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ick25 · 2 years ago

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Rockman.EXE Axess Episode 16 Review. Part 2.

Uh, Netto, that is a Synchro chip.

Where were we? Oh yeah! Me trying not to kill Shuko after she starts whining about her winning the rice but her rice cooker is broken. Lucky for her, Higure offers to let her use his store’s rice cooker.

Glad I'm not the only one who thinks so.

The next day we see Higure buying some food along with Netto, Meiru, Tohru and Mariko sensei who praises him for how generous he is to Shuko for letting her use his kitchen. Netto teases Higure saying that he only did it to impress Mariko sensei, but he explains that he sees a little of himself in Shuko.

This makes sense, before the events of episode 4 in the first season, Higure was a self absorbed nerd obsessed with collecting Battle Chips by any means necessary. It was until Rockman almost got to kick his ass and Mariko sensei reminding him why he was so obsessed with chips, that he turn his life around for something better, unlike Shuko who is not doing anything about hers.

You know an episode is bad when it reminds you of a better one.

When the group arrives at Higureya, they suddenly hear Shuko scream!

WHY WOULD YOU SCREAM OVER A RICE COOKER NOT WORKING?!

Higure forgot to mention the not very important detail of him not paying the power bill! I think that’s something you should’ve consider before offering to lend your electrical appliances to someone, which reminds me, can’t she just take the rice cooker home? Assuming she pays her power bill.

Of course, this is too much to ask for poor unlucky Shuko who just starts crying over how everything (even Higure not paying his own bills) is her fault.

Shuko’s stupid scene upsets Aquaman.EXE so much that he decides to do something to make her stop crying.

That something being somehow accessing the power company and manually turning on Higureya’s electricity.

What a terrible security! How can a small Navi like Aquaman.EXE even manage to get in the company’s computer? Even World Three Navis needed their Netops to hack the security systems before they could appear in the computer. Unless they are trying to say that a Navi invading a computer is already hacking, if that’s the case, then Aquaman.EXE must be a cyber criminal mastermind!

Speaking of the bad security, it finally activates in the form of a group of guard Navis surrounding Aquaman.EXE and ready to fire.

This only raises too many questions.

Unfortunately, this only scares Aquaman who starts to cry, but by doing so he creates an electrical water barrier around him that not only blocks attacks, but takes out the guard Navis as well.

Again, terrible security.

This quickly becomes news which is how Shuko and everyone else put together that the rice cooker started working again because Aquaman.EXE turned it on.

Wait, did Higure leave his TV on before the power was cut?

Netto and Higure decide to go to the Electric company to stop Aquaman.EXE, once again Shuko complains about her bad luck and how evil she is and drops to the floor, making an annoyed Higure drag her along with them.

My procrastination has finally caught up to me because I can’t seem to find the English subs on Youtube anymore, so I hope you have good grades in Spanish class.

Rockman and Numberman are the first ones to arrive at the scene, Aquaman can’t hear them so Numberman tells Rockman that he has to use force to stop him, which translates to Rockman using his buster.

I know Rockman’s buster is strong, but why are they so shocked?

BTW, I didn’t mention Rockman’s new Rockbuster transformation sequence in the first episode of Axess, in the previous season his arm would just glow and change into the buster or a battle chip, but here it is more robotic looking.

I think that’s cool.

Back in the real world, we see Netto, Higure and Shuko jumping over a police line to get to the building of the Electric company.

Yes, Netto, tell the whole world you’re a Net Savior, why don’t ya!

Once inside, Netto sends the Volcano Cannon chip, showing off again that new animation.

Higure uses a Meteor chip too but none of their attacks do anything. An overdramatic Shuko tells them that they are doomed because once Aquaman starts crying he won’t stop for three days and nights, emitting electrical brain waves, which is the name of his strongest attack btw.

Also, brain waves?

Shuko drops to the floor again and lamenting how evil she is again, this causes Higure to snap and finally telling her to get a grip! He tells her how her negative attitude is what causes her misfortune, how Aquaman can’t stand seeing her overreacting her pain, and then insults Netto by calling his happy go lucky attitude stupid.

“The F*** did I do? You wouldn’t have a business today if it wasn’t for me!”

Netto asks Shuko, who is suppose to know her Navi better then anyone, if Aquaman.EXE has any weaknesses. Shuko says that his weak spot is the spout on top of his head, this somehow makes Rockman’s soul resonate with Numberman’s.

THAT’S WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENS? Rockman’s icon just absorbs the other Navi without their consent? Fusion should be an act of mutual understanding!

Number soul Rockman uses his new super processing power to find a way to stop Aquaman.EXE, his solution, throwing a dice bomb to an empty space near the fountain.

The dice bomb explodes and the wind generated blows away the water and startles Aquaman.EXE who is about to start crying again. Rockman analyzes the situation and tells Netto to send him the Elec Sword and Air shoes chips. Netto doesn’t question this and sends him the chips (using the synchro chip animation).

Shuko cries out Aquaman’s name thinking that Rockman is going to pulverize the poor little Navi, however...

It was a fake out! Rockman retrieves the blade before impact because he knew the Elec Sword had the perfect circumference to block the spout, with the added bonus of tasing Aquaman.EXE a little.

So the day is saved, a new Soul chip with questionable origins is gained, and Higure hires Shuko to work part time at the store. Everyone is happy, including Aquaman.EXE, but then Mariko-sensei kind of ruins it by telling Shuko and Higure to be happy, which in Japanese I think it’s a word you tell a newly wed couple.

HOW OLD DO YOU THINK SHUKO IS?! WTH!

My thoughts.

So I finally finished what I started, a requested review for an Axess episode, a season I hate, but as long as it doesn’t have CF I’m okay with it.

First thing’s first, Shuko is based on a character from Megaman Legends 2 called Shu, get it? As in Shu-neechan?

Shu was kidnap for some reason by the Birdbots who took over the island she lived on with her two little brothers.

Thankfully their designs get an upgrade in Battle Network.

I remember I used to let one of them get blasted in Legends just to see him completely burned in a cut scene. XD

Aquaman.EXE is adorable and his introduction was fun, but Shuko feeling sorry for herself and not doing anything about it was so annoying. It would’ve been alright if she was oblivious to her bad luck, but when it is revealed that she calls herself evil simply for being unlucky, that is where the episode goes down. I know, her introduction in BN4 shows her as unhappy and saying that she is responsible for her family being poor and her parents dying, leaving her to take care of her twin brothers who are in junior high, judging by their uniforms.

Anyone heard of an anime called Lucky Star? Japan has this belief that people who have a lot of money were born under a lucky star, while poor people were born under an unlucky star. Unlucky stars are also associated with demons, hence why Shuko calls herself evil in the anime. In the game, however, she doesn’t act like a helpless girl, she actually works hard to provide for her brothers, and was confident enough to take part in the Den city tournament. Aquaman.EXE only runs away because he thought Shuko wanted to replace him after he misheard a conversation she had with one of her brothers about their old washing machine.

The anime portrays Aquaman.EXE as an adorable child like Navi who doesn’t seem to know how to fight, he does have techniques but we don’t get to see them in this episode, so our first impression of him is that he can’t fight, which makes him feel pointless as a Navi. We also see him as a baby because he cries out of fear and not out of sadness like in the game. I like Aquaman.EXE, but the second half of this episode doesn’t do him justice, so now he is more of a liability.

#MegaMan NT Warrior #Megaman exe #megaman legends #megaman battle network #Rockman.exe #anime #My Reviews

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thenovelartist · 4 years ago

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Burned Beginnings, chapter 1

Novel decided to do Adrienette April on a whim. Each post until the end of April (or such is the plan) will have 3 prompts in it.

She also discovered she’s very rusty. Bear with me here. XD

Next>>

1. AU

Marinette had thought she’d grown used to Chloe’s bullying, having to had endure it since they were little. However, with high school came a new name that became a regular part of Chloe’s vocabulary, alongside “hot” and “sexy” and “dreamboat”.

“And Marinette would never catch the eye of someone so perfect.”

Honestly, Marinette had thought she was over it, but on a particularly bad day, she’d snapped back at Chloe.

“Well, clearly he isn’t that perfect if he fawns over someone whose only redeeming quality is pretending to be pretty.”

That had led to a fire alarm getting pulled and Marinette left to blame for it. Anyone who tried to come to her defense was shut down, and Marinette had been suspended.

Which had started an all-out war.

After being stuck at home, wrongfully, for three solid days, Marinette had snapped. She’d decided that if Chloe was going to build a bonfire and poor on the gasoline that she would be there with a match. By senior year, Marinette’s record had taken a hit for it but Chloe’s reputation was in the toilet.

Marinette would take what she could get.

However, she supposed she hadn’t fully thought out the consequences. As much as she played with fire, she should have realized she’d get burned sooner or later.

And she did. Third degree.

We regret to inform you your application has been denied.

Those were words she grew tired of seeing yet came back from every school she applied to. With that in mind, she’d called up her girl friends to tell them what had happened.

“Hey, Marinette,” Alya had said upon seeing the letters. “Don’t get me wrong, I feel really bad for you. But… I did warn you—”

“I get it,” Marinette had surrendered, knowing that Alya was completely right. “You tried to warm me of the consequences, and now I’m paying for them.”

The girls had slipped into a moment of silence before Alix spoke up. “Hey, I can ask Max if he can do a little digging so you at least know why, yeah?”

Marinette had raised a brow but agreed. “Only if he’s not busy with his own college stuff.”

“Oh please, he’s too smart for college. He started up some robotics company in his free time and is already making bank on it.”

It took a week for Max to come back with a full report. Marinette had to give him props for working fast as he did.

“Hacking into the system was the first thing I could think of,” he’d explained. “In the side notes, there was mention of your attendance record and suspensions.”

“They were all wrongful suspensions,” Alix had countered.

“Doesn’t matter to the school,” Max had said with a shrug. “But even then, I thought there had to be more to this than just attendance. There were other students who had the same notes yet were accepted. So I shifted focus to digging up background on all the directors of the school. After hacking a few emails, I discovered Audrey Bourgeois happens to know a lot of directors or administration members in all the fashion schools of France. Considering the contents of most of those emails, it has become clear that Marinette was wrongfully barred from every school she’d applied to. And that there’s nothing that can be done about it because we only discovered such scandal through highly illegal means.”

“So…” Alya had begun, turning her attention to Marinette. “Where does that leave you, M?”

Marinette’s lips had pursed in thought. It was funny how things turned out, because despite her anger, she somehow had been peace with what she was faced with. “I think that the last place I want to be is in an industry full of liars and people who use their words to manipulate anyone they damn well please.”

That was how she ended up working full-time in her parents’ bakery. They never said a word about it, but she knew they were disappointed. Of course they weren’t mad about her still being here and working in the bakery with them, and she knew her parents still loved her more than anything.

But she knew that with as many dreams as she had and had shared with them, they were disappointed on her surrendering it all.

“Sorry, Maman, Papa,” she whispered into the empty kitchen as she plopped the baguettes she formed onto a baking tray. “Just give me a little time to figure things out. Seems like lofty dreams are a lot easier to crush than I realized.”

2. Rebellion

A son can only bear the world of their parent’s expectations for so long. He wasn’t Atlas, but after a few years of acting like him, Adrien decided to dump the globe. To hell if it broke. He’d smirk in satisfaction at his father’s disappointment.

At the very least, the fact he no longer had the weight of the world of his shoulders made the far-too-common disappointment lecture easier to bear.

His strategic rebellion had started harmless enough. At sixteen with a rapidly growing forced modeling career, he’d given his father an ultimatum: he gets to grow out his hair, or it all goes. It had been shocking the amount of power the razor in his hand had given him. It was the perfect harmless threat. His father had been furious, throwing a fit about Adrien acting like a child, but after being gaslit for so long, Adrien had finally come to realize the abusive techniques for what they were. And he wasn’t going to roll over and take it any longer.

That day had ended with Adrien being grounded but ultimately the victor of their stand-off.

After that, he’d begun ditching certain events. He’d always liked fencing, so he never ditched those lessons, but attendance for his home-school lessons, mandarin lessons, and piano lessons had all been decided on a whim. His father had hardly been pleased by this, but to Adrien, that was the point. The lectures soon washed into one another so much that Adrien could practically recite the words that roll off his father’s tongue verbatim. He’d come to realize they were strategically meant to hurt. To humiliate. And as such, he’d stopped taking them personally.

Then came the fun part.

He got earrings. Honestly, Adrien hadn’t really cared for the piercings one way or another. In one way, there were a hassle, and caring for new piercings was a pain in the butt. However, they had been worth it to see his dad so royally pissed off.

Then came the ditching of certain photoshoots. There was a reason Adrien had held off on this one for so long: he cared about the people running the shoot. There was no reason they needed to be collateral in this battle between him and his father. After all, they were just employees doing their job; Adrien didn’t want them to suffer for his rebellion. With that in mind, Adrien had planned out his absences of these photoshoots. Again, he didn’t want to drag anyone else into his mess, so he had always organized a replacement model. Shoot would always go on, just not as planned.

And that was enough to drive his father mad.

It always put a smile on Adrien’s face.

The last touch was an unexpected one. He hadn’t even thought about going this far. Yet, a friend of his not only put the idea in his head, but gave him the art to go with it.

“Is that a tattoo?”

Oh, how he wished he would have taken a picture of his father’s face. The large black cat surrounded in a green, wispy smoke that wrapped around his forearm was truly a work of art. He’d had to think carefully about this decision, but in the end, he quite liked it.

“Yeah. I’m eighteen; I can ink myself if I want to. Why? Is that a problem?”

Adrien might be wearing a cat on his arm, but the grin on his lips was downright wolfish.

Eventually, it all had come to a head and blew up in his face. Adrien couldn’t say he’d been surprised. In fact, he had been fully expecting it. He’d already found an apartment to rent and had begun sneaking most of his important things over there before his father could kick him out. So when Adrien found himself kicked to the curb as soon as he was handed his general education certificate, Adrien had been prepared.

But mostly, he was free.

What a joyous day it was.

However, now that he was free, he knew he needed a job. Not because he needed the money, per se, but because it was time he started acting like the average adult. He never got to go to school, so now, it was time to pick up a mundane, first job that everyone hated but would “serve him well later in life”. Mostly, it would just be something normal.

The easy places to apply were food shops and retail stores. He’d work one for a while before deciding what his next life step would be. Chloe had been quick to offer him a job at her father’s hotel, but Adrien was vehemently against the idea. Over the span of his rebellion, Chloe’s behavior and attitude towards him had grown notably worse, and he had a feeling cutting ties with her would be his next step in life.

In the end, he’d scored a job he definitely was underqualified for. He’d applied partly out of spite and partly because ‘why not?’ He’d heard about this bakery enough times from Chloe to know the “cruel bitch who did nothing but mercilessly harass her” lived here, and that was enough to pique Adrien’s curiosity. At a bakery as popular as that, though, he hadn’t been sure he’d get a call. And when he did, he knew he would do everything he could to present himself as a reliable and respectable man eager to work, but he never thought he’d end up hitting it off with the owner.

Which somehow ended up with him agreeing to work at Tom and Sabine’s Patisserie.

Going into that job, he swore to himself he would do what he could to prove himself worthy. He knew there had to have been better applicants, so Adrien didn’t want to disappoint the very kind owners who dared give him a chance. Soon, his days were spent working hard while covered in flour and surrounded by bread all day. Well, bread and all the sharp and hot objects in your average kitchen.

