#raynes electronics

[francesbrumes]

just remembered this guy was made in ides of march. hi

[materialsscienceandengineering]

Engineers 3D print tiny, intricate antennas

Today, nearly all personal electronic devices rely on antennas to send and receive data. In fact, demand is also rising for lightweight antennas for new applications, including the latest in 5G/6G networks, advanced wearable devices and aerospace applications like CubeSats. However, standard manufacturing techniques have limited the structural complexity and use of multiple materials that would unlock still more features and capabilities from antennas. Now, a team led by Xiaoyu (Rayne) Zheng—associate professor in UC Berkeley's Department of Materials Science and Engineering and faculty co-director of Berkeley Sensors and Actuator Center (BSAC) and the Jacobs Institute for Design Innovation—has developed a new 3D printing/additive manufacturing platform that offers "unparalleled flexibility in antenna design and the capability for rapid printing of intricate antenna structures."

Read more.

[jules-has-notes]

Tough Love remix — PattyCake Productions music video

Since their production schedule had been brought to a sudden halt in the spring of 2020, the PattyCake guys had to get a little extra creative. They looked back at their previous video projects, and found a way to combine some of them to give a new twist and a little extra meaning to a fan favorite. These adoptive mothers aren't disappointed, they're just angry.

Details:

title: Tough Love remix

performers: Andrea Stack (Lady Tremaine); Victoria Brandano (Anastasia Tremaine); Brianna Fogden (Drizella Tremaine); Helaina Wize (Mother Goethel); Michelle Knight (Evil Queen); Randi Solomon, Tony Wakim, & Layne Stein (featured vocals); archival footage — Allee Otwell (Rapunzel), Olivia Adkins (Snow White), Leah Lowman (Cinderella), Doris Stein (baby), Daniel Gugel (Flynn Rider), & Matt Rothenberg (Prince Florian)

written & arranged by: Tony Wakim & Layne Stein

release date: 15 May 2020

My favorite bits:

starting things off differently from the jump with that electronic bass drop and the neon effects on the title screen

that third ominous repetition of ♫ "benevolent and kind" ♫

the overlaid drawings of devil horns as Lady Tremaine launches into the first chorus

using the clip of the baby from "Michaeleficent" to represent little Rapunzel

extending the key change on ♫ "run a mile" ♫ and adding the low beat to increase the tension

the layered build up to the ending

Trivia:

The song was originally created for episode 2 of the Villains Lair series, released for Mother's Day the year before.

The video is also a remix, incorporating clips from "Disney Girls Like You", "Cinderswift", "Michaeleficent", "10,000 Hours", "The Disney Showman", and "Snow Spears and the Seven Dwarves".

When Layne first established his Rayne's Room music production studio in the early 2000s, he got practice and demonstrated his skills to potential clients by remixing popular songs. So this was a bit of a return to those roots.

[expirisims]

This May Be a Challenge

Spring is here in Redwood Harbor and that means it's time to drop in on the Moore household...I will never complain about my sims only having $4,000 Simoleons again...Man, I was hoping to get them moved into a larger home!

So I hopped into the Gale household to do the wedding album for Ida and Mack and this is what my game assigned Ida for maternity wear!!! Why game???!!! Why???!!! Don't worry, I gave her actual clothing before creating a new save for the posed pictures.

Living in a studio has its challenges, like selling off electronics so you can buy a bathtub and cure your cat's fleas, and finding ANY space to put down a crib for poor little baby Rob!

It literally took me 4 times of commanding Rayne to go outside for the paper because she kept getting trapped by either Howard or Jubel, their cat! ARGH!! As soon as they have money, I have the perfect little house picked out for them!

Oh girl! What are you doing??!!! Haven't you read ANY hair dryer warning labels EVER???!!!

I almost forgot! It's makeover time! Don't mind the fact that Howard is still in his jammies LOL!

Since Rayne is on maternity leave, I thought I'd fulfill her want to write several different types of books. They need those royalties baby!

I apologize to Howard for the invasion of privacy...I've just never seen the cats do this in game before! So cute!

And now to catch up on some town gossip...I've never pictured these two together! I wonder how long that will last?

[bloodied-dagger]

2-6

to prevent this post from being 7 years long, I'm just gonna list a few songs off instead of linking them

2: Rap I'm all new stuff, and it really shows in my rap taste. I treat it pretty much like a guilty pleasure at this point

Call Me When You Can - Yxng Davi

Overdue - RudyWade

Gnat - Eminem

3: Alt My main category, but who's surprised by that one

Pull the Plug - VIOLÀ

Stranglehold - rhétoric

Razzmatazz - I DONT KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME

Alma Mater - Group Project

Inertia - AJR

4: Rock I listen to a lot of hard rock, it's my second most listened to category. The chorus to the first song reminds me of Jae for no reason in particular

By the Way - Theory of a Deadman

Dear Agony - Breaking Benjamin

The Pretender - Foo Fighters

Comatose - Skillet

5: Country I don't really listen to a whole lot of country. Like I know a lot, I could probably sing every luke combs song word for word, but I just don't listen to it.

Mary - Logan Stone

Cast the Bronze - Raynes (does this count?)

6: Electronic I have a lot of alt that heavily leans on electronic, so I'll put some of that here. Honorable mention to Blood Rushing Like Current Through a Powerline by acloudyskye. It's an album full of electronic music that gives me all the feels

Cycle Hit - KASAI HARDCORES

Greedy (HARDSTYLE) - SICK LEGEND

Somewhere Out There - acloudyskye

Midnight Addiction - Everchange

[atlanticcanada]

Families of military members killed in 2020 Cyclone helicopter crash sue manufacturer

The families of the six Canadian Armed Forces members who were killed when a Cyclone helicopter crashed off the coast of Greece in April 2020 are suing the manufacturer.

