#top cyber security companies

[marketstorm]

Cyber Security Services in UAE and other Gulf countries

[9summits]

Common Cyber Security Mistakes You Should Not Repeat In 2023

Have you got any mail from Pinchy Spider or Dark Halo? Because, we are pretty much sure you would not respond to the Nigerian orphan boy asking for medical donation, but these names are no safe either. 

These aren't the names of fictional superheroes from a Marvel or comic book; rather, they refer to recent hacks that have cost firms a lot of money in addition to downtime, compliance fines, lost customer confidence, negative ratings, and stolen data. Almost 73 percent of managed service providers indicated that at least one client had a security incident in the previous year in 2021, according to the experts at ConnectWise. As a result, this year's budget for cybersecurity has increased by 12.1 percent on average for MSPs and their clients.

You will be on the road to digital peace of mind if you can avoid some of the most typical cybersecurity business blunders. The experts of cyber security services can help you with customised solutions to safeguard your online assets. Let’s find out the most common mistakes you can avoid next year is you have the cyber security solutions installed - 

Believing it won’t happen to you

Don't believe that just because you run a small business, you are immune to cyber risks. Small firms are frequently the subject of more potent and sophisticated cyberthreats. Making an assault strategy is one of the safest steps you can take. Your system's shortcomings and vulnerabilities will start to become apparent. To secure your technology and data security, make a plan with the cyber security software in case an attack occurs and choose reputable data backup management before any issues exist.

Forgetting the basics

It's simple to begin thinking that the minor points pounded into technology safety discussions don't actually matter. Do you really need to create a unique password for each safe login and update them all frequently without using the same one twice? Why not limit yourself to one and make a note of it so you never forget? Both internal and external dangers will be minimised by practises like password security and only granting access when necessary. Make sure to lock down any company equipment and deny access to departed staff.

Having Untrained staff

Training every staff how to avoid internet threats like phishing scams and hazardous links may seem redundant, but doing so might save your company a lot of trouble. Both internal and external staff members should receive frequent training on safe procedures from the experts of one of the top cyber security companies such as clicking carefully, protecting against stolen devices, and acting immediately after an attack. Because infiltration has become more sophisticated and legitimate over time, it is not difficult to fool the untrained, unwary eye.

Trying to manage everything on your own

Sometimes, even the costliest antivirus software on the market is insufficient, and creating a cybersecurity strategy on your own won't produce entirely secure outcomes. If you want to completely safeguard your data, work with IT service providers who have the specialised knowledge, resources, and abilities to help you create a strong security policy and employee awareness plan. Cutting shortcuts here is not the best idea.

Not making the investment in proper monitoring services

Smaller companies frequently employ outdated systems with unpatched flaws. Cybercriminals have discovered easy targets since they still have very valuable data. Many small businesses choose to rely on technology rather than spend money on 24/7 monitoring systems, and many have suffered the price. By keeping an eye out for potential dangers, constantly updating the system, and being prepared to deal with security lapses as they occur, you can protect your data.

Contact:+91 91824 22566

Email: support@ninesummitstech.com

Website: https://ninesummitstech.com/

[hellguarded-moved]

// made lil tweaks to my criminal verse. at the very least i now know what ig actually does there

[trendingreportz]

Cyber Security Market - Forecast(2024 - 2030)

Cyber Security Market Overview

Cyber Security Marketsize is forecast to reach $360 billion by 2030, estimated to grow at a CAGR of 9.5% during 2024-2030. The increasing use of technology such as artificial intelligence, IoT, machine learning and so on are significantly driving the cybersecurity market. Furthermore, the increasing demand for cloud-based cybersecurity systems in order to reduce data loss are also enhancing the growth of the market. The rising demand for network and endpoint security, information technology security mobile security, behavioral detection is fueling the growth of the market during the forecast period. The telecom organizations are adopting advanced cyber security solutions such as real-time security monitoring, instant cyber posture visibility, and rapid threat resolution to prevent the cyber-attack on telecom networks. Along with the telecom sector, the aerospace industry is considered to be another key end-users to cyber security market. The aerospace and defense industry are prone to cyber-attack due to its continuous exposure to non-A&D, OT-based technologies.

Thus, this industry is adopting advanced cybersecurity solution to enhance protection against cybercrime. The rising need for solutions ranging from antivirus software, unified threat management system, next-generation firewalls, DNS filtering, malware protection and threat intelligence will drive the demand for cyber security. One prominent trend in the cyber security market is the increasing adoption of Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA). This approach challenges the traditional perimeter-based security model by assuming that threats can originate from both inside and outside the network. ZTA emphasizes strict identity verification and access controls, requiring continuous authentication and authorization for every user and device attempting to access resources. With the proliferation of cloud services, remote work, and mobile devices, organizations are realizing the limitations of perimeter defenses alone. As a result, they are turning to ZTA to bolster their defenses and mitigate the risks associated with insider threats, unauthorized access, and advanced persistent threats. 

The growing recognition of ZTA's effectiveness in enhancing security posture is driving significant investment in Zero Trust solutions across various industries. Another key trend shaping the cyber security market is the increasing integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) technologies for threat detection and response. As cyber threats become more sophisticated and prevalent, organizations are turning to AI-driven solutions to augment their security operations. AI and ML algorithms can analyze vast amounts of data in real-time, enabling early detection of anomalies, unusual patterns, and potential security breaches. These technologies empower security teams to identify and respond to threats more efficiently, reducing detection and response times. Moreover, AI-driven security solutions can automate repetitive tasks, freeing up security personnel to focus on more strategic initiatives. With the continuous evolution of cyber threats, the demand for AI-powered security tools and platforms is expected to grow, driving innovation and investment in the development of advanced threat detection and response capabilities.

Cyber Security Market Report Coverage

The report: “Cyber Security Market Forecast (2024-2030)”, by IndustryARC, covers an in-depth analysis of the following segments of the Cyber Security System Market.

By Component: Cyber Security Software, Cyber Security Hardware, Cyber Security Services.

By Deployment: On-Premise and Cloud.

By Security Type: Network & Endpoint Security, Internet of Things/Industrial Internet of Things Security, Threat Intelligence, Mobile Security, Behavioral Detection, Cloud Security, Deception Security and Others.

By Organization Size: SME, Large Enterprise.

By Solution: Antivirus, UTM, SIEM, DDOS Mitigation, Disaster Recovery, Firewall, DLP, Web Filtering, Threat Intelligence, IAM, Risk and Compliance Management, IDS, Encryption and Others.

By Industry Vertical: Aerospace, Government, Financial Services, Healthcare, Telecommunications, Automobile, Information Technology sector and others

By Geography: North America (U.S, Canada, Mexico), Europe(Germany, UK, France, Italy, Spain, Russia, Netherlands, Denmark and Others), APAC(China, Japan India, South Korea, Australia, Taiwan, Malaysia and Others), South America(Brazil, Argentina, Ecuador, Peru, Colombia, Costa Rica and others), and RoW (Middle east and Africa)

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Key Takeaways

• In 2023, the Cyber Security market was dominated by North America owing to the increasing use of prevalent technology which has raised the risk of cyber threat leading to the need for cybersecurity solutions.

• The rising demand for cloud-based cybersecurity solutions in order to store and secure data during data loss or data breaches has driven the growth of the market

• The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence leading to the introduction of technologies such as machine learning and deep learning which will enhance the growth of the market.

• The rising security threats due to the increasing use of Blockchain systems and IoT threats are making difficult to detect cyber-attacks which is hampering the market growth.

Cyber Security Market Segment Analysis – By Deployment

Cloud segment held the largest market share of 53.1% in the Cybersecurity market in 2023. The growing of massive store applications in order to store and secure data with advanced security methods are driving the need for cloud-based security solutions. As cloud-based cybersecurity solutions offers social networking privacy, online storage, system optimization and so on. Furthermore, the rising demand for online cloud storage leads to provide backup and restorations of data caused due to data breaches or data loss. These significant advantages of cloud technology will lead to surge the growth of the market.

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Cyber Security Market Segment Analysis - By Industry Vertical

The telecom sector is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 10.2% during the forecast period 2023-2030. The GSM Association (GSMA) predicted that quantum computing will be a destabilizer for the telecom sector, making Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) obsolete in the near future. Telecommunication companies are in plans of implementing quantum-safe cryptography algorithms to mitigate cyber-attacks. In order to control cyber-attacks, the European Union (EU) has introduced many regulations such as the Network and Information Security Directive (NISD) and the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR). NISD is yet to be implemented which requires core digital infrastructure operators and certain digital service providers to ensure that their network and information systems meet minimum standards of cybersecurity. These regulations are implemented to achieve and maintain high network security, and ensure obligatory reporting during any incidents.

