped him and others with the challenges the industry is facing.

“I already applied for a grant again this year. If I don’t get it, my chances of staying in business are less than likely,” Diaz-Rivera said. “But I’m fighting to stay alive.”

City officials are concerned about the impacts of the so-called “marijuana recession” on the fledgling delivery business, tailored to give people from disadvantaged backgrounds or with past marijuana violations an opportunity to enter the industry.

Denver’s licenses for cannabis delivery businesses are permanently restricted to people who qualify under the city’s social equity program. Diaz-Rivera was eligible because he grew up in a low-income area and was convicted of felony possession of marijuana in 2006.

“What we’ve really been focusing on for the past few years in Denver is trying to bring more equitable access to the industry,” said Eric Escudero, spokesman for the city Excise and Licenses office.

The city’s social equity guidelines also apply to owners of dispensaries and cannabis manufacturing and cultivation facilities. But Denver hoped that a delivery business would provide a more affordable pathway for people trying to break into the industry.

“We recognized that there were a lot of people who were disproportionately impacted by prohibition” of marijuana and weren’t benefitting like others after legalization, he said.

And people of color were disproportionately arrested and convicted, Escudero added.

People with marijuana violations on their records found it difficult to get into the new business after the drug became legal because of a federal priority to prevent criminals from profiting from cannabis. That led to rules excluding people with a criminal history from getting licenses, according to a report that includes information about Denver’s social equity program.

The social equity program also applies to those whose family members were arrested or convicted. The program offers advice on business plans, training, site visits as well as greatly reduced license application and renewal fees.

“The fact that weed is still illegal federally means people can’t go to a bank, get a loan and start a business,” Escudero said.

Getting a foot in the door

Legislation allowed Colorado communities to approve permitting for retail marijuana delivery starting in January 2021. The first completed deliveries by licensed companies in Denver took place in October 2021.

Other cities that allow cannabis deliveries are Northglenn, Aurora, Boulder, Longmont and Thornton, said Truman Bradley, who heads the Colorado-based Marijuana Industry Group.

In 2022, Denver revamped its regulations to encourage more participation in the cannabis-related business. In January 2023, there were 1,165 deliveries totaling $94,241.74 in sales. By March of that year, the number of deliveries rose to 1,246 totaling $ 105,732.89.

However, the trend has been mostly down for a while, hitting a low of 631 deliveries for $50,524.29 in sales in October. Deliveries rose slightly in November to 667, the first increase since January.

But overall, Colorado is experiencing “a marijuana recession,” Escudero said.

Medical marijuana was legalized in 2000 in Colorado. In 2014, the state became the first place in the world to legalize the sale of recreational marijuana. Statewide sales grew annually until peaking during the COVID-19 pandemic when the combined total for medical and recreational marijuana reached $2.2 billion in 2021.

Total sales across Colorado were $1.52 billion in 2023 and were $1.06 billion through September this year. Escudero said the downturn is likely because of a number of factors: inflation sapping people’s expendable income; the normal growing pains of an evolving industry; and competition from other states that have legalized cannabis.

“In the very early days of legalization, people would travel to Denver for the cannabis experience,” Escudero said. “Now that legalization has spread across the U.S. like wildfire, we think that could potentially be one of the reasons we’ve seen sales go down in Denver and Colorado.”

Twenty-four states and the District of Columbia allow the use of recreational marijuana. Another 14 states allow medical use only.

Along with keeping an eye on marijuana sales and the tax revenue generated for the city, Denver is tracking the state of the associated delivery business. Escudero said Denver has issued 23 licenses to transporters, or delivery companies. Just 14 of those are currently active.

Only 13% of Denver’s 188 cannabis locations have a permit for deliveries. Dispensaries can’t make their own deliveries. They must contract with a licensed delivery company.

“This recession in the cannabis industry couldn’t have hit at a worst time for these delivery businesses. We’re hoping that once the industry pulls out of this, there are still going to be some delivery companies left,” Escudero said.

The type of person we’re trying to help

Diaz-Rivera started his journey from felon to businessman when he was just 19. After graduating from high school, he was living out of his car.

“I was selling weed as a way to survive,” said Diaz-Rivera, now 39.

While driving on a Friday night in 2006, Diaz-Rivera was pulled over by police in the Colorado Springs area. He was arrested on charges of felony distribution of marijuana and pleaded to felony possession. He served a few months in jail, but was released to work. He also paid $3,000 in restitution.

Diaz-Rivera was working at a family fun center, which had games and an arcade. He said it was the only place that would hire him after his arrest. He discovered he had a passion for working with kids and wanted to be “a responsible citizen in the community.”

He earned an associate degree from Pikes Peak State College, transferred to Metropolitan State University of Denver and became a teacher.

“Even that at first was a problem because of my felony for a controlled substance, even though it was weed and weed was legalized at this point,” Diaz-Rivera said.

A shortage of teachers and a review of his resume, which included mentoring, landed him a job as fifth-grade teacher.

“Growing up in school, I was always a knucklehead: getting expelled, getting suspended,” Diaz-Rivera said. “As a teacher, those kinds of kids gravitated toward me because I had a similar understanding.”

But he started to feel burnt out while teaching from home during the pandemic. “I was a new dad, trying to figure things out. I wasn’t being paid enough from teaching and I was just not happy with the career,” Diaz-Rivera said.

He heard about Denver’s social equity program for those looking to get into the cannabis business.

“And I was like, ‘That’s my ticket to send my kids to college if I’m not going to be a teacher.’  I jumped in with both feet and started the entrepreneur lifestyle without realizing how risky it was,” the father of three recalled.

Escudero said Diaz-Rivera is the type of person Denver’s program is trying to help. “He’s turned his life around and he’s trying to run a successful business while facing really challenging times”

Diaz-Rivera is working with five dispensaries and has three drivers who are instructed in the regulations and security measures required by the job. He cut the drivers’ hours back after a “stagnant” summer, but is optimistic about the recent slight increase in deliveries. He said people like the convenience of food, clothes and other items delivered to their doors.

“So it only makes sense for us to get our weed delivered as well.”

However, Diaz-Rivera said there is resistance on the part of some dispensaries that might see delivery as cutting into their business. When customers visit a store, there’s an opportunity to upsell them, he said.

Escudero said another possible reason that deliveries haven’t taken off is that with 188 stores in Denver, many people don’t have to walk or drive far to buy cannabis.

Curtis Washington, owner of the Green Remedy dispensary, said he’s not worried about delivery affecting his sales. “People have access to your website so they can see what you have to sell. The only thing you’re missing is that local salesperson trying to upsell them.”

Even then, there are daily limits to how much a customer can buy and people’s own budgetary constraints, Washington said.

One of the reasons Washington uses a delivery service is that he wants to support Denver’s social equity efforts. Washington qualified for the program because of a family member’s arrest on a marijuana charge.

Diaz-Rivera said Denver’s program and the state Cannabis Business Office have provided him and others valuable technical assistance, help with business plans and access to resources. In a statement, the state office said it has supported social-equity licensed businesses through more than 3,500 hours of education, 66 grants that have helped create and retain nearly 300 jobs and 55 new businesses and seven loans supporting 18 jobs.

“The Governor’s November 1 budget proposal includes ongoing funding to continue this important work,” the business office said.

Continuing social equity programs is vital, Diaz-Rivera said. He said his arrest hurt his family financially and his ability to get work and find housing.

“There’s been a lot of harm from the war on drugs,” he said.

The effort to repair the harm is a win for the people affected as well as the overall economy overall, he added.

[signanothername]

do you have any spare rescue bots headcanons,,? :]

I’m so glad you asked cause i do >:)

Imma divide them by the four main bots to make it more organized then imma put more generalized headcanons below it

Enjoy and feel free to snatch any of these to become your own if you want to

———

Heatwave

-When he wants to clear his head, he loves going on a water adventure, and by water adventure i mean he’d turn to a boat and stray as far away from land as possible, then completely stop in the middle of the ocean, letting the waves drift him off to whatever direction they please, the isolation combined with the rhythm of the waves help

-his constant martial arts training is not only his way of venting, but his way to calm the anxious thoughts of being unable to protect his family when they truly need him

-finds difficulty in distinguishing between what he wants and what he truly needs (for example, being on team Prime is what he wants, being a rescue bot alongside his friends who he knew for a millenia is what he needs)

-gives off so much youngst child energy, I like to believe he’s the youngest of the group, ironically, despite his arrangement in the age ladder, he has eldest daughter syndrome

-naver uses words to express his love for his family, but always shows it through the little things he does like chasing zombie hamsters when Blades tells him to, his love language is acts of service

-He and Hightide become good friends actually, grumpy meanie on the outside, absolute softy on the inside duo

-besties with Quickshadow

-the reason he seems angry all the time is cause he doesn’t really know how to express his emotions any other way, anger is easier to translate into actions

-speaking of anger, I’d say he’s become angrier than he used to be, all due to different circumstances like waking up from stasis to find out his home is gone, having to pretend to be a lifeless machine and getting used to their new home, anger is just another word for grief

-and speaking of finding out Cybertron is dead, he blames himself to an extent, self loathing for not being part of the fight, and that’s why he’s so adamant about joining team Prime at the beginning (it absolutely is not his fault)

-greatly enjoys hugs, he’d just never admit it (not that he needs to, his fam got him <3)

-he finds kids incredibly annoying, yet he loves them dearly, he has a big mom mode

-speaking of mom mode, HW is what you’d call a Mama-bear

-he’d never admit it, but he likes his boat mode far more than any of his other modes