The suit was filed in U.S. Federal Court on July 10 in Pennsylvania, where the Sikorsky CH-148 helicopters were made and tested.

Lawyers representing the families said a design flaw caused the electronic flight control system to take over control of the chopper, plunging it into the Ionian Sea nose-first.

Master Cpl. Matthew Cousins, Sub-Lt. Abbigail Cowbrough, Capt. Kevin Hagen, Capt. Brenden MacDonald, Capt. Maxime Miron-Morin and Sub-Lt. Matthew Pyke died in the crash.

A statement of claim says all six people on board knew they were going to die in the moments before the crash and experienced "unimaginable terror and fright."

"Reflecting a corporate indifference to safety that placed profits first, the Sikorsky defendants -- in the face of missed deadlines and financial penalties -- cut corners to rush the CH-148 into service," the claim says.

The document says an electronic flight control system had never been used in any military helicopter in the world when the Department of National Defence sought proposals for a new fleet in the 1990s, but Sikorsky offered it as a feature as a way to recoup some of the costs of developing it for a different civilian model.

But the Federal Aviation Administration never certified the control system for the other helicopter model, the claim says. "Because Sikorsky could not find a single buyer ... it never went into production."

The lawsuit alleges that the company analyzed the flight data from the crash and found the system would take control of the helicopter when pilots were making "significant pedal and cyclic inputs" while in autopilot mode, as they were on April 29, 2020.

The Cyclone's pilots were performing a low-altitude manoeuvre similar to a "return-to-target" move that is commonly used during rescue or combat.

The claim says the pilots believed they would be able to override the autopilot without disconnecting it.

A flight safety investigation report by the Airworthiness Investigative Authority for the Forces dubbed the software issue a "command model attitude bias phenomenon," which "develops under a very specific and narrow set of circumstances."

The Air Force's director of flight safety at the time, Brig.-Gen. John Alexander, was quoted saying that the phenomenon "was unknown to the manufacturer, airworthiness authorities and aircrew" prior to the accident.

"Before the crash, neither the Royal Canadian Air Force nor the pilots of incident helicopter were made aware of this potentially lethal design defect by Sikorsky," said lawyer Stephen Raynes in a statement.

"Sikorsky still has not repaired the computer software problem that led to the crash."

The claim argues that the company violated industry standards and practices in a number of ways, including by failing to create a warning system for such an event, and failing to design the flight director so that it would automatically disengage if the pilots went beyond what the company tested for.

"Sikorsky's testing of its (flight control system) under the incident flight's conditions repeatedly and consistently resulted in a fatal crash. At the time of the incident, Sikorsky's (system) was performing exactly as Sikorsky had designed it."

The document notes that under Canadian and U.S. law the Defence Department, Armed Forces and Air Force cannot be named as defendants in a case seeking damages for injuries that happen in the line of duty.

None of the claims have been tested in court.

The Department of National Defence did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.

Sikorsky, which is owned by Lockheed Martin, did not immediately return emailed questions Wednesday and has not filed a response in court.

Raynes previously represented claimants in a lawsuit against Sikorsky related to a fatal crash that happened in March 2009 off the coast of Newfoundland.

That crash -- which involved the S-92, a precursor to the CH-148 model -- killed 15 of the 16 workers who were on their way to an oil platform.

The settlements in that case were confidential, but Raynes's website says the amounts ensured the financial security of the plaintiffs and "honoured those that they had lost."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 19, 2023.

from CTV News - Atlantic https://ift.tt/8pOj3TU

[canonqueercharacters]

The canon queer character of the day is:

Vetra Nyx from Mass Effect: Andromeda, who is bisexual.

[retrosynth]

Rayne Reznor - The Heartless (ft Samtar)

Rayne Reznor – The Heartless (ft Samtar)

Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/artist/0oaTxXMT68Bd6kYmvUBi1y Dark Wave / EBM / Minimal Synth / Post Punk / Synth-pop / Industrial / Goth Dance / Coldwave / New Wave / Minimal Wave / Electro / Electronic / Indie / Synth Wave / Electro Punk All the videos, songs, images, and graphics used in the video belong to their respective owners and I or this channel does not claim any right over them.…

[faya-feya]

Pic5. Yard boys vividly discussed a certain electronic game, recently popularized among the youth of the planet. They argued whether it was possible to do the reception that the hero makes in the game - jumps with a coup and cuts the enemy crosswise with swords. Fanfic: Two sides of the same secret. Chapter 2. Ten years later, Ahsoka and Luke Author: Rayne The Queen https://ficbook.net/readfic/6701655/17120248#part_contentC

[katverse]

Download Sim – Rayne 🖤

CUSTOM CONTENT LIST + DOWNLOAD LINK: katverse.com

Unzip the downloaded file and place all those files into your Sims 4 Tray folder, which can be found at Documents » Electronic Arts » The Sims 4 » Tray.

Don’t forget to download all the custom content listed. 

Place custom content files into the Mods folder located at Documents » Electronic Arts » The Sims 4 » Mods.

Tutorial: How To Download My Sims From The Gallery

----

hair @antosims ; pose @helgatisha ; skin @simmeraddiction83 ; top @jwofles-sims ; 

[francesbrumes]

the hat trio!

