#getting tunnelled while nobody does gens

[strawberry-eden]

violence solves (most) problems — danny johnson x reader

↪ summary — you're relatively new in the fog, having been here just long enough to get a hold on the working order of this place when you catch the unfortunate eye of the most obsessive man on the planet, who decides that you're going to be his newest plaything.

or, your first encounter with the notorious ghostface killer goes very poorly.

↪ tags — canon typical violence, swearing, crack treated seriously, blood & injury, obsession at first sight, gender neutral pronouns/description for reader, no use of y/n, and danny's weird way of flirting

↪ word count — 2.4k

a/n: i wrote this originally way back in february but i found it again and figured i would share with the class. inspired by a cool piece of art i saw on twitter that ended up spiraling from there. enjoy!

The cold air of Mount Ormond ski resort bites angrily at your bare face, your shallow breaths manifesting in puffs of white fog as you fight to keep giant spidery talons from spearing through your torso. A low, guttural growl sounds from all around you and nowhere all at once, your arms shaking from effort as a particularly hard shove from the entity forces your hooked shoulder to shift, sending a ripple of white-hot agony through your body. “Fuck!”

This is your first match of the day. Not a single generator has been done and none of your teammates have been hooked yet. If anybody is coming for you, you can’t see through the cage the entity’s talons have created around you, itching to close in and take you back the campfire. You’re half tempted to let her do it.

You barely register the second pair of hands that appears and bats her away until they’re gently pulling you down from the hook by your armpits, holding you up until you’re steady on your feet. You blink away a few stray tears to look up at the face of your savior. “No offense, kiddo, but you look like shit,” says Bill.

You almost shrug instinctively but stop yourself last second. “A little bit taken. I feel like shit,” you mutter. He shoots a cautious glance over his shoulder, then takes you by the arm and leads you away from the hook towards a safer spot to patch you up. You can’t help but flit your gaze all around the area, searching for that haunting white mask or floating strips of leather, wondering if you’re being watched from somewhere.

Bill catches your paranoid expression and frowns. “Christ, what’d you do to him?”

Unable to hide your frustration, you round on Bill with an exasperated cry, “I don’t know! He just—” You make a vague gesture. “Set his eyes on me and decided he wanted me dead! I haven’t even touched a gen yet, for fuck’s sake.”

Bill pulls you behind a boulder secluded somewhere in a corner of the resort. You squint at the shape of the killer shack some ways away, trying to get your bearings. Bill whistles lowly. “Maybe he’s just trying to get an easy win, then. Lord knows it’s working. The rest of us are struggling to keep up.”

You collapse into a bloody pile into the snow, leaning against the rock and pressing a hand against your wounded shoulder while he pops open his medkit. “Yeah, well. I’m still pissed about it.”

“Oh, we all are,” he replies. “Nobody likes being down a teammate this early on. You got anything to help you out?”

Your face scrunches in confusion. “What?”

He raises a grayed eyebrow. “You know, like that trick David pulls to endure pain, or how that girl Laurie hides glass in her sleeves. They teach you any of that?”

“Uhh… No?”

Bill curses under his breath. “You’re kidding, right?” He curses again, louder this time when you shake your head. He digs into one of his many pockets, pulling out something that he clutches tightly in his palm, then motions for you to extend your hand. He places something smooth and warm into it, closing your fingers around the object. “Hide it well, okay? If he sees it, it’s game over. And make sure you don’t. Miss. That was my second chance, and I’m giving it up so you a better shot. If you end up fumbling, I’m never gonna let you live it down.”

Bill holds your gaze until you give a slow nod, retracting his hands as he returns to rustling around the supplies in his medkit. When you open up your fingers, you are greeted by your own reflection looking back at you from a small, sharp piece of glass. It’s almost shaped like a knife if you turn it right. “What do I do with it?” You ask curiously.

Bill wheezes out a laugh. “Stab him with it, obviously.” You bite back a painful hiss when he begins stitching your wounds back together, which he apologizes for under his breath. “But don’t just swing it around all willy-nilly, you gotta wait until he isn’t expecting it—like when he’s got you slung over his shoulder like a sack of meat thinking you’re gonna be an easy kill. Then, you take your opportunity to prove him wrong and stab it right into his shoulder. Always shocks ‘em so bad they drop you then and there. Gives 'em a taste of their own medicine, which they don’t like too much, y’know?”

You stare thoughtfully at the shard. If it’s such an effective tactic, then why in the world hasn’t anybody told you about it? You can’t help but feel a bit betrayed.

“Doesn’t always work, though,” he says, pulling the question straight from your mind. “After a while, they start to expect it, which means you gotta change it up. Start playing stealthier, like Zarina or Jake—the guy’s got an iron will. Real impressive. I have no idea he’s even hurt until I realize he’s left a streak of blood halfway across the map.”

This is all too much information to ingest when you feel about five seconds away from dying via blood loss. “Got it,” you mumble breathlessly.

Bill blanks at you. “You didn’t retain a thing I just said.”

"I got all the important parts."

“Sure you did,” he huffs. He starts opening up some gauze, when all of a sudden, his head shoots up and his whole body goes rigid. Bill’s wide eyes find your alarmed ones, and all that he’s able to get out before all hell breaks loose is, “Run.”

There’s an almost imperceptible rustle of clothing that doesn’t reach your ears. You’re frozen in place, barely given enough time to register the command as you watch him jump to his feet. “What?”

“God damnit, kid, I said run—!”

“There you are,” a third voice purrs, and you barely get a glimpse of the knife that glints maliciously at you just before it’s buried in Bill’s back. The hoarse scream that’s torn from the older man’s throat echoes hauntingly in your ears as it digs in deeper, forcing him against the ground. Dark red splatters across the snow when Ghostface violently wrenches it out of him.

Your shoulder cries out as you feebly scramble backwards, every little cut and bruise on your body flaring in pain as you awkwardly clamber back to your feet. Ghostface steps clean over Bill, who groans in pain on the ground, and the shard in your sweaty hand suddenly feels a thousand times heavier.

You can hear the simper in his voice when he says, “You didn’t forget about little old me, did you?” He wraps his gloved fingers around the bloody knife, wiping it clean with one swipe. “Oh, darling, I’m hurt.”

You’re running before you even know it. The cold air stings your lungs with each intake, your muscles burning with every step. You don't have a clue where you’re headed until you’re tearing through the killer shack, narrowly avoiding crashing into the generator that sits in the middle. You don’t need to look to know that he’s right behind you if the sounds of crunching snow and throaty laughter are anything to go by, and when your bare fingers find the splintered slab of wood sitting against the doorway, you waste no time throwing it down behind you.

You stop and turn to shout obscenities towards your assailant, but he’s nowhere to be found. You blink, and a knife is suddenly jammed between your ribs. “You should really look behind you sometimes,” Ghostface says coolly, pressing the blade deeper in emphasis and relishing in the way you whimper in pain. “Maybe you would have actually seen me go around the side of shack. Kind of embarrassing to fall for that, you know.”

“Fuck you.”