He just didn’t think that would include a wicked sharp and smoking hot young lady that happened to be his bosses’ daughter.

3. Game Night

“Mama, Papa, please go. You two hardly ever get out of the house.”

Marinette watched her maman put a hand over the mouthpiece of her phone while her papa turned to her. “But I’ll be busy that night. We have a massive order scheduled for the next day.”

“I can handle that,” Marinette quickly countered with a grin. “You know I’m a night owl, anyway. I’ll get it done, and you two can go enjoy game night with your friends.”

Her parents spared each other a glance. “Are you sure about that, Marinette?” Maman asked.

“Positive. Papa already talks to the bread too much, so he really should talk to people for a change. And while you have to deal with people all day, I know you want more than to just have short conversations filled with small talk. So please, go out and have a social life for once.”

With one last look, her parents relented. With a smile, her mother took her hand off the phone. “We’ll be there.”

Papa turned to her with a grin. “I was going to spend that time teaching Adrien how to handle those orders. I can leave teaching him in your hands, right?”

Her grin fell. Adrien Agreste. What the hell a washed-out model was doing working at her parents’ bakery was beyond her. Admittedly, over the last month she’d been working with him, the most she’d say is that maybe he wasn’t too bad a guy. Papa certainly sung his praises. But that still didn’t answer the question of why he was working here of all places. After all, he was Chloe’s friend and suspected lover.

“Don’t think I don’t see that look on your face, Marinette,” her maman chastised. She’d hung up and set her phone down already, fully giving her attention to her daughter. “No matter your personal feelings, you really should give him a chance.”

“He’s a good kid,” Papa said. “Maybe a little rough around the edges, but I can tell he really does want to learn and do his best.”

Marinette sighed. This wasn’t the first time this talk had happened. She remembered having a talk with her parents after his first interview. There were a few other people who were far more qualified for the job, but Papa said he liked Adrien’s personality and spirit the best. So in the end, all Marinette’s objections had fallen upon deaf ears.

She sighed. “Fine. I’ll give him a chance.”

With a smile that made Marinette loath to disappoint him, her papa patted her head affectionately. “Thank you, Marinette. I think you’d like him if you got to know him.”

Not likely. “I’ll do my best, Papa.”

“Really, Marinette,” her maman warned. “Unless you have a valid reason, you need to put aside your feelings for the sake of the bakery running smoothly. Can you manage that?”

Appropriately chastised, Marinette bowed her head in embarrassment. Maman brought up a good point: Marinette shouldn’t let her anger towards Adrien affect the bakery. Her parents didn’t deserve that. “Yes, Maman. I’m sorry.”

With a smile, her maman came up and wrapped her in a hug. “Thank you, Marinette.”

Marinette hugged her back. “No, thank you, Maman and Papa, for everything. I won’t let you down.”

Papa wrapped his arms around both her and Maman. “Thank you, sweetheart. We love you.”

“I love you, too.”

#miraculous ladybug #fanfiction #adrienette #AdrinetteApril2021 #AU #Marinette's kinda bitter #And Adrien's a rebel #If they're OOC I don't care #I'm writing again and just rolling with it

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thessalian · 2 years ago

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Council Deputies vs New Jobs

In a tavern in Caer Cyflen, a standard fantasy RPG city:

Mychae: You guys here about the job too? Because I hope you’re not here for the beer.

Jallira: Oh, no, definitely the job. Took awhile to get here, though. Bandits grabbed me and threw me in a crumbling jail. Honestly, they hadn’t even got around to selling my stuff yet so I figure it was just a prank.

Astrid: Better that than what I got. I took a detour to explore some caverns and had to wait for ogres to leave before I could get out again.

Alisaie: I got wolves. Wolves got dead.

Astrid: Succinct and to the point. I like it.

Random Drunk: Ogres. Wolves. HA. Wait ‘til you meet Soraks! I know everyone says they’re a myth but they can shapeshift and they’re evil and scary and they’ll kill us all!

Alisaie: *gets out of her seat, drags Random Drunk out of his chair, shakes vigorously* You. Stupid. ASSHOLE.

Random Drunk: I ... wut?!? I was trying to warn y--

Astrid: I’m with her, honestly. What you just said pretty much guarantees we’re going to be up to our necks in Soraks by the end of the week. Are you not familiar with epic narrative at all?!?

Jallira: Please stop shaking the poor man before he throws up on your boots.

Alisaie: Ew. Right. *drops Random Drunk*

Random Drunk: *runs away gibbering*

Astrid: Also succinct and to the point. I like it! What about you, Mychae? What perils did you face getting here?

Mychae: Eh, bit of light lockpicking, trap disarmament, and would have got away clean too if my idiot friend hadn’t forgotten he asked me to retrieve what he had to use to pay some debts. But he did so I had to death-from-above a debt collector from, like, three stories up to save his sorry ass.

Alisaie: ...You, I like.

Lord Carran: Ah. You’re here. Good.

Alisaie: Ah. You’re late. Thanks for that.

Mychae: I didn’t know the taverns here did such a good trade in donkey piss. *raises mug*

Jallira: *sigh* Okay, sorry about them. What’s the job?

Lord Carran: You’d be Legacy Council deputies, so mostly general dogsbody work. But shiny badges and the equivalent of a title. First job is going to Caer Lem and finding out why we haven’t heard from the guards there in a week.

Mychae: I vote drunken party, but that’s just me. But I’m in on that action as long as they didn’t order the booze from here.

Lord Carran: *sigh* Just ... come take a really basic oath not to be an asshole on Legacy Council time.

Mychae: I make no promises. My mouth kind of gets me into trouble. But hey, it’s nothing my knives or my feet can’t get me out of, usually, so we’re probably good.

Jallira: We’ll ... keep an eye on her. Promise.

Lord Carran: *siiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh*

One short swearing-in later:

Hugo Requer: I sell magical items and various ingredients!

Astrid; Jallira: Ooh!

Gorim Ironsoot: I sell weapons and armour!

Alisaie; Mychae: Ooh!

Annie Bagmodrah: When you’ve killed things and got a bunch of junk weapons and armour, I go to the place you marked on the map and get all that stuff sold for you so you don’t have to try hauling it or drag a string of pack mules while adventuring. I get a cut of the profits but you get most of the money.

Astrid, Jallira, Alisaie, Mychae, every player who’s ever had to deal with an inventory system in a video game: .............I LOVE YOU SO DAMN MUCH.

En route to Caer Lem

Bandits: RAAAAAAAAA!

Alisaie: Two of you are elves. You don’t even sleep! How the fuck did they sneak up on us?

Astrid: We do trance, you know. It was Mychae’s watch!

Mychae: *sniping bandits from the top of a ruin with a longbow* Yeah yeah I was checking those dice you used for our last dice game and got a bit into it. Bright side - I now know your dice weren’t weighted. I still suspect magic, though.

Astrid: ...please tell me you’re kid-- *is stabbed by bandit* OW!

Alisaie: *hacking a bandit into bite-sized chunks* IS THAT A WAND IN YOUR HAND OR A CONDUCTOR’S BATON?!?

Astrid: Definitely the former, though I did try conducting with it once and kind of fire bolted a hole in a feasting hall’s ceiling--

Jallira: *Healing Word* Please just pretend those bandits are that ceiling...

Astrid: Oh! Right!

Stabnation: *ensues*

Flaming Magic Of NOPE: *also ensues*

#Thess liveblogs Solasta: Crown of the Magister #I have a fic prompt later #But one thing at a time

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im-immortal · 3 years ago

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beth greene & daryl dixon au // the bandit and the criminal

Beth was practically shaking. Her heart was racing and her palms were sweating and she could taste bile at the back of her throat. She could already feel the adrenaline beginning to course through her veins.

No matter how many times they did this, she was always nervous. But that was part of the thrill.

Daryl, on the other hand, was taking a long and leisurely drag off his cigarette. He was still as a statue, though his eyes were darting around in every which direction. They already had their exit route, and a backup route, and a backup for their backup, and another backup in case those both failed. But she knew he was still looking for more exits, plotting and planning inside his head, observing every little detail. Yet he seemed so calm.

She tried to steady her breathing. In through her mouth. Out through her nose. Her fingers were tracing over the handgun at her hip, double-checking that the safety was off. And her eyes were glancing around warily. There was no one else in the alley with them, but she kept peering over her shoulder.

Daryl tossed the butt of his cigarette onto the ground. “Y’ready, Greene?” He asked quietly, his voice low and hoarse with what she knew was worry. And maybe the slightest hint of fear.

Beth exhaled another long breath and forced every bit of confidence she had into her response: “I was born ready, Dixon.”

He smirked, eyes flicking towards the corner of the building that they’d be rounding soon before settling back on her. His smirk disappeared and he grew very serious as he said, “Remember: in an’ out. No casualties. Keep an eye on the tellers—”

“But a closer eye on the hostages,” she finished before he could say it.

“Right,” he nodded. “Eugene’s down the block, he’s already hacked into the system, ready ta disable the cameras soon as he sees us. Merle’s two blocks away. He’ll pull up at twelve on the dot.”

She glanced down at the watch on her wrist: 11:51.

Swallowing hard, she met Daryl’s eyes and said, “And he’s only gonna wait thirty seconds.”

“Just like every other time.”

“Right. I know the plan. Just like every other time.” She lifted the hood of her black sweatshirt over her head. “Guess it’s now or never.”

He did the same with the hood of his own sweatshirt before reaching into the front pocket and extracting their ski masks. He held out the white one for her. “One last job.”

She scoffed, taking the mask. “That’s what we said last time.”

“Yeah well, didn’t realize Argentina was so damn expensive,” he murmured.

When she looked back up to meet his gaze, she saw the hint of a smirk playing on his lips. She smiled back, suddenly filled with more confidence than ever before. “You reckon the media’s gonna miss The Kissing Bandits?”

He rolled his eyes. She knew he hated the moniker that they’d been given by the newspapers and reporters, but a part of her wondered if he didn’t like it just a little bit. She sure did. It was cute. A hell of a lot better than some of the other monikers they’d been given. Her least favorite was Bonnie and Clyde 2.0. It was so unoriginal. Besides, it was thrilling to think of themselves as bandits rather than just really slippery criminals.

“Reckon they’ll still be talkin’ ‘bout us fer years,” Daryl said. And his smirk was back.

Beth chuckled. “Never thought needin’ money for my dad’s surgery and prosthetic would lead me all the way here.”

“Shit,” he agreed. “Jus’ like I never thought needin’ money ta pay off all Merle’s dealers would land me a new partner in crime.”

She raised her eyebrows and gave him a pointed look, though it was playful. “A partner in life.”

He grunted. “Same thing.”

Before he could lift the mask and pull it over his face beneath the hood, she stepped forward and leaned up to kiss him. He paused for a split-second, but then he was kissing her back. Soft and deep and with a hand cupped at the back of her skull. She smiled against his lips and pulled away slowly.

And just like that, all of her worry dissipated. She was filled with adrenaline and confidence and hunger. A hunger for money and Argentina and Daryl.

“Okay,” she breathed out, grinning. “Now I really am ready.” She pulled the white ski mask over her face, tugging it down until she could see through the eye holes and breathe through the mouth slit, making sure all of her blonde hair was tucked up inside and hidden beneath the dark hood of her sweatshirt.

He did the same, then he stepped over and snatched up the pair of automatic weapons leaning against the dumpster. He handed one over to her and she made sure the safety was off, weighing the familiar gun in her hands.

“One last job,” Daryl repeated. “Le’ssgo.”

They quickly rounded the corner and dashed around the building before anyone could spot them or their weapons. He was the first in, as always. He shoved the glass door open and hurried into the bank with Beth hot on his heels.

A collective gasp sounded through the bank as soon as the customers and tellers spotted the guns and the ski masks.

Daryl lifted his firearm in the air, already moving towards the door that led to the safe room. And Beth lifted her own firearm, aimed and poised to fire.

“Everybody on the fucking floor!” She demanded loudly. “Nobody moves, nobody gets hurt! This is a stick-up!”

#bethyl #fanfiction #au #beth greene #daryl dixon #beth and daryl #ficlet #fanfic #SquishyCool #alternate universe #bank robbers au #beth x daryl #daryl x beth #bethyl fanfiction

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translations-by-aiimee · 4 years ago

Text

Dig a Grave to Dig Out a Ghost - Chapter 9

Original Title: 挖坟挖出鬼

Genres: Drama, Horror, Mystery, Supernatural, Yaoi

This translation is based on multiple MTLs and my own limited knowledge of Chinese characters. If I have made any egregious mistakes, please let me know.

Chapter Index

Chapter 9 - Flee

The flame on the table moved.

"It's here," A-Yan said, and then motioned Lin Yan to pay attention to what was behind him. Lin Yan turned around and saw that there was nothing unusual. Then he saw it.

There are obviously only three of them in the room, but there were four shadows on the wall.

Different from the familiar silence, the fourth shadow on the wall was constantly moving this time, like it was pacing around the house. At first, it moved extremely slowly, and then it got faster and faster. For a while, it hurriedly walked straight in one direction, then returned, and finally started to circle around them.

"He's looking for you," A-Yan said softly.

There was also a strange noise outside the door, like a stone falling into the water or a tree branch breaking. Soon, the courtyard was overwhelmed by the wind, and the door and windows were all squeaking. Then there was knocking on the door, like countless people waiting to come in. Not only at the door, but there were also eager knocks from the windows on all sides. Lin Yan was terrified and turned his head to see out of the window. He was met with an old face and saw an old man standing slanting by the window, wearing a full Manchu costume, and carrying a faint green lantern in his hand.

The figures in the yard gradually increased.

"Don't-, don't be afraid." A-Yan grabbed Lin Yan's hand and whispered softly: "They usually come in at this time to eat the steamed buns in the temple. They are all poor people, and there's no one to support them after they die."

Lin Yan felt that even if 2012 was really the end of the world, he would not be surprised. (T/N: This novel was written in 2012 just so this comment doesn't seem out of nowhere)

A person appeared silently in the net made by the red ropes in the room.

In the shadowy candlelight, Lin Yan saw the man; he had dark hair that parted at his forehead and hung in disarray, covering most of his face. He was very tall, with wide sleeves hanging straight and loosely on his body, splattering with old brown bloodstains. Lin Yan bit his lower lip and tried his best not to start hyperventilating. His heart felt like it was about to leap out of his chest. Almost at the same time, the temple master stood up abruptly, took out a yellow paper from the table and inserted it in the incense burner. He spread out the yellow paper and made a scratch on his finger. Using his now bloodied finger, he quickly sketched on the paper.

The "person" in the shadow of the lamp suddenly walked back and forth in the house like he had been offended. He hit the red rope and was forced to return, but he was reluctant, and he staggered back. This weird scene made Lin Yan break out in a cold sweat, and a light sigh of surprise overflowed from his throat uncontrollably, "Heh—"

The ghost suddenly raised his head, his messy hair blocking Lin Yan's ruthless eyes. His black eyes were filled with strong killing intent, and they suddenly made eye contact! Almost without warning, his stiff body turned to Lin Yan and rushed towards him in a few strides. Lin Yan trembled all over his body and tried to hold his breath. The ghost stopped less than half a meter away from him and looked around harshly as if it couldn't see the target anymore.

Just when Lin Yan was running out of breath, the ghost finally gave up, turned around and rushed over.