[jules-has-notes]

Beautiful Low mashup — VoicePlay music video

One of my favorite aspects of a good mashup is when the lyrics of the component songs are placed in conversation with one another. For this arrangement, the guys combined two different perspectives on struggles with self-esteem and the ways external factors can affect the way we see ourselves.

Whether the greatest influence is something intimate like the disolution of a personal relationship leading to depression, or something more pervasive like the judgment of society at large for physical diversity that doesn't match arbitrary beauty standards, it can be difficult to feel self-love in the moments when it doesn't feel like anyone else loves you either. But even at our lowest, there are people willing to help lift us up. Sometimes in the form of a song.

Details:

title: Scars To Your Beautiful & All Time Low mashup (feat. J.None)

original songs / performers: "Scars to Your Beautiful" by Alessia Cara; "All Time Low" by Jon Bellion (see also: acoustic version) [NOTE: The original lyrics are more explicit than VP's version.]

written by: "Scars to Your Beautiful" by Alessia Cara, Warren "Oak" Felder, Sebastian Kole, Andrew "Pop" Wansel, & Justin "DJ Frank E" Franks; "All Time Low" by Jon Bellion, Mark Williams, Raul Cubina, & Travis Mendes

arranged by: Layne Stein & Hannah Juliano

release date: 1 February 2017

My favorite bits:

the back-and-forth panning on Layne's opening electronic-inspired percussion line (best experienced through headphones if you can)

J's crisp descending run on ♫ ⇘ "nooow" ⇘ ♫

the strategic lyrical substitutions to keep things PG-13

the earnestness in Earl's voice and expression when he takes over the lead vocals

those backing harmonies from Geoff, Eli, and J under the second verse, alternating between stacatto plucking and short crescendos

Layne's descending riff in the middle of the second chorus

that gradual layering and weaving of lyrics during the bridge until they reach the climax of the last chorus

Geoff's smooth slide to kick off the ending section

those soaring harmonies on the final ♫ "beautifuuul" ♫

J's little fanfares in the outro

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by J.None 🧈🎶 🎙📝🎬🎹🎸📽🤣 (@itsjnone)

Trivia:

This recording was part of the audition process for VoicePlay's new member to replace Tony. Since J had already been performing in that capacity at live shows with the guys for a couple months, he was tapped to go first. Consensus among many of the YouTube commenters was that he was a great fit.

The lyrics were particularly resonant for Earl, which made him a little nervous on the eve of filming day.

J recorded his vocals with Layne at Rayne's Room. He was surprised at not having to memorize his part first, and how freeform the process was, allowing him to noodle around with different dynamics, rhythms, and riffs. I'd say he adjusted to VP's methods pretty well.

The guys usually coordinate their own clothes for non-costume outfits, but for this video they enlisted a local stylist named Tanya Buzu. J.None certainly seemed to enjoy his wardrobe.

The video description on YouTube reiterates that "You should know you're beautiful just the way you are." Very sweet of them.

A fan was inspired to create drawings of some of the guys.

A couple weeks after its initial release, this mashup was played on University of Nebraska – Lincoln's campus radio station during their weekly Vocal Chords show that features a cappella music.

They garnered a bit of praise from their friend and colleague, Tim Foust. (Sadly, the potential collaboration didn't happen, but most of the guys did get to attend the Home Free show that brought him to their hometown.)

This track was later included on VoicePlay's "Citrus" album, which compiled most of the songs they recorded from 2017-19. Because the individual songs had already been made available digitally, that album is exclusively a physical item that can only be purchased at live shows or through their website.

[shenani-gan]

Valentione Prompt- Rom Com

Gan had expected it to be difficult to find down time once the twins were born. However, she’d been pleasantly surprised by the outpouring and show of support from not only her husband Batu, but from their adopted sister Rayne, as well as the rest of the individuals who made the Raizure Estate their home. And some who didn’t as well. Something had to be going right with the company, as they all just felt more like extended family at this point than employees. Whatever the facts may be, she was more than happy to take them all up on the offer to babysit so she and Julian could have a date night to themselves.

Tonight wasn’t anything super fancy, but neither of them really minded. With Batu and Rayne taking the reins with the twins that evening, Julian and Gan had “borrowed” the Sabovision from Pip’s room and holed themselves up in one of the guest rooms for the evening. Gan had made them some snacks, including the ever present buuz and some popcorn. Julian had seen to the drinks, grabbing the pair of them some whiskey--aether infused for Gan--and some fogweed that Batu’d been working on cultivating.

Kicking on the sabovision, Julian settled himself on the bed, leaning against the headboard. Gan settled herself beside him, nestling her body against his, head resting in the crook of his shoulder. Winding her tail around his waist, she pulled their snacks towards them and with whiskey in hand, tucked in to watch whatever it was Julian had picked out for the evening. An arm wound itself around her, his head resting on hers. Julian gave her a small kiss atop her crown before focusing his attention.

“This is supposed to be a good one.”

“Oh? What’s it about?” She glanced upwards.

“Shh, you’ll see.” He flashed a playful smirk and kissed her temple again before reaching for a buuz.

The screen flashed to life and images of actors and actresses flicked across almost as if they were living miniatures trapped behind the glass. It was a wonder that never ceased to amaze Gan, the sort of contraptions that could be invented and she was ever grateful for the fact that somehow, they always managed to get their hands on it. The theme for their electronic play that evening was a romantic comedy. Snuggled up together, the two enjoyed the presence of each other while immersing themselves in the story.

At one point, Gan buried her face in Julian’s chest, doing her best not to openly weep at one of the more heartfelt scenes. Something it seemed that Julian himself was struggling with as she could feel the hitching of his breath, followed by a tight embrace and burying his face in her hair. How could she ever forget that he secretly was a big softy for things like these? As the story progressed, they found themselves laughing and crying a few more times together, nuzzling into one another for comfort when needed.