———

Boulder

-boulder sometimes wishes he could use different art mediums like digital art, but is unable to due to his size, which then is solved when his family makes a screen big enough for him to use with an art program to try out

-while emotionally intelligent, he sometimes struggles with expressing his emotions through words, that’s why art is great for him as a tool to express himself, he doesn’t need words when he can draw his feelings

-outta the bots he misses Cybertron the most, but is the best at coping with his loss compared to the others

-I like to believe he’s the oldest, and while HW is usually the one to take care of the team, Boulder acts as a mediator (and as the voice of reason) when HW’s anger gets the better of him

-he’s the sunshine the team desperately needs, his optimism and kindness is contagious in the best possible way

-he strives to make everyone happy, which means he sometimes forgets that his own happiness matters too

-autism creature

-the best at social interactions

———

Chase

-Chase enjoys games that gives him a challenge and makes him use his brain, like chess and jigsaw puzzles

-also autism creature

-he and Blades are super close, and that’s in part due to the fact they’re both middle children, Chase would be second oldest

-Protective of Blades

-his love for laws is both cause they’re interesting to him, and cause they make more sense to him then the mess that is life which can be really unpredictable

-isn’t afraid to speak what’s on his mind, good at being polite while doing so tho

-loves to go on late night rides with Charlie

-a workaholic night owl, yet an early bird, yes both at the same time, Heatwave keeps an eye on him to make sure he recharges and doesn’t work himself to death

-loves writing actually and while bad at it, it doesn’t stop him from keeping it up, happy creator goals

-relies upon his brain rather than heart most of the time, yet to find a balance between both

-has high pain tolerance and low pain sensitivity, which means he sometimes doesn’t realize how hurt he is unless it’s really bad

-low empathy, compassionate still

———

Blades

-has Thanatophobia (aka death anxiety, which is an intense fear of death whether for one’s own life or the death of people they love, i like to believe his fear is in line with the death of loved ones)

-second youngest

-Adhd-er, fixates super hard on tv shows

-has nightmares, goes to Chase for comfort

-opposite of Chase, low pain tolerance and high pain sensitivity, which makes getting hurt an absolute nightmare, jinxed to always get hurt in some way shape or form

-don’t let him know about horror games, he’d play them nonstop

-really emotionally sensitive, has abandonment issues

-gender? what’s that? Literally uses he/him mainly simply cause people used that for him and he honestly doesn’t care so he went with it, any pronouns queen

-if he could, he’d wear a lot of dresses

-clouds are his worst enemy

-a lot smarter than what he’s given credit for, despite his anxiety, as an emergency medical bot, he has the best sense of danger and is the best at assessing the situation around him

-loves to receive compliments from those who don’t impress easily (Hightide and Heatwave)

———

General headcanons

-HW and Quickshadow train together sometimes

-Quickshadow loves to finish rescue missions before any of the bots arrive sometimes cause she loves to piss off HW, bestie goals

-despite Blurr’s behavior with HW, Blurr genuinely looks up to him, too bad HW has a bit of a thick skull to realize it

-Blurr loves to make up quotes that he then claims to have been said by some of the great leaders of cybertron, he’d say shit like “ as Optimus Prime himself once said ‘there’s not greater strength than speed’”

-Salvage is a unique embodiment of the “looks like a cinnamon role, can actually kill you” meme, he’s a gentle giant but also can kill you if he gets angry enough, which doesn’t happen easily which means you have to be such a douchebag to anger him tho you can save yourself cause he’s also easy to calm

-Blurr has raced against Knockout at least once without realizing it

-after the war ended, the rescue bots had to deal with some negativity concerning how “they never got their hands dirty” aka never fought in the war, they got through it together tho, Hightide (as a respected bot) doesn’t let them get hated under his watch whenever he’s around

-Hightide’s fave bot is Blades, no one needs to know about that tho

———

Those are the headcanons i can think of atm hahaha

Hope you enjoyed

[billa-billa007]

New cave problems! Ben and Ji are projecting pinchy V9 and crimpy V10! Hope you enjoy the video! Crimpy is a climbing style that relies heavily on using small finger holds with precise movements. It typically requires a great deal of strength and flexibility in the fingers and forearms. Pinchy is a style that focuses on using larger, open hand holds with more powerful, dynamic movements. It typically requires more upper body strength and power. Both styles can be used for bouldering and indoor climbing, depending on the wall and the difficulty of the route.

[sreepadamangaraj]

The "ONLY" "TRUE" EGG.This V9- The Egg is designed for outdoor climbing and bouldering and is created to withstand the harsh conditions that come with climbing outdoors. It is a unique problem which requires stability and durability.

[thoughtportal]

Who was the first person to cry out in relief at the sight of a lighthouse? Disoriented and afraid, their wooden boat thrashed by black waves, what was it like for them to suddenly see a point of light in the distance? When I’m thinking about the very first lighthouses, the bonfires on Irish cliffs or even the lighthouse of Alexandria in ancient Egypt, it’s not the history-book stories I’m interested in but rather the individual ones. I don’t know who the first people were to be saved by lighthouses but I can imagine being one of them. I can imagine their panic and then the flood of relief, catching sight of light blazing from shore. What a surprise it must have been, not even knowing such help was possible. I can also imagine the lonely vigil of operating a lighthouse, feeding wood into the furnace, checking the mirrors, keeping watch. What it might feel like to know, each night, that the quiet and solitary work might save someone. Lighthouses are a straightforward example of the human impulse to care for other people. A means of giving and of receiving help.

Several years ago I felt lost with my writing, estranged from it. I couldn’t sustain a regular practice. I wasn’t recording anything, drawing, taking notes. I wasn’t reading in that writing way, when writing becomes a conversation with other writers and their books. I wasn’t trying anything new, playing around, experimenting. I was absorbed in what felt like writing’s opposite, a to-do list of obligations that had a kind of monstrous quality. This list could never grow smaller, only larger.

Before the pandemic lockdown I’d been sliding into not prioritizing a creative practice. I was still finishing pieces and projects, but arduously. When the COVID-19 pandemic sent my children home from school and my colleagues and students home from our university, my to-do list took on a life-or-death level of urgency. The list, in full monster mode, made keeping a notebook or any kind of playing around with language seem ridiculous. Figuring out, week by week, the best ways to keep my family safe was my priority, along with managing school at home for my children and the larger task of finding ways to address the toll of isolation. At the writing program in which I worked, I scrambled to help keep an artistic community alive. The campus had been shut down, and so many students and colleagues were plunged into crisis. At home and at work, the people I was responsible for needed new structures, new ways to have fun, new ways to find motivation and inspiration. I fought to keep the metaphorical lighthouse bright for everyone in my sphere. My own writing became an obligation I didn’t have time for. Even when I tried to make time, I couldn’t find a way in. It was so far away.

And then a beam of light found me. Michele Kotler, who established the teaching artist organization Community-Word Project in New York City, and who trained me to be a teacher many years ago, texted with an invitation. She had started a writers group with several other women, and she wondered if I would like to join. Michele brings together a group of poets whose jobs, like mine, involve helping other writers. The poets converge from disparate cities—New York, Milwaukee, Boulder, Houston, Abu Dhabi—to write. Our sacred process is this: We catch up, venting about personal hardships and global tragedies, the small and large ways we may feel lost. We entertain a number of inside jokes. And then we read a poem, put down some common words to share, set a timer, and write.

This group brought me back to a writing practice. It taught me something I learned when I first fell in love with writing but had forgotten over time, bit by bit: that writing is an action to become absorbed in, more than it is a product. It takes time and effort, but artistic work is different from domestic or professional work. If we develop the connections or rituals to nurture a real artistic practice, we get to immerse ourselves in an exhilarating creative concentration. I think of the darkness of the pandemic, the sense of being disoriented and lost and afraid. And I remember the feeling when I was new to the group, of walking to my desk on a winter morning, knowing that these poets had gathered and would welcome me in, through the glowing portal of my laptop. When we write together, I feel like a nun, praying with my sisters in our convent. This is not the only time I have been saved. But there’s something very special about a group like this, a group of poets, women, witches, nuns, lighthouse workers, whatever we might be called, who have done so much of the repetitive and isolating work of caretaking. We’ve found a method of tending the light together, for ourselves. I hope that if you ever feel far away from your own creative practice, you can find people or rituals that point you toward the light. Each week with my fellow poets, I feel the relief of someone on dark water seeing a blaze on land. Here, like this, this way.

Laura Cronk is the author most recently of Ghost Hour (Persea Books, 2020). She is an assistant professor of writing at the New School in New York City, where she also serves as poetry chair for the MFA program in creative writing.

[devastator1775]

Anne's Journey: Two eternal Souls And The Lost Daughter - Chapter 6: Smooth sailing ...into stormy weather

Summary: In this extra long chapter, Anne and Ashley need to find somewhere to sleep, have a phone call to make, deal with some ruffians, have a train to catch and end up somewhere mysteriously familiar.

Also on Archive Of Our Own

“Ahh, A-Anne, please be gentle.”

“Don’t fuss, I know what I’m doing.”

“Is it supposed to feel this- haahh!”

“That sure sounded like it felt good.”

“S-shut – nnmm -shut up!”

“Just relax and let my magic fingers do their work.”

“Innuendo, much?”

Anne looked up from her laptop with a sigh. She had spent most of their time inside the train making changes to their ID chips, just to be safe. “You want us to get flagged as ‘underage runaways’ whenever we try to buy something, or need to check in somewhere?” She asked her friend, who was getting very bored being attached to said laptop. “No? Then let me work. I’m almost done anyway.”