The temple master began to recite a strange mantra, and A-Yan joined in. It was obvious that only two people were speaking, but there were echoes from all corners of the room. The red ropes shook together, and the ghost's steps became flustered. The barefooted figure smashed around like a fly in the room, swaying and almost falling to the ground. As the chanting of the mantra became louder and louder, the ghost staggered to the ground like he enduring great pain. He crawled around and tried to stand up, scanning the room frantically and impatiently but couldn't find his target.

The temple master pulled Lin Yan’s arm, motioned him to stay silent with his glare, and then made a deep cut in his forearm with a knife. The moment the blood poured out, Lin Yan seemed to hear the ghost let out a heavy gasp. Using all fours together, he crawled over to Lin Yan from the other end of the room. Every time he moved his body, it was as slow as torture, but it didn't stop. A-Yan picked up the cypress block with the paper figure on the table, rubbed Lin Yan's blood on the red paper. He grabbed the wound and covered the forearm, and threw the double cypress toward the middle of the house.

The ghost let out a low groan, as if he had exhausted all his energy and rushed towards the cypress on the ground. His hands kept tearing at the paper man above. The next scene made Lin Yan completely stunned. The ghost knelt on the ground, holding the block, and he leaned down and began to kiss it. He rubbed his lips against the blood-stained red paper, like holding a lost treasure.

The expression of the temple master turned vicious in an instant. He took up the short knife on the table, bit the tip of his tongue and sprayed the blood mist on the blade. The tip of the blade was facing the direction of the ghost, and the yellow paper on the table lit on fire, crackling and burning into a ball of fire. In the raging fire, the whole body of the ghost twitched violently, and his throat kept making vague groans. However, he did not resist at all and even refused to move his body. He hugged the cypress tightly in his arms, snuggling it up to his cheek in desperation and nostalgia. . .

The inexplicable shock made Lin Yan take a step back. He had never seen such a look in his life; desperate, crazy, resentful, cruel and unwilling, staring straight at the wood in his arms, touching the doll covered in Lin Yan's blood.

A big mouthful of blood poured out from the ghost's mouth and ran down the corners of his lips. The drops stained his jade-coloured shirt. His hair scattered all over the place, and also stained with maroon blood. It was a tragic scene. Lin Yan shook his head. This was simply not right. There must be some kind of mistake. How could someone who could stare at him with this kind of eyes hurt him. . .

"Buzzzzzzz. . ."

Lin Yan's phone was on vibration mode. The white light off the screen looked out of place in the flame light, and a text message popped up: "Gu's autopsy report was changed. I hacked into the hospital's archive system. The time of death on the autopsy report was different than the time the police gave us. It was three hours earlier."

Then comes the second: "I suspect that someone is interfering in this matter. Lin Yan, be careful."

Lin Yan thoughtfully recalled that the death certificate issued by the police station stated that the old woman died at 1 o'clock in the morning, so her actual time of death was instead 10 o'clock the night before. At that time, he was fighting with the ghost in front of him in the elevator. He looked at the time before going upstairs, there was no mistake about that.

He didn't even think about Yin Zhou's second text message. It was like water had been thrown onto him. Lin Yan clenched his fist, and was shocked by the disturbing scene before him. He was speechless, swallowing hard. What was he doing? He stubbornly thinks that he could never kill a living person, but does that mean he should be so willing to scatter an undeserving ghost's soul?!

Like using cubs as bait to catch she-wolves, the methods of human beings were more despicable than ghosts.

"Stop!" Lin Yan shouted at the temple master.

The temple owner was now like the enemy: "Shut up! We'll deal with that when we're finished!"

A-Yan also panicked. "Brother Lin Yan, don't say anything, it's too late to stop now!"

The eyes of the temple master were revealed in an instant, and the short knife sprayed with blood was raised high, facing the ground. The whole house seemed to be shaken by an invisible giant hand, creaking noises came from the window frames, eaves, and walls. The wandering souls that had gathered in the courtyard also seemed to be irritated; whimpering, screaming, and wailing sounded together. A cold light flashed on the short knife, which would be pierced through the concrete floor, sending ghosts back into the ground!

With a crisp snap, the yellow paper inserted in the incense burner broke into two pieces.

The ghost slowly raised his head, staring straight at Lin Yan with red eyes under his slanting eyebrows.

It only takes a moment to make a decision. Lin Yan doesn't know where he finds this courage. He tucked his phone into his pant pocket and rushed towards the ghost. A human and a ghost pressed together. Lin Yan wanted to grab the cypress block in his hands, but the ghost's persistence was amazing. His hands were stuck on the wood block. No matter how Lin Yan tried, he couldn't shake him at all.

There was another talisman paper shining. The ghost in the shadow of the lamp completely gave up resisting, curled up on the ground. He shielded the cypress between his thigh and chest, like a poor lunatic, full of unwillingness and resentment, moving backwards with difficulty.

With nothing but love on his lips, who would truly spare his life? This desperate ghost was more sentimental and righteous than humans.

With panicked thoughts, Lin Yan used his tongue to clean the wounds of his arms, resisting the pain and biting hard. The bitter and sour taste rushed into his throat with the blood, and the freshly coagulated blood was unbound by saliva and poured out again. After it started bleeding again, Lin Yan put his arm in front of the grimace, gritted his teeth and said, "I'm here, follow me!"

The ghost looked up at him suspiciously, Lin Yan whispered: "Hey, throw that stuff away."

"Let's go."

"A-Yan, stop this foolish boy!"

Lin Yan grabbed the ghost's hand and dragged him from the ground to the door, and used his feet to disperse the incense ashes. When the formation was broken, the copper coins pressed on the incense ashes bounced straight out with a few clinking noises. Lin Yan busied himself untying the red ropes. Who knew that the ropes were tied so well that there was no quick way to undo them?

Lin Yan turned back in a panic, and saw A-Yan walking towards him with a pale face, holding the talisman. He stumbled and fell to the ground, lifting his pointed face, and gently whispered, "Quickly go."

He was wasting too much time. Lin Yan untied the ropes with his teeth, and rushed out of the temple door with the ghost!

There was a great deal of mourning happening outside the temple. the mountain owls given sullen expressions, and the small courtyard was filled with black air. The jujube tree with its crooked trunk looked as fierce as a dead body with extended bony fingers. It seems that the lonely ghosts in the hundreds of miles around the area had been attracted. In the courtyard The holy spirit banners were pelted by strong winds. On the well sat a drenched female ghost, and "people" dressed as eunuchs in ragged clothes gathered together, their paper lanterns hung in the sky. There was a dark purple constriction on the neck of the person in the front. "I am wronged by my death. . ."

Lin Yan dragged the ghost behind him and ran towards where he parked his car. He was trembling as he pulled out the key, but no matter how hard he pressed it, the beep sound of unlocking the door could not be heard. The magnetic field in the mountain had completely changed, and the remote keys did not work. Lin Yan shaky hands stuffed the key into the keyhole, and he finally opened the door of the car and threw the ghost into the passenger seat. But there was no chance that he could have three lucky breaks happen.

The evil spirit regained consciousness from the pain of the spell. He clasped Lin Yan's throat with his nails, and slowly tightened, a pair of black holes in the messy hair glaring up. . .

"You don't know how to fucking drive. Just sit still for me!" Lin Yan yelled at him irritably, "Who cares if you strangle me to death!"

The hands on the neck didn't make any more moves.

Sure enough, the ghost was afraid of the wicked. Lin Yan pushed him harshly to the chair and put the seatbelt around his waist: "Take a gamble. It's fucking worthless to be killed by this braid army!"

He slammed down hard on the accelerator, twisted the key vigorously, and, with a bang, the car started.

"Sit still." Lin Yan clicked the corner of his mouth, holding the steering wheel, and the black Audi A4 galloped away like in the F1 Grand Prix in the night.

#dig a grave to dig out a ghost #dig a grave to dig out a ghost translation #chinese bl #chinese novel #english translation #yaoi novel

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songbirdsingingthings · 5 years ago

Text

No Last Words

As the team is in the middle of an investigation, Y/N and Spencer go to investigate. But, terror strikes and hidden feelings are revealed as Y/N is in danger.

Today marked the 7th day that they were in Phoenix Arizona tracking down a deranged serial killer. His M.O. was something that the BAU had never come across - he would hijack buses full of people, drive them to a remote area, and kill them. Y/N racked her brain to try and determine what the killer’s next move would be, but she didn’t have to wait. She heard the glass doors of the room she was in fly open as Derek raced in, his breathing heavy.

“A bus has just been reported to be hijacked. It was last seen going past Agua Fria National Monument.” Derek said, looking at Y/N.

“That doesn’t make any sense - no forms public transportation even head in that direction. Not even tour guides lead trips out there.” Spencer said, sitting across the room from Y/N.

“That’s because it’s a field trip,” Derek said, causing a chill to go down Y/N’s spine, “the sick son of a bitch has hijacked a school bus full of fourth graders.” Y/N’s horrified expression was enough to make Spencer’s stomach drop. The two of them had grown to become good friends ever since Y/N had joined the BAU. They even lived one apartment building away from the other, so they would carpool to work together. To save gas. No other... hidden reason or anything. The truth was, the two had indeed developed feelings for each other, but neither of them acted on it because they were scared. Scared that the other didn’t reciprocate their feelings or that it might ruin their friendship. But, neither Y/N nor Spencer could think about those feelings at the moment, because Hotch had gathered the team in the room that the Phoenix Police Department had given them.

“Morgan and Prentiss, I need you two to canvass the elementary school. Find out if anyone hacked into their computer system or stolen files so that they could find out about the field trip. I’ve already informed Garcia, so she’ll be working closely with you. JJ, ride along with them so that you can speak to staff members, parents, or anyone who might be able to give you information. L/N and Reid, you need to drive the route that the unsub drove. This might be our only way to know what kind of roads the unsub prefers. Rossi and I will follow you, but we need to get the local police together first. Don’t engage if you find him, got it?” Spencer and Y/N nodded and gathered their things quickly. Y/N’s heart didn’t stop racing until they were about 30 minutes on the road. Thankfully, Spencer was driving.

“Y/N, are you okay?” He asked, looking at you with concern. Pulling herself together, Y/N nodded and gave him the biggest smile she could muster.

“Yeah. I just want to find this guy before anything happens to those kids.” She said quietly. Spencer nodded and kept driving. A peaceful silence settled between the two of them, but was soon interrupted as Y/N saw something. “Spence! Stop the car!” She yelled. Spencer stopped the car, and then saw what Y/N had seen. A yellow school bus was parked at the side of the road, no one to be seen around it. Donning her bullet proof vest, Y/N unbuckled her seat belt. Just as she was about to open the door, Spencer put his hand forcefully over her’s to stop it.

“Y/N, Hotch said we weren’t supposed to engage. We can’t go blindly in there.” Spencer said firmly, giving Y/N a hard stare.

“Spence, look, there are no shadows in the windows. No one. We need to look, or we may not catch him in time. We need to save those kids, or I don’t know what I’m going to do with myself as I have to tell multiple parents that their kids were murdered.” Y/N said, fire in her voice and eyes. Relenting, Spencer buckled his own vest and stepped out of the car slowly. Motioning for Y/N, she, too, stepped out of the car and made her way over to the open doors of the bus. Just as she had thought, there were no kids on the bus.

“Okay, I’m gonna look under the seats for anything that the kids might’ve left behind.” Spencer said, crouching to see under the wrinkled gray seats. Y/N was just about to respond until she felt cold metal press against the side of her head, pinching her ear. Frozen, Y/N peered to the side and saw the sick grin of their unsub. Y/N’s breathing became shallow, but she forced herself to remain calm.

“Spencer,” she whispered, looking at the man she loved as he examined a piece of paper from his crouched position on the floor.

“Y/N, I think I found something here,” Spencer said, not looking up from the evidence he had discovered, “this address is-” Spencer cut himself off as he looked up at Y/N. His eyes grew wide with panic as he saw the man that had claimed several lives pressed a gun against his love’s head. Drawing, his own gun, Spencer started to raise it up to face the unsub.

“I wouldn’t do that. Unless, you want this pretty little lady to die.” The unsub chuckled as his grip around Y/N got tighter. “It’s a shame that, even if your little friend over there does do what I tell him, you’re still gonna end up on the floor bleeding out.” This was it, Y/N thought. This was how she was going to die. She would never get to adopt that puppy she had her eye on for weeks that was at the shelter. She would never get to pay back Penelope for that one time she covered for her when they went out for frozen yoghurt and Y/N forgot her wallet. She would never get to tell Spencer... that she loved him. No, she thought, no way would she go without telling Spencer.

“Spence...” Y/n whispered, her cheeks now drenched with tears. Spencer took his eyes off of the unsub to look at her in her helpless state. His own cheeks started to become home to his salty tears. “I love you”. BANG! The shot of a gun went off, but weirdly, Y/N didn’t feel any pain. She dared to take her eyes off of Spencer to look down at the floor and see the unsub, dead on the ground. Y/N turned around to see Rossi, still with his gun raised. Overwhelmed, Y/N collapsed to the floors. Her body was shaking, but was soon encased in warmth. Spencer’s arms were wrapped around her small frame. One of his hands held her head and the other was holding her waist.

“I love you too.” He whispered against her ear. Crying, but this time a mix of fear and happiness, Y/N pulled away from him a little, and leaned her head towards his. It was totally unprofessional, but they didn’t care. Spencer met her lips with his and kissed her softly, like she was made of glass and she would break. Pulling apart, Y/N leaned her forehead against his.

“I was scared that I was never going to be able to say that to you.” Y/N admitted.

“No last words from you yet, L/N.” Spencer said, earning a giggle from Y/N, and meeting her lips again. They pulled away which revealed a smiling Y/N.

“You wanna get coffee when we get home?” She said, quirking a small, shy smile.

“Anything your heart desires.” Spencer said, taking Y/N’s hand and leading her back to the car. Hotch did give her a good amount of scolding for going in blindly, but he was more relieved to see her safe and sound. The team flew home overnight. Y/N and Spencer curled up next to the other, which made the rest of the team grin.

“They’re something else, huh?” Morgan said, looking at JJ and Prentiss.

“They’re perfect for each other.” JJ said as Emily nodded. And perfect, they were. Of course, every couple has their scrapes and low moments, but the two were truly soulmates. Two hearts that beat as one. Perfect.

#spencer reid x reader #spencer reid #reader x spencer reid #spencer reid x y/n #y/n x spencer reid #Criminal Minds

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theoriginalladya · 4 years ago

Note

(also. if you ever felt inclined to write a group hug. i'd be first in line to flail all over it)

from this prompt list

On AO3 here

Ask, my dear (and you always ask so nicely!!!) and you shall receive!!!!! Enjoy!

