#MISSILE WOMAN OF INDIA

[binduspoint]

Tessy Thomas: The Missile Woman of India

In the heart of India’s scientific community, one name shines brightly — Tessy Thomas. Often referred to as the “Missile Woman of India,” Tessy Thomas has become a symbol of determination, excellence, and groundbreaking achievement in the field of missile technology. Her journey from humble beginnings to becoming a prominent scientist and director of the Advanced Systems Laboratory of the Defence…

[iirm8112]

FMS INDIA

The Faculty of Management Studies, Institute of Rural Management, Jaipur , established and led by SIIRM, is a contemporary, smart & innovative institution and a leading research-led B-School in India.

The Faculty of Management Studies, Institute of Rural Management, Jaipur , established and led by SIIRM, is a contemporary, smart & innovative institution and a leading research-led B-School in India. It is affiliated to AICTE, MoHRD, Govt. of India and is ranked A+++ among India’s Top B-Schools & 1st among the Best B-Schools of Rajasthan, as identified by various surveys and studies.

FMS-IRM is offering Two Years full-time Post Graduate Diploma Programme leading to the academic award of PGDM and PGDM-RM (Rural Management). It has an unconditional commitment to quality education and research in topics that are forward-focused and relevant to the development sector and corporate world. FMS-IRM has a proud legacy of advancing the careers of the students and transforming organizations towards a better tomorrow. FMS-IRM has taken the lead role to develop the discipline of “Rural Management” and “Rural Marketing” which are emerging as the corporate catchword of the 21st century in developing nations.

Our highly esteemed academic leaders and faculty members are committed to lifelong learning which is reflected in their leading thinking and practices. The academia organizes campus based Management Development Programmes (MDPs), Corporate Trainings, Business Seminars and Conferences on a regular basis. At FMS-IRM the students gain the highest level of knowledge, business acumen and skills to achieve a right place in this increasingly challenging business environment.

Management Gurus, corporate leaders and political head honchos from India and abroad are visiting FMS-IRM for interaction with its burgeoning managers, on issues of contemporary importance, from time to time. In addition, FMS-IRM organizes thought leadership lecture series with the participation of top notch business leaders and social thinkers for the benefit of its young managers. This would help the managers-in-making to upscale their thinking and perspectives on business and development sectors and to reach out to a global canvas. As a sign of its social commitment and new age thinking, in the year 2012, FMS-IRM has instituted a Global Business Leadership award in the name of its founder Dr. Thomas Cangan. The first recipient of the award was Shri. Anil Agarwal, Chairman of Vedanta Group, followed by Prof. (Dr.) UpinderDhar, Group Addl Vice Chancellor — RBEF & Pro Vice Chancellor for Management & Allied Areas, Amity University Noida and Mrs. Neeta Boochra, Former National President, FICCI Ladies Organization, Dr. L.N. Bhagat, Immediate Past President, AIMS & Group Director, S.N. Sinha Institute of Management, Ranchi and Dr. Tessy Thomas, “Missile Woman of India” DG (Aero), DRDO, Ministry of Defence, Mr. Rajendra Singh “The Water Man of India”; Prof. (Dr.) Muhammad Yunus, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate; Shri Bunker Roy, Social Entrepreneur & Founder Director, Barefoot College, Tilonia; Dr. Kshama Matre, National Director & CORD..

[mindbaanker]

BPSC Teacher Mock Test Free- 5

Welcome to the fifth edition of the BPSC (Bihar Public Service Commission) Teacher Mock Test! This test series is designed to assess your knowledge in various subjects relevant to teaching and general awareness. It will evaluate your understanding of historical events, literature, and notable personalities that have shaped the cultural and educational landscape of India.

Test Instructions:

Carefully read each question and select the most appropriate answer.

Choose the option that you believe corresponds to the correct answer.

After completing the test, you can review the correct answers along with explanations.

Let's dive into the questions:

Question 1: Who authored the renowned book 'Brihat Katha'?

गुणाढ्य

सर्व वर्मन

पाणिनि

राधागुप्त

Question 2: The famous book 'Brihat Katha' was written by Gunadyha, a distinguished scholar in the court of Satavahana King Hal.