When all was said and done, the movie ended and food and drink consumed, the pair snuggled down into bed together. Arms wound tightly around one another, Gan’s leg pulled over Julian’s hip, and their foreheads pressed together, Julian leaned in for a kiss. 

“You were right.” Gan chuckled softly. “It was a good one.”

“Told you.” He grinned a bit and pulled her tighter to him. Then, in a playful display, he swept his hand through her hair and shifted his voice to match the lead actor as best he could. “Gan, my love. Never in a thousand years will I meet a woman of your calibre. Marry me.”

It took a moment for her to process, but eventually Gan burst into laughter and returned his playfulness with a kiss. “I would if we weren’t already married, you goof.”

Wiggling his ears happily at her response, he once again pulled her body to his for snuggling. With her head resting on his chest, tail wound about them both, they drifted off. Over the next several days however, Julian’s playfulness and enjoyment of the movie would fail to wear off. 

Standing in the kitchen preparing breakfast, the sound of feet padding around the corner drew her attention. Leaning over the counter, a playfully roguish smile on his lips, Julian wiggled his ears at her. 

“Hello love. I’m trying to decide something.”

“Hm?” She arched a brow at him, head tilting to the side.

“Yeah,” He made his way around the counter to stand behind her, arms wrapping around her waist for a moment. “I’m debating on whether I want my eggs scrambled…” As he spoke, his fingers trailed up her sides to tickle her, causing her to squirm. “Or sunny side up!” And as he pulled away, gave her rear a swat.

“OH!” She squeaked at that, huffing playfully, recalling the scene from the movie a few nights before. “How about beaten?” She stuck her tongue out as she returned her attention back to her task.

Later that night, as she was getting ready for bed, those arms wrapped around her waist again, Julian’s nose nuzzling into her neck. 

“Hello my love.” Reaching up, Gan ran fingers through his hair, petting an ear.

“They say the Gold Saucer is the happiest place on the star. Which is weird, because I didn’t know being in your arms had a name…” He murmured with a quiet purr.

“Julian…” Letting out a happy sigh, she turned and hugged him tightly.

“Sorry. I really liked that line.”

“Don’t apologize. You can use those lines on me any day.”

[okamirayne]

hey rayne, do you have a BtB playlist??? I don't know if this is all in my head but I was listening to Iris from The Goo Goo Dolls and I remembered Btb and I thought about several other songs that remind me of btb

Hey there, my lovely!

Oh my dear, I used to have my BtB playlists...up until my sweet, loyal, Classic iPod decided to BE AN ABSOLUTE DEMON-WHORESON AND WIPE ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING OFF THE FACE OF ITS TINY TRAITOROUS ELECTRONIC BRAIN....

.....sorry about that. I think I get triggered every time I see my dearly departed little Apple Classic winking at me from my drawer...god damned mutinying little shit...and the mockery of it...it's not like it even died...I could take that...if it just stopped working, gave up its little electronic Casper and went down with some respect -- spent, done, overworked and terminal...

But no.

It STILL WORKS. IT'S JUST EMPTY. LIKE SOME PEOPLE I KNOW.

SORRY.

You'd have thought I'd have the original FULL playlists saved on my main computer, wouldn't you? Alas. No

....Why?

I'll tell you...

That said, I think I have a DeviantArt journal entry somewhere with playlists. I'd have to dig it up. I am pretty sure I could compile a list again as I listen to my new playlists (which now reside on my new little SONY because I'm bitter device). Ah! Iris is a great number. I could try to list off a few for you from memory if you were particularly interested, luv.

Thanks for the question, Anon, and I'm sorry I couldn't copy and paste a list for you...I have since learned my bloody lesson!

[livesets-dj-mixes-edm-podcasts]

Download DJ Phalanx - Uplifting Trance Sessions 300 for free now!

Artist: DJ Phalanx Show: DJ Phalanx – Uplifting Trance Sessions 300 Quality: 320 Kbps 48000 Khz Genre: Trance Source: RSS

Discover more DJ Phalanx live sets & radioshows HERE | Listen or download more Uplifting Trance Sessions episodes HERE

DJ Phalanx – Uplifting Trance Sessions 300 Tracklist

🎧 Hello dear listernes, due technical problems with my sound system I was not able to record a set this weekend. For this reason I have uploaded Episode 300 again – one of the most successful episodes ever. I will be back next weekend with fresh sounds 😎