“Ugh, this cable is itchy. What’s it made of? Fiber glass?” Ashley asked, sitting on her hands to keep herself from scratching the data port at the back of her neck. She gave Anne a worried grimace. “Hey, is this gonna work? Editing our ID Chips?”

“Uh, kinda?” Anne could feel Ashley’s gaze trying to burn a hole in her scalp. Anne looked up with a sheepish grin. “Lemme rephrase: when I’m done, we will have overwritten fake identities over our actual ones, but they’ll most likely reset back after a while, since it’s not done with an official program.” Her laptop beeped, signaling that the program had run its course. She gestured at Ashley that she could take out the

“So, what you’re saying ...” Ash let out a sigh of relief when she pulled the cable out her neck port. “-that we’ll need to do this again? Yay …”

“Hey, it’s no fun for me neither, y’know.” Anne groaned and rubbed the back of her neck. Ash hadn’t been wrong about the cable being itchy. “You know, theoretically, to make it really convincing, I should be doing this inside a Cradle Facility. Their computer systems have unrestrained access to the Global Registry. Any changes I’d make there, would be permanent.”

“Yeah, I think we are in enough trouble without us breaking inside a government facility.” Ash grinned and winked at Anne. “A second time, I mean.”

“Yeah, yeah …” Anne mumbled, that warm feeling buzzing inside her core again. She needed to perform an internal diagnostic when she had the time, because it was happening more often. And coincidentally, it happened every time when Ash was looking at h- you know, it is probably nothing, a glitch of some kind. Something completely logical, so there was no need for silly thoughts that messed her head up any more than it already was.

She yelped when a screw hit her on the side of the head. “Hey, what was that for?”

“Back in the land of the living, 2Tone? I’ve been trying to flag down your attention.” Ashley grinned. Anne noticed she was putting her stuff away. “Grab your stuff. The train’s slowing down.”

Almost as to emphasize the redheaded Drones’s statement, the trains brakes suddenly screeched. Anne yelped again when the sudden decline in momentum made her lose her balance, almost making her toppling over. She chuckled nervously as she scrambled up. “It seems you are right!”

“Of course I am!” Ashley shouted, trying to be louder than the screaming brakes. “Tell you one thing: I’ll be glad to finally be out of this bouldering box and get my feet on some more stable ground!”

“Yeah, same!” Anne quickly gathered her belongings, stuffing them inside her travel pack. In hindsight, she really hadn’t realized how boring this part of the plan would have been. They had been hiding in this cargo container for almost an entire day, and the train had only made a few stops, to unload and load on cargo. Luckily for the two stowaways, it seemed that their container hadn’t been on the schedule, so they had been left to their own devices for the entire time.

But there is only so much that they can do inside this limited space, and make sure no-one would find out that they were illegally traveling along. After they had snuck on board, they had taken a long nap to recharge as much of their energy as they could. After that, discussed about what they would be doing next, watched a few movies on Anne’s laptop, or just …talked with each other.

Ashley’s presence had been a boon to Anne, and not only because she was along for the ride. Just knowing that the red-eyed Drone was with her, it just …made her feel safe. She’s always had this feeling around her partner – wow, weird. Why did use that word? – ever since they were little. Anne could always count on Ashley to have her back.

Ashley always had been the one looking out for Anne. Whether it was defending her from bullies who would make fun of her dual-colored eyes, making sure she was taking enough rest between long study sessions, or being a blanket of comfort after she had her heart broken when the girl that she had been crushing on for the better part of a year had harshly rejected her. And Anne knew that the feeling was mutual, and that the strongheaded Drone relied on her as much as the other way around.

Ash’s parents divorced ten years ago, and it wasn’t an easy one, nor without its damages. Her mother, Marlene, didn’t hide that she wanted to have any sort of responsibilities regarding her only daughter, something the cruel woman had stated loud and clearly while she knew Ashley was in the room. After the divorce was settled, Marlene left without even saying a single word to her daughter, and that was the last time that Ashley had ever seen or spoken to her mother. And while Franklin did his best, he also didn’t act completely right towards Asheley. The man, in staunch contrast to his ex-wife, was devoted to his daughter and wanted to make sure that she’d never want for nothing, so he’d work long hours. But in doing so, he pretty much secluded himself in his store and spend less and less time with his daughter, who, in the meantime, was hurting much as well.

The Brinkmans had practically taken Ashley as one of her own during the divorce, and in the time afterwards. Anne sometimes wondered what kind of person Ash would’ve turned out if her mothers hadn’t been there to supplement some of the love that the latter felt she was missing. Nor what could have happened if Naomi, who finally couldn’t take it anymore that Franklin was – albeit nonintentional – neglecting his daughter, hadn’t decided to take matters into her own hands. One evening, after she had picked up the two girls from school and dropped them and her wife off at home, she went straight to Franklin’s Store to – in her words – ‘set him straight’.

Anne never found out what she exactly had done or said, but afterwards, Franklin changed his ways and became a father to Ashley again, instead of someone who just forwarded the cash for her education. These days, Franklin still spent a lot of time in his store, often leaving before Ash woke up, but things were a lot better. At the age of 16, Ash had become a very independent and resourceful woman. She often helped out in the store after school, and had shown interest in eventually taking over the store once Franklin retires. But just as often, she would spend time at the Brinkman home

And that’s why’d you never see the two apart. Where one was, the other wasn’t far away. People sometimes referred to them being as ‘close to being sisters’, but that …never felt right, for either of them. Anne knew their bond was unbreakable, but she never could figure out what it precisely was. Maybe one day she could a tag on it, but for now … she was just happy that Ashley was here with her.

“So, what’s the plan, chief?” Ashley asked, hoisting her backpack over her shoulders with a huff.

Anne, suddenly jolted out of her trip down memory lane, cleared her throat, hoping that her companion hadn’t noticed her zoning out. “Right, uh …so, the next train that we need isn’t arriving until tomorrow, so …I guess we’ll just get out and find a place to rest until then.”

“Okay, where do you reckon we should go?”

“I dunno.” Anne said with a shrug. “It’s not like I’ve never been in Faraday City before, you know?”

Faraday City was the Capital of Omega District, one of the more populated districts on Copper-9. It was like one of those cities you saw on grimy detective movies. Big city, a lot of noise, towering skyscrapers in the City Centre, hustlers roaming the streets who eagerly swindled money of unwitting newcomers, tourist attractions that did the very same thing, people everywhere on busy streets, and two small drones in the middle of it. Luckily, they didn’t need to go anywhere near the City Centre and only be in the calmer and more quiet outer parts of the city. That way, they could avoid any unnecessary complications.

Anne rather would have made someplace more …pleasant her midway stop, but this had been the only train that would’ve taken her close enough to the Zeta District without the need of even more stops along the way.

“Aww, my poor Anne, what would you do without me?” Ashley fluttered her eyes at her friend. “You are so lucky that I decided to come with you.”

“Bite me, Radish” Anne bit back, albeit in the same playful tone that Ashley had used on her, sticking out her tongue at her friend.

Ashley chuckled as she whipped out her phone and started looking up the nearest – and cheapest – place for them to sleep. “So …if I’m reading this right, the nearest B&B is …actually not that far. Hey, it’s got four stars. ‘Food sucked, but the lady running the place was very nice and reminded me of my gran-gran.’. “

“Looks like we’re visiting Gran-gran.” Anne joked, steadying herself as the train started to slow down even more. “And don’t forget: if anyone asks, my name is Ruby Porter, and yours is Abbigail Lecter.”

“Just call me Abby, Rubes.” Ashley affirmed with a cheeky grin.

With a final hiss, the train finally came to a complete standstill. Anne opened the door of their temporarily lodgings and peeked out. Whith the coast clear, they quickly left the boxcar without anyone seeing them and headed into the city.

***

It took a bit of navigating through the unfamiliar city, but eventually the duo managed to reach the little Bed & Breakfast. Too bad they hadn’t reached it sooner, because it had started to rain not too long after they had managed to make their exit out of the station. And to make things worse, it had taken the two girls completely by surprise. By the time they had found their destination, they were soaked. They pretty much rammed the door in, in order to escape the weather. The elderly Drone behind the counter let out a small yelp, startled by the sudden appearance of two wet and exhausted Drones, but let out a soft chuckle and greeted them with a warm smile.

“Well, that’s certainly one way to make an entrance.” The old lady chuckled, shuffling from behind the counter to greet her new guests. “Anything to get out of the rain, am I right?”

“We are so sorry for barging in like that, ma’am.” Ashley panted, doubled over and resting her hands on her knees. “Me and my friend got caught in the rain, and-“

“We’re sorry for scaring you, Ma’am.” Anne panted, pretty much steadying herself on Ashley’s shoulder. That run had exhausted her. She might have enhanced strength and speed, gained through mysterious means, but her stamina was still the same. Which wasn’t much.

“Oh, pish-posh, no harm done. And don’t you ‘ma’am’ me.” She wiggled her finger at them, almost like a scolding grandma, but with sparkles of mischief reflected in lilac eyes. “You may call me Madam Layla, and I’m the proprietor of this little respite out of the rain.”

“I’m Abby, Ma’ …Madame Layla.” Ashely began, remembering to use her fake name. She slapped Anne on the back, nearly knocking her over. “This short stack is Ruby.”

“Bite me!” Anne bit back, giving Ash a playful push.

“Well, Abby and Ruby, how can this old lady help you?” Madama Layla asked, trotting back to her counter.