He tsks, ripping the knife out of your side and effectively taking away the only thing keeping you upright, letting you fall to the ground in a bloody heap. You look up at him through hazy eyes, looking like a dark mist against the pale gray sky, the screaming white mask being the only thing to come into focus. “You know, I don’t usually do this—”

You watch as one of his hands dives underneath his cloak, searching around for something for a solid five seconds until he pulls out a small handheld camera with a muted A-ha!

“—but I like you, so I’m willing to make an exception.”

“An exception?" You spit out a wad of blood and saliva. "What the hell are you—”

The air is unceremoniously knocked out of your lungs when he plops himself down on your stomach, knees caging you in and pinning your hands against the snow. You flinch when the glass shard hidden in your sleeve pinches the skin of your wrist.

Gloved fingers firmly grip your jaw and force you to turn toward the camera lens as he leans in close, the scent of cheap cologne assaulting your senses and filling up your head. You swear the smell alone would kill you before he ever could.

“Smile,” he breathes into your ear, and you’re blinded by the flash that goes off when he clicks the camera. You’re busy recoiling in the aftermath while he gazes quietly at the picture in the viewfinder, blinking away the green and purple splotches in your vision. Still gripping your jaw, he forcefully turns your head to show it to you.

The picture looks about exactly how you’d expect it to turn out. You're staring wide-eyed at the camera in shock and fear, blood seeping from your various wounds and soaking into your clothes. His mask takes up the entire left side of the photo, but if you look hard enough, you think you can spot a pair of dark eyes staring into the lens—they’re squinted at the edges, like he’s actually smiling underneath it as he casually holds up a peace sign.

"Say, you weren't a model or anything before this, were you? 'Cause damn." He lets out a low whistle. "This one’s definitely going in my collection.”

He takes one last, long look at the picture before tucking the camera back into his coat and stands, allowing the blood to resume flowing through the veins in both of your arms again as they’re overcome by that numb, prickly feeling. Too hurt and exhausted to resist, you limply allow him to maneuver you into a sitting position, his arms wrapping tightly around your waist as he effortlessly hauls you up onto his shoulder.

"Alright, playtime's over," he huffs. "Duty calls, blah blah blah, you know how it is. Ain't no rest for the wicked."

Something smooth and sharp slides into your palm from the depths of your sleeve. Catching a glimpse of your reflection in it’s surface, you let out a gasp that Ghostface assumes must be from the sight of the giant meat hook that appears at the corner of the shack, because he gently pats the backs of your thighs in what you assume is meant to be reassurance.

"Now, don't you worry, sweet-pea," he says, “the next time you and I get matched up, I promise I’ll play nice. Maybe if you’re good, I’ll even let you escape, yeah?” He laughs, and you can feel it vibrating through your ribcage. “After I kill your friends, of course.”

You grip the glass so tight in your palm, it digs into your fingers, drawing blood. You see your own eyes staring back at you through a thin stream of red, wild and angry and terrified, Bill’s words bouncing around in your skull as you raise the shard and slam it hard into the back of his shoulder, digging in viciously and twisting.

He inhales sharply, hands immediately losing their grip on you as he drops down to one knee, letting you slide off of his shoulder and land face-first in the snow. You push yourself up to your hands and knees, then to your feet, and glance nervously over your shoulder.

You meet those same eyes that had peered gleefully at you in the picture, no longer hiding behind that wretched mask as it lays by your feet in the snow, but they’re not squinting like they were before. They’re wide, pupils shrunken into tiny pinpricks as they bore into you, nostrils flaring and lips curling into a grimace as he reaches behind him and rips out the glass. Blood sprays from the wound in an arc, a fury so deep and animalistic roiling in his guttural tone as he ...

... Laughs.

Something dangerous glitters within his irises as he turns to face you. What catches you most off-guard, though, is that he's actually handsome underneath the mask—he's younger than you thought, with long lashes and full lips. A tiny scar marks the corner of his mouth, and it stretches slightly as he bares his teeth in a wide, manic grin.

"You're just full of surprises, aren't you?" He drops the glass shard and stands, and you're screaming at your body to move, but you can't. You just watch as he slowly reaches out to collect his mask and knife, refusing to take his eyes off of you even once. It's like it's just his gaze keeping you pinned. "The gift that keeps on giving?"

A loud buzzer sounds from somewhere in the distance. You flick your gaze away for just a moment to check which direction it came from, and by the time you look back, he's already secured the mask back in place.

"I'll tell you what," he begins, tilting his head at you curiously. "Let's make a bet. If you can last until your friends get alll the gens done, I'll let you go."

You swallow thickly. "And if I can't?"

Silence. You don't need to see his face to know that he's smiling. "You wanna find out?"

Strangely enough, a part of you almost does.

He lunges then, but you’re already on the move, adrenaline as well as an odd cocktail blend of terror and exhilaration pushing your body past its limits in a last-ditch effort at escaping this trial with your life.

You probably won’t, but you’re definitely gonna give him a run for his money—you figure that you've earned at least that much.

[changeling-rin]

Ballad here! This question was inspired by Switch Anon’s Ask - each Link goes through the Tower of Spirits, how does it go? (…the tower in ST that I’m suddenly questioning myself on whether or not I got the name right-)

Gen: He's about six figurative inches away from cussing out the entire concept by the end of it, as opposed to the half a figurative inch from the last time

Speck: Look, if there's a wall, a mouse will tunnel into it. Gravity has no real say in this. It's just gonna take him a little longer to get to the top because he's gotta climb instead of slide

The Four: Why does nobody consider that maybe multiple people at once might be attempting these things!? MAKE BIGGER SAFETY PADS-

Ocarina and Mask: Yeah they're just giving up on proper time manipulation and abusing the crap out of it instead

Dusk: No, Midna, he does not want to warp to the end. He'd like to at least try for the challenge first. Please stop laughing.

RGBV: Now featuring out-of-breath bickering, because the stairs go up instead of down

Lore: Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm... Bombchus climb walls, yes?

Realm: There was a Tower?

Sketch: The Guardians still haven't noticed the new art on the wall. He doesn't know why he was expecting anything different

Wind: This seems very familiar. Alarmingly familiar, actually. He's going to one-shot-solo the whole thing out of vaguely repressed trauma and break every known record while doing so

[oceanselevenism]

I've seen that most of the stories on ao3 about them are mostly canon-compliant (and I don't have anything against that tbh) but I was wondering if you have any aus that you think could fit them or that you'd like to see?

omg i have SO MANY aus!! (it got Very Long so its under a cut)

- college au! danny gets kicked out (hes on full scholarship and does Thiefly Things to cover his expenses so hes not endangered just fairly fucked up abt it) (does it count as kicked out if u only live w ur dad three months a year) in freshman year, he befriends rusty (1 year below him) in sophomore year, debbie also befriends rusty (she and danny dont talk much but shes 2 yrs below him at the same college), and when reuben comes calling for a job he thinks debbie has a boyfriend (thanks to debbie telling her dad that she does) so she fake dates rusty. who ends up joining the job. and danny is Very Jealous