वैदिक युग

मौर्य युग

गुप्त युग

मध्यकालीन भारत

Question 3: During the Mauryan Empire, who was responsible for overseeing markets and investigating corrupt practices?

संस्थाध्यक्ष

सीता अध्यक्ष

अंकाध्यक्ष

मानाध्यक्ष

Question 4: Which Brahmin scholar stated that 'A wife is half of her husband'?

शतपथ ब्राह्मण

ऐतरेय ब्राह्मण

गोपथ ब्राह्मण

तैत्तिरीय ब्राह्मण

Question 5: With which dynasty did the Shaka rulers initiate the Kshatrapa system of governance?

पार्थियन

कुषाण

शुंग

सातवाहन

Question 6: Which Mughal Emperor was ruling Delhi when the Vijayanagara Empire was founded?

फिरोज तुगलक

सिकंदर लोदी

गयासुद्दीन तुगलक

मुहम्मद-बिन-तुगलक

Question 7: Which Mughal Emperor is also known as "Padshah Ghazi"?

अकबर

जहांगीर

शाहजहाँ

औरंगजेब

Question 8: Which Mughal Emperor earned the title "Padshah Ghazi" and sat on the throne?

अकबर

जहांगीर

शाहजहाँ

औरंगजेब

Question 9: In the Mughal period, who were the officers responsible for revenue collection and maintaining accounts?

गवर्नर जनरल

दिवान

दरोगा

अमलगुजर

Question 10: During which event did Indians have their first contact with Islam?

Arab invasion of Sindh in the 7th century

Turkish invasion in the 11th century

Arab traders along the Malabar coast

None of the above

Question 11: Whose name is associated with the foundation of the revolutionary organization "Anushilan Samiti"?

Rajkumari Amrit Kaur

Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit

Aruna Asaf Ali

None of the above

Question 12: Which Indian literary figure is closely linked to the poem "Bidrohi" (The Rebel)?

Rabindranath Tagore

Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay

Kazi Nazrul Islam

Shambhunath Pandit

Question 13: Who was the first Indian woman to preside over an Indian National Congress session?

Rajkumari Amrit Kaur

Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit

Aruna Asaf Ali

Sarojini Naidu

Question 14: Which Governor-General implemented the "Forward" policy towards Afghanistan?

Lord Dufferin

Lord Mayo

Lord Elgin

Lord Ellenborough

Question 15: Which Bengali poet wrote the famous poem "Bidrohi" (The Rebel)?

Rabindranath Tagore

Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay

Kazi Nazrul Islam

Shambhunath Pandit

Question 16: Who was the first Indian to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature?

Rabindranath Tagore

Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay

Kazi Nazrul Islam

Shambhunath Pandit

Question 17: Who was awarded the first Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian award?

C. Rajagopalachari

Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan

Jawaharlal Nehru

M. Visvesvaraya

Question 18: Which Indian scientist is known as the "Missile Man of India"?

C. V. Raman

Homi J. Bhabha

A. P. J. Abdul Kalam

Srinivasa Ramanujan

Question 19: Which river is known as the "Sorrow of Bengal"?

Brahmaputra

Ganges

Yamuna

Godavari

Question 20: What is the Indian equivalent of the Nobel Prize?

Bharat Ratna

Padma Shri

Param Vir Chakra

Ashoka Chakra

Question 21: Which Indian state is known as the "Land of Five Rivers"?

Punjab

Haryana

Uttar Pradesh

Rajasthan

We hope you find this test informative and beneficial for your BPSC Teacher exam preparation. Best of luck in your journey to becoming an educator and making a positive impact on the lives of students!

You can mind more questions and answers in Mindbanker

[dan6085]

There have been countless speeches throughout history that have inspired, motivated, and moved people to action. While it is difficult to narrow down the list to just 20, here are some of the greatest speeches of all time:

1. Martin Luther King Jr. - "I Have a Dream": Delivered on August 28, 1963, during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, this speech is one of the most famous in American history. King spoke about his dream of a future where people of all races would be treated equally.

2. Winston Churchill - "We Shall Fight on the Beaches": Delivered on June 4, 1940, during World War II, this speech inspired the British people to keep fighting against Nazi Germany, even in the face of overwhelming odds.

3. John F. Kennedy - "Ask Not What Your Country Can Do for You": Delivered during Kennedy's inaugural address on January 20, 1961, this speech challenged Americans to work together to achieve great things for their country.