1. Jorn Van Deynhoven – We Can Fly (Extended Mix) [ASOT] 2. Alternate High – Miss You (Original Mix) [RIFT Recordings] 3. Bernis – Meridian Sun (Original Mix) [State Control Records] 4. Sound Apparel – The End (Original Mix) [Pulsar Recordings] 5. Myk Bee – #wearetrance​ (Original Mix) [CD-R] 6. Cloudriver – Sylvia (Original Mix) [Tangled Audio] 7. Marc de Buur – Neverland (Original Mix) [State Control Records] 8. SkyAlmost – Rome (Astuni Re-Lift) [Soul Waves Music] 9. Dimension & Moonsouls – Rise Above The World (Ultimate Remix) (Infrasonic Recordings] 10. Araya – Pursuit (Original Mix) (Original Mix) [Red Zone Recordings] 11. Liam Wilson – Family (Maria Healy Remix) [Subculture] 12. Manuel Le Saux – One (Ferry Tayle Remix) [Discover Records] 13. Manuel Le Saux – Dissidia (Ferry Tayle Remix) [Camouflage] 14. Athema – Love Fights All (DJ Space Raven Remix) [Toxicrecords] 15. Dart Rayne – Sophia (Original Mix) [Trance All-Stars Records] 16. Darren porter – Spellbound (Original Mix) [Monster Digital] 17. Elite Electronic & Three Faces feat. Amy K – Firefly (Mark W Remix) [Suanda True] 18. Allura – Things Will Get Better (Original Mix) [State Control Records] 19. Pedro Del Mar & Beatsole – Pianophoria (Original Mix) [Black Hole Recordings] 20. Dreamy – A Trip back To 2002 (Original Mix) [Silent Shore Records] 21. Touchstone & Ian Standerwick – She’s Wonderful (Photographer Remix) [Digitized Recordings] 22. ReOrder – A World Of Trance (Original Mix) [Silent Shore Records] 23. Allen Watts – Magnus (Original Mix) [In Trande We Trust] 24. Mike van Fabio & Alex van Reeve feat. Geert Huinink & Kim Kiona – Hope (Original MIx) [Abora Recordings] 25. Aenon – I Will Never Leave You (Original Mix) [State Control Records] 26. Dmitri Reign – Agiou Orous (Sunset Remix) [Cloudland Music] 27. Graeme Harrison – Xanthe (Allen & Envy Vs. Mark W Rework) [Discover Records] 28. Aley & Oshay Feat. Angel Falls – I Found My Way (Original Mix) [State Control Records] 29. Mike Sanders – No Way Out (Nikolauss #140​ Remix) [State Control Records] 29. Afternova – By Your Side (2016 Update) [Abora Recordings] 30. Giuseppe Ottaviani & Orkidea – North Star (Factor B Southern Star Remix) [Black Hole Recordings] 31. Para X – Fields Of Joy (Original Mix) [State Control Records] 33. Azima – Before The Dawn (F.G. Noise Remix) [Lifted Audio]

The podcast DJ Phalanx – Uplifting Trance Sessions is embedded on this page from an open RSS feed, audio is streamed/downloads are directly from the podcast owner server. All files, descriptions, artwork and other metadata from the RSS-feed is the property of the podcast owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by EDMliveset.com.

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[aurum-fidei]

The Billionaire, The Lawyer, and The IT Girl - Chapter 11 - Burn

CNRI

It was an average day at CNRI. Everyone was bustling about, looking through files, and drinking coffee. Laurel was listening to Joanna recall her most recent trial.

"And, Judge Hinkle is ready to grant them another continuance! So I said, hell, no. This trial starts right now." She smiled widely as she finished with a deep inhale.

“That a girl” Laurel smirked in appreciation

They both glanced towards the entrance of the building to see Laurels father striding towards them.

“Dad…” Laurel said wearily. While bridges had been mended she was not exactly on even footing with her father quite yet. “What are you doing here?”

“Sorry baby, I need to talk to Jo.” He said his eyes soft.

Jo looked up with a shocked expression “Is everything ok Mr. Lance?”

Quentin slowly shook his head “No.” Then Chief Raynes walked in, in full uniform and walked straight to Jo.

“What’s happening?” Laurel bit her lip in worry glancing between her father and Jo.

“No…” Jo whimpered

“Jo, I’m so sorry” Raynes said.

“NO! No, no, no!!” Joanna cried out. Chief Raynes attempted to comfort her as she broke down in tears. As Jo sagged down onto the desk that was behind her Laurel bolted forward and enveloped her in a tight embrace.

End of the work day

Laurel felt emotionally drained and could not stop thinking about Joanna. She gathered her things and walked out of the building to find Oliver waiting outside with the town car that had dropped her off this morning. It had become normal routine for the two of them. Once or twice a week Oliver would ride over with Mr. Diggle in the morning so he could take her to work and then he would pick her up so he could spend the evening with her. She at first did not like it at all. Now? She found it endearing that Oliver wanted to ensure he got to spend time with her during her work week.

Oliver immediately picked up on her heavier mood. His forehead crinkled with worry. “What’s wrong?” “Nothing… Well it’s something. You know Joanna? Her brother, Danny, he was a firefighter. He died in the line of duty.”

Oliver looked at her once more before pulling her close and wrapping his arms around her tightly “I’m sorry. That your friend is hurting.”

“I… I just know what it feels like. To have your sibling torn away. So I just know how she feels right now… and I just want to take that pain away.” Laurel mumbled into his shoulder.

Oliver continued hugging her for a moment longer before pulling away and opening the car door. Laurel carefully slid in and Oliver swiftly followed.

Laurels apartment

Laurel closed her eyes as she eased herself down onto her couch and kicked her now bare feet onto Oliver’s lap. She let out a sigh when Oliver began rubbing the tops of her feet and calves gently.

She let out a groan of frustration and slowly got back up to her feet when there was a sharp rapping on her door.

When she opened the door she was surprised to find Joanna.

“I need your help.” She pleaded

“Jo, come in” Laurel blinked rapidly as she swung the door completely open and gestured for her friend to come in.

Laurel quietly brought Joanna into her living room and sat her down and then took her seat next to Oliver.

“I, um, I don’t think Danny’s death was an accident.” Joanna took a deep breath “I think he was murdered.”

Laurel’s eyes softened and she reached a hand out to grasp her friends. She glanced over at Oliver before she began “Jo, do you remember when Sara died? I did all this research to try and find an explanation for why the boat went down. I needed to believe it wasn’t just an accident.”