(also, you may have seriously helped me sort out a big part of their story with this prompt!!! THANK YOU!!!) (under cut because it got long)

TW: description of battle, blood mention

Translations at the end.

~~~~~

“Shit!”

The exclamation is the only warning Shepard receives before Vega ducks down behind cover next to him, his large bulk hunching in on itself as much as it can so it provides a minimal target. That the ‘minimal target’ is now positioned right next to Shepard and puts him in danger as well, is completely beside the point. It’s why they pay us the big bucks, right? Out of instinct, he reaches over and pushes Vega’s head down just a little bit lower.

The lieutenant takes it all in stride as the firefight continues around them. “Hehehe, thanks jefe.”

“Not a problem, Vega. I watch out for my team.” Their eyes meet; Shepard sees the glitter of determination of his reflected in the younger man’s. “All of them.” No one left behind, is more than just the four words themselves.

An explosion nearby shakes the walls and results in both men ducking lower for a good thirty seconds. Slowly, Shepard lifts his head, peering over the top edge of cover, so he can he survey the battlefield. A flash of bluish white energy from at least a hundred feet away starts in his direction; he retreats quickly while shouting, “Kaidan!” The ball of energy flies over his head, barely missing the top; a deep grunt of indignation escapes his throat as he lands hard on his ass. Beside him, Vega shifts awkwardly in the cramped space.

“Kind of busy at the moment, commander!”

“Light me up, dammit!” Shepard shouts back. Several moments pass without a response. “I’m not being unreasonable here, Alenko!”

Vega moves to a crouching position and lays a wave of suppressive fire across the space. Shepard pushes to his feet, keeping below the top edge as much as possible, this time peering around the side of cover. Kaidan is off to the left, currently in the middle of what would look like hand-to-hand fighting to the uninitiated, but in reality, is just a bit more complicated, utilizing hand-to-hand techniques but with powerful biotics moves. Flashes and flares of mass energy shoot out from them as their biotics connect, and from this position, it’s impossible to see who has the advantage. It’s like nothing he’s ever seen before; then again, since arriving at this facility, that’s pretty much been the Cerberus approach.

With one last, heaving effort, Kaidan pulls his arm back as if to punch the person, but with a loud, growling roar a wave of energy flies from his hand as he thrusts it forward. The resultant explosion throws his opponent about twenty feet away where they hit a wall, crumple, and fall into an unmoving heap on the floor.

There are still targets on the field that need removal, but many of them are worn down and this is his job. Under normal circumstances, Kandra assists him in the process, lighting up each target for him so when he charges into them, they go down instantly or within seconds of his arrival. It’s not a perfect tactic by any means, but effective in reducing numbers quickly, and it’s certainly an unexpected tactic, most of the time, anyway.

But Kandra has been missing for almost a week now along with three of Kaidan’s biotic spec ops people. It’s taken that long to trace them here; as near as he can figure, being held hostage somewhere within this facility. But that does him little good now, so he has to rely on Kaidan to light up his targets; sadly, a less efficient system when his skills and Alliance training are far better utilized in other ways.

That doesn’t mean Kaidan isn’t helping. Not at all. The major turns, dark eyes connecting with Shepard’s briefly, and Shepard can see the toll it’s taking. Anger in Kaidan is … unusual to see first-hand, and intimidating as all hell if you’re on the receiving end of it, but it’s easy to understand the source. Shepard nods at Kaidan while shifting his balance so he can move the instant the first target lights up.

Barely is the wave of energy released from Kaidan’s fingers when Shepard starts forward. His hand starts tracing the mnemonic even before he moves, and by the time he hits his third step, the world around him speeds up into a blur of motion as he shoots forward at full throttle. The instant he connects, he’s looking for the next target to repeat the process. And again. And again.

At the end of the hall, no fewer than six more Cerberus troops lie on the ground, incapacitated. Kaidan hurries over to join Shepard while Vega brings up the rear, pausing by each target taken down just to make sure. Any hint of a breath and he shoots, just once in the head. It’s enough; these troops won’t ever see the light of day again, nor will they stop their retreat once the mission objective is obtained.

“Which way?” Kaidan asks as they rejoin at the T-intersection.

Shepard nods to their right. “Floor plans say the heart of the facility is this way. That’s my guess.”

Vega snorts softly. “Well, what are we waiting for, Loco? Let’s get moving.”

~~~~~

Hall by hall, they clear their way deeper into the facility. The other teams, including the one with Emilio and Konstantin, are moving in from other directions; all teams have the same goal: reach the heart of the facility, find Kandra and the other spec ops personnel. As they move, however, it’s becoming increasingly clear this place needs to be destroyed at all costs. They might be able to do that on the way out, but the primary objective doesn’t change.

The arrive at a door set back off the hallway in a recessed alcove and secured from the opposite side. Kaidan drops to his knee and pulls up his hacking program. James and Shepard stand off to each side, prepared to give fire support if necessary. The minutes tick by, the air grows thick with tension. Finally, Kaidan rises and steps back, in the process raising his biotic barrier field as he nods at Shepard but says nothing. Shepard uses hand signals to communicate now, and they open the door and slip through.

The doorway leads into a short hallway that quickly opens into a much larger area … that is filled with signs of battle, but not directed at them. No one in here, it seems, is even aware of their arrival.

“What the hell?”

Vega’s whispered exclamation registers fully with Shepard. “Agreed, lieutenant.” He glances over his shoulder at Kaidan whose gaze is focused solely ahead of them … and intently. Shepard frowns. “What is it?”

Kaidan’s shoulders tense and his biotic corona flares around his entire body; this isn’t his barrier field, this is something different, something raw, a reaction to what, Shepard doesn’t know, but he recognizes the difference and follows his lead. As he does, he closes his eyes and focuses…

“А щоб твоя дружинонька з кумом повелася!”**

He doesn’t understand the words, but he’s heard the language and that tone enough at this late date to know it can mean only one thing, and that’s not good. He steps to the side and pushes Kaidan ahead of him and Vega. “You take lead. Now!”

As they near the opening, it’s easier to get a grasp on the scene before them. The room is some sort of … medical amphitheater, set lower in the center of the room with what looks to be an operating table in the middle surrounded by surgical paraphernalia. Three bodies in scrubs lie on the floor, unmoving. Three more currently hurl mass effect fields at one another across the room from various points, changing position in between. One of those figures stands just to their left. Dressed in some sort of hospital gown, her corona flaring so high Michael wonders that she doesn’t overclock her amp in the process despite being L2.

Kandra Alenko, both hands raised, one aimed at either of the two remaining targets, lashes out angrily at her opponents using two separate waves of energy while bellowing a roar that would put any lion to shame. “А бодай тебе чорти вхопили!”**

The three men rush into the space immediately. Kaidan makes a bee-line for his twin, while James drops to a knee and without hesitation, takes aim at the person to their far right, unloading his weapon on them. Shepard, spying the last target directly across the room and conveniently ‘lit up,’ charges over, a feral grin curling at his lips.

It doesn’t take much effort to bring these last two opponents down between Shepard’s biotics and Vega’s bullets. When all is said and done, both reconvene with Kaidan who kneels on the floor with a collapsed Kandra in his arms. “She’s overdone it,” he says in a voice that’s tight with concern as he looks up at Shepard.

“’m fine,” Kandra mutters, curling in toward her brother and tucks her head onto his shoulder.

But not before Shepard notices the blood trickling down from her nose and her ear. Jabbing an arm in the direction of the lower level, he orders, “Vega, get something we can stop the bleeding with!” He turns back to Kandra and reaches out to push some of her dark hair back from the left side of her face. That’s when he notices more blood matted near her implant scar. Carefully, he points it out to Kaidan who pulls off his gauntlet and gently prods at the area. “Kan?”

She winces, biting back a cry of pain unsuccessfully, and curls tighter to him. “Don’t … please!”

He pulls his hand back. “What happened?”

She mutters something unintelligible and slides her arm around his shoulder as he stands up, bringing her with him. “Lean against me if you feel dizzy,” he says softly, holding her in place at his side as he sets her feet on the floor.

She wobbles a moment and doesn’t bother to nod, simply rests her head against his shoulder. Vega runs over with a sheet from the operating table below and hands it to Shepard who takes it and rips off a portion of it, handing that over to Kaidan. Kandra, however, reaches out and snatches it from her twin’s fist, lifting it to her face. Several minutes pass in silence, during which James starts to pace and prowl around the room, eventually retracing their steps to the doorway, presumably to keep an eye on things outside of the room. As quiet as it is inside here now, it’s easy to forget they’re in enemy territory and the battle still rages elsewhere.

Assured Kaidan has the situation with his sister under control, Shepard follows after the lieutenant. His agitated state is obvious. Walking up next to him, Shepard asks, “You okay?”

The lieutenant mutters something in Spanish Shepard doesn’t understand, but if his tone of voice means anything at all, it isn’t complimentary in the least. “Yeah, jefe, I’m good.” Vega looks back at the twins, watches for a moment, then shakes his head and mutters again. “What the hell, man? This shit’s so fucked up!”

Shepard nods his agreement with the assessment. “Not sure yet, but I’ve got an idea. Hopefully, Kandra will be able to tell us something.” A burst of static burns over his comms, but nothing intelligible comes across so he doesn’t try to return it. He looks over at Vega. “She’s not going to be in a good place coming out of this, you know.”

Vega’s eyes meet his and for the first time, Shepard sees something hard, glittering there. It’s startling; it’s also clear it isn’t just because she’s a part of their group, it’s more than that. James’ eyes trail back one more time in the direction of the siblings. “Yeah, I know.”

The soft shuffle of padding footsteps nearing them has him turning toward the twins. Kandra still looks a bit dazed, but if the grim determination and fiery spark in her eyes means anything, and Shepard knows from experience it does, it won’t be there much longer. “We need to get you better clothing than that,” he says, nodding at the hospital style gown she wears with the rest of the sheet Vega had retrieved tied around her.

“It’s not far,” she informs him. “Through those doors and to the right.”

Shepard nods once, watches as she visibly shakes her head as if clearing it, before releasing her hold on her brother. It brings her to her full height, just at Kaidan’s shoulder. All three men straighten as if standing at attention, each recognizing in their own way just how strong and resolute she is. This isn’t the same woman who walked out of Vancouver with them just months ago. Shepard meets her gaze head on and she seems startled for a moment when he opens his arms to her, inviting her in closer. A half-second passes when a small smile finally appears at her lips. As he wraps his arms around her, she murmurs, “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For coming to get … me.”

None of them say anything about the crack in her voice. Shepard’s arms tighten around her and Kaidan moves in and wraps his around the both of them. “No one gets left behind,” Shepard insists quietly in her hair, repeating what he’d told Vega just a short while ago. “You’re as much a part of this squad as we are. Understand that?”