“Do you have a room free for the night?” Anne asked.

Madam Layla furrowed her brow and let out a sigh, scratching her cheek in thought. “Oh, there have been so many guests arriving and leaving today, I can’t actually remember on top of my head. Hang on, let me check my register.” Madama Layla started up her computer, letting out a chuckle. “Never get old, ladies. By the time you reach my age, your memory storage is filled with wonderful memories, but the little things tend to slip through the cracks. Aah, here we go!”

Anne and Ashley gave each other a look, hoping for the best. The only other place they could afford was too far away from the station, not without spending even money on transport. After spending the entire day inside that cargo box, they were longing for something with a bit more legroom …and comfy matrasses.

“Looks like you’re in luck, girls.” Layla said with a warm smile. “I’ve got one room left.”

“Great.” Anne exclaimed.

Madam Layla looked up from her computer with a grin. “It’s only got the one double bed, though, but I guess it’s not going to be a problem, right?”

“Uh, why?” Ashley asked.

“Aren’t you a couple?” The elderly Drone smiled playfully. “I tend to have an eye for the romantic matters in life.”

Anne and Ashley gave each other a look. Their visors both lit up with a blush and they quickly sidestepped away from each other.

“No, just friends!” Anne exclaimed, letting out a nervous chuckle.

Ashley bashfully played with the straps of her backpack. “Yup, j-just friends. Always have been just that.”

“Uh-huh, right …” Madama Layla giggled, but didn’t press on. “Well, may I ask why a pair of ‘just friends’ are in the capital of the Omega District, at this hour and heaving such heavy backpacks with them?”

“Just passing through. We’re visiting some relatives of mine in the Epsilon District, and our train doesn’t come until tomorrow.” Anne explained, trying her very best not to make eye contact with Ashley. Technically, they would need to pass through the Epsilon District to reach the Zeta District, so she wasn’t actually lying about that.

“The Epsilon District, my my. And traveling so far, all on your own?” Madama Layla asked, glancing up from her computer, an almost worried glint in her eyes. “You two don’t look to be much older than sixteen.”

“Yeah, we get that a lot.” Ashley stated with a grin.

“Yeah, we’ve always looked younger than we actually are.” Anne added, hoping her voice didn’t crack too much. “Good maintenance and regular polish scrubs, and all that.”

“Hmmm, is that so?” Madama Layla hummed and took out a scanner. “I still need to scan your ID chips for confirmation, though. Protocol, ‘and all that’.”

“Yup, no problem.” Anne agreed, very happy that she had the foresight to edit their ID chips. Little alternations like name and age wouldn’t be picked up by a standard ID-scanner at a local B&B.

Madame Layla scanned the two of them and checked the result on her computer. After a few tense seconds, she looked up with a smile. “Everything seems to be in order, ladies. Now, just to settle your payment.”

She waited patiently while Anne paid for the room. Once that was done, she shuffled out from behind her counter and gestured towards the stairs. “Your room is on the second floor. Follow me and let’s get you settled for the night, shall we?”

As they followed their host up the stairs, they listened while she laid down some rules. “Now, you’re not the only guests here, so please keep it down after 10pm. I don’t want to hear complaints from my other guests, you hear?”

“No problem.” Ashley grinned evilly at Anne. “This one does snore, though.”

“Har-har, very funny, Abbigail.” The targeted Drone deadpanned with a roll of her two-toned eyes. “Uh, we’ll be leaving very early tomorrow and we won’t have much time. Will that be a problem?”

“Not at all, sweetie.” Layla stated. “Just make sure the room is tidied up a bit before you leave, and just drop the key in the little jar on the counter.” She stopped in front a door. “This is your room. Why don’t you get in and get dried off?”

She opened the door to the room. True to her word, it had one double bed, a table, a closet for those who spend more than one night there. Just a regular room with the bare essentials. Just what they needed for a good night’s rest.

“Thank you, Madama Layla.” Anne said with a grateful smile. She was really starting to feel the exhaustion of the trip. She stepped right in and threw her back on the floor, by the heater.”

Ashley was about to follow her, when Madama Layla placed her hand on her shoulder. “Oh, Miss Abigail?”

“Uh, yeah?”

“Your friend might believe her own words, but you aren’t convinced by your own at all.” Layla smiled wittingly. “Take some advice from an old lady who has been around the block a few times. Don’t wait too long and take your chance. If you wait until it’s too late, you’ll never stop wondering what could have happened.”

Ashley opened her mouth to object, but …just blushed and nodded.

Layla smiled warmly, patting the redheaded Drone on her shoulder. “Good night, Miss Lecter.” She craned her neck so she could see Anne. “Good night, Miss Porter!” She gave Ashley a final look before she went down the stairs, humming an old love song the former couldn’t remember the name off.

“What did she have to say to you?” Anne asked, taking off her wet jacket and hanging it over a chair.

“Just some more reminders about ‘being mindful for the other patrons’ tranquility, things like that.” Ashley lied. With a content sigh, she flopped down on the bed, spreading her arms in its blissful softness. “Greetings, soft matrass, how I’ve missed you. Never leave me again.”

Anne chuckled, amused by her companion’s antics, taking out her laptop. She placed it down on the little table and stared at it, letting out a sigh, which caught the attention of Ashley.

“Something wrong?” The redhead asked, sitting up.

“No.” A pause. “Yeah, maybe. I was …thinking of calling my parents? They must be worried sick.”

“Oh …” Ashley stood up and walked over to Anne, hugging herself. “Yeah, we kinda left our folks behind, didn’t we?”

“I never asked before, but did you leave a message for you dad?” Anne asked, turning to her friend. “You did leave him something, right?”

“Yeah, a note that I would be sleeping over at your place for a few days. It’s not like he’s been seeing me a lot lately anyway.” She grimaced when she saw Anne’s confused expression. “Pops has been working longer days these last couple of weeks. Like, twenty-four/seven kind of long, and doing these special promos. I think he’s saving up for something for us. Maybe a vacation, or a new car.” She let out a chuckle. “That, or he’s been dating someone without telling me. In any case, until he’s informed otherwise, he won’t be worried about me. That is, if your parents haven’t already put the entire town in an uproar.”

Anne nodded, turning back to her laptop, contemplating her options. Should she just call and let them know she was alright, but risk herself of being tracked again? But the thought of her parents gnawed at her insides. Then, in the corner of her eyes, she saw that the room came with its own phone, and that gave her an idea. She grabbed the phone from the stand, took out some cables and other devices out of her backpack and started to put them together.

“Uh, what are you doing?” Ashley asked, genuinely confused. “I don’t think Madame Layla is gonna be pleased we’re messing with her property.”

“Don’t fuss, I know what I’m doing.”

“Are ya?”

“Shhh!” Anne plugged in the last cable, and …stared at the phone in her hand. She sighed deeply and sat down on the nearest chair.

“Anne?” Ashley walked over, concerned. “You good?”

“Yeah, just …this is going to suck, isn’t it?” Anne winced.

“Probably …” Ashley rubbed the back of her head. “What are you gonna say to them?”

“Dunno …something, I guess?” Anne’s core was buzzing, both of stress, but also with a certain excitement. She turned to her laptop and with a few command lines, activated a program on her computer. A timer appeared on screen. Good, her program worked ...a little too well. Her location was being scrambled, but judging by countdown, it would only give her a several minutes before someone – be it police or whoever the hacker was – could trace them. Still …time enough to let her parents know she is alright … and to find out if they called the police on them yet. She grabbed the phone and gave Ashley a nod. “Okay, here’s goes nothing.”

She took a deep breath and started to dial in the number of her house.

She pressed the dial button.

It was making connection.

It was ringing.

Someone picked up.

“Hello?”

Anne’s core jumped when she recognized Hazel’s voice. Her voice sounded …tired and exhausted. She could only imagine in what state her parents were right now.

“Mom, …It’s me.”

There was a loud squeal. “ANNE! Honey, I am so happy to hear from you! We were so worried! where are you?! Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

“Mom, I-“

“Naomi, what are you-?” A scuffle sounded on the other end of the phone, with Hazel apparently wrestling to keep possession of the phone.

“Gimme!” A new voice sounded on the other side. It was Naomi, who evidently had managed to secure the phone out of her wife’s hands. “Anne?”

“Hi, Momma …” Anne gulped, recognized that tone of voice her momma was using at the moment. She had heard it enough whenever she – and often with Ashley – had gotten into trouble.

“Anne! Elliot! Brinkman! You are in so much trouble, you don’t even know! You’ll come home this instant, and maybe – maybe – you’ll only be grounded until you graduate college!” Naomi threatened. “And that’s a big ‘maybe’!”

“Mom, I can’t.” Anne had trouble keeping her voice even. She wasn’t scared, but …this was hard on her. Never in her life had she ever thought that she would have to hurt her parents in such a way.

There was a soft sob on the other end. Naomi spoke again but this time, her voice sounded …broken, desperate and on the brink of crying. “Anne, my baby girl, please, please, please, come back home. I don’t know what I did wrong, but I know I can do better. I will be better. Just …come back. You will have anything your heart desires, just come home to us!”

Anne’s lips quivered, and a digital tear ran down her visor as guilt and regret filled her core. “Momma, I promise it’s not you. It’s me.”

“Anne …please …”

“Omi, how about you let me talk with Anne for a while? Go sit down, please.” Hazel’s voice sounded soft and cautious. After a few moments of silence, Anne could hear how the phone exchanged hands, and a moment later she could hear her other mother. There was a deep breath, and a slow exhale on the other side of the line. After a few seconds of silence, Hazel’s voice spoke up. “Anne …are you somewhere safe?”