- snl ripoff au! danny and rusty are the weekend-update-adjacent anchors and they get gay. i Would have this take place in la (reuben is taking A Risk producing a late night sketch comedy show on the west coast but the 11/12/however fuckin many are fantastic cast members so even though they lose revenue from the other timezones not watching as much as they watch snl or whatever, they still make BANK... but danny and rusty getting gay throws the equilibrium out of whack) BUT la sucks DICK so its happening in new york. also this way u get Ocean Sibling Banter (debbie and lou are the anchors for The Actual Weekend Update and when debbie/lou get together and also when danny/rusty get together there are so many ‘just switch out the blondes/brunettes nobody will be able to tell and we won’t have hr down our necks’ jokes)

- au where the caldwells, abt to go deep undercover on a Huge Fucking Case, have to give up custody of 6 year old linus to tess and danny. the case stretches on for twelve years and linus grows up w tess and danny (who get divorced like right after they adopt him bc tess finds out abt dannys Thiefly Activities-- he confesses to her bc he doesnt rly want to predispose the kid to said thiefly activities) and also isabel (she and rusty break up like Right Before tess and dannys wedding and its very funny; she then goes on to marry tess) parenting him (rusty isnt as much in the picture bc he doesnt feel bad at all abt stealing and tess doesnt want linus to pick up that mentality also rusty Feels Things abt danny)! then when linus is like 18 or 19 danny disappears (tess and isabel think its Thiefly Activities again and arent concerned, just disappointed, but linus is very concerned for his dad-slash-stepdad-slash-sort-of-uncle) and he tracks down rusty so they can find danny. they roadtrip across america and eventually catch up to danny, who is helping the caldwells, and the five of them take down whatever gang the caldwells were chasing. linus now has 6 parents

- au based on this post where some archaeologist finds a bunch of dannys [french person voice] Love Lettairs 2 rusty and so obviously the logical course of action is to rob the museum (which happens to be the museum that tess is curating. funny how things work out) without telling his team What Theyre Stealing. they successfully pull off the heist but turns out the letters were not among the items they stole!! danny is getting desperate. as a last-ditch attempt he calls tess and asks her to let them rob the museum. shes like Why The Fuck Would I Do That. he explains and she begrudgingly agrees. danny and livingston go break into the museum Again but rusty tails them bc dannys been acting Weird and he finds out abt the letters bc livingston sweats more whenever he tells a lie. they live happily ever after (literally, theyre immortal) the end. also even though dannys a werewolf the 11 all call him the new jersey devil (its not his fault that legend came to be ok!! he was very drunk!!)

- childhood friends au!! danny and rusty were best buds as very young kids and then the oceans had to move. flash forward 2 present day where danny and debbie r robbing a museum (theyre building a flower shop over the vault and tunneling in, the dudes in brazil who came up w it are very very clever) and guess which two people are the assistant curators (is that even a title?). guess. ill tell u its tess and rusty! danny recognizes rusty, rusty ‘does not recognize’ danny (which is valid. look at photos of child george clooney and tell me you would recognize him). the 11 demand that they use this to their advantage and so danny and rusty Sort Of Date while the rest set up for the robbery, and danny feels really bad abt it so on the day of (after everyone has gotten away, ofc, he might be a lovesick bitch but hes not a snitch) he confesses and rustys like lmao i was onto u from the start. what kind of a name is [insert alias here] anyway. then they go live a life of crime and its great

- @sanduschism came up w a fantastic au where danny pickpockets rusty and feels bad so he sends the wallet back and they strike up a Correspondence

- HOSPITAL AU!!! danny and rusty r er techs while theyre doing med school and nobody knows how they juggle their shifts w school but also rusty can do a tracheotomy in like 5 seconds and danny can tell when a person needs an mri before they even list their symptoms so nobody questions it and nobody splits them up Ever. when they eventually become surgeons, danny does cardio and rusty does neuro, and whenever they have to work together not only do they never have to say what theyre doing, they don't even have What Do U Want To Cook For Dinner convos fully out loud. tess is head nurse... she makes so many excel spreadsheets... they are ALL color coded. isabel is head er doc and nobody dares to halfass things on her watch. reuben is head hospital admin, saul is chief surgeon, basher is head of the burn unit, the malloys r the HUNKIEST nurses in town, frank does plastic surgery/ent (every patient loves him bc he is just So Calm), livingston is The IT Guy, yen does like orthopedics or physical therapy, and linus is their fav resident who they all lovingly tease 24/7. the ocean sibs r both Cardio Gods and each dominate their respective coasts. debbie is an nyc doctor and if she sees a mass gen doctor its on SIGHT. the few surgeries that she and danny collab on go so fast that the med students in the gallery Cannot tell whats happening. lou is also a plastic surgeon and she and frank r best buds. linus requests time off like 6 months in advance Every Time and everyone hates it bc then They have to be on call but he doesnt realize his Extreme Overachieverness is causing so much strife. whenever tess and danny get in an argument she colorcodes his rounds spreadsheet to be the most neon shit youve ever seen. can you tell i never fully progressed past my greys anatomy phase this one is like 93489302 lines long

- superpower au where rusty has midas touch and danny has corrosive touch and when theyre too young to have control over their powers (abilities develop throughout adolescence and the user gains control at the end of adolescence) they accidentally brush hands and are terrified they just killed each other but turns out their powers like. cancel out. so until they reach like 21 or 22 and can touch things without fucking them UP they just. hold hands all the time. bc otherwise they have to wear gloves to prevent Accidents and both of them “hate gloves” (and also love holding hands. gayasses)

- uhhh hallmark au where danny is a crime fiction writer out on some beach north of ocean city nj and rusty is his fancy nyc editor. everyone else is a thief including debbie who is just Very weirded out that her brother, who robbed boston’s institute of contemporary art at age 22 and got away with it, has decided to spend the rest of his life churning out books. he is very critically acclaimed and about half of the 11 are buds with him and use his published books as heist inspo. the other ~half of the 11 are buds with rusty, and they tell him if danny’s heists are feasible or not (they always are. scarily so.) anyway rusty and isabel break up 12 days before xmas and danny and tess break up 8 days before hanukkah so dannys heading to debbie’s place in upstate new york to mope for the holidays when A BLIZZARD HITS and he gets stranded in midtown. and he and rusty are buds but like. Email Buds. they dont hang out irl and therefore they dont let their Totally Bud-Like Feelings mess up their professional relationship. but danny is stranded and its hanukkah and he ends up crashing at rustys place for the duration of the blizzard. and then rusty ends up coming to debbies place for the rest of the holidays. and then they kiss on new years eve and debbie kicks them out bc theyre being gross

- And More! thanks for the ask, anon! sorry it got so long lol i just have Many Thoughts

[novaimpactgenerator-blog]

MTHTMTE Ch. 5: The Sparkeater

Summary

"Rung!" I ran over to him and pulled him out from under the door and to the furthest side of the room. I looked up to see who had burst through the door. It was a- "Sparkeaters are real!?"