Kandra’s head rises and she looks at him, then her twin, and then over at James who stands awkwardly to the side. Her eyes soften just a bit and she reaches a hand out, grasping him by his belt and tugging him into the group hug. “Yeah,” she tells them as she slides her arm around his waist and he wraps his around her shoulders, “I get it.”

~~~~~

**А щоб твоя дружинонька з кумом повелася - Wish your wife had an affair with your kids’ God father.

**А бодай тебе чорти вхопили - May devils grab you.

#Hug Prompts #ladya writes #Michael Shepard #mshenko #Kaidan Alenko #Kandra Alenko #James Vega #Biotic Pinball Wizard #when the muses attack #Nano 2020 #group hug #jedirangerpenguin

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dragonrajafanfiction · 3 years ago

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Live Prey

The dingy yellow plastic doors swung open, propelled by a rolling bed, pushed by three medical staff in protective gear and masks. Lying on the gurney, uncovered and unclothed was the Chinese Hybrid that was trucked in from the Cage.

He was heavily sedated, a plastic mask pumping oxygen into him. “The boss wants us to make sure he’s well supplied with nutrients.” The lead doctor said, pointing to the nurse.

The nurse hurries over to a chill storage chest to pull out a bag of a yellow fluid.

“Empty two bags into him and then prepare the heavy sleepers. The boss says he doesn’t want to risk a live feeding.”

The nurse sighed. “It’s really too bad. He’s so handsome. You’d think one this powerful he’d want to keep as a fighter.”

“There’s a such thing as too strong. If they’re too strong he can’t control him. He’s already got El Tigre, he doesn’t need another. Too risky. It’s better to just feed Tigre. He hasn’t eaten in a long time.” He pulled his gloves on. “Check the sedation levels. Don’t worry too much about giving him too much, this boy’s going to die anyway.”

“Last time he fed, he fed some ugly monsters. How is this little one going to do any harm to Tigre?” The nurse asked.

“The boss knows what the boss knows. It’s not our job to question it. If anything happens to Tigre we’re all dead. Remember the last time the doctor questioned throwing in someone, saying he was too young. The Boss came himself and shot the doctor in the face. That’s how I got this job yeah? His body fell, right there.” He pointed to the corner. “Let’s just do it and get paid. No questions.”

The nurse inserted the IV in the young man’s arm. Her eyes were sad above her greenish blue mask. As she gazed at him, she remembered her own son, bright and happy. He grew up in a risky neighborhood, stayed out of trouble, excelled in school. Graduated with a scholarship.

One day he refused to join a gang when told. And that was it. Buried in a mass grave.

Ever since then she’d worked here, for her second son. The younger one. Under the wings of her boss, her whole family was protected. No one dared touch her because she was one of his. So even though she knew what she was doing was wrong, she heard a voice in her mind telling her, “Don’t let your conscience bother you. Close your eyes and look away. You don’t want happened to your first son to happen to your second.”

She squeezed the bag of IV fluid to get the drip good and going. “So what are we doing after this?”

“There’s a nice resort right outside of here. I’d like to visit. Gamble away some of my pay there before I head back home. I’ve got a long drive. 14 hours. I don’t want to go this far and then not do nothing. How about you?”

“Oh... I don’t know.” She sighs. “I’m feeling a little tired.”

They chatted like this, with the body between them absorbing the thick fluid of pure vitamins and nutrients. Once the bags were done, he would die and be food for Tigre.

Her eyes shift to the young man’s face again. He had long eye lashes. They fanned out on his cheeks. She feels like if she stood there long enough, she could count them, one by one.

The anesthesiologist turned to the drawer where they kept the powerful sedatives. Once injected, the young man’s diaphragm would be paralyzed and he would die from lack of oxygen.

She removed the plastic mask from his face. He wouldn’t need it any more. She raised her hand to make the sign of the cross and then dropped.it. “Alejandro. The sedatives are in the left most drawer. Things got switched around during the resupply.”

“Oh they did?” The anesthesiologist trusted her. He was a bit nervous, new, and unused to being an executioner. If this boy was meant to live, he wouldn’t notice that she was lying. This way, she could say it was an honest mistake. If he noticed her deceit, she could say it just wasn’t God’s will for him to live.

The anesthesiologist didn’t notice. He picked up the filled needle and took her word for it. The woman stepped back a bit as the anesthesiologist mistakenly injected the young man with adrenaline.

Five seconds later, his eyes snapped open. They were a brilliant shining gold, with narrow slits for pupils. The young man looked at the anesthesiologist who opened his mouth. “W-”

Then the man went from lying prone, to launching himself form the table and kicking the anesthesiologist into the wall, bouncing his head off it. The doctor grabbed his phone and was the targeted next, The patient grabbed his wrist and twisted it, sending the phone clattering to the tile floor and shattering. “Who are you. What is this place?” His voice was emotionless. Like a robot’s

“I can’t tell you! I can’t tell you anything!” The doctor pleaded, nearly collapsing from pain and fear.

“You need to get out of here.” The nurse’s voice was trembling and frightened.

“Do you have a phone?”

She nodded and quickly laid it on the table.

The young man grabbed it then went over to the unconscious anesthesiologist and started to strip him of his clothes while dialing a number. He spoke on the phone. “EVA. I’m here. I need you to trace the schematic and give me a way out of here.”

He looked at the nurse. Then back at the drawers. He picked the right drawer and not the left one, picking out the sedatives. He then injected the anesthesiologist first. “Don’t worry, I’m only giving a small amount. I won’t kill him.”

“I... how did you know?” The woman asked.

“i wasn’t completely out. It takes more than that.” He then went to the doctor and injected him next.

The nurse watched as he approached her. She then pulled a wall panel and pressed a red button. When he looked at her in confusion she said, “I’m sorry. I have to make it look like I resisted!”

“Yes. Who is Tigre... where is he?”

“I don’t know where he’s held, I’ve never seen him before...”

He nodded and then gave her the sedative, resting her against he wall as she lost consciousness.

“EVA is there a prison facility here? Some place to hold a person.”

“Welcome back, Chu Zihang. In the lowest area of the building there is a secure area. I’m working now to hack the security system, but there’s an issue. The button she pressed is also a kill switch for the whole system. I have to hack and replace the code before it’s all locked down and deleted.”

“I’ll let you work.” The security system was silent. There were no sirens or alarms or lights.

“There are two security doors ahead of you. Hurry. security protocols are locking down areas as fast as I can open them.”

Zihang opened the door and kept running.

“Take the Elevator. It’s easier. I’ll let the other doors lock. Basement level.” Zihang pressed the down button and waited. The door opened and he stepped in. As the doors were closing a loud bang shook the building!

“EVA!”

“Working!” The elevator was lowering down into the basement slowly but then it suddenly dropped! Zihang leaped up and hung onto the ceiling of the elevator. It slammed into the bottom of the shaft and he was flung from his grip and hit the ground hard.

“Zihang! Status!” Schneider’s voice came over the phone that was still in his hand.

Zihang felt blood pouring down his arm. “Injury minor. Moving forward.” He looked up through the hole torn in the ceiling of the elevator. The glow of fire lit up the space. The building exploded. The nurse... He shook his head but the guilt lingered. It was the second time he’d accidently killed someone on this mission.

“Zihang, you’re trapped in the building. Building condition critical!” EVA was shouting urgently but Zihang was only half listening. The basement was nothing but a tremendous space, as big as a parking garage. A shadow in the shape of a man was standing there, his eyes glowed red and gold in the dark. He moved forward, dragging heavy chains attached to his arms and ankles.

“Brother?” The voice was soft, hopeful.

Zihang quickly spoke the dark and sacred words of Royal Fire and the chains started to glow red and melt away, freeing him. “Are you Tigre? We need to-”

A loud explosion drowned out his voice. The plume of hot air and debris boiled out towards him and he was suddenly dragged to the ground by a powerful body. Zihang and the prisoner hid behind a pillar but he could already feel his skin burning! The prisoner kept down here suddenly pushed him down as the pillar they were sheltering behind cracked in half and slammed to the ground. It was the only this that saved them when the ceiling caved in. Pain screamed through Zihang’s body and he blacked out.

#Dragon Raja #Chu Zihang

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itzagothamcitysiren · 4 years ago

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There’s Only Us Left Now

An update two days in a row? Wow, there really is something wrong with me lol.

I’m feeling slightly better after taking the morning to just take care of myself. I got the haircut that I’ve needed since like before covid started. I got my oil change that needed to be change since June. And I went to Ulta and got a new eye shadow pallete and Old Navy for some flannels. Now I’m going to eat my Taco Bell and get back into writing this!

Thanks again to those who are still reading this <3 This chapters a little shorter than what I usually write but I wanted to show stuff from Tim’s POV.

I Had a Dream I Was a Vigilante’s Side Kick pt. 4

Tim Drake was a considerably patient kid as having patience was a requirement in his family. Having strong shoulders was another one as the amount of bullshit his father piled onto them would overwhelm the average fifteen year old. Tim wasn’t the strongest but up until now he was pretty damned sure that he was strong enough to deal with it.

He ran his hands through his hair again. His back still leaned against his bedroom door that separated him from the living room. The conversation he could hear from the opposing side was going just as badly as the one he had yesterday with Halley Wilson had gone. He closed his eyes when he heard his father’s grunt and the sound of him being hit in the gut.

Okay, maybe it was going worse.

Tim wanted to step out and help his father but he wasn’t an idiot. Oswald Cobblepot’s cronies, as thick headed as they were, could easily make Tim regret any stand of rebellion. That was why he banked all his cards into the famed batfamily. They could give him the skills he needed to protect his family from the consequences of his father’s life choices. He would’ve been able to stop this.

He knew he could’ve simply asked for help but what would they really have done? Batman wasn’t the Batman he once was. Like he had told Halley, he was darker, more brutal as he fought. Tim grew up idolizing the hero and like any kid in Gotham wanted to be the next Robin. But unlike all those other kids Tim was fit for the job.

Hell he had figured out that Bruce Wayne was Batman. He found out all of their identities. Tim knew how to track them down and where to find them. He’d tailed Halley for weeks without her noticing him. She was supposed to be his ticket in. He failed of course. He knew his chances of actually getting her on his side were slim but he thought he’d get further than he had. At the time, he was unaware the details but he knew there had to be some big reason for her to quit being Nightshade. He was naïve to think he could get her back into the game with him tagging along.

“He died because of the Joker.” Halley’s words echoed in his head as he heard his father let out another grunt. Tim knew that there was a risk being Batman’s sidekick and he had a hunch that the whole skiing accident story about Jason Todd was in fact just a story and held no real truth.

Tim pulled away from the door quiet as to not alert the goons invading his house that he was home. His dad was a screw up that much Tim knew but like Tim he wasn’t an idiot. He made idiotic decisions like taking out a loan with the Penguin that he knew he wouldn’t be able to pay back but he wasn’t stupid. He was just desperate; he was desperate to save his failing business and make a better life for his family. Tim could relate trying to rake through his mind for a solution for his failed attempt yesterday.

He made his way to his balcony. They only lived on the third floor and the climb down by the fire escape wasn’t that hard. He could go try again. Maybe explain his situation better. Maybe Halley would put the cape and mask back on just to help him take down Penguin? No, she wouldn’t. But if he had to deduce anything he’d be pretty confident in saying that she told the other me members of the batfamily about him knowing their secret. He could use that to go straight to Batman. The taxi ride out to Wayne Manor wasn’t the worst. It was only a little more expansive than boy could afford right now but it could possibly be worth it.

He rolled his eyes, shaking his head as he looked out at the streets below him. Would it be worth it though? His father got them in too deep with one of the biggest crime bosses of Gotham. Batman would just slap him around a bit and then send him to Arkham in which Cobblepot would just live out his sentence in luxury until he was let out. His family would still be indebted with him and in trouble when he got out. And he would get out; he always got out.

Tim’s eyes lit with a spark an idea flashing across his mind. He was either a genius or he was either insane. Beyond insane, he decided to himself before softly rushing back into his room, but extremely genius.

He stood still hearing the intruders bidding farewell too his father with a demand for him to make sure he can pay up at their next visit. Tim looked down knowing his dad was most likely making his way to the bathroom to lick his wounds before his mother caught home from work. Unlike his mother, Tim wasn’t kept in the dark from his father’s misfortune, having caught his father during another one of his meetings some time ago.

Once Tim heard the front door be locked and the bathroom door close, he picked up his step and made his way to his desk. He opened up his laptop, logging in and setting himself off to work. His fingers typed furiously, his eyes flickered across the screen and his mind was pushed the farthest it had ever been pushed. Tim was great with computers. So great that he was able to not only use it to track down Halley but when he was first learning how to hack he had been able to award himself a full scholarship to Gotham Academy.

Tim was smart enough to get in but his guidance counselor never got around to submitting his application in time. You gotta love Gotham’s amazing public school system, Tim huffed, remembering how little the counselor cared about her delay. And it wasn’t like Tim’s parents could really afford to send him themselves right now. Maybe a couple of years ago when his father had just begun stepping into the higher class of Gotham. But that was before he made a couple of bad deals that lead them to where they were now.

The fifteen year old cracked his knuckles the time passing by quickly as he continued to work. The sun setting and then rising didn’t faze him. He was done by the time he was supposed to be waking up and getting ready for school. He smirked as he closed the laptop knowing his work was done. He had managed to do exactly what Batman failed to do. He finally found a way to take Oswald Cobblepot down for good.

The smug smile he wore from the moment he closed his laptop to the moment he walked to school and to the moment he sat in the library alone during lunch never faded. He was already the weird, poor, outcasted kid in the school but he didn’t care if the twisted smile he had on helped his case or not. He was happy; he stuck it right where it hurt. Oswald deserved everything Tim did last night.

He jingled his house keys, a certain pep in his step as he walked down the hallway to his apartment. His book bag slung over his shoulder, the day going by as quick as a breeze. He wanted to tell his dad what he did but he knew that it was a secret he was meant to keep. He hummed to himself as he opened the door to the apartment.

For the first time since it appeared, the self-righteous look on his face was torn right off. His eyes scanned around the kitchen, the open dining area shown off as well. His eyes nearly blew out of his skull as he saw the disarray the rooms were in. The side table where they all left their keys and mail was knocked over as if someone was pushed into it in some sort of scuffle. The dining room table was top side as well one of the chair broken and tossed off to the side.

He felt his heart stop quietly closing the door behind him and ignoring every instinct to run away. He could hear soft sobs. They sounded like his mother. Oh no, he thought dreadfully. There was no way Cobblepot knew it was him. There was no way. Tim used every form of protection he had. He used firewall after firewall, decoy vpn after decoy vpn. Tim was so sure he was careful. And if he knew how did he find out so quickly?

“Mom?” he called out, his voice shaking. On his way to the living room, where the sound of her cries were coming from, he stopped in the kitchen and grabbed the first thing he could find. It was a frying pan but it would do. “Mom.” He called out again stepping over one of the chairs on the floor.

“Mom!” He called out when he got sight of her. She sat on the couch, her head in her hands and shoulders shaking. The small living room was just as a mess as the first half of the house. Tim crouched down in front of her, resting a hand on her shoulders. “Are you okay? What happened?”

His mother raised her head, staring at her son with her tear reddened eyes. She choked out a sob before launching herself at him and pulling him into a tight embrace. Her words were hard to understand as she began to talk, but Tim knew what happened.

“They took your father! They wouldn’t tell me why! I don’t even know who they are. They just came in and did this,” She cried, releasing her son and motioned to the apartment. “They said if I called the cops they’d kill him. I don’t know what to do.”

Tim bit his lip knowing exactly what happened and who they were. He stood up heading out of the living room and to his room. His mother followed him still obviously shaken and didn’t know what her son was up too or why he looked so unsurprised. Tim took a quick peek at his desk. His fear was confirmed when he saw that it was missing. He cursed to himself. His mother always said Tim and his father were two peas in a pod but he never believed it until now.

“Mom,” he said placing both hands on her shoulder. “You need to get out of the city. Go to Gram’s house. I know who can help us but it’s not safe for you.”

“Excuse you?” the woman exclaimed, putting her hands on her hips. “What are you talking about? No, what I’m going to do is go to the police. It’s what I should’ve done.” She sniffled, wiping her face and moving to head to the phone in the kitchen.

Tim beat her too it, snatching it out of her hands and smashing it onto the floor and stomping on it. He rubbed his foot in it and looked up at her apologetically.

“Timothy!” She cried out.

“I’m sorry but don’t call them. They’re serious. They’ll kill Dad.” Tim explained as he began to back away. “Go to Gram’s.” He repeated before making a dash to the front door and bolting out of the apartment before his mother could stop him.