Cyber Security Market Segment Analysis – By Geography

In 2023, North America dominated the Cyber Security market with a share of more than 40.2%, followed by Europe and APAC. The growing use of technology and data has led to the rise of most vulnerable cyber threats and crimes which is leading to the growth of this market in this region. Also, the financial stability in this region has allowed organization to invest in cybersecurity for providing security of data and software. These developments are propelling the growth of cybersecurity market in North America.

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Cyber Security Market Drivers

Rising importance Artificial Intelligence (AI)

The rising advancement in artificial intelligence is leading to the introduction of machine learning technologies into products which includes cybersecurity. Moreover, technologies such as deep learning are being used for face detection, natural language processing, threat detection, and others concepts. Also, the acceleration of artificial intelligence (AI) has led to the identification of new threats and helps in responding and block cyber-attacks in an organization. Hence, the deployment of artificial intelligence technologies will further drive the growth of the cybersecurity market.

Increasing need for Cybersecurity in Aerospace

Aerospace industry is widely developing with the integration of new technology such as advanced navigation and guidance systems. This system are used in airplanes which are highly vulnerable to cyber-attacks, which have irrevocable repercussions. So, the rising risk of cyber-attacks and the increasing need to protect the computer networks in the air are leading to the rise of investment in the security infrastructure. Thus, the rising investment by aerospace industry in the security infrastructure has led to the requirement of cybersecurity further boosting the growth of the market.

Cyber Security Market Challenges

Revolution of Blockchain and IoT Threats

The rising demand for Blockchain systems has made it difficult to predict the rising cyber threats which is hindering the cybersecurity market. Furthermore, the increasing usage of IoT has led to the growing number of IoT threats, as IoT includes the connection of physical devices which have a unique identifier (UID). These devices has the ability to transfer data over a network without any human interference and human to computer interaction. Thus, the software and firmware which are required to run these IoT devices make the user more susceptible to cyber-attacks further hindering the growth of the market.

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Cyber Security Market Landscape

Technology launches, acquisitions and R&D activities are key strategies adopted by players in the Cyber Security market. In 2023, the market of Cyber Security has been consolidated by the major players – AWS, Check Point Software Technologies, NTT Security, Cisco Systems, CyberArk, FireEye, IBM Corporation, Oracle, Microsoft and Juniper Networks.

Acquisitions/Technology Launches

In December 2023, Multinational conglomerate Honeywell has agreed to buy Carrier’s Global Access Solutions business for $4.95 billion in cash. The acquisition will strengthen Honeywell’s core security offerings with the addition of hardware and software properties

In Nov 2023, US-based data security company Rubrik has launched Ruby, its generative AI extension for Rubrik Security Cloud, which will speed up cyber threat detection, recovery and resilience. In response to data risk alerts generated in Rubrik Security Cloud, users can interact with Ruby, the company's AI assistant, ask follow-up questions including whether any sensitive data was impacted, or what needs to be done to restore the environment. 

[i4technolab]

Lead management is the second critical aspect for any business while first is the lead generation. As this decides the fate of your business, leveraging the right tools is mandatory to optimize your lead generation process.

To greatly deal with marketing and sales processes, several clients prefer to go with Custom Outlook Add-in development.

In this blog, we will look at the eleven best Outlook add-ins designed to revolutionize your lead generation approach and take your business to the next level. From simplifying contact management to improving email tracking and seamlessly integrating with CRM systems, these add-ins will transform the way you handle and nurture your leads.

Let's explore the perfect combination of Outlook add-ins to supercharge your lead management efforts.

[planikumar]

Top cyber security Company In India

Data security involves addressing susceptibility affecting your operating systems and network, including servers and hosts, firewalls and wireless access points, and network protocols.

[employvision]

The Significance of Generating and Sustaining Talent Pipelines

Talent pipelines are the foundation of any IT Talent Acquisition. They are the pipelines that connect what you have to offer with the people who need it. Talent pipelines are often overlooked in organizations because they seem so basic and simple, but talent pipelines can make or break an organization.

[cyberoctet]

Web Application Penetration Testing Company in Ahmedabad | Cyber Octet

Cyber Octet is the best Web Application Penetration Testing Company in Ahmedabad. We find the gaps in your security system & fix them.

[sheep-from-rad]

Weird Update (SAGAU x Reader) Note: It’s February, finally. It’s my allergy season. Also my internship started this month. It will take a while for me to tackle my inbox so please, be kind with me. Post Note: Pain is having to look back at your old writings because you forgot your tag list :D

Warnings: Cyber attack mention (not against reader)  <Masterlist 1> — <Masterlist 2> 

“Still unavailable” 

You glared at the display on your screen. It was the loading screen door but it was hidden behind a red filter (the same one you see when all your characters die in battle) that says ‘Game Still unavailable’ together with a timer that says ‘--:--:--:--’. Guess more rest for your device and more time for you to play or consume other media. Recently, there has been an influx of spammers and hackers entering the game and it is causing most of the players to close their world join requests. Hoyolab comments are spammed with ‘free freemogems’ and some even lost their account.  

You’re one of the smart players to have their accounts secured and immediately kicks off weird players but it seems like the company itself had enough. With the leaker hunt decree and the amount of spammers and scammers, it seems that the only solution is to lock the game and weed out the bad accounts one by one. 15 hours later, the game is still on lockdown. You hope to get at least a nice amount of primogems to get the characters that you want for the next banner. 

You stood up and about to leave your device when you noticed the movement on the screen. The game is now back to the original starting screen like the long lockdown didn’t happen. You entered the game without thinking much and you were greeted by your main standing in front of the Windrise Tree…except it was more…alive? 

There are birds perching at the top of the branches, the researcher that used to just wander under the tree seemed to be taking a break on top of one of the tree’s roots, the water on the small river seemed to be more realistic, and you swear you just saw Godwin passed by while kicking a rock. And the pov that is normally in third person is now in first person. Was the lockdown…an update? 

You went to check the notes left by the developers but there’s nothing new aside from the upcoming banners. A part of you is worried that this weird update might eat your device’s battery fast but the other part of yourself that beckons you to explore the changes immediately was bigger. You teleport your main to the city of Mondstadt and immediately fly up to Venti’s statue. The view of the night sky looks more awake with the stars above twinkling, maybe it’s a good time for a wish? 

You changed the time setting, made your character sit down on the statue (which is weird but also awesome to see because it’s now in first person) and opened the wish banner. You contemplated on wishing on the event banner but the next banner is really the character that you want so you went towards the permanent banner instead. 

Deep breath. Fingers crossed. Eyes closed. You made a wish. 

..

..

..

.. 

“WAIT?! WHAT THE HELLL”

The ground collapsed from below and you found yourself falling. Nor really falling, more like being directed to a certain direction but you’re in the air and have no control of your body. You found yourself falling from a great height surrounded by bright golden light. What happened to your home and where are you falling? All that you remember was tapping and making a wish- 

Making a wish. It’s impossible right? You didn’t accidentally isekai-d yourself a wish right? You let out a scream as the ground started getting closer. Having no control, you just closed your eyes and hoped for the best and the ground didn’t hit. “Did you know how many wishes it took for me to have you?” 

You found yourself being placed down on the statue’s hand and eyes to eyes with the traveler. “Now that you’re here, Paimon thinks it’s time for real adventure!”

Taglists: @tinandabin @chihawari @uchihaeirin @eccedentesiast-sapphic @zuri-feather

[mariacallous]

French prosecutors gave preliminary information in a press release on Monday about the investigation into Telegram CEO Pavel Durov, who was arrested suddenly on Saturday at Paris’ Le Bourget airport. Durov has not yet been charged with any crime, but officials said that he is being held as part of an investigation “against person unnamed” and can be held in police custody until Wednesday.

The investigation began on July 8 and involves wide-ranging charges related to alleged money laundering, violations related to import and export of encryption tools, refusal to cooperate with law enforcement, and “complicity” in drug trafficking, possession and distribution of child pornography, and more.

The investigation was initiated by “Section J3” cybercrime prosecutors and has involved collaboration with France’s Centre for the Fight against Cybercrime (C3N) and Anti-Fraud National Office (ONAF), according to the press release. “It is within this procedural framework in which Pavel Durov was questioned by the investigators,” Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau wrote in the statement.

Telegram did not respond to multiple requests for comment about the investigation but asserted in a statement posted to the company's news channel on Sunday that Durov has “nothing to hide.”