The floating creature suddenly sprang into action and barreled toward us. I let go of Rung and lunged to meet it halfway. I was able to tackle it to the ground and we rolled around a little, somehow ending up next to Rung, who looked like he wanted to help but wasn't sure how. I tried to kick it away, but its tendrils wrapping around my waist stopped me from doing any more damage. I thrashed around and pulled at the tendrils as it held me in the air while it got back up.

When it focused directly on me I felt a sharp pain in my head and the back of my throat. I clinched and clawed at my neck and the invisible force pulling at my insides. The vent above me was popped out of its socket and a red and blue arm reached down and grabbed my hand. "Come here, short stuff!" I grabbed Rung's forearm before I was yanked out of the room and into the vent.

"Thank you for saving us. I'm Nova Gen," I said as a crawled next to our savior.

"No problem. The name's Skids." He smirked at me and winked. I return the friendly expression and noticed he had a small white gun in his hand. 'Odd.'

"Yes, thanks. But how did you know that we were in trouble?" Rung pitched in from the other side of Skids.

"The terrified screams kinda gave it away."

"I didn't realize I was screaming." I cocked my head to the side as I tried to recall said terrified screams.

"You weren't." Skids corrected. "And I don't want to panic you further... but that thing is right behind us." Rung and I looked back to see that the barely held together being was, in fact, shimmying through the vent after us. We proceeded to keep moving with a little more speed than before when Rung's back buzzed.

"I've got an incoming message..."

I looked over to see him fold out a display screen.

*It's Rung, right? Ultra Magnus says you might have a Sparkeater on your tail, in which case I'm sorry.* 'I know that voice!' I climbed over Skids and peered over Rung's shoulder to look at the screen.

"Roddy!?"

*Nova!?* Rodimus' face suddenly got very large which meant he was probably leaning toward his screen. *You're here!? I thought you didn't come!* He had a huge grin and wide eyes.

"Sorry about that. I'll explain later. Now about that Sparkeater. Please explain." I glanced back and saw that the Sparkeater was gaining on us.

*Right! We thought everyone would be safe in their rooms, but it seems the hab suite doors are a lot thinner than the ones down here. The engine rooms have reinforced walls. We think the Neutrals managed to trap the Sparkeater and feed it turbofoxes to keep it docile. Listen, Nova, Rung, I need you to do something for me. I need you to head down here, to the engine rooms, and bring the Sparkeater with you. I'll be waiting. Don't worry. I've got a plan- and its a cracker.* Rodimus then ended the transmission.

"Congratulations! How does it feel to be used as bait?" Skids sarcastically smirked.

"Not good," Rung spoke nervously.

"You think this is bad, then you should have been there when my team used me to draw away a whole squadron of armed Decepticons defenseless and with no weapons."

~Flashback~

The five of us peeked over the bunker to observe the twenty or so Decepticons guarding the front, and only, entrance. We all immediately ducked down before we could be spotted.

"Well, this is a predicament. We need to get in there to get our target... But how?" I tapped my chin in contemplation. While I was thinking I got the feeling that I was being watched. I looked up to see my teammates staring at me with smirks on their faces. "... What?"

...

I walked up to the Decepticons with my hands folded behind my back and a friendly and innocent smile. By the time that I got close enough for them to hear me without yelling, I had the full attention of the entire squad. To be quite honest, I was surprised that they hadn't fired upon me already. The biggest one there stepped forward. 'I guess he's the commanding officer.'

"Hello! Do you know where I can find the nearest Autobot stronghold? I'm kinda lost." The Decepticons all looked at each other like they couldn't believe what they just heard.

"... Are you some kind of fucking idiot?" The leader looked down at me and asked as though I had lost my marbles.

"Who me? No no. I'm just an Autobot soldier that got a little turned around." I gave the large bot a closed eye shrug. "Welp! If you don't know, then I best be on my way! Sorry to bother you and have a nice day!" I turned around and started to casually walk away before taking off into a full-on sprint.

"Kill him!" The commander yelled. All of them, including the captain, began to make chase while shooting at me.

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!" I ran this way and that to avoid being shot while the pack of angry Decepticons ran after me.

~Present~

Luckily, I had managed to lose them by confusing them in the abandoned underground maze of tunnels that were made under the planet's surface for the war. By the time I had circled back around, the other four had already accomplished the mission.

I giggled at the memory. "Yeah. That was pretty intense."

"I would imagine," Rung replied.

"Sounds like fun. Okay, so the quickest way to the engine rooms... is down the elevator shaft." Skids proceeded to kick the panel in front of us and transformed his left hand into a grappling hook.

"Neat," I said as I examined the limb.

"How come you get a grappling hook and all I get is a thumb with a microphone in it?" Rung asked while pointing at said thumb.

"You two are lucky. I just explode," I casually commented, looking at their hands.

"WHAT!?!" They both exclaimed at the same time and turned around to look directly at me with shocked expressions. I immediately realized what I just said and rushed to calm them down.

"D-Don't worry! That function was deactivated a long time ago! I'd need a medic to be able to do that!" I stuttered as I furiously waved my arms in front of me in a 'no' fashion. "But because that was my original function my spark is supercharged, so my body can handle a lot more than a normal bot my size could, so I guess that's pretty cool."

"So that's how you were able to carry that huge... thing around," Rung stated as though he had solved a mystery.

"Yep!"

"Wow. No wonder our friend is so interested in you two. Speaking of which... it's time we made a move! Climb on!" Skids shot his grapple into the ceiling of the shaft and Rung jumped onto his back.

I wasn't really sure where to go since Rung was just big enough to take up the majority of the surface of Skids' back. However, I must have been taking too long for Skids because he turned around to face me mid-air with Rung dangling behind him. "No need to be shy, sweetness!" He then wrapped the arm holding the gun around my waist and pulled me to his chest.

"Woah!" I didn't really feel like falling and shattering a limb or something, so I wrapped my arms around his neck and braced my legs on both of his hips. It was a little hard for my legs to find purchase like this, but I went with it instead of wrapping them around his waist because I didn't want to kick Rung.

We zoomed down to the top of the elevator just in time to not get caught by the creature following us. Rung immediately lost his grip on Skids and hit the elevator with a thud while the arm around my lower back held me securely to him. Skids let go of me when he got his balance and I went to help Rung up after thanking him.

Skids got down on his front and opened the elevator's emergency escape hatch and peered in. "Engine rooms." There must have been someone in there, I couldn't see who, but their voice was unfamiliar.

"What's going on? It's Skids, right? We all thought you were de-"

"JUST TAKE US TO THE DAMN ENGINE ROOMS!" Skids somehow managed to shimmy into the elevator and we followed suit, joining the unknown bot. He was mostly a very light shade of turquoise with a yellow face mask and he was clearly a flyer.

"We need to get moving befo-" I was cut off by the elevator jerking violently from a sudden impact above us. I looked up just in time to witness the Sparkeater rip the top of the elevator open with a level of strength that nobody would think it'd have given its decrepit state.

"RUN!" I called to the rest and since I was in front of the elevator doors, I bolted out of them to make way for the others too.

"Go! Go!" Skids yelled while shoving Rung out of the death box. I looked over him and noticed that the other guy was being cornered by the Sparkeater.