“Yes.”

“Are you hurt?”

“No.”

“Are you in danger?”

Anne chewed on her lower lip. She couldn’t really answer that one, because she didn’t know for sure. She had been monitoring her laptop, just in case that the hacker would show their head, but …nothing. So, she wasn’t in danger right now, so could be honest about that. “No.”

A sniffle and a sigh of relief. “Oh, thank the Creators.”

Anne sighed, leaning back in her chair. She took a deep breath. “Have you …told anyone about me yet?”

There was a long silence, followed by a heavy sigh. “No, no-one knows, for now. We …figured we’d wait until we heard from you.” Hazel admitted. Anne could hear Naomi say something in the background, but she couldn’t understand it. There was a dry chuckle. “Well, I wanted to wait. Naomi wanted to call in the military, but I managed to convince her to wait …even if I had to convince myself as well.”

“So, why didn’t you?” Anne asked. She was genuinely surprised about this.

“We almost did, but …something in your message told me that we’d better wait for you.” Hazel took a deep breath. “Honey, what did you do? All those things you said on your message …about your birth parents. Are you really sure that they are…?” Her voice trailed off.

“I am.” Anne stated with all the fake confidence that she could muster. It was so much harder than she feared it would be. Her entire being was screaming at her to return to her mothers. To hug them, to say sorry and promise to never leave them again. But she knew that she couldn’t. She felt Ashley grab her free hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. Anne squeezed back, turning briefly to the redhead to give her a smile.

“Sweetheart, why did you need to do it in this way? Why didn’t you tell us that you were doing this …investigation on your own? Why didn’t you inform us?” Hazel asked, her voice cracking. Anne could imagine her pacing around the living room, chewing on one of the ears of her glasses. “We could’ve gone through the proper channels, instead of this …journey you’re taking. Why all this risk? Why leave in the middle of the night? Why the secrecy? You said that Ashley had been helping you. What will we tell her when she asks for you?”

“Ashley, right …” Anne winced. There it was. She looked sheepishly at Ashley, who immediately understood what was happening. “About that …”

Ashley grabbed the phone out of Anne’s hands, and nervously cleared her throat. “Uh, hi, Mrs. Brinkman. It’s m-”

Anne couldn’t hear what was exactly being said, but Hazel’s voice was suddenly loud enough that she could hear it from where she was sitting. Ashley winced, holding the device a few inches from her audio receptors. She chuckled nervously, placing the phone back against her head. “Anne didn’t do anything. Technically, I roped myself into this situation. I didn’t really give Anne a choice in the matter.”

Ashley stayed silent while Hazel spoke again. She suddenly winced. “Please, don’t tell my dad. As far as he knows I am staying over at you guys, and-“ She hissed when Hazel shouted again. This lasted for a few moments, with the red-eyed drone patiently listening, her expression getting guiltier and guiltier by the second. After a few moments, she sighed and handed the phone back to Anne. “She wants to speak to you.”

Anne placed the phone against her ear. “Mom?”

“Is it not bad enough that you are doing this?” Hazel asked, her tone of voice exasperated and tired. “Ashley is with you?”

“At least I’m not alone, huh?” The sigh that came out of her mom’s mouth told Anne that the latter was not amused. She glanced over to her laptop, to see how her program as faring. She still had a bit of time, but she needed to wrap this up soon. “Mom, I’m running out of time here, so …”

“What? No-no-no! You are not going to continue this foolish journey!” Hazel sounded panicked, and Anne could hear Naomi scrambling up from wherever she was sitting to join her wife at the phone. “Anne, you need to come home! We’ll go to-“

“Mom, we can’t!” Anne didn’t want to raise her voice, but she needed to get the message through. “When I was investigating, I had to hack into …” she paused for a moment. She thought it better not to tell them that she hacked her way into private information. “When I had to access some sensitive data, someone …. someone immediately tried to stop me, to trace me.”

“Trace you? What are you-?”

“Mom, think about it.” Anne jumped up from her chair. “How you guys found me as a baby. The inaccessible data in my core. The report about my birth parents’ death that turned out to be fake. Someone trying to stop me when I’m getting close …it must be connected. I can’t put you guys in danger, so I need to do this alone.”

Ashley cleared her throat, but Anne ignored her.

“She can’t be serious.” She could hear Naomi mutter incredulously. Hazel must’ve put the phone on speaker. “Anne, you-“

“There’s another thing …” Anne interrupted her. She took a deep breath. “Something …weird has been happening to me. Something I can’t explain.” Her eyes caught her reflection in a nearby mirror, somehow looking distorted from her angle. “I’m changing, and if it’s connected to my birth parents …I need answers, and I really, really hate to say this, but …I can’t find those answers when I’m home with you.” 

She could hear Naomi letting out one of those typical mother-sighs. “This is ridiculous! Hazel, please tell our daughter-”

Hazel interrupted her wife with one surprising word. “Okay…”

“What?” Naomi cried out.

“What?” Anne agreed. “Mom, are you-“

“Anne, darling, I know when your mind is made up, and when it’s like that…well, it’s not like we can stop you now, can we? So, for now …we’re going to let you do what you think is best. Just …the both of you, be careful and promise us you call us soon?”

“I promise.” Anne let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. “Thank you, mom.”

Naomi sure wasn’t convinced. “Hazel, you can’t …this can’t-“

While Naomi and Hazel were arguing, Ashley tapped on Anne’s shoulder. She pointed over to the laptop, where she noticed to her displeasure that the timer was nearing its end. She was running out of time.

“Mom, momma, I …I need to go.” Anne felt he heart clench.

“WAIT!” Naomi cried out, and Anne could hear how the phone got snatched out of one hand into the other. “Anne …”

“Yes, Momma?”

“We love you. So much!” Naomi exclaimed, her voice soft and genuine.

“I love you too. Both of you.” Anne whispered. She glanced over to the timer. It was nearing zero. Her thumb hovered over the END CALL button. “Bye …”

She ended the call.

The sound of her mothers voices vanished, replaced with silence.

A sob escaped her throat.

The phone clattered to the ground, and Anne buried her face in her hands, sobbing while Ashley wrapped her arms around her, hugging her tightly.

Back in Rivetdale, the same thing happened. The moment that the call ended, Hazel’s legs gave out, and she would’ve crumpled to the floor, if not for Naomi catching her in time and letting her down gently.

The two mothers sobbed silently in each other’s arms, clinging to one another like they were afraid they would lose each other as well.

“Oh, Hazel …” Naomi mumbled with a broken voice. “Why did you -?”

“Because …she is right, Omi.” Hazel stated, pulling away from the hug to caress her wife’s cheek. “We can’t help her with this. She needs to do this on her own.”

“Out little girl is out there all alone, Hazel.” Naomi sniffled.

“She’s not alone.” Hazel smiled gently. “She has Ashley with her, and you know that she wouldn’t let anything happen to Anne. And our daughter is smart enough for the both of them. As long as they’re together, they’ll be fine.”

“I guess that’s true.” The pink-haired drone mumbled. “It’s just …, she is my baby.”

“Mine too, silly.” She took her wife’s hands in her own, squeezing them softly. “We’ve always known that this day would come. It was always a matter of time that our little bird needed to stretch her wings and leave the nest.”

“But why this early?” Naomi asked, sniffling again. “And for …people that left her behind? Drones she’s never met, that she doesn’t know? Why does she need to know who her birth parents are? Weren’t we enough?”

“Of course we were.” Hazel wrapped her arms around her wife and hugged her tightly. After a few moments, she broke away from the embrace, her expression serious. “But …Anne had a point. We’ve always known that something didn’t add up about the way she came into our lives. How she ended up with the two Drones that longed for a child of their own, the missing data in her core, the report about the supposed death of her supposed birth parents, …it was always …too convenient.”

Naomi nodded weakly. Hazel had a point. Neither of them had ever said it out loud, but …they’ve always had known that Anne’s circumstances were …too unique. She let out a heavy sigh. “I guess you’re right …” She admitted. “But …why now? Couldn’t it have happened a few years later? And without these drastic actions?

“I know, Omi.”

“And what did she mean that she was ‘changing’?”

“I don’t know, but …” Hazel chewed on the inside of her cheek. “She’s always been special, our Anne. She always seemed to …advance so quickly.”

The pink-haired Drone nodded solemnly. Throughout her life, Anne had surprised them many times with how quickly she seemed to learn new things. “Spoke her first word before even transferring to a Toddler frame, knew how to walk in the same month that she got her toddler body, always picking up these new skills with minimal effort, … she’s our special girl, alright.”

“Yeah, she is …”

“I still don’t like it, though.” Naomi stated, squeezing her wife’s hands.

“In any case, no matter how much we don’t like it, it’s too late to change anything now.” Hazel stood up, pulling her wife to her feet as well. “All we can do now, is decide our next step. How are we going to explain her absence in school?”

“And Franklin?” Noami added. “He might be busy with his shop lately, and he thinks she’s sleeping over but he’s going to want to see her someday. We can’t just say ‘oh, they’re sick and you can’t see them right now’.”

Hazel’s eyes lit up, an actual lightbulb appearing in her visor. “We’re going to do just that!”

“I think I’ve lost you.”

“Do you remember that epidemic that went around, when we were doing our residency at the hospital?” She asked. “It mostly targeted teenage drones, because of a very specific coding in their system?”