“Given the existence of several preliminary investigations in France concerning Telegram in relation to the protection of minors' rights and in cooperation with other French investigation units—for instance, on cyber harassment—the arrest of Durov, does not seem to me like a highly exceptional move,” says Cannelle Lavite, a French lawyer who specializes in free-speech matters.

Lavite notes that Durov is a French citizen who was arrested in French territory with an arrest warrant issued by French judges. She adds that the list of charges involved in the investigation is “extensive,” a wide net that she says is not entirely surprising in the context of “France's ambiguous legislative arsenal” meant to balance content moderation and free speech.

Durov is a controversial figure for his leadership of Telegram, in large part because he has not typically cooperated with calls to moderate the platform's content. In some ways, this has positioned him as a free-speech defender against government censorship, but it has also made Telegram a haven for hate speech, criminal activity, and abuse. Additionally, the platform is often billed as a secure communication tool, but much of it is open and accessible by default.

“Telegram is not primarily an encrypted messenger; most people use it almost as a social network, and they’re not using any of its features that have end-to-end encryption,” says John Scott-Railton, senior researcher at Citizen Lab. “The implication there is that Telegram has a wide range of abilities and access to potentially do content moderation and respond to lawful requests. This puts Pavel Durov very much in the center of all kinds of potential governmental pressure.”

On top of all of this, many researchers have questioned whether Telegram's end-to-end encryption is durable when users do elect to enable it.

French president Emmanuel Macron said in a social media post on Monday that “France is deeply committed to freedom of expression and communication … The arrest of the president of Telegram on French soil took place as part of an ongoing judicial investigation. It is in no way a political decision.”

News of Durov's arrest is fueling concerns, though, that the move could threaten Telegram's stability and undermine the platform. The case seems poised, too, to have implications in long-standing debates around the world about social media moderation, government influence, and use of privacy-preserving end-to-end encryption.

Lavite says the case certainly invokes debates about “the balance between the right to encrypted communication and free speech on the one hand, and users' protection—content moderation—on the other hand.” But she notes that there is a lot of information about the investigation that is unknown and “a lot of blurry zones still.”

On Monday afternoon, Telegram seemed to be receiving a download boost from the situation, moving from 18th to 8th place in Apple's US App Store apps ranking. Global iOS downloads were up by 4 percent, and in France the app was number one in the App Store social network category and number three overall.

[clarepreed]

Lazarus Sleeps

Story Summary and Content - 5,821 words. Bad news and a worse mistake. Choking, on-site resuscitation, Time of Death called.

Previous installment: Heart-to-Heart

--

Larissa

“What are we having for lunch?” Larissa stepped up behind Mitchell’s chair, slipping her arms loosely around his shoulders and planting a kiss on the top of his head.

He sat down his papers and reached up to grasp her arms, his thumbs smoothing her skin. She felt him trace the scar on her arm. The sensation was cold and tingly, with a prickle up near her elbow. She kissed his hair again.

“I hope you don’t mind that I ordered without asking you first. I wanted to surprise you.” He turned, gently pulling Larissa around and down into his lap. His arms went around her waist.

“Ooh,” Larissa giggled, tipping her head back. “I like surprises.”

Mitchell kissed her neck, inhaling the herbal scent of her shampoo. He needed to shave; his stubble rasped on the delicate skin of her throat, making her squirm.

“What are we having?” Larissa asked, leaning back. “Or do I need to wait until it gets here?”

Mitchell chuckled. “Nigiri.”

“Ohhh,” Larissa moaned. “You know the way to my heart is my stomach. Which restaurant?”

“Itō.”

Larissa shot her eyebrows up toward her hairline. “They deliver?”

“This is the first day they are offering delivery. I’ve been following them on Instagram.” He reached up and tweaked Larissa’s nose. “I know, I’m the oldest person you know on Instagram. That’s what Mark tells me, anyway.”

Larissa rolled her eyes at him. “That can’t possibly be true. Besides, Mark is one to talk. He’s the same age as you, and didn’t IT have to uninstall TikTok from his phone for security reasons?”

“They asked him to, yes. IT and the cyber security firm recommended it. The board was neutral, since we aren’t public. Our Chinese clients assured me they weren’t offended by our new company policy.” He laughed. “Mark was disappointed.”

A rap at the door drew Larissa’s attention. “The doorman let them up this time?”

“I called down and gave him a heads up.” Mitchell sat Larissa on her feet. “I’ll get it.”

While he was answering the door, Larissa’s phone rang in her back pocket. She glanced at her watch, saw the name of one of the company’s lawyers. On the table, Mitchell’s phone started to ring. Another one of the company’s lawyers.

“Honey?” She called out. “The lawyers are calling us. Something must be going on…”

“What was that?” he called back.

Larissa answered the phone, pressing it to her ear. “Larissa speaking.”

“Larissa. It’s Grace.”

“Good afternoon… How may I help you?”

“Listen, Larissa. I have news. Is Mitchell with you?”

Larissa eased herself down into Mitchell’s empty seat. “He’s in the apartment, but he’s… Oh, here he comes.”

Mitchell closed the door, takeout containers in hand. He raised his eyebrows at her, and she shrugged.

“Do you mind putting me on speaker?” Grace asked. “George tried to call him but he didn’t answer.”

“Um, sure,” Larissa sat the phone on the table and pressed the “speaker” button. “Mitchell, Grace is on the phone and wants to speak with us. Grace, you’re on speaker.”

“Grace, it’s Mitchell. What’s going on?” He sat the food containers on the table and leaned over the phone, his hands pressing flat on the table’s surface.”

“It’s about Benjamin Miller.”

Ben Miller.

Larissa’s throat tightened. She cleared it, felt Mitchell’s eyes on her.

“Go on,” he said calmly.

“He’s been released from prison. Three days ago.”

A short film flicked through her mind, frame by frame. Cinnamon candies on her desk and on her bed. Ben Miller’s face when he forced his way into her room. His snarl as he choked the life out of her.

“What?” Mitchell’s voice was flat and unusually calm. “I thought he had another two years.”

“Apparently, he was released on good behavior due to overcrowding. He’s on probation. We just found out, but we are working on a restraining order—”

“Has Security been informed?” Again, that unnatural calm from Mitchell. Larissa forced herself to take a deep breath and let it out through pursed lips. Her hands were shaking, so she clasped them together in her lap.

“Security is aware, and George is calling the other C-levels right now.”

“Okay. Is there anything else I need to know?” Mitchell pressed his hands so hard into the surface of the table that his skin went splotchy.

“No, sir. But we will call you if anything comes up.”

“Thank you, Grace.”

“Of course, Mitchell. Larissa.” There was a sigh. “I think it’s bullshit. I’m so sorry.”

“Thank you. I’m going to go now, Grace. Goodbye.”

“Bye.”

The line disconnected and Mitchell and Larissa lapsed into silence.

After a moment, Larissa reached out toward the takeout bags. She unpacked everything methodically, and then rose, headed for the kitchen.

“Larissa?” Mitchell sounded tentative.

“What would you like to drink?” Her throat was still tight, and she cleared her throat. “I’m having water.”

“I still have coffee; I don’t need anything. Thank you.” A long pause. “Are you okay? Because I’m not okay…”

“I think I would like to have a nice lunch before we unpack the information we just got,” Larissa said. She listened to herself, heard how hoarse she was. Clearing her throat, she took a sip of her water before walking back to the table.

Mitchell stared at her, pale aside from two blotches of color on his cheeks. She offered him a wobbly smile. 

“We will be okay for a half hour,” she said. 

Mitchell walked back over to the door, checked the locks. When he joined her again at the table, she thought he looked a little calmer. “You’re right,” he murmured.

They ate in near silence, their earlier light mood extinguished.

“This is great,” Larissa said. Her hands were shaking again. “It’s almost as good as eating there in front of the chef.”

“Yes…” Mitchell glanced at her, then put his chopsticks down. “Larissa…”

Her eyes were tearing up. Larissa cleared her throat yet again and shook her head. She deftly captured a piece of nigiri with her chopsticks, popped it in her mouth. Normally, she would bite these in half, even though that wasn’t how it was to be eaten traditionally.

But in this moment, distracted, she defaulted to her younger, healthier mindset. Simultaneously, the dam inside broke.

Tears rolled down her cheeks, and her shoulders trembled. She exhaled through her nose, making a sound that was almost a sob. Then the fatal mistake: she sucked in air, pulling the partially chewed bite of sticky rice and fish deep into her airway.