4. Abraham Lincoln - Gettysburg Address: Delivered on November 19, 1863, during the American Civil War, this brief speech is considered one of the greatest in American history. Lincoln spoke about the importance of preserving the Union and the sacrifices made by those who fought in the war.

5. Malala Yousafzai - "Address to the United Nations Youth Assembly": Delivered on July 12, 2013, this speech by the Pakistani activist and Nobel Prize laureate called for universal education and empowerment for young people, particularly girls.

6. Nelson Mandela - "An Inaugural Address": Delivered on May 10, 1994, during his inauguration as President of South Africa, Mandela spoke about the need for reconciliation and unity in a country that had been torn apart by apartheid.

7. Susan B. Anthony - "On Women's Right to Vote": Delivered on July 1873, this speech by the women's suffrage activist argued for the right of women to vote in elections.

8. Barack Obama - "A More Perfect Union": Delivered on March 18, 2008, during the 2008 presidential campaign, this speech addressed issues of race and national unity in the United States.

9. Elizabeth I - Speech to the Troops at Tilbury: Delivered on August 9, 1588, during the Spanish Armada, this speech by the Queen of England rallied her troops and inspired them to defend their country against invasion.

10. Sojourner Truth - "Ain't I a Woman?": Delivered in 1851 at a women's rights convention, this speech by the African American abolitionist and women's rights activist challenged the notion that women were inferior to men.

11. Ronald Reagan - "Tear Down This Wall": Delivered on June 12, 1987, during a speech at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Reagan called for the dismantling of the Berlin Wall, which had divided the city for decades.

12. William Jennings Bryan - "Cross of Gold": Delivered on July 9, 1896, during the Democratic National Convention, this speech attacked the gold standard and called for the use of silver as currency.

13. Franklin D. Roosevelt - "First Inaugural Address": Delivered on March 4, 1933, during the Great Depression, this speech reassured Americans that their country would recover from the economic crisis.

14. Patrick Henry - "Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death": Delivered on March 23, 1775, during the American Revolution, this speech by the Virginia lawyer and politician called for resistance against British rule.

15. Winston Churchill - "Blood, Toil, Tears, and Sweat": Delivered on May 13, 1940, during his first speech as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Churchill spoke about the challenges facing his country during World War II.

16. Mahatma Gandhi - "Quit India": Delivered on August 8, 1942, during the Indian independence movement, this speech by the nonviolent activist called for the end of British colonial rule in India.

17. J.F.K. - "Cuban Missile Crisis Speech": Delivered on October 22, 1962, during the Cuban Missile Crisis, Kennedy spoke to the American people about the threat of nuclear war and the need for a peaceful resolution.

18. Susan B. Anthony - "Women's Right to Suffrage": Delivered on May 12, 1868, this speech by the suffrage activist argued that women should have the right to vote in elections.

19. Emma Watson - "HeForShe": Delivered on September 20, 2014, during a speech at the United Nations, the British actress and activist spoke about the importance of male allies in the fight for gender equality.

20. Theodore Roosevelt - "The Man in the Arena": Delivered on April 23, 1910, during a speech at the Sorbonne in Paris, Roosevelt spoke about the importance of taking risks and striving for greatness, even in the face of failure.

[yermak]

Fighting the Kremlin of today

We Ukrainians can only return to our lives in sunshine with the help of our friends all over the world

by Andriy Yermak

Published on April 12, 2023

Some of India’s greatest literature reached Ukraine in an unusual way. In the late 19th century, a young woman named Larysa Kosach received a present from her uncle, a well-known Ukrainian intellectual. It was a French translation of the Rigveda, among the most sacred of Hindu texts. Kosach, a brilliant poet fluent in 10 languages, was so impressed with the beauty of its verses that she was determined to share them with her fellow Ukrainians. She was the first person to translate the Rigveda into our language and went on to become one of my country’s most celebrated poets. She has since become known as Lesya Ukrainka and her Rigveda translation is still read today in Ukrainian schools.