"That is not what I am doing, Laurel." Joanna shook her head as she took a file out of her bag. "I once handled a case for a clerk in the Coroner's Office. He passed me a copy of the incident report." She passed the file over to Laurel. "It said that Danny's turnout coat was doused in turpentine. But I checked, and the plant owner said that there wasn't any in the factory. A turnout's supposed to withstand temperatures in excess of 500 degrees. But the coroner said that the fire did not exceed 250. How did my brother burn hotter than the fire that supposedly killed him?" 

Laurel looked up from the report and locked eyes with Oliver. His expression had changed. His face was hardened and unreadable. Laurel then looked at Joanna and nodded “I believe you.”

Police Station next day

Laurel had come to try and convince her father that Joanna’s theory had weight.

Quentin sighed out, exasperated “Laurel… A firefighter died in a fire.” He went back towards his desk “I don’t see a crime.”

"I did some digging." Laurel continues "Last week, another firefighter, Leo Barnes, was killed in action, same circumstances. Traces of turpentine, and ignition temperatures hotter than the actual fire." They both halted in front of his desk. "Do you think that you could talk to the fire marshal? You know, encourage him to pursue this?" she asked in a near pleading tone.

"Well, the fire department has its own investigative unit." Quentin said pointedly. "They don't answer to the police."

The CSU tech walked up to Quentin and handed him what was obviously a cell phone. "Sorry it takes so long with the detectives." He said. "CSU's been really backed up."

"Well, did you find anything?" Quentin said impatiently

"The only prints on it are yours, the tech inside is military grade. I can't even trace the manufacturer. Forensics-wise, it's a dead end." Lance sighed as the CSU walked off/

"Another case?" Laurel asked 

"Vigilante." Quentin answered, tossing the phone on his desk. "The phone belongs to him."

"Where'd you get it?" Laurel asked, curiosity getting the best of her. "I--does he answer?"

"Well, like Kelton said, it's a dead end." Quentin said. He grabbed up a few of the files from his desk. "Listen, kiddo, I feel for Jo and her family I really do, but, um, there's not a lot I can do this end." He quickly downed the rest of his coffee, then grabbed his keys and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "I got to go. I love you." Quentin moved off.

Laurel looked down at the phone on the desk. The last time she had interacted with the vigilante, she had be attacked in the prison… But granted he did save her. And Joanna was counting on her. It was at this thought that Laurel reached out a grabbed the phone that was on the desk.  

She was careful to walk out of the precinct and down the street before she took the phone carefully out of her pocket. There was a number programmed into it. She quickly dialed it as she continued walking.  It didn’t even ring three times before someone picked up on the other line.

“Hello?” She spoke to the silence on the other line “I need your help”

Later that night

She was alone in her apartment tonight as Oliver had work to do for Verdant and Felicity and Tommy had gone out together to enjoy a few drinks. Laurel was about to turn in for the night when the lights flickered and went out.

“I didn’t trust that you’d co-“ She started as she turned but was met face to face with not The Hood but The Huntress.

“Sorry. Hood guy decided I should make this house call.” Came her electronically modified voice “Said something about you thinking he is a killer who has no remorse…” The Huntress gave an empty chuckle that sounded strange coming through the voice modifier. Laurel shivered.

“I… I was wrong…” Laurel blinked rapidly “Is he alright? No one has seen him in a while?” Why Laurel was asking about the wellbeing of a vigilante was beyond her.

“He has seen better days.” She brushed off. “Now what is this house call about exactly? He said it was important?”

Laurel shook her head “My friend… Her brother… He died in a fire. He was a firefighter. She thinks he was murdered.”

The Huntress smiled “So you are asking one killer to catch another?”

Laurel frowned “Just take him the files” She shoved the files into the female vigilantes hands.

The other woman quirked an eyebrow “I will be sure he gets this.”

CNRI

Laurel crossed her arms as she leveled a chastising glare at her friend "Jo, you really should take some time off and go be with your family."

 Joanna looked at her. "You know, I seem to recall when Sara died, you hit the books pretty hard."

 "I am not exactly the best example for healthy grieving." Laurel rolled her eyes as her father stormed in. Laurel looked at him confused. "Hey"

 "Can I talk to you, please?" Quentin asked crisply. When he and Laurel were alone he turned back to face her "Where is it?" he demanded.

 "Where's what?" Laurel was generally confused

 "The phone." He said harshly.

Laurel sighed “I’m sorry, I know I shouldn’t have…”

Quentin still looked angry “It’s stolen evidence! Yeah, you probably shouldn’t have! What are you-“

“I had to do something!” Laurel said in argument.

“The man’s a killer.” Quentin argued back

“Then why did he give you his phone?” She countered

“Just give me the phone.” Quentin sighed out in frustration.

“I can’t. The Huntress took it back to him.” She lied effortlessly

Quentin sputtered “You were with The Huntress?!”

"When Sara died, if someone could have done something to give you even just a little bit of closure, don't you wish that they would have done it?" she demanded.

"If it meant breaking the law, lying to the people closest to them? No." Quentin replied and walked off. Laurel shook her head.

 Laurel’s Apartment

Laurel sat on her couch looking over a case file. She was waiting for Felicity and Helena to finish preparing snacks and drinks for movie night. She was happily surprised when the Hoods phone began vibrating on her coffee table.

"Hello?" she answered halfway expecting then electronically distorted female voice of The Huntress to answer.

 "I have some information for you." The Hood's distorted voice said. "The killer drives a 1970's Ford pickup. There is a scar on his left wrist from a severe burn and a tattoo of a firefly."