"No!" I tried to go back to help but Skids grabbed my arm when I tried to pass him, and he pulled me away from the Sparkeater and flyer.

"Brainstorm's trapped!" Rung exclaimed while crawling out from between the doors.

"Wait! Skids, we can't just leave him!" I tried to go back to help Brainstorm, but I was off balance and Skids had pretty good leverage over me at the moment.

"I'm sorry... but he's already dead!"

"No, he's NOT! I can still help him!" I continued to struggle until Skids got fed up and lifted me off the ground by my waist and tucked me under his arm. I turned in Skids' hold to see Brainstorm, but the half-open doors blocked him from my vision, so all I could see was that monster looming over him. I felt a tear slip down my cheek, and I bit my bottom lip and looked down at the moving floor below me.

"NO- PLEASE- DON'T!" Was the last thing I heard from Brainstorm before we were out of earshot.

Skids put me down to run on my own once I had stopped struggling. I wiped my tears away just as we turned the last corner to see the open engine room doors. On the other side was-

"Roddy!" I picked up my speed, pushing ahead of both Skids and Rung.

"Nova!" Rodimus held out his arms and I didn't hesitate to jump straight into them and wrap my arms around his neck. We hugged for a very brief moment before we both let go and I sunk down to the floor. "I need you to get behind me and stand back."

"But-"

"Trust me. I have a plan remember?"

"Okay." I wasn't too comfortable with just allowing my closest friend to step between me and an enemy, but he had said that he had a plan. 'And it isn't the first time Roddy has protected me like this.'

~Flashback~

I could hardly move. It felt like every piece of my metal body was either bent, cracked, or shattered. I was missing my right leg from the knee down and my whole left arm had been ripped straight out of its socket.

My vision was doubled and blurry as I looked back up to see where he was. The one who caused all of this. He was right in front of me and walking straight for me with a sadistic grin. Then he was suddenly blocked from my view by shades of fire. At some point, Hot Rod had gotten up and limped to stand between me and our assailant with his fists held up to continue the battle.

Hot Rod looked to be in just as much pain as me, the only difference being he had all of his limbs.

~Present~

"Rung! Over here!" Rodimus called out while he extended his hand to Rung. "I'm sorry. What I'm about to do isn't very pleasant."

It was only then that I noticed the red, white, and very armed bot hiding behind the doorway just before he jumped in front of Skids to point the sword in his grip to his neck. "Hey!" Skids promptly stopped moving and allowed the slightly smaller bot to direct him away from the entrance.

I looked at Rodimus in concern, but he didn't even flinch. He must have known what he was going to do and wasn't worried about him hurting Skids.

When Rung got close enough, Rodimus reached forward and roughly grabbed Rung's forearm. Rodimus yanked him closer so he could give the other arm the same treatment and then pulled. Rung's arms were painfully stretched out and everything else was completely exposed.

"Rodimus, please- I must protest! You're hurting me!" Rung didn't dare try to fight back, he might have lost an arm again if he did.

"Roddy!" I yelled in both shock and concern.

"Trust me!" Rodimus turned his head and looked at me seriously and I instantly backed down. "Can you hear me, Perceptor?" No one in the room answered him so he must have been talking into his comm. "Duly noted and ignored. Now get ready!"

"Roddy?" I called out uncertainly as a watched the Sparkeater get closer.

"Hurry up, ugly- your dinner's getting cold feet," Rodimus smirked while lifting Rung up a little higher to coax the creature nearer.

It took the bait and lunged for the pair of them. Rodimus quickly threw Rung out of the way and clashed with the mechanical beast. "ACK!"

I couldn't just stand and watch Rodimus risk his life alone anymore, and I lept into the air. I, however, didn't get very far from my launching point. The sword-wielding mech had silently made his way behind me and was standing there when I moved to help. Because of this, he was able to almost immediately wrap his hand around my neck from behind the second I left the ground. "Please, let me go!"

"Now, Perceptor! NOW!" Energy began to crackle all throughout the engine room. Rodimus clinched both hands around the creature's neck and spun to face the quantum engines. Using his momentum, Rodimus pushed forward- TOWARD THE ENGINES!

"RODDY, NO!" But it was too late. It was all over in less than a second. The Sparkeater had been completely swallowed by the engine. And Rodimus-

Rodimus wasn't moving. My escape protocols then activated. I turned in the grounder's grip and hooked my right arm around the back of his elbow and pulled it taut. I then kicked my right leg straight into his hip, effectively ripping myself from his grip.

I ran over to Rodimus, my oldest friend, my best friend. "RODDY!" I stopped at his side and tried to get a look at his face, but it was hidden by shadows from his head pointing down at the ground. "Roddy. Roddy, say something. Please!"

He suddenly straightened up with a big mischievous grin on his face, "Just kidding!" At first, was a little startled but recovered quickly. I pushed forward and hugged my arms around his waist burying my face into the side of his chest under his arm.

"Good one, Roddy. You almost got me that time." I murmured quietly against his plating. I had completely forgotten about Rodimus' long-standing prank to play dead at the worst possible times.

"My acting's gotten better if I do say so myself," Rodimus stated proudly. I felt him shift a little to look down at me from his position. "I would hug you, but- well, I kinda can't." His position in the engines that is. His arms were merged with the quantum engines up to his elbows.

"Does it hurt?" I let go of Rodimus and stepped back to inspect his wounds.

"Nah. Can't even feel it. A bit uncomfortable though." While looking him over I noticed that one of the monster's tendrils was draped over his shoulder, so I pulled it off. The mech who had stopped Skids and grabbed me chose this moment to step forward and say something.

"Wow. That was just... Wow." He seemed totally amazed by the fact that their plan had worked so well.

"And I thought I was the risk taker..." Skids chipped in.

I noticed that Rung was rubbing his dented wrists, so I went over to check on him, earning a disappointed whine from Rodimus. "Are you okay, Rung?" I gently touched his upper arms and he held them out for me to see. I carefully shifted them to look for anything serious.

"I should be fine. It just hurts a little." Rung gave a sheepish smirk and shrugged his shoulders. I gave him a closed eye smile and lightly rubbed his forearms with my thumbs.

"OH THE PAIN~! I MUST HAVE BEEN IN SHOCK BEFORE! NOVA, IT HURTS SO MUCH!" Rodimus cried out dramatically as he arched back as far as he could given his current situation. I quickly rushed back over to him and ran one hand up and down his back while the other hovered around his trapped limbs.

"Don't worry, Roddy! A medic will be here soon!" I looked up at my friend's pain-stricken face with worry. "Can someone call Ratchet, please?" I glanced around to the others in the room.

"Sure thing." The unnamed bot chuckled.

"There now just focus on keeping your pain receptors turned off." I moved my hovering hand up to his shoulder and soothed my thumb over the red plating.

.

.

.

"Smooth, Rodimus. Smooth." I heard Skids whisper under his breath. I would have told him how it wasn't nice to antagonize someone for their plan not ending well, but I was too focused on the red speedster in front of me.

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

You can also find this story at these:

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AO3

DeviantArt

[shellheadtmarc]

M.O.E.