Her reaction was instant, as the vinegar and wasabi burned both up into her sinuses and down into her lungs. She gagged, dropped her chopsticks. Her chair tipped over, clattering behind her as she lurched to her feet. When she looked up, Mitchell had leaped to his feet and was reaching for her, her fear reflected in his own eyes.

“Larissa! Are you choking?!” 

Larissa tried reflexively to move air, felt her eyes bulge and her heart rate surge. A clicking sound emerged from her straining mouth. Mitchell pulled her toward him, spun her around. She felt his arms come around her.

“I’ve got you, you’re okay!” Mitchell’s voice distorted with desperation, and he dug his fist into her navel hard, jerking her body back and up. Larissa felt the pressure increase, pushing against what felt like a ball of cement stopping her from breathing.

The ball of food didn’t bulge, and Mitchell yanked again, grunting. “Come on!”

Tears streamed down her cheeks; her nose ran. He thrusted his fist up toward her diaphragm three more times, both of them becoming exponentially more distressed as time passed. Her body rocked with each thrust of his fist, but she still couldn’t breathe. 

Mitchell moved closer behind her, bending her over the table and wrapping his arm across her chest. Then he reached for his phone, sliding it closer. Her eyes blurred with tears, and she briefly clutched at his arm before reaching for her throat.

“I’m calling 9-1-1, Larissa!” He must have put the phone on speaker, because she heard it ringing. Then the heel of his hand came down hard between her shoulder blades.

Flashing lights filled the air. Her hearing cut in and out. Mitchell was talking, but she couldn’t understand him. Her body lurched forward a total of five times before he wrapped his arms around her waist again. 

Darkness was already gathering in the corners of her eyes. Mitchell jerked hard on her abdomen again and again.

Her knees buckled. She felt him fight to keep her upright, heard him shouting in her ear.

Mitchell lowered her to the floor, cupping her skull as he laid her flat. The pressure in her chest and face continued to build as Mitchell’s own terrified face floated above hers.

Love. I love….

A mule kick to the chest, then—Nothing.

Mitchell

“No, no, no, Larissa, stay awake!” Her body sagged limp in his arms. He tried to give her another abdominal thrust, but her weight hung limp, impeding his efforts. 

“I need an ambulance here now!” he shouted toward his phone as he lowered her to the floor. “No, baby, don’t go, please… Shit, not like this…”

He leaned over her, took in her dark, gray-red face, her blueing lips. Her eyes were open, unfocused but moving. They shifted to his face.

“I love you,” he blurted, his hands on her face and tears burning his eyes. Her gaze drifted. Her chest suddenly jerked as though her ICD had shocked her, making her head nod. 

As he watched, the tension eased out of her body. Her eyes closed.

Mitchell sucked in a shocked breath, then turned her face toward the ceiling, tipping her head back. He leaned his ear close to her mouth. A tear ran down to the side of his nose, dripped onto her face. 

“Sir?” The operator called out.

Mitchell opened her mouth, plunging two fingers all the way to the back of her throat. The gesture would have hurt her if she’d been conscious, his hand forcing her jaw wide. He couldn’t feel the obstruction.

“She’s lost consciousness, she isn’t breathing, I can’t feel anything in her mouth…” Dragging in a breath that was almost a sob, Mitchell took his position over her chest, clasping his hands together and starting deep and fast chest compressions. “I’m starting CPR now. One, two, three…”

“The ambulance is two minutes from your location. How will EMS get in?”

“…four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten. The doorman will let them up. I will unlock the door… Fuck!” Mitchell stopped compressions, launched himself to his feet and sprinted to the door. He unlocked it and flipped the security latch to keep the door from locking. Then he ran back to Larissa, landing hard on his knees and immediately resuming chest compressions.

“They can get in! One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten! One, two…” There was no quiet huff of air between her lips as he pumped her chest. A few more errant tears ran down her cheeks, dislodged by his thrusts to the lower third of her sternum. Her belly distended. Every second that passed, her skin turned more ashen, her lips purple.

“Sir, go ahead and check her mouth for the obstruction. Chest compressions may dislodge it.”

Mitchell stopped compressions and grasped Larissa’s jaw, looking inside her mouth. He tipped her head back, but he couldn’t see anything. When he started chest compressions again, he noticed that he still couldn’t hear the air being forced from her lungs. “I can’t see it! I think it’s still blocking her airway! One, two, three, four, five, six, seven…”

Oh, God, not like this. This is her worst nightmare! Her life can’t end like this, it can’t, it can’t, it can’t…

Mitchell started to cry as he continued to beat her heart for her. He felt the way her ribcage flexed under his hands, forcing her blood to pump and pressure to hopefully expel the fish she’d inhaled. His tears dripped onto her shirt.

“…nine, ten! One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten! One, two…”

Come back, baby! Come back! We live so fucking close to the hospital; you can’t die in our home like this!

“Sir? Mitchell? The ambulance has arrived.”

“Do you hear that, baby? HANG ON, LARISSA! Cough it up! One, two…”

“They’ve been given access to the cargo elevator. Stay on the line until they are in the condo with you.”

“One, two, three, four, five, six…” He was hurting her now, felt something in the structure of her ribcage give way beneath his hands. “…seven, eight, nine, ten! One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten! One, two…”

He heard the gurney wheels rattle in the hall. 

“…three, four, five—”

“Mitchell Anders?” a woman called out, a knock sounding simultaneously. They pushed the door open before he could respond.

“…two, three, four, five…”

“Sir, Mitchell, we are from Express EMS. Thank you, we can take over now. Can you tell me what happened? I’m Amber.”

Mitchell crawled to the side, then used their dining table to pull himself to his feet. He was sweating and breathing hard as he grabbed his phone. The crew consisted of four paramedics. One stood beside him, tablet in hand. Another unpacked equipment. A third was taking Larissa’s pulse while the fourth assembled an ambu bag and tipped her head back.

“Sir?” The woman standing next to him asked. The medic with the mask squeezed the bulb, readjusted the mask and her airway before trying again.

“Looking for an obstruction,” the man said, opening Larissa’s mouth and reaching toward his airway kit. “Can’t get any air into her.”

“She has no pulse,” the young woman with her fingers pressed to Larissa’s neck and wrist said. “Starting chest compressions.”

“She choked…” Mitchell said, watching as the young woman forced her body weight into Larissa’s sternum. “Larissa… I couldn’t get it out with the Heimlich or back blows. She lost… consciousness, I started CPR…”

“Mitchell, if EMS has arrived, I will disconnect.” 

“They’re here,” he said. He was starting to feel numb. A tall man cut off Larissa’s shirt and bra, working around the young woman as she performed chest compressions. Then he snipped the waistband of her leggings. Larissa’s heavy, natural breasts spilled out when her bra parted, quaking with each forceful thrust. Her stomach rolled in waves of displaced force.

Meanwhile, the medic with the mask had inserted a laryngoscope into Larissa’s throat. 

“We’re going to take good care of your wife, sir. I’m running the scene and I’ll keep you as informed as I can.” Amber moved away from him, crouching next to Larissa. “Patient’s name is Larissa. She choked on food. Her husband performed abdominal thrusts and back blows, and when she lost consciousness, he started chest compressions.”

“I can’t see the object. I’m going to try suction.”

The paramedic who’d cut off Larissa’s clothing applied large white defibrillator pads and connected them to a monitor. Immediately, a loud, bleeping alarm filled the space.

“Patient is asystolic at twelve fifteen PM. Wallace, I want an IV started, fluids and one milligram epinephrine. I’ll get her blood pressure. Wallace and Greg, first person at a stopping point switches with Lola.” 

Mitchell sagged down into one of his dining chairs. Asystolic. Nothing to shock. We’ve been through this enough times to know what that means.

He watched as Greg cut off the end of an endotracheal tube and slid it down the length of the laryngoscope blade. He removed the laryngoscope and set it to the side. “Connecting the aspirator and starting suction.”

A low rumble sound kicked on, underneath the screaming alarm indicating that Larissa’s heart had no electrical activity. Mitchell heard a sucking sound, and then the medic said: “Got it! Partially chewed mass of… fish and rice?”

The offending matter was deposited on the wrapper from the ET kit. The medic quickly extubated her and slid around to the side, his hands slipping into place for Lola. Lola picked up the bag valve mask and pressed it to Larissa’s face, opening her airway and waiting until Greg paused compressions.

She squeezed the bag twice. “She’s getting air now.” Mitchell watched as she picked up a short, curved airway and held it to the side of Larissa’s face.

Greg resumed compressions, forcing Larissa’s breastbone down toward her heart. Lola slid the airway between Larissa’s lips and then turned it one hundred eighty degrees, letting the flange rest on her teeth.