 "Well, then you must have gotten pretty close to him." Laurel noted.

 "All the men in Engine Company 15 had firefly tattoos. Any one of them could be the killer."

 "What should I do with this information?" Laurel asked, confused.

 "Whatever you would have done before you met me." He answered, and then hung up.

“Who was on the phone?” Felicity asked as she plopped onto the couch next to her a bowl of popcorn in one hand glass of wine in the other.

“Wrong number.” Laurel lied as she slipped the phone into her pocket. Helena smirked at her as if they were sharing an inside joke as she handed her one of the glasses of wine she was holding.

“So what are we watching ladies?” Helena asked as she crouched in front of Laurel’s DVD collection.

“Anything that doesn’t contain action, please! Self-defense class is plenty action for me thank you very much!” Felicity piped up as she sipped her wine

“You love self-defense and you know it! I will get you into jiu jitsu if it is the last thing I do!” Laurel grinned wickedly.

“I love it? Tell that to my sore muscles!” Felicity sasses

Helena rolled her eyes as she stuck a movie in “We are watching Grease. Everyone loves a good Musical. And Laurel, I will go to jiu jitsu with you if you want a sparring buddy. I have been wanting to get back into some form of martial arts again. You will probably have to help me with basics though.”

Laurel beamed at Helena “Thanks Helena, I would love that. But we are going to get ‘Lis into some sort of martial arts once she is done with self-defense.  My mom raised me to be a firm believer in that a woman should know how to properly defend herself.  She was the one who started Sara and me in jiu jitsu.”

“Really?” Felicity cocked her head to the side “You never mentioned that before.”

Laurel shrugged as she took a long sip of her wine “Never came up”

Next Day at the Fire Station

Laurel was taking a few steadying breaths as she walked up to the fire station. She could do this. She had told Joanna that she would empty out Danny’s locker for her and while she was here she could do some snooping.

She was surprised to see Oliver striding out. When Oliver caught sight of her he grinned widely. When they were close he pulled her to himself and kissed her forehead “What are you doing here?”

“I told Jo that I would empty Danny’s locker for her.” Laurel crunched up her eyebrow as she wrapped her arms around her boyfriend “What are you doing here?”

“Tommy… He had this great idea when he heard about Danny to host a Gala for the Firemen at Verdant. I was just confirming a guest list.” Oliver gave a small smile.

“That… that’s amazing!” Laurel said shocked “You two really have changed haven’t you?”

“What can I say? We grew up.” Oliver smiled as he adjusted his position so his arm was slung over Laurel’s shoulder “Would you like some company?”

“I would love it.” Laurel smiled.

They walked into the firestation together and it wasn’t long before Laurel was having a discussion with Chief Raynes.

“I did some research. There are eight firemen in this picture." Laurel said as she held out the photo of Danny’s old unit. "You called yourselves the fireflies."

"Yeah, well, that station house was shut down a few years back." Raynes replied. "All the guys went to different companies, so…"

"Four of these men are now dead." Laurel said pointedly.

"It's not all getting cats out of trees, Ms. Lance." He responded

"But three of them died within the last six weeks, except for that man right there." She pointed on the picture. "Garfield Lynns. He died two years ago in the Nodell Tower tragedy."

“What was the Nodell Tower?" Oliver interrupted before Raynes could respond 

Raynes looked at him in disbelief. "How do you not remember that?" he asked.

 "I was WiFi-free for a few years." Oliver pointed out.

"It was 22 stories of glass and steel. Except it turned out that the construction company who built it used substandard materials to save themselves a few bucks. It was nowhere near the structural code." Raynes explained 

"Gas line blew." Laurel said "There was a fire."

"Yeah." Raynes sighed "Melted right through the stanchions. Whole damn thing came down."

"Bad day." Laurel said

"34 civilians and 6 of my fellow firemen died. Now, do you need anything else, Ms. Lance, Mr. Queen? Other than reminding me of all the friends I've lost and buried?" Raynes asked harshly, before walking away.

Laurel flinched slightly before putting the picture away with Danny’s other things.

“Do you want me to go with you to Joanna’s?” Oliver ask quietly, placing a gentle hand on her arm.

“No.” Laurel shook her head. “I am sure you are busy. And really I should get back to work once I drop all this off at Jo’s….”

“If you insist.” Oliver leaned down a kissed her softly.

“I’ll call you later I promise.” Laurel smiled at him

With that they parted ways. When Laurel deemed him far enough away she pulled out the Hood’s phone and dialed.

It connected but the line remained silent “Hello?” she said but no answer “Are you there?” silence “I spoke to Danny's old chief. I didn't get anywhere. What am I supposed to do now?"

“Nothing. It's my turn." Came the distorted reply.

Verdant Firemen Gala

The Gala was in full swing when Laurel arrived. She quickly found Tommy, Felicity, and Helena all clustered together talking quietly amongst one another sipping cocktails.

It was Felicity that noticed Laurel walk up “You’re here! Isn’t this great? The club looks so fantastic!”

“Yes this is truly spectacular. Tommy, you did amazing.” She smiled at her friend.

At that moment Oliver walked up and entwined his arms around Laurels waist. He leaned down and kissed her behind her ear. “Hello, everyone. I am going to steal Laurel for a moment. We will be right back.”

At that Oliver grasped Laurels hand and led her to the bar where Chief Raynes was sat.

"Chief Raynes." Oliver called out. Raynes turned "Hi."

"Mr. Queen, this is spectacular." Raynes said "The Starling City Firemen's Relief Association can't thank you enough."

"You guys are the real heroes." Oliver said "Like at the Nodell Tower fire, which I've been reading up on."