He ignored her screaming after him and raced out and onto the streets of Gotham. He pushed past people, shouting out apologies. His breath was heavy as he ran making his way in desperation to Gotham University.

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fracturedmotivationwriting · 4 years ago

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in which dani gives nic a lesson in trust (aka we see how dani really views her friends)

"So you trust Fletcher, but not me?" Nic scoffed, leaning forward to catch Dani's eye. The said woman glanced up from the blueprints she was perusing.

"Trust is rooted in predictability. I trust Alfie because he's predictable. All four of them are predictable."

"But I'm unpredictable? That's why you don't trust me?" Nic was smirking. If Dani didn't know better, she'd even venture to say it was flirtatiously.

"For the time being."

"And what exactly makes Alfie predictable? As far as I can tell, the guy is impulsive, erratic."

Dani laughed, "Those not well-acquainted with Alfie would say that, yes. He's fearless, which can sometimes seem unpredictable."

"But?" Nic prodded for more.

"But he's loyal. We're his family, and he will always do what he needs to protect us. That's what makes him the best security expert -- not his skill for lock-picking or cracking safes, or even his ability to hack into every database and system. He's the best because he will move heaven and earth to keep his family safe. So as long as I am his family, I can trust him."

"But you trust Emma," Nic pointed out incredulously. "I highly doubt she would move heaven and earth to keep you safe."

Dani laughed again. "Emma's loyalty does not lie with this group like Alfie's does."

"So why do you trust her?"

"Emma's only ever been loyal to two things: her brother and the highest bidder."

"I assume her test had to do with a price on your head?"

"It did." Dani nods. "And as expected, she chose not to kill me because I offered her a better price. She chose to stick around because of her brother. That doesn't always mean that her brother trumps the bidder. I'm sure a high enough price could sway her. But I know that as long as I have Magnus, the chances of that are slim. Or at least, the price would have to be astronomical. I'm willing to take that risk."

"And Magnus is so easy to keep around?" Nic asked, eyebrows raised. "He seems the least trustworthy of all."

Dani grinned. "Magnus is the most predictable of them all."

"How so?"

"He's pure chaos."

"Chaos, by definition, is unpredictable."

"Chaos is disorder," Dani corrected.

"Same thing."

"Not always." Dani shook her head. "Magnus is pure anarchy. He breeds destruction. It is cold and calculated, and 100% predictable. As there are carnage and wreckage to bring, he will stick around."

"Sounds dangerous. Who's to say Magnus won't wreck you?"

"For starters, I think he enjoys the work we do. It's thrilling and a perfect way to use his talents," Dani shrugged. "The chaos that is his relationship with Gemma helps."

"So the dumpster fire that is their relationship won't turn him away?" Nic laughs. "What about Gemma? Why wouldn't she turn her back on you because Magnus breaks her heart?"

"Gemma's easy to trust, easy to keep around. Mummy and daddy don't pay her enough attention. She's bored of her rich, socialite lifestyle. With me, she has adventure, intrigue. It's exciting."

"And how long did it take for you to break them all down, learn all about them to predict their loyalties? How long until you trust me?" Nic asked, his voice lowering slightly as he looked to Dani for an answer.

Dani shrugged, gathering her papers and turning to leave the room. "Guess you'll just have to wait and see."

#lovely larcenist

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sunaddicted · 4 years ago

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007 Meet 007 (Bond 25)

Item #11 Scavenger Hunt 2020

The ability to work well under pressure had been one of the requirements for the job; Q hadn’t thought much of it at the beginning: hacking generally was the kind of activity that put one under the kind of pressure that felt like a sword being dangled above one’s head, waiting to fall as one battled to get in and out of someone’s precious system and data as soon as humanly possible.

He obviously hadn’t been very familiar with the pressure of watching an agent court death, anxiety squeezing his heart at every shot that rang too loud in his headset and at any splotch of blood that widened far too quickly on a tailored shirt; he couldn’t have prepared for it in any way if not on the job, building resistance to the sight of his agents crippled by enemy fire or their own stupidity.

But Q had nerves of steel and while he did feel for the men and women out there, risking their lives for civilians who didn’t even know the kind of horrors they were being sheltered and protected from, he had quickly adapted to shutting his emotions out while the headset was on: the calmer he managed to stay, the higher the probabilities he could actually help the agents to get out of the field alive - even if a bit banged up or in need of serious medical attention.

However, he hadn’t been prepared to deal with the kind of tension that sprouted from excessive posturing between two titans.

Of course, he had been warned that Bond and the new 007 hadn’t exactly clicked it off and Q had to wonder how anyone had expected them to when James had refused for so long to even entertain retirement, clearly extremely attached to his title and his career - he obviously wouldn’t take it well to being confronted by someone wearing what had been his codename and his identity for literal decades: he was only human, afterall.

Still, Q definitely had underestimated the pressure that would end bottled up in his office, seemingly permeating every single atom of air in a way that felt rather suffocating - the only thing missing was sparks of energy crackling along their skin, set off by a catty remark or by the arch of an eyebrow; they were strung tight, ready to snap as the moved around in cautious steps that made Q feel like he was being circled by a pair of lions.

It was rather uncomfortable - especially for someone as aware as he was of what James and Nomi were capable of, healthily scared enough that he wouldn’t want to be caught in a battle of wills and limbs between the two of them. Q kept calm, however: they were in the depths of MI6 and he was their Quartermaster - no matter how thirsty they were to taste one another’s sweat and blood, they would listen to him.

They were trained to associate his voice with reason; with safety; with light.

Not even M was as safe as he was from the wrath of a Double-Oh.

“007 meet 007”

“We’ve already had the pleasure”

“ Questionable pleasure ”

Q arched an eyebrow at the heat in Nomi’s voice; he was used to her smarmy attitude and words permeated with sarcasm, not with anger - though, he supposed that if anyone would ever be able to get on her nerves, that was James fucking Bond: they were too similar for either of them to see anything else but their own flaws in each other, rubbing them in all the wrong ways “Maybe I just wanted to say that out loud, it’s not the kind of thing I predict will happen again in my career”

“He’s not even 007 anymore”

“I am 007 - I made those numbers mine, I shaped them into my legacy you are resting on”

Oh, there it was one of the point of contention “Stop baring your teeth, please. I know you both have been trained to be politer and more charming than that” he might not have been particularly weak when it came to Nomi’s charms because of the mere fact that the seduction of a woman was bound to be wasted on a gay man, but he had guided her out in the field and he knew her smiles could be as lethal as Bond’s.

Q wasn’t going to think about that now, though: he couldn’t afford being distracted by the memory of how a pair of crystal blue irises had made him feel, their cold stare a knife that had been repeatedly twisted into his heart until just the whisper of the man’s name was enough to make him bleed. He loved and he hated the man for it even if he knew that, in the end, it all was his own fault: Q had been the one to fall for empty flirting and charming smiles that rarely reach the eyes and now he was paying the price for it, nursing a broken heart that refused to heal as long as the man insisted on walking back into his life - arrogant and sassy and beautiful.

“I can handle this mission alone”

He forced himself to focus back on the conversation, skilfully ignoring the telling way the older man looked at him - whether Q liked it or not, and he really didn’t, James Bond could read him like the well-worn pages of a beloved book, spine cracked by years of devoted readership “I know you can but time is of essence and he knows what we are up against better than either of us” he reasoned, not even attempting to be persuasive - that wasn’t the ace up his sleeve. Forcing them to use their brains and follow his reasoning until they got to the same, most likely and satisfying conclusion? That was his talent and one of the few reasons why he still managed to have a decently sized budget despite the fact that his department arguably was the worst one when it came to the handling of finances - but one couldn’t exactly lesinate on equipment, right? The life of the agents and of those they were sacrificed to protect depended on its quality - the functionaries at Finance just needed to be lead to that conclusion by the hand sometimes and Q had become rather expert at that.

“I can-”

“-No, you can’t” Q raised a finger towards Bond, silencing him before he could claim his ability to handle the mission on his own; again, there was no doubt about that but it was true that, legally and officially speaking, the man wasn’t 007 anymore and therefore didn’t exactly have a licence to kill - M was working to restore it temporarily to avoid sending Bond out with such a handicap but Q didn’t know how far the negotiations had already been taken or if they were stagnating “What the both of you can do is to be professional and make my life easier - understood?”

“Yes, Q”

“Of course, my dear Quartermaster”

The pressure loosened its hold a little, the air actually felt breathable now “Perfect. Let’s go over these mission specs then”

#007 fest 2020 #007 fest #teambondvillains #2020 writing #scavenger hunt 2020 #scavenger hunt #bond 25 #somewhat bond 25 related #my writing #007 #james bond #Q #quartermaster #nomi

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raywritesthings · 4 years ago

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Bird in a Storm 15/17

My Writing Fandom: Arrow Characters: Laurel Lance, Oliver Queen, John Diggle, Quentin Lance, Captain Stein, Lucas Hilton, Frank Pike, Moira Queen, Thea Queen, Roy Harper Pairing: Laurel Lance/Oliver Queen Summary: The confrontation between the Hood and SWAT on the roof of the Winick Building goes differently, altering the course of Laurel’s career, relationships and efforts to save her city forever, the shockwaves of such an altered path making themselves felt throughout her family and friends. *Can be read on my AO3, link is in bio*

Laurel was still having trouble processing what had happened at the memorial.

On some level, she knew Tommy’s dislike of the Hood wouldn’t mean good things if he ever found out Oliver’s identity, but to hear the words that had come out of his mouth that day had been another thing entirely. Where had that boy with the devil-may-care smile gone? Had she done this to him?

Laurel wasn’t naive enough to assume she was the only reason for Tommy’s new outlook and attitude. Her friend had always had an anger under the surface for what had happened to his mother, what his father hadn’t been able to be for him. There wasn’t anything she could have done to change those things, and so she had let it be. But maybe that had been wrong. She and Oliver had failed to be there for him, no matter their reasons for it, and now he apparently didn’t want or need their help. Who did they have to blame for it but themselves?

She was tackling Oliver’s salmon ladder today. The nice thing about his setup down here was that there was plenty of new things for her to learn that weren’t in the classes she had taken in self-defense, from Ted or with Anita. She was going to keep learning whatever she could get access to, because if she couldn’t help her friend then she would do everything she could to be ready to help others.

Oliver and Diggle sparred down below on the mats. After giving her a demonstration and watching her get up onto the first rung by herself, Oliver had left her to it. She liked that about them. One good thing about the distance they had had the last few months and her suiting up on her own was that he’d already realized she could handle things. For her part, Laurel knew that if she couldn’t, he and John were ready and willing to help out.

Laurel breathed in and out once on the top rung, her legs swinging back and forth in a slow, controlled manner, before she prepared to head back down. A beep from the computers distracted her, even more so when Oliver called out a halt to Digg and headed over.

She exchanged a look with the other man before hurrying to get back down, almost missing the last rung with the bar. She grabbed her water and towel and walked over.

“Something about Athena turn up?”

“No,” Oliver said with a frown. She could tell it was bothering him, the lack of information on this woman who had replaced them both as Tommy’s confidant. “It’s the worm I sent into the SCPD’s computer system.”

Laurel felt both eyebrows raise. “You infiltrated the police’s computers?”

“Not the first time we’ve hacked them,” Diggle informed her.

“In my defense, this time was on your father’s orders,” Oliver added. “He’s worried about corruption and asked me to look into things.”

She was torn between laughing or screaming. “Okay, so my father, who had me surrounded by a SWAT team for asking you to help me on a case… wants you to help him on a case.”

Oliver blinked. “Uh… yup.”

“I can’t believe him!” Okay, maybe the anger was winning out. “He is such a hypocrite!” Even if she was at peace with how her life turned out, it wasn’t like it had been fun to get shot with a rubber bullet and lose her job, all for the exact thing her father was doing right now. It wasn’t like she wanted those things to happen to him, too, just some acknowledgement that maybe she hadn’t been wrong to do it. That there was a need in this city for vigilantes.

That he might not be angry if he ever found out what she was doing now.

“Trouble is, looks like he’s right,” said Diggle, who had taken possession of the mouse and was clicking through some of the data this data worm of Oliver’s had been collecting. “Look at this stuff from Nudocerdo’s time. Missing or deleted files on police misconduct, no records of disciplinary action, which means they either didn’t discipline anybody or they don’t want people to know if an officer’s been disciplined.”

“Lucky for us, it looks like Nudocerdo’s personal devices were connected up to the police systems at some point before he was fired. The worm got into them, too. Let’s take a look at his campaign finances.”

Laurel stopped pacing in order to come stand at Oliver’s side. He rubbed a hand up and down her back once in a show of comfort which she appreciated, especially since she was sweaty so it couldn’t have been very pleasant.

“You seeing what I see?” John asked a minute later.

“Yep,” Oliver answered grimly. “Tempest.”

“And what is Tempest exactly?” Laurel asked.

Oliver blanched, and Diggle sighed and looked down. “We should’ve told you this…”

“Told me what?”

“The reason Oliver agreed to interrogating his mother as the Hood,” Digg stated. “It was cause we found out she’d recovered the Queen’s Gambit wreckage, and it proved the boat wasn’t destroyed in the storm. It was sabotaged.”

Laurel felt her mouth drop open. “Sara wouldn’t have died out there?”

“Not if the boat hadn’t been targeted, no,” Oliver said quietly. “I’m sorry.”

She stepped back, trying to reconcile this was the anger and grief and the slow sense of a new normal she had been building for herself. Her sister had been murdered. Not intentionally — in fact, she probably hadn’t even been a thought in the perpetrator’s mind. But she could have come home. They could have had it out, the betrayal and all it had done. So much could have been different; maybe her whole life. Sara would have had a life.

“Laurel?” Oliver was hanging back, clearly unsure what he should do given the subject.

“It’s fine,” she said out loud, even if it wasn’t. But they were here to work. She could deal with her feelings in her own time. “What’s this got to do with Tempest?”

“It was the name of the shell company she used to pay to have the boat moved and stored somewhere. It’s been destroyed since,” John added before she could ask. “And it looks like Tempest also made regular contributions to Nudocerdo while he was Commissioner.”

“So he wasn’t just bad at his job, he was dirty,” Laurel concluded. “What about the other cops? The detectives, captains? How many of them can we tell are on the take?”

“I’ll have to comb through the files the worm grabbed. It’s gonna takes while,” Oliver said with a grimace. “I don’t think I can patrol tonight.”

He had gone out the last couple with her as she had been showing him her own method. Looking for crime as it happened rather than setting out for a predetermined target. Laurel couldn’t tell if he liked the imprecise nature of it or not, but she didn’t think he was saying this to get out of it.

“Maybe we could see if Felicity wants back in now that we know Tempest is still involved,” Diggle suggested.

“It’s not about Walter, so I don’t see why it would interest her,” Oliver replied. “And I’d rather not risk her feeling pressured.”

He’d been touchy about the amount of people who knew his identity and what they might do with it since the memorial. Laurel couldn’t blame him. It had to feel like waiting for the other shoe to drop.

“It’s okay, I can do a solo one tonight.”

She started to walk over to her bag where she’d stored the black, gray and dark blue clothing she typically fought in, though Oliver called out to her.

“Laurel, are you gonna be okay?”

She looked back at him. “Yeah, Ollie. Just as soon as we figure out what Tempest really is and what they’re up to.”

Just how Mrs. Queen was mixed up with them? Was she Tempest or was she under their thumb? Laurel couldn’t get a read on Oliver or what he might be thinking about his mother. Did they need to question her again? And if they did, should Oliver really be the one in charge of it? She didn’t doubt he wanted the answers as much as she or John, but this was his mother. It would be hard for anything to think objectively in that situation.

She went into the back to change and headed out for the streets. Oliver had indeed upgraded her motorcycle, which had been quicker for him to do than the suit he claimed he was getting her custom made from a few different sources in order to avoid it being tracked. In some ways, she felt a little miffed that her version of things was being deemed inadequate, but Laurel knew that was pride over practicality. This was dangerous work, and it was better to have the best quality tools and materials available.

And it wasn’t as if the stuff she had put together on her own was going totally to waste. She had kept the bike she had bought for cheap for her day job, which made getting to work quicker and also opened up the possibility for her to make deliveries. Pam had been delighted by the suggestion; a couple of her older customers couldn’t always find someone to drive them to the store, and this way new seeds, pots or plants could be delivered straight to them.

She refocused on the present as she came across a mugging, quickly driving off the attacker with the roar of her bike and her collapsible staff.