“Get her on oxygen,” Amber said. “We need to get her sat up. Wallace, I want you to push vasopressin now. Rhythm check in thirty seconds, more epinephrine in ninety.” 

Mitchell watched the medics perform two more cycles of CPR before Amber called out: “Pause compressions, rhythm check…”

There was a whoosh as Lola squeezed the bag.

“Still asystolic. That’s two minutes. Check again in two, push a milligram of epi in one. At the next analysis, I want Wallace and Greg to switch positions. Hook that on the back of this chair, Wallace.” Amber rose, taking a saline bag from Wallace and hooking it to the back of another dining chair.

All of the red had drained from Larissa’s skin, leaving behind only blanched white, sickly gray, and ice blue.

“Mitchell,” Amber said. He looked over at her, his mind too blown to respond verbally. “Is there anyone you can call?”

Mitchell blinked, looked over at Larissa. Nothing had changed. She still received hard, deep, fast chest compressions, thirty at a time. The alarm was still sounding its death knell. He looked down at his phone. “Brother…”

“Go ahead and reach out to him, okay? You need somebody.” Then she used a stylus to mark something on the tablet. “Wallace, push that epi. Sixty until analysis.”

Mitchell unlocked his phone screen, opened his messaging app. He had a group chat with Samuel and Mark; he tapped the group, then stared down at his phone for several long, indecisive seconds.

More than seconds; somehow, an entire minute passed. Wallace and Greg were switching positions, and Amber was calling out instructions again. 

“Alright. That’s four minutes confirmed asystole. In two minutes, we will analyze again, Lola and Wallace will switch, and Greg will administer one milligram epi.”

911, Mitchell typed. My condo. Need you.

“One, two, three, four, five…” Wallace’s big gloved hands pumped up and down beneath the weight of his shoulders. The force traveled up Larissa’s neck, down her arms, into her stomach, and along the length of her legs.

In an Uber, redirecting but it’ll take time. I’m coming what’s wrong? From Samuel.

B there n 7, Mark sent.

Mitchell cradled the phone in his hands. 

“Her O2 sat is still too low. Lola, go ahead and intubate.” Lola lifted the mask and pulled the airway out from between Larissa’s teeth.

Driver says be there in 14. Samuel.

A fresh ET kit was opened, and Mitchell looked up from his phone again to watch as Lola slid the laryngoscope blade down Larissa’s throat. An uncut endotracheal tube followed shortly. He watched Amber listen to Larissa’s breath sounds as Lola squeezed the bag, and his heart constricted.

Unbidden, the night she’d given him the stethoscope rose to mind. She’d been pale, still recovering from her seizure and the cut in her arm. But she’d also been so powerful, capturing him with the beat of her heart.

A heart that had stopped beating and might never beat again.

The medic secured the tube with tape and fastened a c-collar around Larissa’s neck. She connected the oxygen, then started squeezing the bag continuously.

“Alright. Analysis in three, two, pause compressions.” Even Mitchell could see the fuzzy straight line that appeared across the monitor when compressions were halted. “Six minutes asystolic. Lola and Wallace switch; Greg get me that epi. Lola, I’m going to start the metronome.”

Amber pressed a button and silenced the warbling alarm. Then she pressed another, and a regular beeping started, marking the correct pace of compressions.

“Mitchell?” she asked. “Any luck?”

“They’re coming,” he forced out. He felt heavy, as though he were holding back the inevitable tsunami of grief.

“Wallace, slow down ventilations, we don’t want to hyperventilate her.” She looked at the monitor. “Oxygen saturation is improving.”

Mitchell looked at Larissa, scanning her body for any changes. He couldn’t see any improvement with his eyes. She just laid there, for all intents and purposes gone, while the medics pumped her heart and forced air into her lungs. 

Can you tell us anything? Samuel again. Worried for you, bud. Is Larissa okay?

No, he thought. I think she might be dead. This feels even worse this time.

He couldn’t make himself type that out, so he sent: She’s not OK.

“Thirty seconds until analysis. Greg and Lola will switch. Ninety seconds to the next dose of epinephrine. Blood pressure is ninety over sixty. O2 at ninety and rising. Analysis in three, two, one. Pause compressions.” The alarm unmuted itself. “Eight minutes asystolic. Good switch, Greg and Lola. Lola, epi in one minute.”

Greg kneeled next to Larissa, one knee on the floor, one knee planted by her head. He hammered into her mercilessly. Even with Greg’s hands there, Mitchell could see the redness and bruising spreading between her breasts.

Amber pressed her fingers to Larissa’s femoral pulse point. “Good pulse with compressions. Next analysis I want Wallace and Greg to switch. Wallace, slow down that pace, you’re still ventilating too fast.”

4 minutes! Mark.

“Administering epinephrine,” Lola said, and Amber made a note with her stylus.

“Sixty seconds until the next analysis.”

The old, familiar headache sank its claws into Mitchell’s skull. He sat his phone on the table and reached up to rub his temples. 

Breathe, honey. Larissa’s voice, a memory. A cruel trick.

Still, he made himself take a few deep breaths, letting them out slowly.

“Pause compressions. Okay, that’s ten minutes asystolic. Confirm with a pulse check and then Wallace and Greg will switch. At the next analysis, I want Wallace and Lola to switch.”

Mitchell scooped up his phone, unlocked it decisively, and typed out: I think she might be dead. I just needed someone to know.

Seconds later, Samuel sent: Can I call you?

“No pulse, resume compressions.”

No, I’m in here with the paramedics.

Mark will be there soon, buddy.

She doesn’t have a heart rhythm at all. They can’t shock her. She’s been like that since they got here. A fresh wave of tears spilled down Mitchell’s cheeks. She choked. I tried to help her.

Just breathe, please.

More than 10 minutes

I’m in the elevator. That was from Mark.

Door’s open

Mitchell could hear a huffing noise now with each compression. Useless proof of her cleared airway.

“Suctioning,” he heard Greg say, before the machine kicked on with a low rumble and a slurping sound.

“Analysis in thirty seconds.”

The door swung open. Mitchell looked up, saw Mark’s eyes land on Larissa sprawled half-naked on the floor. He could almost see the scene through Mark’s eyes: Larissa, skin milk white. Hair tangled under her body. Chest bruised. Hooked up to a monitor and an IV. Her breasts wobbling and stomach rippling each time Wallace’s hands forced her sternum down and let it recoil.

“Pause compressions… Still asystolic. That’s twelve minutes. Lola, you’re on her chest. I’ll administer the epinephrine, Wallace, you take a minute to breathe.”

Mark looked from Larissa to the scattered equipment to the half-eaten takeout to Mitchell, and then he hurried around the paramedics to Mitchell’s side. He dragged a chair next to the one Mitchell was in and sat down heavily.

“Mitchell, what…”

“I tried, Mark. I tried. I tried…” Mitchell’s entire body began to shake.

“I know you did, I know…” Mark grabbed Mitchell by the shoulders and pulled him in for a hug. 

Mitchell let him, shuddering in the other man’s embrace for a full two minutes until he heard Amber say: “Pause compressions. Pulse check.”

“No pulse,” Wallace said.

“Fourteen minutes asystolic. In two minutes, we go again, only Greg and Lola will switch.

“How long will they try?” Mark whispered.

“I don’t know.” Mitchell felt his watch buzz, glanced down. 

Is Mark there? I’ll be there in 7.

He found his phone again, typed out: Yes

When he set his phone down on the table, he spotted one of Larissa’s bracelets close by. Made of clear acrylic, it was filled with an assortment of dried flowers suspended in the middle. He picked it up, ran his fingers over the smooth, cool material.

“Come on, Larissa,” he heard Mark whisper.

“I can’t…” Mitchell gripped the bracelet hard. “Not like this, Mark. She was so scared…”

Mark wiped his eyes, nodded.

Sitting in the chair made Mitchell feel like he was participating in some kind of macabre resuscitation performance, with his beloved as the subject. But he felt unwell enough that he was afraid to get up. He didn’t want to also become a patient and distract them from Larissa.

So he continued to watch, and time passed. They hit sixteen minutes with Larissa’s heart not even trying to beat. Then eighteen.

“Lola, now you’re hyperventilating her. Everyone… it’s the tenth compression, on the recoil. You’re going almost twice as fast.” 

Mitchell watched Greg the medic’s shoulders bob up and down. If he concentrated, he could avoid looking at Greg’s hands, which meant looking at the way they compressed her chest, forcing her ribcage down and her stomach up. 

He wasn’t concentrating.