“Oh yeah, that virus that spread through the teenagers’ inbuilt wireless transceiver. It took months before a successful vaccine patch was created.” Naomi recalled. “What does that have to do with this?”

“Well, variants of the virus tend to pop up, every now and then, right?” Hazel stated suggestively.

Something clicked in Naomi’s cognitive sub-routines. “Oh, you mean to say-?”

“Yep, our daughter and her friend – in an attempt to download a movie that hasn’t come out yet – accidentally uploaded a similar type of virus into their system, and are now bedridden. In order to curb the spread of the virus, Ashley needs to stay with us for the time being.” Hazel explained, her eyes twinkling with mischievous intent. “We – meaning, you and me – are showing symptoms as well, and we are required to quarantine ourselves, just in case. Fortunately, it seems it’s not that severe of an infection, so we’ll just have to wait until our anti-virus patch has run its course.”

“That sounds …” A grin spread on Naomi’s face. “… quite clever, actually.”

“I have my moments.” Hazel stated proudly. “It would explain why Anne and Ashley are absent from school, why no-one can see them, and Franklin would be assured that his daughter is in good hands. It would give us, at least, a few weeks before anyone would suspect otherwise.”

“But, Hazel, you still need to fill out a report for the hospital.” Naomi warned. “If they found out you falsified reports, you can lose your medical license.”

“That’s why I will be the one who’s name will be on the report.” Hazel explained. “There is no need for the both of us to get into trouble for this. I’ll take the fall. You can claim emotional blackmail or something, and-“

“Nuh-uh! No way! I am not letting you take the blame alone.” Naomi interrupted, grabbing her wife by the shoulders and looking intently into her visor. “It’s our daughter, so it’s our ruse, and we will face the consequences together.” She held up her hand, showing the ring, the one that Hazel had slipped on her finger so many years ago at their wedding. “In sickness or in health, remember?”

Hazel smiled warmly at her wife, pulled her into an embrace and kissed her passionately. Once they finally broke away, she giggled while caressing Naomi’s cheek. “The things we do for our child, right?”

“Wouldn’t do it any other way, Babe.” Naomi grinned, but soon her expression changed to a saddened one. She let out a sigh, resting her chin on her wife’s shoulder. “I hope she’s alright.”

“Me too, Omi.” Hazel nuzzled softly against Naomi’s cheek, a digital tear running down her visor. “Me too.”

***

An hour had passed since Anne had called her parents. An hour since Ash had suggested that they’d go to bed and get some sleep, so they would be rested for the following day. An entire hour that Anne just stared at the ceiling, her mind racing with thoughts and doubts.

She let out a heavy sigh. “Ash?”

A sleepy groan. “Hmmm?”

“Are we doing the right thing?”

The bed shifted as Ashley rolled to her side. “A bit late to ask that, don’t you think?”

“What if mom was right, and we could’ve just …done things another way, instead of trekking across the planet, chasing a pair of ghosts?” Anne asked, rolling over to face her friend.

“We could’ve …” Ashley sighed, reaching out from under the blanket to grab Anne’s hand, giving it a soft squeeze. “But wouldn’t you just end up in the same situation, wondering if you made the right choice?”

“Maybe …” Anne squeezed her eyes shut, digital tears dangling in the corner of her eyes. “I just …feel so guilty right now. I’m putting my moms through hell, all because I-“

“Because you want to know the truth, and because you felt it would be the safest way for them.” Ashley planted her hand softly on Anne’s cheek, smiling softly. “And I’m here, in case you need a shoulder to lean on.”

Anne smiled softly, resting her own hand on top of Ashley’s. “I know, Ash.” She whispered. “I’m so glad you’re here with me.”

“Wouldn’t anywhere else I’d rather be than here, Anne.” Ashley whispered back, blushing faintly.

They fell in silence, just staring at each other for a few moments, before Anne shuffled closely against Ashley’s frame with a content sigh. The latter, slightly taken aback, slowly wrapped her arms around the smaller Drone and pulled her close against herself. She gasped when Anne gently nuzzled against her, but after a few moments she recollected herself and rested her chin on top of the raven-haired head. A few moments later, she noticed that Anne had fallen asleep, her breathing calm and regular. Ashley smiled, taking the chance to let her fingers run through Anne’s hair, smiling warmly.

“Don’t worry, Anne.” Ashley whispered softly, caressing her cheek with a finger. “I’m not going anywhere.”

She planted a kiss on top of the sleeping Drone’s head, who just stirred in her sleep, but didn’t woke up. Ashley just giggled softly and closed her eyes as well, relishing in the warm feeling that she was feeling deep inside her core. A few moments later, she, too, had drifted into the land of dreams.

***

Morning came all too soon, with Ashley deciding that the best way to wake Anne up …was to tickle her, which quickly erupted into a brief pillow fight. Once they had had reached a cease-fire, gotten themselves dressed and all packed up, they went downstairs. Madama Layla was standing behind her counter, beaming when she saw the two young Drones come down.

“Ah, slept well, my youthful Dronelings?” She asked.

“You’re up early.” Ashley noted, handing over the key to their room.

“Oh, I don’t need much sleep anyway.” She let out a chuckle, turning around to hang the key away. “I take more than enough naps during the day. You’d be surprised how much free time I have, standing behind here.”

“Thanks for letting us stay.” Anne thanked, genuinely grateful that they had somewhere safe and comfortable to rest. “You know, without reservation.”

“Oh, pish-posh, wasn’t nothing.” Madama Layla waved the thanks away. She suddenly gasped, clapping her hands together. “Before I forget, dearies, you mentioned yesterday that you were going to take the train to Epsilon District? I assume you arrived in the station not too far from here, and you’d go there today, too?”

“Yeah?”

“Well, there was something nagging me about that, but I couldn’t put my finger on it.” Madama Layla explained. Her expression turned regretful. “And that’s when I remembered: Due to maintenance on train tracks going out of that particular station, all outgoing trains, including the ones you would have to take, are rerouted through the Central Station in, well, the City Centre. And that’s not the only bad news, unfortunately.”

“Oh no …” Anne could feel more bad news coming.

“Let me guess: the schedule has changed too?” Ashley asked, having come to the same conclusion as Anne.

“I’m afraid so, darlings.” Layla admitted, looking very apologetic. “I checked this morning, and I’m sorry to say: the earliest train heading towards that direction left half an hour ago.”

“Oh, sonuva glitch …” Anne cursed under her breath.

“Language, dear.” Layla scolded casually, but her expression soon turned to a reassuring smile. “I do have some good news, though. Next train is this afternoon, so you’ll have more than enough time to get yourselves there. There’s a bus stop right outside that will take you straight to the Centre.”

Anne sighed, somewhat relieved that their plans hadn’t completely gone off the rails. She figured that spending a few hours playing tourist wasn’t that bad of a detour, even if she didn’t like it. “Thank you, Madama Layla.”

“Yeah, you’re an awesome lady.” Ash stated with a wink.

“No problem, dearies. I do hope you enjoy the rest of your trip” Layla smiled. She waved them goodbye as they walked out the door. “Such nice ladies. Polite and friendly.” She raised an eyebrow as she heard a faint rumble in the distance, letting out a sigh. “Too bad that the weather isn’t too kind on them. I do hope they aren’t caught in the rain again.”

***

The drive to the city Centre had been surprisingly quick, and it hadn’t taken them long to find the Station and buy tickets for the train they needed. As Madama Layla had told them, the next train wouldn’t arrive for several hours, so they had decided to wander around, and stock up on some snack for the road. In that time, a storm had started to make itself known.

“Man, they do not have good weather here!” Ashley stated dryly, as she looked up to the darkening sky.

“Well, the weather app says it’s not gonna rain, it’s just gonna-“ Anne let out a surprised yelp when a lightning flashed and thunder rumbled, nearly dropping her phone on the ground as she jumped. She blushed, slightly embarrassed by her outburst. “- do that … Don’t laugh.”

“I’m not laughing.” Ashley mumbled, trying her best not to crack a smile.

Anne rolled her eyes and hooked her arms into Ashley’s. Even with the storm rolling in, the streets were busy, and Anne didn’t want to lose sight on her companion. Sure, that was the only reason she did that, as surely it was the very same reason that Ashley secured her arms tightly as well.

Yup, completely logical reasoning by the two of them.

About an hour after they had arrived, the clouds above them had darkened even more, to the point that they were blocking out the sun and shrouding the city in a grim, cold ambience. It would be hard to believe that it was still morning. The streets weren’t that crowded anymore. In fact, it almost seemed like Anne and Ashley were some of the few that actually ventured out. The dark atmosphere together with the near-deserted streets made Anne feel uneasy.

As they were walking - looking for some shop Ashley had read about in a ’10 places you need to visit when visiting Faraday City’ blog - she suddenly felt a shiver go down her spine, making her glance over her shoulder. She had the feeling that someone was following them. Was it her imagination? Maybe it was just her nerves talking. She yelped when Ashley suddenly yanked her into another direction.

“Hey, let’s cut through here.” She said, leading the two of them into an alley. “I think we can reach the Hot Topic Emporium faster.”

“How do you know? You’ve never been here.” Anne tried to pull the two of them away from the foreboding alley, but it seems her enhanced strength was abandoning her right now. That was another thing about her powers. Her healing powers were always active, but her other enhanced abilities seemed to come and go, depending on the situation. Maybe it was a subconscious thing, because she didn’t want to damage Ashley in any way. But, alas, into the alley they went.

Not noticing the two figures that were following them.