“Where were you trying to get to?” She asked the boy who had been held up. He was pale with dark blonde hair kept fairly long, sort of a bohemian-type.

“My apartment. It’s just up that way,” he said with a nod. “But thanks.”

“Don’t mention it.”

Laurel kept up her patrol, sending a couple men running from a car parked on the street they’d been trying to jack. She was finding that with her swift approach on the bike, it tended to increase her intimidation factor. That or her reputation was growing. Maybe it was a little of both, and that thought made her grin. She had gotten her own police sketch, after all, she’d been amused to find out when John told her. That made her pretty official.

It also made her her dad’s problem to target. Assuming he was even doing that thing anymore. Dirty cops or no, this sort of thing he was doing with the Hood was so beyond what she ever would’ve thought him capable of.

Or what if it wasn’t? What if it was just another ruse, an attempt to lure Ollie into a trap? That sounded more like her father. He would never ask a vigilante for help; he’d deal with the dirty cops situation on his own. What had even caused him to realize it? Maybe he’d been making it up, only for Oliver’s computer virus to lend credence to it.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a sharp whistle. Laurel glared at the mirror before catching sight of the red hoodie in its reflection. Her annoyance disappeared as she pulled the bike around and followed Roy Harper into an alley.

“Nice ride,” he commented. “Pretty sure it’s out of your price range.”

“Yes, well the Hood and I have come to an agreement of sorts.”

Roy’s eyes widened. “You’re not just working for him now.”

“We’re working together. I thought you’d be happy about this,” she remarked. “The more the Hood and I work together, the better chance I have of bringing you in on things.”

“Yeah, I mean, I do want in,” Roy agreed, scuffing his shoe on the ground. “But people need you here, you know? Stopping the small stuff. The things he doesn’t always notice.”

Laurel hesitated. She had heard more than once from people in the Glades that while they may have no objections to what the Hood did, that it wasn’t really reaching them where they lived. They weren’t exactly wrong, but there was so much about the situation they couldn’t know, that she and Oliver and John didn’t even fully know yet.

“I think he’s noticing more all the time,” she finally answered, which was the truth. Whatever her own indignation towards her father, Laurel couldn’t have imagined the Oliver of two months ago let alone last year getting involved with systemic corruption in their city’s police force. “But don’t worry. I’m not going anywhere. And I did ask him about you. He’s thinking about it.”

“Thanks,” Roy said. “Guess I should get out of here before anyone spots me with you.” He pulled his hood down further over his eyes and slipped back out into the main street. Laurel sat back on the bike seat to wait a while before heading back out there herself.

Roy’s words remained on her mind, however. What did she look like to the people who had noticed her in the Glades, zipping around on her top-of-the-line bike? Some kind of sellout? As much as she appreciated Oliver giving her access to better equipment and gear, she didn’t want people to think she was losing sight of what she had set out to do.

“That’s really what people think about me?”

She jumped, one arm already pulling back to deliver a punch before her mind caught up to the familiar voice. Laurel blinked at Oliver in surprise. “I thought you weren’t coming out tonight.”

“I ended up showing John what to look for in the files. He said he could handle it.” Oliver walked closer to her. “He also thought I should see how you were really feeling about everything.”

Laurel sighed, leaning forward on the handlebars. “What do you want me to say? I already knew my sister was dead. Now I know someone was indirectly responsible. Are you ever going to ask your mother who?”

He looked down, the hood he wore hiding his eyes. “I should. I just… something has been off about her ever since I came home. And especially since we got the news about Walter. I guess I’ve been afraid to find out what that is. I already know my father wasn’t who I thought he was. If my mother…”

Laurel reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder. In a way, she understood. After losing her mother all those years ago, she had been desperate to keep the peace with her father and probably put up with more warning signs than it was worth instead of forcing them both to acknowledge his problems. “Our parents are going to disappoint us at times. Sometimes in a bigger way than most people go through.” She doubted many people had to deal with their father using them as bait for a SWAT operation gone wrong, after all. “But it doesn’t mean the things you know about them suddenly stop mattering. Whatever else, your father loved you. Your mother loves you. And if you still want her in your life, I think you can make that happen. But ignoring the problem isn’t how to do it.”

He nodded with a sigh. “Soon as I help your father, I’ll take care of it.”

“You don’t have to do it alone.”

His lips pulled up in a half-smile. “Maybe not, but it isn’t exactly a part of your mission.”

“My ‘mission’, if we’re calling it that, is to help people. And you fall under that category,” she reminded him with a prod to his shoulder. “You’ve been doing things my way the last couple of nights. It’s only fair I return the favor. And that starts with my dad’s thing.” If he thought she was sitting on the sidelines while her dad got involved in all this, he had another thing coming.

Oliver was silent for a moment, which had her narrowing her eyes. “What?”

“Your father… he’s hoping by resolving this issue, it will mean the city won’t need people like you or me. That things can go back to normal.” He frowned. “But seeing how widespread the corruption is, everything with Tommy and my mother, I don’t know how it can.”

“And normal isn’t exactly a good thing,” Laurel pointed out.

They both looked up at the sound of a scream from what sounded a few blocks away. A depressingly normal sound in the Glades.

“No, it isn’t,” Oliver agreed grimly. He raised his bow and fired a grapple arrow. Laurel gunned the engine of her bike, and they each took off toward the sound.

Whatever came next in their personal lives, acting in the face of injustice had become their new normal. And as far as Laurel was concerned, that was definitely a good thing.

---

Quentin started in his chair early that morning when a phone in his desk drawer started buzzing. It was the vigilante phone, which meant he really shouldn’t answer it inside. He quickly stood, doing his best to avoid Hilton’s questioning look as he headed out of the bullpen and out into the back alley. He was lucky enough to find it free of anyone on their smoke break. Finally, he answered the call.

“Yeah?”

“I have the information you requested, Detective,” the archer’s modulated voice spoke. “When and where can I deliver it to you?”

He had a feeling the vigilante wouldn’t react well to an immediate request, considering how light it was outside. Harder to hide in the shadows when they weren’t nearly so deep. “Uh… tonight. Down by the docks. Eleven?”

“I’ll be there.” With that, the line disconnected.

Quentin let out a breath. Tonight. He would know just which members of the force he was part of were dirty and which weren’t. He could take the information to Pike — at least, he hoped his gut was right that Pike was one of the good ones — and they could start cleaning house and getting this city back on track the right way.

He went back to his apartment to sleep off the night shift, showered and got some food in him. Then it was all down to waiting, which felt like an eternity rather than the few hours he knew it logically was.

Quentin took his own car rather than one of the squad cars, seeing as it would attract less attention. He kept his badge tucked away for that reason as well as he made his way down to the docks. He found a stack of crates to wait by that kept him mostly shielded from the lane trucks traveled up and down picking up or dropping off shipments. Not that there was much of that going on just now, but better to be safe than sorry.

Quentin kept checking his watch. He’d shown up early, sure, but it was already five past and no sign of him. What exactly was going on here?

“Seems your friend isn’t showing, Quentin.”

He startled as a flashlight beam hit him and straightened up. “Captain Stein.”

His superior raised a hand, the signal, he realized, for a number of SWAT lead by Warner to move in, surrounding him. Quentin raised his hands; he’d be a fool to reach for his gun now.

“Just what is this?” He knew he hadn’t been followed, so where had all of them come from?

“Ever since one of the copycat’s arrows disappeared from evidence, I knew we had a leak,” Stein stated, an underlying smugness in his tone. “And given your possession of a phone with a direct line to the Hood, you were the most obvious candidate. So I ordered Brock to take it out of your desk to have Crosby in CSU put some additional spyware on it. You could say your maneuver with your daughter inspired me,” the man added with a smirk.

Quentin’s blood ran cold as he noticed Brock standing there with his weapon raised alongside Hester, Lopez and — least surprising of all — Daily. These weren’t really his people, not besides Warner, and given the harsh glare she was directing his way, he didn’t think he’d see any leniency from her. The lack of Hall, despite her recruitment to the anti-vigilante task force nearly two months ago now, told him that this was Stein’s own hand-picked crew.

“We weren’t able to crack the encryption to follow the calls back to their source, unfortunately,” Stein continued on. “But I’ll consider bringing you in just one step closer to bringing down these vigilantes.”

Denying what he had been doing would get him nowhere, so Quentin didn’t even bother. “Look, I am trying to do the same thing. By tackling the problems that created the Hood and those like him in the first place. Bringing him in by force wasn’t working.”

“Because you lacked the conviction to do what was necessary. It’s why I had Daily join the Winick Building raid.”

Quentin’s breath stuttered in his chest. “You put him there so he’d shoot my daughter?” The younger officer was smirking where he stood, and if there weren’t a dozen guns pointed at him, he might have gone for the cocky bastard.

“You’ve failed to handle the situation objectively, Detective. Things were running just fine before this vigilante menace showed up, and I intend to see it return to that no matter who gets in the way!”

“Because your backers at Tempest have an interest in seeing it return to business as usual.”

Quentin had never been so relieved to hear the vigilante’s altered voice. Apparently the guy hadn’t pulled a no-show after all.

Two flechettes were thrown into the wrists of Warner and Hester, both of whom dropped their weapons. There were a couple grunts as Quentin caught movement near the back-left of the group; two of the men had fallen down. A few more of them turned, and it was this break in the formation that allowed him to glimpse a woman standing up from a crouched sweep kick, her fists raised. Dressed in black and dark blue with a mask and long, blonde hair, Quentin knew this could only be the Woman of the Glades.

This break in the formation gave the Hood time to rappel down from the roof of the warehouse he’d been waiting on top of, though Quentin didn’t watch to see where he landed as he was busy ducking around the crates to avoid Stein’s gunfire.

He quickly got out his own handgun and raised it, peering around the side to locate his enemy. Stein had moved back, out of reach of the Hood’s blows as he engaged both Daily and Lopez at once.

The Woman had gotten possession of one of the SWAT shields and was using it as a battering ram on one side while she swung a staff with her free hand, throwing men twice her size to the ground. Quentin watched, however, as Cutter — the department’s first ever female SWAT member, battered the Woman back with her own shield. The Woman stumbled but kept her feet, her head giving a dazed shake for a moment. The two then circled each other before each charged.

Quentin circled around the other side of the crates, doing his best to crouch low in the hopes of getting the drop on Stein. The captain noticed him at the last second, forcing Quentin into a drop and roll as he fired on him.

“Attacking your own, Lance?”

“Trying to put a stop to this before anyone’s seriously hurt!” He called back. These people would have had enough evidence on him to arrest him at the station, but they’d waited to stage a sting operation with the clear intent of getting him and the Hood, and he doubted they’d stop at the Woman, since she’d been good enough to show. There weren’t rubber bullets in those guns, either, and judging by Stein’s attempt on his life just now, the order was shoot to kill.

An arrow sailed through the night and hit Stein’s gun, making him drop it. Quentin charged forward, knocking the older man to the ground and rolling him onto his chest. He wrenched Stein’s arms behind his back and got out his cuffs.

“If you’ve been listening to that phone since the Winick Building, then you could’ve shown up to catch him at Merlyn Global. But you didn’t, because it wasn’t personal yet, was it? You got nervous when I asked him for help rooting out corruption. Well, I’m gonna look through the evidence, find out just what this Tempest is and then it’ll be over for you and them!”

He looked up to take stock on the situation. Officers were either knocked out or tied up with those cable arrow things. The Hood was lifting Cutter up and away from the Woman, who had a split lip. She hauled back and punched the SWAT officer right in the face.

Quentin stood up. “Hey!” He didn’t need them doing that!

The Woman startled and looked away from him, her shoulders hunched. There was something almost sheepish in the gesture. He could also see a small tear in the shoulder of her jacket.

The Hood placed Cutter back on the ground considering she was knocked out cold. Then he walked over towards Quentin, his head ducked to avoid showing much more than his chin.

“This flash drive contains everything you’ll need.”

Quentin took it with a nod of thanks. He couldn’t help noticing that the Woman was already retreating back towards where he could just see the handlebar of a motorbike sticking out from the shadow of a building. Even less talkative than the Hood, apparently. Though that didn’t match the scant reports about her they’d gotten.

Before the Hood could take his leave as well, Quentin gestured towards her retreating form. “So is this, uh, a regular thing now?”

“It won’t be easy cleaning up the corruption and its effects on this city, Detective. You’ll need people like me and her for a while yet.”

It was the opposite of what he had wanted to hear tonight. But the one comfort he could draw was that the Hood sounded far from smug about it. He likely longed for the days when this city wouldn’t need him, too.

“Alright. I better call this in.” He turned away to get out his radio and heard the Hood depart. Now what the hell was he going to say about all this exactly? Best thing to do, request Hilt and see what he thought.

Predictably, his partner felt Quentin had landed them in a whole heap of trouble. “Even if what’s on that flash drive is a hundred percent genuine, you did agree to meet with a vigilante to get it, Quentin. What are we supposed to say to Pike about that?”

“Pike’s gonna have to accept that cops on some special interest group’s payroll is a bigger problem.”

Sooner than he would have liked, they had more officers on the scene to help get the injured parties treatment and to bring Stein, at the very least, in. It turned out he hadn’t put this little raid on the books, so it wasn’t only Quentin who would be answering some awkward questions.

To his great relief, Kelton took the flash drive. He made the CSU promise to guard it with his life. Quentin didn’t doubt that Crosby or someone else in on all this would love to make it disappear.

He sat waiting inside Pike’s office for the rest of that night, waiting for his direct superior to go through all of the evidence and question who he needed to. Quentin knew this probably didn’t look great for him, but he also knew he had done the right thing, and if he could just convince Frank of that, then maybe he might walk out of here a free man.

His real phone buzzed with a text just as the early light of dawn was creeping in through the window. Quentin glanced at it, saw Laurel’s name, and sat up to rub at his eyes. It read how’s everything?

He felt the corner of his mouth twitch. Somehow his girl always knew when to check on him. He considered it a good thing Laurel was actually reaching out considering they’d still only made a few halting attempts each to patch things up. Quentin wrote back, long night, but fine. At least he hoped it would be. But considering he hadn’t been hauled into a holding cell yet, he had hope.

Like a summons, the thought was immediately followed by Pike opening the door to his office and coming around to his side of the desk. A large folder was under his arm that he set down and opened.

“Quentin,” his long-time superior sighed. “This would’ve been easier if you would have just come to me.”

“Maybe, but sir, I did point out my concerns about Daily in particular to you, which you said you couldn’t do anything about. Now we both know why. Stein was protecting his man.”

“But a vigilante? The same vigilante you told me you didn’t want to give up hunting even when I scaled back the taskforce!”

He winced. “Things… changed. I realized I needed someone independent to look into what was going on here. What did Kelton find on that flash drive? Did it say what this Tempest is?”

“I already know what Tempest is,” Frank answered.

That caused his mouth to snap shut for a moment. “What do you mean, ‘you know’?”

“I mean I was informed about this Tempest just this past evening,” the Lieutenant clarified. “If I’d known it related to the vigilante case, I would have called you in.”

Quentin sat back. “Well, hang on, what is it really about?”

“It appears there is a group of the city’s most wealthy who got together to form a bloq,” Pike explained. He passed over the file, and Quentin took it, flipping through. The bribes were there, though not just to the SCPD. As he continued reading, he also came upon a record of property purchases in the Glades. “They’ve been behind a lot of the decisions made in the last several years, deciding what they think is best. And I have to warn you, Quentin, their end goal is… I’m still having trouble wrapping my head around it.”

He flipped another page and came upon schematics. Bomb schematics.

“What the… what the hell were they doing with this?”

“Nothing, yet. We were informed about this with enough time to do something. Now that you and, well, the vigilantes, have taken care of the people on the inside here that were working for them, we’ve got the upper hand. Now my source has identified the ringleader of this high society club, and I’m sending you and Hilton with backup to make the arrest.” Frank leaned forward. “You pull this off, Quentin, and no one’s going to care who you’ve been enlisting off the books. We’ll be heroes.”

He opened his mouth to tell his superior to get on with it and tell him who they were bringing in, but then he turned the final page. Quentin froze, his eyes widening.

“I’ll be damned…”

He should have known.

---

Thea relaxed on her bed, taking full advantage of the day off from community service. She was enjoying CNRI more now that Joanna was back and they occasionally actually did stuff, but she wouldn’t be a normal teenager if she wanted to work every single day. Besides, she had a kind of special event planned.