"Oh, yeah?"

"Garfield Lynns was the first man to die in your unit." Oliver continued "Now, I read that they recovered his coat in the wreckage, but they never found his body?" Laurel looked at him confused

"You always interrogate your club's guests, Mr. Queen? Raynes asked stiffly

"Why? Do you feel like you're being interrogated?" Oliver asked smiling

"You could see it on your face at the fire station." Laurel said in realization "There's more to the Nodell Tower fire than people know about, isn't there?"

"I've been doing this a long time and I've never seen a fire like that." Raynes said "It's like some monster out of a science fiction movie. I radioed for my men to get the hell out of there. But Lynns, he wouldn't go. Begged me to send the unit back in. But I wouldn't do it. I couldn't. God help me, I left him to burn." He took a long drink of his scotch "But I can't bring him back."

"You don't have to." Oliver replied "He is back."

"What the hell you talkin' about?" Raynes demanded

"Garfield Lynns killed Danny." Laurel said as it all finally made sense to her"And the other men on your unit."

"There's no way he could have survived that fire." Raynes denied

"You'd be surprised the power revenge can give you." Oliver noted 

"You're insane." Raynes told Oliver. "Gar did not make it out of that building."

"Just like you won't make it out of this one." Called out another voice.

Oliver and Laurel whipped around to see a man standing in a full firefighters uniform. His face had the appearance of being melted off.  Raynes simply stared in shock as Lynns threw several devices, one by one they exploded sending fire throughout the club. Oliver took a step so that he stood in between the man and Laurel. The man simply glared at Raynes.

“Gar, what the hell are you doing?” Chief Raynes yelled. Lynns unhooked his spray nozzle from his jacket.

He pointed the nozzle at Oliver and said one word “Run”

At that Oliver turned and with a stony expression and fear in his eyes he said to Laurel “GO!” With urgency.

Laurel doesn’t know why but she didn’t hesitate to listen. She didn’t try to argue with him. She didn’t try to convince him to come with her. She just ran for the door.

“Laurel!” Helena voice caught her attention as she exited the building. “Laurel! Over here!”

Laurel ran to where her friends were gathered. Tommy had his arms wrapped around a trebling Felicity.

“Are you all ok?” Laurel said in concern.

“We are fine. Smoaky is a bit shook up. Otherwise we are all good. Where is Ollie?” Tommy answered for the group and posed his own question

“He… He’s still… He’s still in there…” Laurels voice cracked. Helena without a single word wrapped her in a hug.

Next Day Queen Manor

Laurel was impatiently waiting in the foyer of the Manor when Oliver walked in smiling.

“Hey, I wa-“He began but she interrupted

“Oliver Jonas Queen.” She nearly screamed “You do NOT send me out of a burning building and not follow me and then not call me or at least text me all night. I do not care one bit that the burning building was your club. All I care about is that you were ok. All I care about is you.”

“Laurel, I…” Oliver took a deep breath searching for words while Laurel crossed her arms and leveled a glare at him. “I do not have a very good excuse… When I sent you out I was trying to get you out as fast as possible so I could do a sweep of the club to try and get as many people out as possible. And then I got trapped. And The Hood, that vigilante guy? He rescued me and the other people trapped. And then the fire got put out and I had to talk to people about the damage and by the time that was done… I couldn’t find you. And I had lost my phone in the fire. I think I must have left it in Tommy’s office at the beginning of the Gala. And I was tired. So I came home and I was set on coming and seeing you as soon as I could today. But you beat me to the punch. I am so sorry.”

Laurel’s stance had relaxed substantially as he talked and finally as he apologized Laurel sighed and moved forward to wrap her arms around him “Next time? No playing hero. You come out with me.”

“Ok.”

OUTTAKE

Helena stepped into the lair with work-out gear on. She wasn’t surprised to find Diggle already there pummeling a training dummy.

“You need to rotate your hips, Diggle.” Oliver called out from behind her. She had not heard him behind her. “That’s where the power comes from. It’s not just your arms, even if they’re the size of bowling balls” Helena smirked at the comment

“So am I telling him or are you?” Helena said

“You can.” Oliver said with a roll of his eyes.

“Laurel somehow got ahold of that phone that Oliver sent to her Dad and she called Oliver. Oliver sent me to her apartment as Huntress last night, since y’know Laurel has been getting suspicious of mister sneaky here.” Helena explained

“Really?” Diggle asked surprised “I thought the Vigilante really spooked her last time…”

“She thinks someone’s killing firefighters.” Helena said

“Its because of her friend Joanna… Her brother was one of the firemen that died recently. And the evidence is pretty fishy…” Oliver said as he handed the file over to Diggle

He glanced through it “It looks all in the job. Seems pretty thin.”

“Can you look into it?” Oliver asked

"Yea. I have a friend who has a friend in the fire investigations department. I'll reach out." Dig nodded

"If you get any leads, tip the police." Oliver said as he threw his hood into his trunk.

Helena raised an eyebrow and looked at Diggle. Dig shook his head “The police?” “They just need something to jump start them” Oliver explained

“Isn’t that the whole point of doing this… this who vigilante bit?!” Helena waved her hands around the lair “Doing the police’s job?”

“You know Oliver, you have been spending a lot of time down here. I thought after six weeks you would be anxious to hood up. Hell, I had a ‘you got to slow down’ speech prepared!” Diggle added

Oliver looked at them both but before he could respond a loud commotion sounded out above them. “Let me see what’s going on upstairs in the club.” He said and walked off.

Helena and Diggle both shook their heads.