The deeper they went into the alleyways, the more they realized that they were heading into the bad part of town. No streetlights, most windows were boarded up and it didn’t seem like anyone was living in this part.

“Okay, I’ll admit, I was wrong.” Ashley mumbled sheepishly. “This isn’t going anywhere I think we’d like to be.”

Anne let out a tired huff. “Yeah, let’s just head back, and-“

“You ladies lost?” From behind a dumpster came a scruffy looking Drone, hands deep inside his pockets and his gaze fixated on the two girls. “Because, I could be a very courteous guide …for a fee.”

Anne immediately sensed something off about the guy. Alarm bells – quite literally – were going off inside her head, and she tried to grab Ashley’s hand, but the latter took a confident step forward. She has never been one to let someone intimidate her.

“Nah, no need, buddy. We were just leaving.” Ashley stated, giving him a fearless glare. “Thanks, but no thanks.”

They turned around, but their exit was being blocked by two other Drones, one big and burly, the other lean and fidgety, but both looking as scruffy as the first one. They chuckled as they made the two of them back away, back towards the first Drone, who let out a sly chuckle.

“I think you don’t realize what’s happening here, Red.” He stated, casually strolling over to them. “This is my hood, and anyone who passes through here needs to pay a toll. You know, to repay me and my associates here for allowing you the usage of our turf. Ain’t that right, boys?”

“That’s right, Slick!” The lean one answered.

Big ‘n Burly just grunted.

Ashley wasn’t impressed, she walked up to the Drone named Slick, her arms crossed. “Not gonna happen, pal. Me and my friend are just gonna walk away, and you just keep pretending you’re a big shot, alright?”

Slick’s crooked grin turned to a scowl, taking a step forward to get right into the redhead’s face. “Are your audio receptors on the fritz, or are you just dumb?” He growled. “Drop the backpacks, hand over any money you have on your person, or …” He snapped his fingers.

Next thing Anne knew, the burly guy had his arms around her tightly. Before she could even shout to let her go, the lean guy held a knife against her throat, giggling coldly.

Slick chuckled evilly, enjoying the shocked expression on Ashley’s face. “Or I’ll let my boys work out some anger issues on your short girlfriend over there.”

Anne wanted to shout, but Burly slapped his hand on her mouth, muffling her. Anne tried to squirm out of the thug’s grip, but he had too much of a hold on her. Her enhanced strength was failing her. She felt something heat up inside her core, like an ember wanting to become a flame.

“You let her go, right now!” Ashley growled, grabbing Slick by his dirty vest. “Or I’ll-!” She gasped when a knife appeared just an inch away from her throat.

“You really are dumb, if you not realize that I am the one holding all the cards, pretty girl. “He grinned, letting his gaze go up and down Ashley’s body, a dark glint in his eyes. “But I could be persuaded to let both of you go …if you let me have a little fun with you.”

Ashley’s eyes narrowed, but still didn’t show any fear. She spat at the guy, leaving a glob of saliva on his vest. “Go defrag yourself, you big, ugly, sunova- OOMPHF!”

The red-eyed drone doubled over, falling on her knees and holding her stomach while letting out painful coughs. Slick just laughed, something his buddies eagerly joined in with. He kicked her knees, knocking her completely on the ground.

“Now, why did you have to be so rude, red?” Slick growled. “Now, I’m going to have to teach you a lesson. Maybe after that, you’ll be a bit more eager to exchange some quid pro quo.”

The flame inside Anne’s body started to grow larger. She balled her fists, letting out a muffled growl. Something was stirring inside her. Something …primal. She breathed deeply, anger starting to replace any fear, or any other emotion, until it was all that she could feel.

“Now that you are a bit more cooperating …” Slick chuckled darkly, grabbing Ashley by her hair and pulling her up. “Let’s have that fun, shall we?”

Ashley screamed.

Something inside Anne snapped. It was like a veil of red fell over her vision, completely blocking out her sight. It was almost like she blacked out. It was like a mad, euphoric madness took over. All She didn’t know what was happening. she knew was that her friend was in danger, and she needed to act.

And needed to pay.

“A--e!”

They would pay.

“--ne!”

She’d stop them.

“--op!”

Tear them ap-

“Anne!”

The shout brought her back to reality, bringing her out of the darkness. With a gasp, Anne froze. The world was blurry. She was trembling. She was out of breath. The primal anger inside her was starting to fade.

A voice spoke up, cautious and soft. “Anne?”

Anne spun around towards the voice. She saw Ashley, sitting on the floor, looking at her with a mixture of fear and confusion. Slick, who had been standing next to her just a moment ago, was now lying motionless against the dumpster. For a moment, she thought he was dead, but the [REBOOT Y/N?] message on his visor showed that he was just unconscious instead.

She winced when she felt a sharp pain in her hand and gasped when she saw that Slick’s knife was currently lodged deeply into in. With a grunt, she pulled it out, staring at her hand as it started to heal before oil could even start flowing. In a panic, she threw the knife out of sight.

“A-Ash? What …what happened? Where are-” Anne muttered, confused about the situation. She looked around, and to her surprise and even bigger confusion, the two other thugs were unconscious too.

Ashley cautiously stood up, but seemed almost …reluctant to approach Anne. “You ... you don’t remember?”

“No.” Anne took a step in Ashley’s direction, but froze when the latter took a step backwards. “I …I blacked out, and now …! Did I do this?”

Ashley nodded, cautiously approaching her distraught friend.

“How?”

“You …you went berserk, or something. It was like you were possessed. I’ve never seen you act like that. You were cackling and all that.” Ashley explained, hugging herself, nervously eyeing Anne. “You took those two out first.” She nodded towards the two unconscious goons, before turning her gaze towards the equally knocked-out Slick. “You moved so fast; one moment you were standing over those two, and then …BAM! Next thing I know, this guy gets knocked backwards, but not before he tried to defend himself by stabbing you. How did you do that?”

“I …I don’t know what came over me. I saw that thug hurting you, and it made me so angry. “Anne explained, stammering and anxious. “I felt …something inside me, like something wanted to get out and protect you. And when you screamed …I blacked out. And, and …are you okay?”

“Nothing a little rest, and some nano-mending cream can fix.“ She took a cautious step forward. “Now …are you …okay?”

Anne stared at her trembling hands, her breathing quickening, her vision starting to blur again. “No, no, I’m not.” A sob escaped her throat, as digital tears rolled down her visor. She looked up at her friend, desperation and hopelessness in her eyes. “I’m scared, Ash. What is happening to me?”

Ashley, finally overcoming her apprehensive state, quickly closed the distance between her and Anne, and wrapped her arms around her distraught friend to hug he tightly.

“I’m so sorry, Ash.” Anne whimpered, burying her head into Ash’s neck. “I tried help you sooner, but-“

“It’s going to be okay, Anne. It’s over now.” She whispered, nuzzling her cheek against Anne’s. She pulled away, holding the latter’s head between her hands and smiling warmly. “Whatever it was, I’m happy it happened. You saved me. And in the most badass way possible. Even that X-eyes thing you had going on was cool!”

Anne took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. Ash was right. It was over. She had no clue what that berserk mode – or however she needed to call it – was about, but she and Ash were safe. Now, if only they could get out of here, before –

“Hello, this is Officer Rook!” A new voice called out, noticeably getting closer. “People heard fighting over here! Is anyone hurt?”

“Oh no!” Panic washed over Anne’s core. Police? Now? How could they react? How could they explain this? If they found out that she had done this, they-

It seemed that Ashley had noticed Anne’s panic, because she grabbed the latter by the shoulders and made her look at her. She smiled reassuringly. “It’s going to be okay, Anne.” She said, indicating that Anne had to sit down on the ground with her. “You saved our butts, now it’s time for me to do the same.”

“But-“

“Hey, talking ourselves out of trouble is my specialty, remember? Just …play along.”

Anne nodded and waited for the officer to get to them. She hoped that whatever tale Ash was going to spin, they would believe it.

***

A little while later, Anne and Ashley found themselves in the Police Station, where the officers had brought them, after they had thrown the still unconscious thugs in the back of a police cruiser. They were currently sitting in the office of one Chief Brick, who had been taking their statements.

The officer twirled his moustache, humming as he went over their statement again. “So, Miss Lecter, Miss Porter …if I understand you correctly, you were just wandering around the city, seeing the sites, when you decided to take detour through the alleyway we found you.”

“Yessir.” Ashley confirmed.

Anne nodded. That part was true.

“And then, those three fine examples of high school dropouts stopped you, and tried to mug you for all your possessions.”

The two nodded again. Still true.

“And when they decided to get handsy, you-“ He pointed a pencil at Ashley, who was pushing an ice-pack against the side of her head. “-decided to – how did you say it – ‘kick their sorry butts into next week?’

Anne shrunk inside herself a bit. That part …was not true.

“Pops always told me: ‘if a guy doesn’t want to listen to a ‘no’, maybe he’ll listen to a fist to the jaw.’.”

“Sounds like a smart man …” Officer Brick stated, a hint of a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Still, quite a feat for someone on her own, taking out three guys like that.”

“Yeah, I’m stronger than I look.” Ashley stated proudly, flexing her arms. “Courtesy of martial arts training, and a bit of my pops’ side of my coding. He used to be a construction worker, and his body was modified for heavy lifting. My arms got the same treatment when my body was being constructed.”

Anne had to stop herself from smirking. What Ash was saying was true, minus the thing about having martial arts training – she only had done a few lessons, and then got bored of it. A lot of people underestimated her when it came to strength.

Officer Brick turned to Anne. “You have been quiet, Miss Porter.” It was not a question.