“Analysis in thirty seconds. Wallace, you’ll switch with Greg. Keep up compressions until then.”

Mark reached over and took Mitchell’s hand. “That last text, I don’t think you saw it. Samuel will be here in three minutes.”

“Alright, on this analysis I want a full ten seconds of pulse check, all three of you. I’ll be watching the monitor. Analysis in three, two, one…”

Everything stopped. Amber watched the monitor, while the other three pressed their fingers into Larissa’s neck, wrist, and groin. Mitchell stared at her face. Slack, lips open, tube protruding from between her teeth. Her eyelids shuttered.

The ten seconds crawled by.

“Alright. Asystole for twenty minutes. Wallace on compressions. Continue compressions and respirations until I give further instructions. Greg, get her pressure for me.” Amber stood, shook out her legs, and walked over to Mitchell. He watched her carefully pick up the chair with the IV bag attached and move it in front of him. 

The pit of his stomach seemed far, far away as his heart sank.

When she sat, Mitchell said: “I don’t want to hear what you’re about to tell me.” Mark squeezed his hand.

“Mitchell, we have been monitoring Larissa for twenty minutes. During this time, she has had no measurable heart rhythm.”

“You’re going to call time of death.” He tried not to make it sound like an accusation, but it came out like that anyway. “You’re going to tell me my wife is dead.”

“Paramedics can’t call time of death in this state,” she said. Her voice was gentle. “What I do is call our physician and explain the situation, as well as all lifesaving procedures we have tried. The physician then makes the decision. In this case, the decision would be made based on the lack of electrical activity for over twenty minutes. This is standard procedure based on likelihood of recovery.”

She swallowed hard, glanced down at the floor for a few seconds before looking Mitchell in the eyes. “I believe that he will pronounce her dead. I’m so sorry.”

Mark made a noise, his grip on Mitchell’s hand like a vice. Mitchell, on the other hand, went completely cold and still.

“After time of death is called, we will stop all life-saving maneuvers. The law mandates that we monitor her for ten minutes to be absolutely certain there are no signs of life. Then we will extubate her, remove her from the monitor, and disconnect the IV. You will be able to spend time with Larissa before we transport her.”

“She’s been resuscitated for longer before,” Mark protested. “Shit, they both have.”

The paramedic blinked at him, but she recovered quickly. “In this case it is solely because she has not had any electrical heart rhythm for over twenty minutes.”

“I understand.” Mitchell forced the words out from between numb lips.

“What is her full name, sir?”

“Larissa Marie Anders-Colton.”

“Thank you, Mitchell.”

The door opened again, and the paramedic got up from the chair, pulling her phone from her pocket as she kneeled beside Larissa. Mitchell thought it was strange, watching the other medics continue CPR as though nothing had changed, even though he knew at this point they were just satisfying procedures.

Then Samuel was with them, too loud as he asked: “What’s going on? Mark?”

“They’re calling a doctor.” Mark swallowed hard, trying to hold back tears. “The doctor is going to pronounce Larissa dead.”

Samuel sat down heavily in the chair the paramedic abandoned. Behind him, Amber silenced the alarm.

“This is paramedic Amber Choi with Express, unit eleven A, badge number one-one-five.”

The phone wasn’t on speaker, but the volume was loud enough that Mitchell heard the response: “This is Doctor Frank Smith… Okay, I found your credentials. What do you have for me?”

“Female patient, Larissa Anders-Colton, choked on food. Husband performed abdominal thrusts and back blows, but the patient lost consciousness. He was performing CPR when we arrived. We were able to remove the obstruction, but she has been asystolic since we hooked her to the monitor. That was… almost twenty-six minutes ago.”

“Okay. Confirming there has been no pulse or measurable heart rhythm since you arrived, for more than twenty minutes.”

“That’s confirmed, doctor.”

Several seconds of silence passed, then Mitchell heard: “Time of death, twelve forty-two PM.”

That was that. Larissa’s bracelet slipped from his fingers.

Mitchell didn’t hear anything else. Or see anything else. His vision went white, and there was a great roaring in his ears.

He didn’t think he completely lost consciousness. He was aware of his body in the white space; felt himself go limp and tip forward. Mark and Samuel caught him, lowered him to the floor. He felt someone open his airway, fingers press into his neck. 

Sound began to come back. He heard the chairs being dragged away. Someone raised his feet, squeezed his hand.

“Mitchell.” Mark. He was crying, Mitchell could hear it.

“Buddy, hey, wake up. I’m so sorry, but you’re scaring me…” Samuel.

“Yes, doctor. Looks like the husband fainted. He is breathing and has a pulse. Everything is safe here, thank you.” That was Amber. Talking to the doctor. The one who confirmed that Larissa was gone.

Mitchell opened his eyes, but he couldn’t see. His vision was immediately awash with tears. 

“There he is!” Samuel leaned over him. “God, Mitchell. Just breathe. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.”

Mitchell blinked away the tears, turned his face toward Larissa. She was still now. No one was breathing for her. No hands forced her heart to beat. Greg removed the blood pressure cuff from her arm and took a few steps toward Mitchell.

“Don’t touch me!” The words ripped out of Mitchell before he even knew he was thinking them. He pushed himself up in a seated position, ripping his hand out of Mark’s. “I don’t want anyone to touch me!”

A lock of Larissa’s hair curled over her naked shoulder, coiling in front of the cardiac monitor. He found himself staring at it. Above the strand of hair was a screen of ugly, horizontal lines.

He couldn’t think. His mind felt simultaneously overwhelmed and empty. Someone was talking to him, probably Mark or Samuel, but he couldn’t process the sounds as words.

“Don’t touch me,” he said again. His breath was coming hard and fast now, and he felt his hands and lips tingle. “Don’t touch me.”

He watched the monitor, those ugly lines. One moved, forming a bump, a spike, a bump. A line. A bump, a spike, a bump. A line. A bump, a spike, a bump. The bumps and spikes had a calming effect. Each time one popped up, the pain in his chest eased. His breath slowed.

A bump, a spike, a bump.

There was quiet chatter around him now. He began to pick up individual words. Samuel and Mark were trying to figure out what to do for him.

A bump, a spike, a bump.

“Larissa has a heartbeat,” Mitchell said. His voice sounded… not flat. Numb, with a hint of shock. He’d surprised himself by speaking.

The room fell silent. The lead, who’d been doing paperwork while the others cleaned up and packed, looked at the monitor.

She stared, then reached forward, pressing her fingers hard into Larissa’s throat. “Sinus… sinus rhythm on the monitor.”

“What?” Lola asked.

“She has a pulse! Greg, bag her, every five seconds. Lola, I want her blood pressure, now! Larissa, if you can hear us, you are at home and we are paramedics…”

“Do we have a Lazarus?” Wallace asked, stunned, only to be shushed by Amber.

Mitchell let out his held breath. The repressed agony and grief oozed out of him, taking with it his energy. He slouched, felt someone grab his upper arm hard.

“I’m not going to let you fall over again,” Mark said, his voice hoarse.

“Her blood pressure is sixty over forty. O2 at eighty.”

“That’s because we weren’t ventilating her. Keep going. Wallace, I want a norepinephrine infusion. I have the dosage here if you need it.” She was on her phone again. “Uh… Doctor Smith? This is Amber Choi again, um… Sorry, badge one-one-five. I… the patient I just called about, Larissa Anders? Yes, Anders-Colton. We have return of spontaneous circulation.”

Mitchell, the next day

She looked like she was sleeping, or she would if she normally slept on a ventilator, hooked to a cardiac monitor, with an IV in her arm and a catheter draining her urine into a bag.

Not sleeping.

But her eyes looked it. It was the way her eyelids laid, he thought. Nothing like death.

He would know.

Mitchell held her hand. She was cold to the touch. They’d stopped cold therapy an hour ago, but her temperature wasn’t yet back to normal. 

The ventilator clicked and whooshed regularly, lifting her chest in an artificial rhythm.

It’s too soon to know anything, Mr. Anders. So they said, over and over again.

Mitchell gripped her hand tighter and scooted the chair closer to her hospital bed. At that distance, he could lean his head on her arm. 

He hadn’t slept much since they’d arrived. Maybe an hour.

But perhaps they could sleep together.

Mitchell closed his eyes.

--

The Lazarus Effect

The story continues in Drowning.

[musicloverxoxo7]

BTS Halloween party – Dr. Strange

Non-idol!Hoseok   x   fem!reader

Summary: At the party, you meet a gorgeous stranger for the first time. Hoseok turns out to be smart and sexy. A dangerous combination that will have both of you on your knees.