M.O.E. stands for Mobile Offensive Enforcement, but literally no one really knows or cares about that, least of all Tony, and he’s the one that came up with it.  As far as anyone else is concerned, he’s just Moe.  

Moe is the very first of the reprogrammed synths - he’s a Gen 1 type who originally started off in decent shape for one that had to be rebuilt, but not long after said reprogramming he wandered off from Fort Hagen and was ambushed by feral ghouls and lost his bottom metal jaw.  Now his parameters keep him within the entirety of Fort Hagen’s settlement and he does not leave it.  

He’s the very first one Tony took apart, and he was originally going to be a limited run to be used to find bugs in the AI coding for the later Iron Legion, but, much like with DUM-E, Tony got attached, and now Moe is a pretty standard fixture around his lab in Fort Hagen proper, and Tony’s house past the Red Rocket station, close by the radar station.  He does mostly menial tasks - sweeping, dusting, that kind of thing - and is fully capable of talking, has his own personality, and actually is performing as expected...For a guy who’s not running any of the later software patches and rewrites.   He’s also fully armed like the rest of the Iron Legion, so you know.  Try to break into Tony’s place at your own risk.  Just because he’s a little buggy on some fronts doesn’t mean he’s not fully operational in others.

The thing about Moe is that he is buggy, not stupid.  He’s comically inept at a lot, and his personality has been allowed to develop on its own at its own speed, and it turns out he’s taken a lot of cues from Tony.  He’s learned to be stubborn about doing things himself, and gets frustrated with attempts to assist him.  He’s also decided to be very particular about how certain things (especially around Tony’s house) are done- he’s been known to go behind Tony (and in cases where it’s applicable:  Elle, MacCready, Stephen, Zetta, and whoever else is in and out of Tony’s place) and do things like turn all the coffee cups in the cabinet upside down (he’s insistent they don’t collect dust inside since Tony’s gone a lot) behind them if they’re put away wrong.  He will knock you over in sweeping duties.  He’ll yank a rug right out from under you if you don’t move.

He’s stubborn.  He’s also incredibly tunnel-visioned (again, taking those cues from Tony).

But most of all, Moe’s personality has developed in that he is loyal.  First and foremost to Tony, obviously, but also to anyone else he deems worthy of being so to, because he’s his own person.  He makes his own judgement calls on who to stick by and who to dislike, and for the most part, Tony actually trusts that.  Moe hasn’t been wrong yet.  He’s also, like JARVIS, is company when Tony’s burning the midnight oil - someone to talk to without really worrying about if they’re listening or not.

He’s a bit of a shock for new settlers, because he hasn’t been cosmetically upgraded like the rest of the Iron Legion, but for the most part, he ends up part of the settlement scenery as he goes about his business between lab and house.  For all his stubbornness, he’s actually pretty cheerful.  Where that came from nobody knows, because that sure as hell didn’t come from Tony.  And overall it’s important to note that while Moe might be buggy as shit, he’s learning and developing just like the other Iron Legion rebuilds, just at a slower pace.  There’s nothing, in reality, actually wrong with him other than those bugs, and Tony will now insist those are features.  Which is why, much like with DUM-E, Tony can drag Moe’s ass left and right but God help you if you think you have the right to do it.  Not only will you probably hurt Moe’s feelings, you’ll end up on Tony’s shitlist, probably permanently.

[prewars]

heres that list of unsolicited fic recs that ive amassed over the past few years when i get certain itches to deep-dive ao3 and be disappointed, this isnt everything but these are ones over 5k, mostly over 10k, thanks for the unnecessary encouragement @sonnywortzik @becominganoven @donotloseme @dicktective

Crossed in the places that you never knew to get through by noelia_g (generation kill)

It's not the real beginning. Things have happened before that led to this, things thousands years in the making and things quite recent, like the wound still bleeding, dark blood seeping into the dirt. But it's a beginning nonetheless. Right here, right now, this happens.

Après moi le deluge by beyond_belief (gen kill)

He can pop Motrin for the pain but there's nothing to be done for his jagged nerves. Rudy suggests more yoga, his mom suggests meditation, Patrick suggests he get laid. The Corps suggests a promotion, and Nate finds himself a Captain. There's a small voice in the back of his head that says, This isn't what you want, and it's getting louder day by day.

Aftermath, USA by traveller (gen kill)

The morning of the assassination, Patti Jankowski got up, took a long shower and towel dried her hair before braiding it into two long ropes that hung over her shoulders. She put on jeans, a t-shirt that showed Mickey Mouse saluting the American Flag, a light tan windbreaker and her comfortable blue SAS sneakers. In her shoulder bag she put a Smith and Wesson .22 caliber revolver, and an umbrella. The forecast was for a 62% chance of rain.

Adrift by visiblemarket (constantine)

Time was, Chas would’ve offered John the bed to make sure he rested, then crammed himself atop the sagging, scratchy, ancient cushions instead. That time has clearly passed. John tries not to let it bother him, but he’s had a hard enough time sleeping lately, and as soft and warm as the blanket Chas tossed him the night before was, it hadn’t much helped. And so he awakens to birds chirping, sun streaming through big airy windows, and a colossal headache.

to know me as hardly golden is to know me all wrong by norgbelulah (justified)

The God’s honest truth of it was that he didn’t want to be whatever Boyd was, he didn’t want to be Boyd Crowder’s friend, and he didn’t want to follow him down into the darkness that was always waiting for them both. And he knew if he stayed, he would be all of those things and learn not to mind them.

I Have Always Lived in the Moment by scioscribe (justified)

Tim says that technically he was only mostly dead, and mostly dead is still slightly alive. The witty repartee would be more convincing if Tim could get some color back into his face. Raylan remembers an overwhelming whiteness. Art wants to know: Like the tunnel with the light at the end of it? No, Raylan says, blander than that, and icier, too. Like an afterlife manufactured by IKEA.

To Call the Darkness Home by scioscribe (justified)

After a time, even the nightmares stopped, and he started bitching like an ordinary person about the low pay and the roaches, exactly as if Lexington hadn’t been his longed-for salvation. But there must have been some uneasiness in him that he just hadn’t paid any mind, because every time he had left, he had gone farther and farther away, until he had threatened to run right off the coast into the Atlantic.

Where's Waldo? by swamplamp (better call saul)

Jesse Pinkman manifests on his doorstep like a wet dream that nobody asked for. It's 4 AM. "You're a sight for sore eyes," Saul remarks flatly, squinting out towards that semi-familiar face. Seeing Pinkman lets old feelings roll back in and isn't that a shame? Saul makes to shut the door and go back to a kinder slumber. But he stops. Saul feels a twinge of sympathy worming its way into his chest before he can start pulling the door closed. They stand there for a moment, steeped in caution and confusion.

By daybreak we'll be gone by storm_petrel (the losers)

Clay has a handful of life philosophies that he’s gained though years of extremely hard-won experience. Sleep when you can.  Keep track of where you stash your boots and dog tags, because they don’t come with you.  Trust the people who earn your trust.  When in doubt, and in the absence of a proper machine gun, go for a sidearm with more than ten rounds in the magazine and minimum .38 calibre for decent stopping power. If still in doubt, shift out and go for the jugular.