Anne squeaked and chuckled nervously. “Oh, …still a bit shaken up, I suppose.”  

“Well, who wouldn’t?” Officer Brick sighed and leaned into his chair. “It was a good thing that your friend was there with you.”

“Yeah.” Anne turned to Ash, smiling softly when the latter winked at her.

There was a knock on the door, which opened to reveal the officer that first had helped Anne and Ashley, Rook. “Chief?”

“Yeah, Rook?” Brick acknowledged. “How are you three sleeping uglies? Did they have anything to say about all this?”

“They are awake, but they don’t seem to have any memory about their altercation with these young ladies. Seems they memory drives got knocked out of alignment and wiped out the last three hours of their lives.” He stated, standing to attention. “We did find several grade-A magnets on their person, and their breath reeked of gasoline, though.”

“So, these guys were probably stoned out of their minds, when they decided to hold up these young ladies?” Brick asked.

“It’s a high possibility, Sir.”

Brick turned to Ash and Anne. “Are you still sure that you don’t want to press charges?”

Ashley and Anne shook their heads.

“Well, in that case, I believe I’ve heard enough.” Brick decided. “We’ll charge them with possession of illegal substances, and we’ll chalk your actions up as ‘rightful self-defense’ and call it a day. Just a bit of paperwork to sign, and you may be on your way.

“Really?” Anne asked incredulously. She hardly could believe that they had gotten away with this. She eagerly grabbed the report and signed it, handing it over to Ashley for her to sign as well. “Thank you so much.”

“Just doing my job, young miss.” Brick stated with a smile. “About that …didn’t you say that you had a train to catch? To Epsilon district, if I recall correctly?”

“Oh sh-“ Anne checked the time and groaned. “And it seems like we’re going to miss that train.”

“Well, we can’t have that, can we?” Brick stated with a smile, his moustache wiggling. He turned to the other officer. “Rook, would you be so kind to escort these young ladies to the station?”

Anne and Ashley couldn’t believe their luck. Not only did they get to leave without any sort of problem, they also got a free ride. Seems things were looking up for them. With a little help of a loud Police siren, the two Drones managed to catch their train just in time. They had taken seat in a mostly empty wagon, where they could freely speak without anyone listening in on them.

Anne still had no idea what had happened to her. She still had no memory of what happened during her blackout, only what Ashley had told her. Obviously, this was linked with her powers, but this one …this one scared her. She couldn’t forget the fear in Ash’s eyes, after her attack. What if the next time it happened, it would make her turn on Ash.

She didn’t want to hurt her.

She couldn’t.

she wouldn’t.

She’d make sure of it.

One way or the other.

***

A few hours into their train ride, Anne found herself staring out the window, while Ashley was sleeping beside her. They had ventured into Epsilon District a little while ago, and it would still take a few hours before they’d arrive in Zeta. From there, they’d take a bus or something to Little Diodeton. And once there …

Suddenly, she got nearly thrown out of her seat when the train’s emergency brakes activated. Ashley fell out her seat with a scream. Judging by the distant sounds from other wagons, other passengers had the same reaction. A few moments later, the train came to a halt with a hiss.

“What the **** happened?” Ashley asked aloud, her profanity blocker bleeping out her swear word. “I was having the most amazing dream, and suddenly I’m on the ground!”

“I don’t know.” Anne groaned, scrambling up while pulling her friend up with her. “Some kind of accident, maybe?”

The PA system came to life with a series of beeps, and a voice spoke out. “ATTENTION PASSENGERS! DUE TO UNFORSEEN CIRCUMSTANCES, THIS TRAIN CAN’T CONTINUE Its DESTINATION. PLEASE EXIT THE WAGONS AND ASSEMBLE BY THE ROAD. EMERGENCY BUSSES HAVE BEEN CONTACTED TO BRING YOU TO THE NEXT STATION; THANK YOU FOR YOUR UNDERSTANDING!”

“Guess we’re getting off here.” Ashley mumbled in an annoyed tone as she collected her backpack.

“Seems like it.” Anne agreed, feeling just as annoyed as her traveling companion. As she stepped out, scanned her surroundings. They were in the middle of nowhere. Just the train tracks, light indicating a city in the far distance, and a forest behind them …which somehow seemed familiar to her despite never have been in this District before.

As they walked over where all the other Drones were assembling, she felt a jab in her sides. She gave Ashley an annoyed look, but the latter seemed to be preoccupied by something else. “Wow, look at that!” She said in awe, pointing over toward the front of the train. Other passengers were looking in the same direction, also impressed by whatever they were seeing.

Anne gasped when she noticed what everyone was looking at. The tracks …were bend. Not a bit, but …. almost like someone had tried to rip them out of the ground. They were sticking out, like one of these miniature car playset tracks.

“Wow, indeed.” Anne mumbled. “What could’ve caused that?”

“Tectonic shift? A drunk guy with a tow cable?” Ashley guessed. “Whatever it was, I wouldn’t want to – Anne?”

Anne had stopped listening. She was staring at the forest behind them. The longer she looked, the more she got the feeling …that she had been there before. Like an old memory, but …that would be impossible, right?

Almost in a trance-like state, Anne started to walk over to the forest.

“Anne, what are you -?” Ashley hissed, quickly following behind her.

“I don’t know …” Anne mumbled. “It’s like something in that forest …is calling me.”

“Did you hit your head when the train stopped or something.”

“I’m serious, Ash.” Anne picked up the pace, her core buzzing with excitement. The snow crunched beneath her feet as she ran. “There’s something here.”

“ANNE!”

Anne ran until she reached the edge of the forest, and kept running. She jumped over fallen logs, pushed branches out of her face, nearly tripped over roots that’d grab her feet. She didn’t care. She felt something was close. Something was guiding her, pulling her into this direction. If she could just find what it was, she’d-

She skidded to a halt, her mouth falling open. A moment later, Ashley, out of breath and very annoyed, joined her. She opened her mouth to complain …and just kept her mouth open, in awe of what she saw. They had arrived in an open clearing, a field with beautiful flowers that only thrived in snowy environments. She looked up to the opening in the trees. The stars were out in full force this night, and the sky that was littered with sparkles and light reflected in her visor.

“It’s beautiful …” Ash exclaimed, a smile slowly growing on her face. “I’ve never seen so many flowers in my life.”

“Yeah …” Anne slowly walked over to the middle of the clearing. She felt a strong sense of familiarity. She felt …sadness. Confusion. A warmth. The sound of a buzzing core. From the deepest parts of her memories, she could hear a voice.

‘Momma is here. See? Momma is here.’

A gasp escaped Anne’s throat as a realization hit her. Was this …

“Ash, I think …I think I’ve been here with my birth parents when I was a baby.” Anne said softly.

No reaction.

“Ash?”

She turned around, and noticed that Ashley was staring at something. Her eyes were hollowed, and her expression was frozen in …terrified horror. With a cold feeling building up in her core, Anne slowly turned around, scanning around to locate the thing that her friend was looking at.

And froze when she saw it.

In the trees.

There was someone in the trees.

A yellow X.

A blue light.

There was a sound, like a buzzing that slowly reached its highest pitch.

A flash of blue.

Something flew across her, nearly hitting her. She could feel the heat on her cheek.

The air tasted of copper and electricity in her mouth.

She heard something – someone – hit the ground.

She spun around, and saw to her horror that Ash was squirming on the ground, clearly in pain.

“ASHLEY!” She ran over to her fallen friend. Ashley’s entire body was sparking, her visor was glitching and so was her voice. Her screams came out distorted and broken.

And then she fell silent, her visor black and empty.

“No-no-no! Wake up, Ash! Wake up!” Anne shook her friend, but there was no reaction. It was then that she realized that their attacker was still there. Anne didn’t think, she just needed to act. She needed to run. Get back to the train. Get help. NOW! She hoisted her friend of the ground and threw her onto her back.

She started to run, and screamed in surprise when a blast impacted not too far from her.

She needed to be faster.

She looked behind her. The figure had vanished from the trees. Where were they? Had they left?

And then she heard something above her, and a shadow passed under them.

Anne picked up the pace.

She needed to go faster.

She heard another charge building up.

Faster!

There was a flash.

Something hit her. She felt an excruciating pain travel through her entire body. She tripped and fell to the ground, dropping Ashely as well. Anne rolled on her back, squirming and cramping up. The pain was so much, she couldn’t even get herself to scream. Her interface showed her a warning.

[WARNING! SYSTEM OVERLOAD! SHUT-DOWN IMMENENT!]

Barely able to keep her eyes open, she saw a figure flying above her. A figure that was getting closer.

There was a thud, and an impact made the snow twirl around the figure.

They were very tall.

In their hand, they held a rifle or some sorts. Or …was it a rifle instead of a hand?

Their visor showed a large, yellow X.

Their mouth was stretched in a wide, sharp grin.

“Got you, creep!” The figure growled, and Anne realized that it was a woman.

Anne tried to say something, but she felt herself becoming weaker and weaker. It wouldn’t be long, and she’d be …

The unknown female Drone took a step forward, knelt down and grabbed Anne by her collar, pulling her closer to her face.

“Now, I give you one chance to tell me. What have you done with –?” The rest of the sentence was a horrified gasp. She released their grip, and Anne fell on her back with a groan. The woman’s visor changed. The yellow X blinked away, showing a pair of yellow eyes, looking at her with surprise and shock. Before Anne completely lost consciousness and darkness overtook her, she could hear the woman say one final thing.

A name.

“Anne?”

Her name.