Themes/warnings: smut with a bit of plot at the beginning, roleplay (a little), strangers to lovers, edging, nipple play, handjob, oral (m and f receiving), a bit of switch dynamic, aftercare

Wordcount: ca. 2.3k

Disclaimer: 18+, DO NOT INTERACT IF YOU ARE UNDER 18

I do not own BTS. They merely inspire me. None of this is related to their persons in real life.

You have never been so bored before at a Halloween party. Granted, you’ve only been there for ten minutes, but those have felt like half an hour at least.

The problem is that you only know Tae, the host of the party. You’ve been friends since childhood. But tonight, his hosting duties are keeping him occupied.

You take a sip from your drink. At least the bartender knows his business. Though you’re pretty sure it’s just one of Tae’s friends and not someone who was actually hired for the job. You observe the people around you a little longer.

A lot of them are dancing, laughter ringing through the air. Some are chatting and drinking, occasionally clinking their glasses together before downing the liquid. Nobody pays you any attention.

It’s better this way. You finish your drink and slink off down the hallway and to the stairs. Tae has a beautiful library and music room on the first floor. You have every intention of ending up there and passing a silent, secluded evening.

At the top of the stairs, you are stopped by a Dr. Strange. His dark eyes are like magma, looking down at you.

“Where do you think you’re going? Upstairs is off-limits.”

“Except for Tae’s best friends.”

“You are?”

“Y/l/n y/n. We’ve been best friends since-“

“Since the two of you could walk, roundabout. We’ve heard those stories ad nauseum.”

He steps aside to let you through. You walk past him, but then stop.

“And who are you?”

“Hoseok.”

“Ah, the dance teacher. Why were you up here? Also searching for some peace and quiet?”

“Yes. But I think I should show my face down there again.”

“Why? Tae is too busy to notice you’re gone. Two of your other friends have already left and the barkeeper is swamped.”

“Yoongi?”

“Right. I thought he looked familiar.”

You now walk towards the library and Hoseok follows you. He seems to have lost all desire to join the party again. At least for now.

Once inside the library, you switch on the warm, yellow lights and then light a fire in the fireplace. The warmth washes over you and makes you shiver. With the short sleeves of your costume, this feels better. You turn back around to Hoseok.

“So, why Dr. Strange?”

“Complex character. I like him, for the most part. Also, I thought the costume might suit me.” He looks you up and down. “Why a police officer?”

“Because that’s what I wanted to be as a kid.”

“Why didn’t you become one?”

You sit down next to Hoseok on the sofa. It is a two-seater, which means there is barely any room between you, but neither of you seems bothered.

“I realized quickly that I enjoy the mental aspect of protection more than the physical one. I run a cyber security company now.”

“Wow.”

You look at Hoseok. His eyes are widened in genuine surprise. You smile.

“At least you’re not being rude about a woman being a successful entrepreneur.”

“Never. I have a sister who is very successful with her own company too. I think I have even more respect for women entrepreneurs, because they face so many difficulties and prejudices and have to work a lot harder in some areas to make it to the top.”

“You’re much nicer than Dr. Strange.”

Hoseok laughs. You notice that he leans backwards and holds his stomach, laughing with his whole body. You like it. People don’t often laugh with such abandon around you.

You take off your police officer hat and put it on the arm of the sofa. Next, you tug your feet under you and turn more towards Hoseok.

“Tell me more about yourself.”

He does. About his family, his hobbies, his job. After a little while, due to the fire’s warmth, Hoseok takes off his cape. Then his jacket. He’s only wearing a tanktop underneath, which shows off his defined arms and shoulders.

“Do you work out every day?”

“Almost. I try to get in a rest day here and there. Why?”

“Your arms are proof of your hard work. Nicely defined.”

You’ve never been one to play games. You’ve always preferred being straight forward. Hoseok looks surprised again.

“You like my arms?”

“Yes, I do. They’re very pleasing to look at. Don’t you get to hear that all the time at the dance studio? Tae says that your dance workout classes are mostly filled with women.”

“They are. I tend to give off scary dance teacher vibes during work hours.”

You look him up and down. He’s cute the way he is, sexy in a calm and somewhat introverted way. But angry Hoseok sounds like a threat to society. It sends a thrill through you.

“You do not look put off by that.”

“I’m not.”

You lean towards Hoseok a little and drop your voice until it is low, breathy and sultry.

“Maybe you haven’t noticed, but I like a thrill. I like a bit of danger. Otherwise, I’d have chosen a different profession.”

“You’ll have to tell me about the ins and outs of that some other time.”

“Some other time?”

“Do you think Tae would kill me if I kiss one of his oldest friends?”

“Since you are his hyung, he’d probably only pout at you.”

“I can risk that.”

Hoseok leans forward and runs his hand up your arm. Goosebumps race over your skin. You place your hand on his thigh and lean a little closer. His smile is soft, his eyes wander to your lips.

His hand slides up to your neck. He outlines your throat with his fingers. They are very gentle. Your eyes close.

“You say ‘red’ and I stop whatever I’m doing instantly.”

“Mh, got it.”

Hoseok’s hand closes around your throat. The pressure he applies is barely there. It turns off the intelligent part of your brain. You grip his thigh harder as you start feeling a warm tightness in your lower stomach.

“You are stunning, Officer y/l/n, but I fear the power is on the side of the Avengers this time.”

“Do tell what that entails, Dr. Strange.”

“Ah, the exact terms are negotiable, officer.”

“I’ve had a long week, doc. I’m not particularly in the mood for lengthy negotiations.”

“Then let me take the lead.”

When you do not object, Hoseok leans forward and kisses you on the lips extremely gently. So softly, that it feels like a feather brushing against your lips.

He withdraws without taking it further. But you want way, way more now. You open your eyes. He’s watching you with those magma eyes.

His hand on your throat is still so loose that you can move forward and crash your lips against his. He matches the vigor of your kiss, kissing you back as if he were starved. His hand lets go of your throat and moves up to cup your cheek instead. His other hand goes around your waist and pulls you closer until you sit on his lap. Though you might have helped a little with that.

You run your hands up his well-muscled torso and rest them on his firm pecks. His hands wander restlessly up and down your back and ass. It’s like he can’t get you close enough.

You spread your legs further and slide forward until you’re practically sitting on his crotch. Hoseok sighs into the kiss. That gives you the opportunity to slide your tongue inside his mouth and tangle it with his. You can feel him growing hard under you as you rub yourself sensitive against him.

When you break apart for a quick breath, Hoseok stills your hips.

“Can we get rid of a few layers of clothing? It’s starting to get really hot.”

He’s right. You crawl off of him, hurry to the door, lock it and return to the sofa. The fire is still burning, but the heating seems to be on a high level too. It’s not just the making out that has you burning from the inside.

You take off your shirt and pants and watch Hoseok throw away his tank top and unbutton his pants. You take a few steps until you are right in front of him.

“May I touch?”

You eye his black boxer shorts.

“Goodness, yes please.”

You run your hand over his bulge. His head falls backwards, his mouth open. You keep working him through his underwear. His Adam’s apple bobs as he pants. You lean in and place a kiss on his throat. His neck smells delicious. You need more of it.

While you slide your hand inside his boxers to finally touch him fully, you leave little marks along his neck and shoulder. You enjoy the way his breath catches whenever you run your thumb over his head.

“Maybe you are the one with the power after all, sweetheart.”

You tighten your grip on his dick, moving up and down faster. His breathing comes in shallow huffs now.

“I can’t… much longer… I…”

You kneel, pull down his boxer shorts and take his dick in your mouth. You swirl your tongue around his head before taking him in as far as possible.

“Ah, y/n.”

He buries his hand in your hair and pulls on it. You like the mild stinging sensation. It only takes a few of his thrusts until he spills his cum onto your tongue. You keep swallowing and clean him up.

His eyelids are heavy when he withdraws, and you look up at him again. He pulls you up with such ease, as if you were a doll, and gives you a kiss that feels warm like molten chocolate and very, very intimate.

“Would you like if I reciprocate?”

“I would like it, but don’t feel obliged to do so.”

“It’s not an obligation. It’s a reward.” He gives you a little bit of a side eye as he says it. You smile.

“A reward for how well I’ve done?”

“No, though you did very, very well. A reward for me. For somehow managing to find the most interesting and beautiful woman of the entire evening and not boring her to death.”

“Mister, you definitely need to work on your self-talk.”

Hoseok nibbles on your ear. It feels surprisingly pleasant.

“I have a tendency to ramble when I feel awkward or uncomfortable. Rambling is pretty boring.”