In All the Tongues of Men and Angels by coinin (the losers)

Carlos Alvarez, first son after three daughters, was not supposed to join the Army. Carlos Alvarez was supposed to go to college, major in something useful like business or civil engineering, graduate with honors, marry a nice Catholic girl, and provide his parents with grandchildren while establishing himself in a respectable field of employment. Unfortunately for his parents, Carlos Alvarez was of the opinion that the suburban American ideal could go fuck itself.

the prisoner's dilemma by arbitrarily (free fire)

“Jesus Christ. What the fuck happened to you two?”

“First date,” Justine says.

“Went dutch,” Chris says.

Places We Don't Belong by easternepiphany (community)

Yesterday they went hiking in the Sandia Mountains, made it to the top of the trail, and celebrated by making out against a tree, slick with sweat. They were caught by a family of four, two parents and a son and a daughter, all who looked on in horror. The mother asked, in a stern and angry voice, weren’t they a little old for such antics. “Probably,” he said with a shrug and she bit her lip to keep from laughing.

A Fool For Your Face by Ghostcat (you’re the worst)

The days after Becca and Vernon’s shitstorm of a party were golden, as if he and Gretchen were finally alone. As if her depression had moved house, left the country, waved goodbye. They laughed and fucked, got drunk or didn't. Did drugs or went dry. Or kissed. For hours. Leaning against the brick wall of some local dive turned glorious oasis because of her lips.

But the walls are giving way by FanchonMoreau (mozart in the jungle)

“You don’t have to feel obligated to stay with us,” Cynthia tells him. “But you’re my orchestra,” Rodrigo insists. She smiles. “We’re big kids. We can take care of ourselves. Take a gig somewhere else if you need to. Trust me, we’ve got this.” He does trust her, and he trusts his orchestra. And he’s not stupid enough to miss the implication that perhaps he’s not wanted here, at this particular moment.

the grave robbers by arbitrarily (american gods)

“Okay, fine. I liked vodka and I liked whiskey. I didn’t even like the top shelf shit — I liked the cheap stuff, the stuff that burned on its way down. I liked it when I felt like it could make me choke. I liked when my bedsheets were tucked in so tight I could barely crawl in under the covers and I slept like I was trapped. I liked the smell of bug spray. I liked the burn of that, too. I liked when I stayed in the tub too long and my skin went all wrinkly and gross, and okay, I get the fucking irony of that now — no need to remind me. I liked when glue dried on my fingers and I’d peel it off. I liked angel food cake. I liked when I’d lay in bed at night sometimes and be just about to fall asleep, but then, I’d jolt awake, like I was falling down a flight of stairs or something in my almost dreams. Or whatever. You know — everyone knows that feeling.”

Reconstruction Site by disco_vendetta (pacific rim)

One day he looks up from the scaffolding and realizes that he’s almost exactly at Jaeger height and has to wrap his hand tight against the metal to keep from stepping out into the air. Not because he wants to kill himself or anything, just because for a split second his mind felt that old equilibrium and he just knew he should be able to, should be able to walk straight across the valley in front of him and out into the sea and on forever until he finds whatever’s next.

Benediction by sistermercury (the exorcist)

“I had to see.” Tomas starts weakly, and something inside Marcus begs for both of them to stop; Begging Tomas because he doesn’t want to know, can’t hear about another goddamn vision, not tonight. Begging himself, because something’s gone wrong and his self-righteousness can wait. It won’t be the first time Marcus fails to follow his own good advice.

he's alive! i'm alive! we're all alive! (oh, this case just got busted wide open) by rustykitchenscissors (mcu)

The next day, he rides his new motorcycle downtown and walks around until he sees a store full of the kinds of phones the other Avengers use. They’re all so thin he thinks they’ll break the moment he picks them up. Like how Bucky said for a while after, “I bet you met your old self like this, you’d break all his bones just going for a handshake, huh?” Only when drunk, of course. That mix of bitter and wonderstruck, hair scrambled across his forehead. “I bet you’ll snap me in half without thinking one of these days.” And Steve would throw an arm across his shoulders and pull him in tight to make sure he knew, Look, fuck that. I swear to God you’re steel to your core.

a tree grows in brooklyn by newsbypostcard (mcu)

"It's done, Buck," he says painfully, lying himself back on the ground. "All that's left is to leave." They don't leave. He can't. His chest rises and falls, too hard and too obvious.

Responsible Science by lettered (mcu)

Three weeks after Bruce left New York, Black Widow found him in Honduras.

the blackberries in the thickets by newsbypostcard (mcu)

"You are James Buchanan -- like the President -- from Illinois, Nevada, California, and New Jersey. I am Grant Stevens -- wanted to be Ulysses Grant, but Nat said two dead presidents living at the same address might sound a little fishy -- from Florida, Connecticut, Washington, and New York."

Bucky frowns at him. "How come you get New York?"

"Just worked out that way."

Life of Crime by neveralarch (mcu)

It's really hard to run through Boston when you're carrying a quiver on your back, a bow in one hand, and a huge bag of money in the other. Still, Clint's doing fine—he's had a ton of practice, after all. He's never going to win any Olympic medals (for, okay, lots of reasons), but he's fast enough for a guy on foot. Doesn't matter, because this chick's gaining on him anyway. Fucking flying. It's gotta be cheating.

[trunewsofficial]

Is the Head of ISIS Dead?