Thea was finally introducing her newly-christened boyfriend Roy to her mother. Thea had never bothered running her previous relationships past her mom, partly because she’d thought she hadn’t cared and partly because Thea hadn’t wanted it to be anyone’s business but hers. But if Walter’s loss had reminded her of anything, it was that you never knew how long you had with family. And truthfully, she thought it might bring her mom some comfort to know that Thea had someone special in her life.

She’d bullied Ollie into promising he would actually show for this since he had a bad habit of ditching family functions at the last second. It had helped that she had pointed out he and Laurel had ditched them at Mr. Merlyn’s memorial, and thus she and their mom hadn’t had the chance to catch up with what appeared to be a rekindling of their own relationship. So Oliver was supposed to be bringing both Laurel and Roy over to the manor.

Thea heard the sound of tires on the drive, so she quickly got up, checked her hair in the mirror and then raced out of her room and down the steps. Just as she reached the foyer, she heard a knock on the other side of the front door. That was weird, unless Ollie was making Roy knock in some stupid big brother intimidation routine.

She wrenched open the door, the smile freezing on her face when she found not her boyfriend, brother and his girlfriend waiting for her, but Detective Lance and his partner Hilton. Both officers grimaced at the sight of her.

“Is something wrong?”

“Where is your mother, Miss Queen?” Detective Hilton asked calmly. Thea couldn’t help noticing, however, that there was another car and two more officers waiting further down the drive.

“She’s, uh—”

“I’m right here.” When she turned around, she saw her mother descending the stairs in an outfit she called her ‘casual best’. Thea had already told her Roy had never had much money. “Can I help you with something, officers?”

Thea watched as Lance gave a shake of his head. “Let’s not drag this out in front of your daughter, alright? You’re coming downtown with us.”

“Wait, what?” Thea asked, only to be forced back as both Lance and Hilton pushed their way through the door, Hilton taking out a pair of handcuffs.

“You must be very mistaken,” her mother said gravely, though Thea couldn’t help noticing how very pale she looked.

“Not unless the thing we found them building at Unidac was actually a piñata,” Lance quipped. “Moira Queen, you’re under arrest for kidnapping, murder, conspiracy to commit murder, hiring an assassin, and conspiracy to commit mass murder. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.”

“Murder?” Thea echoed, somehow both hoarse and shrill at the same time. “No, no that’s crazy.”

“Miss Queen, if you could stay back,” Detective Hilton requested, gently buffeting her aside when she tried to move towards her mother, who had frozen in shock and only started moving when Lance marched her along with one hand under her arm.

“Mom!”

“Stay- stay in the house, baby,” her mother called over her shoulder.

Thea followed them out to the front stoop, her hands pressing to either side of her head as she watched them put her unresisting mother into the back of a squad car and drive away. The other two officers came inside and went up the steps, heading in the direction of her mother’s office.

How could this be happening again? Was she going insane with her life just repeating itself in circles? Her dad dying, Walter dying; Oliver being arrested for murder, her mother being arrested for murder. And how did that make any sense?

What was she supposed to do? Did she call Jean? Ollie? Thea sunk down onto the front step, her knees to her chest as cries were choked out of her.

How could everything have changed so fast and so horribly?

#lauriver #laurel x oliver #laurel lance #oliver queen #arrow #green arrow #black canary #my writing #bird in a storm

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elopez7228 · 4 years ago

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Scenic Route 17/47

Read on AO3 : https://archiveofourown.org/works/18268208/chapters/43229774

Start over : https://elopez7228.tumblr.com/post/620919089893933056/scenic-route-0147

***

Leia Skywalker didn’t recognize the number on her phone screen. Granted, it was a prehistoric model, just good enough to transmit and receive calls. No GPS, no cloud-backed messaging apps, no network connection at all. Her number was known only to a handful of people: her lawyer Amylin Holdo, her brother Luke Skywalker, her second-in command Rose Tico, and Lando Calrissian, her late husband’s best friend...and maybe one or two more former colleagues.

After a long pause, she answered:

“Skywalker.”

“Leia, it’s Galen.”

She choked on her next breath.

“Galen? Hang the hell up, do you hear me? Don’t ever call me at this number, it’s traceable—“

“No, no! Don’t hang up! I bought a chip, this is a burner. I’ll toss it right after I’m done. Leia, there is movement at FORCE. I have reason to believe that Phasma and Hux are after me.”

“Why do you think that?”

“They fired all trainees and part-time contracts to prevent an "information leak". They carried out interrogations in the IT and legal departments. They're looking for the mole! "

"They have nothing.” Leia answered in a somewhat unconvincing tone. “They’re all bluffing.”

”How can you be so sure? I’m taking a huge risk staying on the job. I could be terminated at any given moment!”

“Galen Erso, calm yourself.” Leia ordered, snapping back into general mode as though she was addressing an infantryman. “If they had the slightest suspicion against you, they would have already outed you. They’re looking for a needle in a haystack. Whatever you do, keep quiet. If they question you, stick to the plan.”

“But I—“

“I will send you a new chip through our usual way. I’ll contact you via this number. Do not make waves—if FORCE is running around in panic, that’s a good sign. Only two weeks left before the trial, and then you won’t have to worry.”

She hung up. What she felt inside was more tumultuous, not half as confident as the appearances so carefully maintained. Each of her soldiers had absolute faith in her; if she went down, they would go down with her.

She closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. This could end tomorrow and it wouldn’t be soon enough. They had just over two weeks left, and then it would all be over...theoretically.

Galen Erso removed the chip from the phone and crushed it under his heel, throwing the tiny piece of metal into a trash can on the sidewalk. This whole affair had gotten the better of him. He looked down at the patches of eczema on his hands. His hair was thinning too, for lack of sleep. When he had contacted Luke Skywalker months ago, he hadn’t imagined himself caught in a whirlwind of this magnitude. He was just an engineer, a network technician. He had stumbled upon various incriminating encrypted documents while restoring Hux’s computer after a false-alarm system breach.

There they were: official documents from the Hoopa Valley Indian Reserve government confirming the existence of precious ore underground, and the contract with FORCE to mine the area in a bid for monstrous profit. Galen, a fifty-something family man who loved fly-fishing and frequent outings in the outdoors, understood the implications of opening up a new mine. Besides destroying the landscape, it put the ecosystem of the whole forest at stake.

The documents had suggested that arsenic and mercury, poisonous heavy metals used to isolate the ore from the rock, would be released in large quantities into the adjacent river. It was going to be an ecological disaster. In light of these revelations, there was no chance that this project would see the light of day: the state of California would never authorize the construction of such a monstrosity, let alone upstream of Indian territory, where they would have to hold additional discussions with the reservation’s government.

Yet a quick search in Armitage Hux's files had allowed him to discover that Governor Valorum had approved it, against all common sense.

So Galen had taken note of Armitage Hux's passwords, and hacked FORCE’s network from home, the very same network he had been paid to build, and dig deeper into the mystery.

Terrified by his discoveries, and all too aware of the risk of going to prison if FORCE got wind of his indiscretions, he made contact with the network of ecologists most likely to listen: Earth Soldiers. Infamous for their vehemence towards multinational corporations, as well as for the grand fallout between its former stakeholders. The conflict between the Skywalker clan and the enterprise led by Snoke and Hux was hardly a secret. No one knew better than Luke and Leia what it felt like to become outcasts. Even after losing everything to FORCE, they had to pay millions of dollars in a defamation lawsuit. They had nothing to lose.

They were broke, surviving solely on the charity of their donors—rich strangers who engaged in virtue signaling by making a check every year to what appeared to be a hippie band talking to the birds.

Luke Skywalker was still living in San Francisco, keeping an eye on the FORCE tower, which cast a long shadow over the bay. Galen Erso had met him in the backroom of a cantina where he had handed over all the documents he had copied from Hux's confidential files.

The plan was simple: Galen stayed in place, continued to collect information and above all, made sure not to get caught.

His data was smuggled to Luke. Never through email, never on any device with an internet connection: he knew all too well that anyone could hack the system in the same way that he did.

The documents, stored on a micro-SD no bigger than a fingernail, would be handed over to Leia and her lawyer, Amylin Holdo. The women were the centerpiece of their plan. Luke Skywalker was too old, too cantankerous, and too well-surveilled to pull it off. He couldn’t buy fries at a Jack in the Box without Hux and Snoke knowing the menu in detail.

Meanwhile, Leia remained in her shelter in the shadow of the Rockies, near the Denver military base where she had lived all her life, met the man who would become her husband, and raised a son who would turn away from her.

There, she was almost forgotten. The last act of this sinister tragedy thus began.

Galen waited for instructions from Leia Skywalker even as the anxiety ate him alive.

The lawyers crafted their game plan. Earth Soldiers soldiers mobilized media and networks, to the satisfaction of FORCE’s white-collar lawyers, who were delighted by the free advertising.

Governor Valorum bit his nails despite smiling at the camera, his jaw clenched and his neck dripping with sweat.

Snoke, Hux, and their field operative Phasma refused to underestimate their enemies and redoubled their efforts.

The infamous Kylo Ren, secretly Ben Solo, paced the length of a hotel room, frustrated, humiliated, and obsessed with a young British maverick who had the resourcefulness and the virtue to escape him at every turn.

Rey Jakku, oblivious to the chess board unfurling around her, scratched BB8’s head as the dog lay in her lap, cried silently on a long-distance call to England.

#reylo #fanfiction #Modern AU #Scenic Route

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imastrangeone98 · 5 years ago

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Lost and Found - Chapter 10: Adam and Eve

(A/N: hello my non-existent fans! I think my writing quality is getting better so hopefully I can feel more confident in my writing. how was the last chapter you definitely didn’t read?)

The mountain seemed much bigger in person. It didn’t help to ease their worries, which had only grown stronger with Dante’s theory.

As they stared up at the peak, Dante began to shiver.

“What’s wrong?”

“It stinks,” he replied, rubbing his nose. “It already did, but it smells worse up close.” He gazed at the mountain, searching for any sign for a source of the smell. The faint scent of lotuses hung in the air, giving him a brief moment of respite.

“Do you think we’ll have to climb it?” Lady asked as she studied their surroundings. “If so, I don’t have much hope that we’ll make it to her in time.”

“We will. And besides, I don’t think we’ll be climbing.” He pointed to a small crack just at the base, which pulsated with light.

Lady stood next to him to look. “Well, would you look at that. A free ticket.”

“Yeah.” His eyes narrowed, and he placed a hand on Rebellion’s hilt. “You can’t have a party without some crashers.”

And with that, they slinked in.

Dante’s nose immediately scrunched up; he sneezed.

“God, it smells like death in here.” The only thing that made it better was that the familiar lotus scent grew just a tad stronger.

Lady stared down the dark, humid tunnel. “What do you think’s at the end of this?”

“Faith,” he responded immediately. “And, uh, other stuff.”

She rolled her eyes, but the tiniest of smiles emerged from the corner of her lip.

The tunnel twisted and turned at every corner, and the ground became slick with humidity, forcing them to watch their every step.

“Why does it feel like we snuck in too easily?” Lady wondered. “There was hardly any defense when we got in.”

“Probably because they didn’t anticipate anything,” Dante replied. “Our attacks did nothing, so why would they be afraid of us? And besides, I don’t think any old human would be able to find this place so easily.”

“And maybe because this is their defense system?”

He looked up and almost got blinded by the powerful light.

The inside had, somehow, been completely hollowed out. A lush garden took its place, filled with meadows of grass cut through with rivers of clear water, blooming flowers of varying colors, and trees laden with fragrant fruit. The roof of the cavern had all but disappeared, replaced with a bright blue sky, complete with fluffy white clouds and a shining sun.

But all of that dulled in comparison to the two massive trees that stood in the center. They grew tall and proud, with strong, sturdy branches and fruit in multiple colors. Dante almost got a creak in his neck from gazing at it.

“Beautiful, is it not?”

Two figures emerged from the foliage of the trees; a boy and a girl, seemingly around their early teens. Vines and branches curled around their bodies, and flowers bloomed in their hair. Aside from the girl having longer hair, they would’ve easily been mistaken as twins.

“Welcome,” the girl said, a gentle smile on her face, “to the garden of Eden.”

Dante’s fingers brushed against Ebony. “And who are you?”

“The very first in existence,” the boy replied. “The founders of all creation. I am Adam.”

“I am Eve,” his partner added. “We would be more than happy to give you a proper welcome, but I am afraid that we are currently undergoing... renovations.”

Their bodies began to twitch, then violently spasm. The vines that covered them pierced through their skin, pumping golden liquid into them. They screeched in unison, sending chills down Dante’s spine.

And he watched as they began to grow- from preteens to young adults. And with them, the garden seemed to pop even more in color.

Lady shuddered next to him. “Talk about puberty hitting hard.”

After a few seconds, the twitching stopped. Adam and Eve straightened, their brown eyes shining with a golden glow.

“Our evolution has begun,” Eve murmured in a dreamlike daze.

In an identical voice, Adam continued, “We must now ask you to leave at once. Humans are no longer welcome in our garden.”

“Sorry to disappoint,” Dante grumbled, shipping out his pistols, “but we got an appointment with your higher-ups; wouldn’t want to keep them waiting, now, would we?”

“Besides,” Lady muttered, “we’re on a tight schedule.”

Eve lifted her hand, and a flaming sword roared to life from it. “I am afraid we cannot let you pass.”

Adam raised his palms, and vines erupted from the ground. “We cannot afford mere humans interrupting our most holiest ceremony-“

A rocket blast disrupted his speech.

Lady readjusted the Kalina Ann. “I said,” she hissed, “we’re on a tight schedule!”

She fired again. A vine deflected it into a nearby meadow where it exploded, sending bits and pieces of dirt and flowers into the air.”

“My garden!” Eve wailed. “You will pay for your destruction!” She lunged forward, flaming sword raised high in the air.

Dante intercepted it with Rebellion, and for a split second, the two were face-to-face. The smell of smoke, turned earth, and corpses clogged his nose.

“Get out of the way!” he growled, swinging his sword. It met the other with a sharp clang.

She swung again. He dodged.

He parried. She blocked.

When he swung just a tad too low, he sliced off a rosebud.

“YOU MONSTER!” Eve lunged forward and sliced wildly. Dante managed to keep up with blocks and jabs of his own.

She gets pissed when her garden gets damaged, he realized. That’s when she gets sloppy.

Turning sharply on his heel, he sprinted further into the meadow, firing bullets at any form of life he saw. A howl from behind him; the snapping of branches, and light footsteps came from behind him.

That tree’s probably her source. Keep her away from it, and I might stand a chance.

He turned around with Rebellion at the ready-

And found a flaming sword piercing his chest.

Ignoring the pain was easy. Swinging a sword at the angel wasn’t. The blade slipped through her head.

Crap.

“Angels fight with their hearts on their sleeves,” Faith had explained. “We don’t always need to use swords and guns like you do; we use our emotions. Our joy. Our pain.”

His eyes widened.

Faith.

He focused on the pounding in his heart. The ache in his chest. The burns on his skin.

He focused on how much it hurt.

“BEGONE-“

SLASH!

Eve didn’t speak again. Her head toppled to the ground, golden blood seeping into a nearby river.

“EVE!” A voice cried from across the green. Adam.

Dante removed the sharp blade from his chest, now devoid of flames, and tossed it aside.

Flying towards him at breakneck speed was the other angel. More vines burst through the ground, wrapping themselves around his wrists and ankles.

“MURDERER!” the angel screamed, a hardened spear-like vine raised high in the air.

Dante glanced behind him. He smirked.

The vine came down-

BOOM!

Adam’s face twisted in pain. He fell. Lady strode over, lightly nudging the angel with her foot.

“Sorry,” she said with a smug grin, “but you were seriously starting to piss me off.”

Adam gurgled, his mouth filled with golden blood.

“Come on, Lady,” Dante grumbled, snapping off the vines on his body with ease. “You missed. He’s still alive; look at him!”

They crouched over the dying angel. Dante turned him over on his back and they watched as he spit out more blood.

“We... are not... the only ones,” Adam croaked.

“I don’t care about the rest,” Dante said. “I wanna know where Faith is. You’d better tell me now, or I’ll start breaking your arms.”

“Faith...?”

“The nephilim,” Lady suggested. “Your ‘buddies’ brought her here a few hours ago. Where is she?”

“Oh... Her. She is... being prepared for- for the ceremony.” He erupted into hacking coughs. Blood stained his chest.

“What ceremony?”

“The ceremony... of purification. Soon, this- this unclean world... will be clean... once more.”

“How?”

He backed out more blood, and bared his teeth in a gruesome smile. “See... for yourself. The girl... You will fail... in saving her. You... have already failed.”

His body glowed, and he dissolved into gold dust. For a while, they just stared at the pile of gold in silence.

Dante stood. “Let’s go. We’re running out of time.”

“What do you think he meant-?”

“It doesn’t matter,” he snapped as he made way towards the large doorway materializing into existence. Lady rushed to keep up. “We won’t fail this time.”

...I won’t fail you again...

———————————————————————

A/N: I finally updated! Yaaaaaaaaaay sorry it’s such shit tho

Edit: read chapter 11! :D

#devil may cry 3 #dmc dante #dmc lady #dmc oc #lost and found

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