“Maybe you have to think about who you are surrounded by if you feel uncomfortable around them.”

He moves on to your neck and finds a particularly sensitive spot. You press your body against his. One of his hands finds the clasp of your bra and opens it. You let the bra slide down your arms and throw it to the side. Rubbing your nipples against his muscled chest feels amazing.

“I’ll be hard again in two minutes if you keep going like that.”

You only giggle.

His mouth moves further down to your chest. He runs his lips over your now perky nipple. You whine at how nice it feels, your eyebrows drawing together in a frown.

Hoseok blows on your nipple, which makes your squirm. You’re so turned on by now that your underwear is soaked through. If he doesn’t get there soon, you’ll have to make him.

“Very pretty.” He traces the tattoo under your boob with his tongue.

While he holds you in place with one hand, his other goes to your nipple and gives it a few experimental twists. You arch into his touch. He keeps going until you can barely bear it anymore, the heat in your lower belly almost burning you up. Then, suddenly, he isn’t touching your anymore.

“You, you!”

Your eyes snap open. Hoseok is standing in front of you. An indulging smile is on his lips.

“Don’t edge me again.”

“Not tonight.”

His hands wander to your panties. He runs two fingers over your pussy and clearly feels the wetness.

The magma in his eyes turns to black fire. He hooks two fingers into the waistband and drops your panties to the floor.

“Sit down, sweetheart.”

You sit down on the sofa and spread your legs, so Hoseok has enough space to kneel down between them. He does and buries his nose in your pussy.

“Goodness, you smell nice.”

He withdraws a tiny bit and licks over your slit. You squirm, already sensitive. Thanks to him edging you before, it won’t take long.

His tongue finds your clit and he dives in as if he were making out with it. It has you seeing stars and gripping his hair as if it were the last things that were keeping you from drowning.

You are really close, pulling on his hair and panting like you’d run a 5k, when he pushes a finger into you. You’re so wet and relaxed that there is zero resistance. So he adds a second finger. He curls them and, after a few experimental probes, finds the right spot in you and taps it.

The sensation feels so overwhelming a tear slides down your cheek. You whine, you moan, you beg, though you don’t know what for.

Finally, everything in you tightens and then releases again and again. Until you are a boneless mess.

Hoseok pulls out his fingers and kisses a trail up your stomach.

“You look exhausted.”

“That. And content.”

The two of you kiss. Then he sits down next to you on the sofa and pulls you into a hug. You snuggle into his chest. He’s hard again, but you’re too tired to care right now. Aside from enjoying the view.

"How about, once you’ve rested up a bit, we go downstairs for a few more minutes and then leave? My place is quite close. We can chat, or have sex, or cuddle. I’m open for almost anything.”

“I like the sounds of that.” You sling your arm around his waist and close your eyes. “A few more minutes.”

“Whatever you need, sweetheart.”

© musicloverxoxo7, 2023

Please do not copy, translate, or repost my work. Doing so will make you legally liable for stealing intellectual property.

[loser-female]

The job of a SOC Analyst

The #1 thing people ask me about is what I do for a job.

I'm a tier 1 SOC Analyst and I'm currently training to do some Cyber Threat Intelligence.

I will explain in detail what I do on a daily basis and why I've decided to do this job... And the negatives.

First of all, what's a SOC. SOC stands for "security operations center". It's a place (in my case virtual as I'm full remote) where a group of people, divided by experience and area of expertise, do the following:

Monitor the activities going on the customer's network or endpoints(= every device connected to the network);

Assess and mitigate alerts coming from the network and/or the endpoint of the client -> These tools send alerts that need to be evaluated and mitigated/responded in a certain amount of time (it depends on the SOC and the type of alert, generally I can assume an amount of time from 15 to 30 minutes per alert. Which is not that much;

Investigate cybersecurity incidents -> the SOC also analyses the kind of "incident" that happens in deep detail by analysing malware, spam emails, the behaviour of users and so on;

If the SOC is big/mature enough there could be some sort of prevention of cybersecurity issues, generally we talk about threat hunting (here for more information on that) and cyber threat intelligence (gathering information from various sources to produce a report about the potential attackers considering also the characteristic of the customer's company such as the size, the geographical area of operations, media exposure, geopolitical issues and what they do - doing this for a bank is different than doing it for a industry)

There are also other functions (such as we have a Security Architect that prepares a personalised solution for each client).

I know what you're thinking. But the AI...

No, they cannot do my job, as the ability of a human to notice patterns and correlate the information among various sources is unique. I memorised, with time, the usual activities my customers do, therefore I can interpret the user actions even with limited sources. And this is just one example.

Soc analysts are roughly divided in three "categories", always keep in mind that every SOC is different and has its own internal rules, that are not to be divulged. This is the rough division I've learned studying cybersecurity and NOT my organisation division.

Tier 1 Analysts are the one that monitors the traffic and activities I've mentioned before. They triage the alerts and if something deserves more investigation or can be discarded. They often perform simple actions of remediation of incidents.

Tier 2 Analysts are the ones that go deeper - they collect malware samples from the incident and analyse it, investigate and remediate more complex security incidents.

Tier 3 Analysts perform more active prevention duties like threat hunting and vulnerability assessments.

Some sources put intelligence activity on the tier 3, others consider it a different activity from the scenario I've described. If a SOC is big enough they might have their own intelligence team separated from the "regular" soc analysts. The rigidity of these roles can vary, as you probably got from my own duties.

On the top we have a SOC manager to coordinate the activities I've described and security architects that design the solution (although the deployment of these solutions can be delegated to the analysts, since we also have to monitor how well these perform).

All these people are usually referred as "blue teamers" btw, which are the ones that perform defensive actions.

A company can have a red team (basically they attack the customer to gain information that the blue team will use to improve their activities). I actually wanted to be a red teamer at first, since it's considered the "cooler" job.

Ok, got it. Now explain to me how you got there since I've never heard anything about this before.

I have a friend that's a system engineer and recommended this job to me.

I studies physics at university but I failed (in my country physics include some computer science classes btw) and I had some related experience I won't share for privacy reasons. No I'm not a criminal lol.

I then started studying - did a bootcamp and got a couple of certifications. Then I got my job.

However. Generally you get a degree in computer science or software engineering, and some universities offer cybersecurity degrees. Unfortunately I cannot tell you what to pick as every university has its own program and I cannot help you with that.

Certifications are a big part of my job unfortunately - mostly because due to how fast it goes you absolutely need to be "on top". It's annoying, yes, I hate it.

However. Consider that once you're hired you definitely will get them paid by your employer - at least in Europe this is on them(idk about the US), but you need some knowledge of cybersecurity to start.

Since some of them are stupid expensive I 100% recommend the compTIA ones. They're basics and respected worldwide. A+, Network+ and Security+ are basics, vendor neutral (which doesn't tie you to a particular "source", as every company works differently), and is relatively cheap (~300€).

Remember that I had previous experience so no one cares that I don't have a degree - I do however and I hope that in the future I will be able to "fix" this.

Great. How do I know if I'm good for this job?

This is on you. However:

One important thing if you don't live in an English speaking country is a good attitude towards foreign languages. I speak 5 for example, but it's an hobby I do since I was a teen;

Can you manage stress? A SOC is a fast paced environment, and you have a limited time to deal with whatever gets thrown at you. You have 15 to 30 minutes to deal with an alert and make a decision. Can you do that without panicking, crying or throwing a tantrum?

Are you a fast learner? You need to learn quickly how to do things, since the tools we use are quite complicated.

Are you willing to work on shifts, Saturdays, Sundays, festivities included? A lot of people can't cope with this and it's fine because it's a massacre. The job is so stressful to the point a lot of people leave cybersecurity because of it. Do not underestimate it, please.

How good are you at remembering random information and making correlations? Because I can remember random bits of information that no one ever thinks of it and it's one of my greatest strengths.

You need to do teamwork and be good with people, customers and so on - you have to explain complicated things you probably read in another language to people that don't know anything about what you do. It's more difficult than most people think.

Procedures are everything here - and for good reasons.

I think this is it.

Money.

USA avg salary: 74 307$ (Glassdoor)

France avg salary: 42 000€ (Glassdoor)

UK avg salary: 28 809 £ (Glassdoor)

There are random numbers I've found online(and with a lot of discrepancies). Consider that you MUST negotiate your salary, and that in certain places you get paid more if you work out of the usual 8-19 work shift. Obv since I live in a different place I cannot tell you if it's worth it - you do your own calculations.

But that's beyond the purpose of this post.

[connectinfo1999]

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