Sunday, morning after teasing “big news” the night before, President Donald Trump announced the death of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in Syria. The White House announcement states the U.S. had “brought the leader of ISIS to justice.” It further states Baghdadi and “the cowards around him” were responsible for “horrific and depraved violence.” This included the deaths of the following Americans: • James Foley, • Steven Sotloff, • Peter Kassig, and • Kayla Mueller. The operation was named in honor of Mueller and was conducted by a task force of 70 to 80 personnel from the Army’s 3rd Battalion 175th Ranger Regiment, Delta Force, and other U.S. Special Forces teams. They were flown into the site, located 70 miles outside U.S. controlled territory aboard 8 helicopters, including two heavily armed MH-60L Direct Air Penetrator helicopters from the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment. Speaking from the Diplomatic Reception Room at the White House, the president said: “Last night, the United States brought the world’s number one terrorist leader to justice. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is dead. He was the founder and leader of ISIS, the most ruthless and violent terror organization anywhere in the world. “The United States has been searching for Baghdadi for many years. Capturing or killing Baghdadi has been the top national security priority of my administration. U.S. Special Operations Forces executed a dangerous and daring nighttime raid in northwestern Syria and accomplished their mission in grand style. The U.S. personnel were incredible. I got to watch much of it. “No personnel were lost in the operation, while a large number of Baghdadi’s fighters and companions were killed with him. He died after running into a dead-end tunnel, whimpering and crying and screaming all the way. The compound had been cleared by this time, with people either surrendering or being shot and killed. Eleven young children were moved out of the house and are uninjured. The only ones remaining were Baghdadi in the tunnel, and he had dragged three of his young children with him. They were led to certain death. “He reached the end of the tunnel, as our dogs chased him down. He ignited his vest, killing himself and the three children. His body was mutilated by the blast. The tunnel had caved in on it, in addition. But test results gave certain immediate and totally positive identification. It was him. “The thug who tried so hard to intimidate others spent his last moments in utter fear, in total panic and dread, terrified of the American forces bearing down on him. “We were in the compound for approximately two hours, and after the mission was accomplished, we took highly sensitive material and information from the raid, much having to do with ISIS origins, future plans, things that we very much want. “Baghdadi’s demise demonstrates America’s relentless pursuit of terrorist leaders and our commitment to the enduring and total defeat of ISIS and other terrorist organizations. “Our reach is very long. As you know, last month, we announced that we recently killed Hamza bin Laden, the very violent son of Osama bin Laden, who was saying very bad things about people, about our country, about the world. He was the heir apparent to al Qaeda. “Terrorists who oppress and murder innocent people should never sleep soundly, knowing that we will completely destroy them. These savage monsters will not escape their fate, and they will not escape the final judgment of God. “Baghdadi has been on the run for many years, long before I took office. But at my direction, as Commander-in-Chief of the United States, we obliterated his caliphate, 100 percent, in March of this year. “Today’s events are another reminder that we will continue to pursue the remaining ISIS terrorists to their brutal end. That also goes for other terrorist organizations. They are, likewise, in our sights. “Baghdadi and the losers who worked for him — and losers they are — they had no idea what they were getting into. In some cases, they were very frightened puppies. In other cases, they were hardcore killers. But they killed many, many people. Their murder of innocent Americans — James Foley, Steven Sotloff, Peter Kassig, and Kayla Mueller — were especially heinous. “The shocking publicized murder of a Jordanian pilot, a wonderful young man — spoke to the King of Jordan; they all knew him, they all loved him — he was burned alive in a cage for all to see. And the execution of Christians in Libya and Egypt, as well as the genocidal mass murder of Yazidis, rank ISIS among the most depraved organizations in the history of our world. “The forced religious conversions, the orange suits prior to so many beheadings, all of which were openly displayed for the world to see, this was all that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi — this is what he wanted. This is what he was proud of. He was a sick and depraved man, and now he’s gone. Baghdadi was vicious and violent, and he died in a vicious and violent way, as a coward, running and crying. “This raid was impeccable, and could only have taken place with the acknowledgement and help of certain other nations and people. “I want to thank the nations of Russia, Turkey, Syria, and Iraq. And I also want to thank the Syrian Kurds for certain support they were able to give us. This was a very, very dangerous mission. “Thank you, as well, to the great intelligence professionals who helped make this very successful journey possible. “I want to thank the soldiers, and sailors, airmen, and Marines involved in last tonight’s operation. You are the very best there is anywhere in the world. No matter where you go, there is nobody even close. “I want to thank General Mark Milley and our Joint Chiefs of Staff, and I also want to thank our professionals who work in other agencies of the United States government and were critical to the mission’s unbelievable success. “Last night was a great night for the United States and for the world. A brutal killer, one who has caused so much hardship and death, has violently been eliminated. He will never again harm another innocent man, woman, or child. He died like a dog. He died like a coward. The world is now a much safer place.” During a brief press conference that followed the initial statement, President Trump admitted he didn’t share his plans for the raid with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, or with other members of Congress’ so-called “Gang of Eight”: “We’ve notified some. Others are being notified now, as I speak. We were going to notify them last night but we decided not to do that because Washington leaks like I’ve never seen before. There’s nothing — there’s no country in the world that leaks like we do. And Washington is a leaking machine. And I told my people we will not notify them until the — our great people are out. Not just in, but out. I don’t want to have them greeted with firepower like you wouldn’t believe.” The president was asked again about that statement today, during a press spray before he left for a speech in Chicago. He clarified that he doesn’t trust House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff: “Well, I guess the only thing is they were talking about why didn’t I give the information to Adam Schiff and his committee. And the answer is: Because I think Adam Schiff is the biggest leaker in Washington. You know that. I know that. We all know that. I’ve watched Adam Schiff leak. He’s a corrupt politician. He’s a leaker like nobody has ever seen before.” The identity of Baghdadi, who was allegedly “mutilated” in his suicide vest detonation, has been based on the DNA testing using a small reader TruNews has reported on previously. According to The Daily Beast: “In 2015, SOCOM officials revealed that commandos had begun using two new types of a small and portable DNA lab: the RapidHIT 200 from California-based IntegenX and the DNAscan from NetBIO in Massachusetts. “The two DNA-readers work like the bigger, traditional laboratory-based systems do, but with very small, precisely measured quantities of chemicals and a wireless connection to a DNA database. Both new readers weigh around 100 pounds and are the size of a copy machine, making them small enough to fit on a helicopter. “They both require just one, moderately trained operator. Use a cotton swab to soak up some spit or blood, slip the swab into a plastic sleeve, insert the sleeve into the machine and press a few buttons. Less than two hours later, the machine spits out a strip of paper listing any matches.” That same report claims the U.S. obtained Baghdadi’s DNA sample, provided voluntarily by one of his daughters. Russia has thrown a monkey wrench in the Trump administration’s party plans. Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov stated: “The Russian Defense Ministry has no reliable information about US servicemen conduction an operation to 'yet another' elimination of the former Daesh leader Abu Bark al-Baghdadi in the Turkish-controlled part of the Idlib de-escalation zone. “No airstrikes performed by U.S. aircraft or aircraft belonging to the so-called ‘international coalition’ were detected on Saturday or during the following days. Since the moment of the final ISIS defeat at the hands of the Syrian government army supported by Russian Aerospace Forces in early 2018, yet another ‘death’ of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi does not have any strategic importance regarding the situation in Syria or the actions of the remaining terrorists in Idlib.” Baghdadi has been rumored to have died numerous times in the past, only to re-emerge a short time later. That’s one reason why Russia has expressed a healthy dose of skepticism at the latest report. But Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov did tell reporters today: “If this information about al-Baghdadi’s death is indeed confirmed, in general we could speak about the U.S. president’s serious contribution to the fight against international terrorism.” Peskov corrected the Defense Ministry’s earlier statement, confirming that U.S. aircraft and drones were seen in the area where the operation was alleged to have taken place. The United Nations also said it could not verify reports of Baghdadi’s death. A spokesman said that while the world body trusts the reliability of “various sources of information that are speaking up,” it is waiting for confirmation from sources on the ground. Just hours after Baghdadi was killed, ISIS announced its new leader. Abdullah Qardash, a former officer in Saddam Hussein’s military, has been described as “cruel but popular.” He was jailed by American soldiers in 2003 alongside his former boss. During the ISIS caliphate, he was known as “The Professor” and was seen by many as an astute lawmaker and policymaker. Sunday, another U.S.-led assault resulted in the death of ISIS spokesman Abu Hassan al-Muhajir in northern Syria. Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces took part in the raid. (Photo Credit: ISIS) source https://trunews.com/stream/is-the-head-of-isis-dead