Now, it is our turn to send India some poetry. These are very difficult days for Ukraine, but the creative forces that set us apart from those who would destroy us have not been extinguished. As Russian missiles bomb our cities and Russian soldiers steal our children, a new generation of Ukrainian voices are speaking up in search of sympathetic ears. As Iya Kiva, one of our younger poets, puts it: “We’ve packed a contraband humanitarian aid kit of war songs/ and shipped it to Europe America India and China/ paving the silk road with great Ukrainian literature.”

Victims of Russian belligerence

In Ukraine we are no strangers to the harsh realities of modern geopolitics. We know, of course, that we cannot rely on poetry alone to deliver us from the clutches of Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose lust for territory and power is out of step with the 21st century longing for peaceful, prosperous co-existence. We also know that some of the countries with which Ukraine has long enjoyed mutually rewarding relations — not only in recent years but both before and during the ages of Soviet rule — face testing decisions of their own in a world that Russia is trying to reshape for the benefit of the Kremlin’s kleptocrats. We are especially grateful to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his skilful interventions at the highest political levels. We recognise that India has long enjoyed a stable and productive relationship with Moscow. But the Kremlin of today is not the Kremlin of yesterday. As the prime victims of Russian belligerence, we wholeheartedly endorse what Mr. Modi told Mr. Putin last year: “Today’s era is not an era of war”.

At the same time, we worry that those words have fallen on deaf Russian ears. As I write today, Russian armies are still firing missiles into civilian Ukrainian homes. The destruction has included hospitals, schools and blocks of flats. Independent observers have detailed massacres, torture and rape committed by Russian soldiers, many of them former convicts pressed into military service. In Ukrainian territories occupied by Russian troops, local government officials, journalists and protestors have been arbitrarily detained and beaten or tortured. Some of them have disappeared.

The United Nations has documented more than 40,000 alleged Russian war crimes. Earlier this month, the International Criminal Court in The Hague issued arrest warrants for Mr. Putin and one of his officials for allegedly presiding over the horrifying deportation of hundreds of Ukrainian children to Russia. Mr. Putin to issue shocking threats of nuclear attack.

These are not the actions of a reliable partner, or indeed of any sane government leader. With his unceasing aggression in Ukraine, Mr. Putin has forfeited any claim to the loyalty of his former friends. Desperate in defeat, he has been trawling the world in search of any ally prepared to overlook his evil. He had high hopes of forging a political and economic alliance with China against the rest of the world, but he left Beijing disappointed. For all the flowery words that accompanied his recent summit meeting with President Xi Jinping, most observers concluded that China was keeping its distance from a tyrant who no one can trust.

Similar views

We are lucky to enjoy warm diplomatic relations with India, and I think I am right to claim that our views are similar in two important respects. First, we did not seek war with Russia; like India, we only fight if we are attacked. Second, we share India’s belief that a rebalancing of international institutions is long overdue in the world.

Russia has discredited itself as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, undermining global faith in an outmoded structure. The Council was created in the aftermath of the Second World War with a mission to maintain world peace — a task it has manifestly failed to achieve. However long it takes to rid the world of Russia’s malevolent excesses, Mr. Modi’s campaign for UN reform deserves to succeed.

Ukraine also wholeheartedly endorses Mr. Modi’s theme for India’s current presidency of the G20: ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky echoed this message when he revealed our formula for peace at the G20 summit last year. The plan involves simple but necessary steps which are familiar to every human being who respects themselves, other people, and the world around them. Those who oppose the plan also oppose energy, food, nuclear and environmental security.

At difficult times like this, it is helpful to remember one of the Rigveda verses translated by Lesya Ukrainka. It was a hymn dedicated to Indra, king of the devas, who destroyed the evil Vritra, bringing sunshine to mankind. In Ukraine, we too are fighting evil. But we can only return to our lives in sunshine with the help of our friends all over the world.

Andriy Yermak is the head of the Office of the Ukrainian Presidency.

[anantradingpvtltd]

Price: [price_with_discount] (as of [price_update_date] - Details) [ad_1] Product Description FOUNDER'S STORY Aruna Solanki, the founder of Wicked Gourmet Kitchen by Mirai, was born in 1948 in a modest family in Surendranagar, Gujarat. Her parents later moved to erstwhile Bombay in pursuit of a better life for their 3 children. In an era when higher education for women was rare, Aruna pushed the boundaries and earned an advanced degree. She completed her Masters in Chemistry from Bombay University. That same year she married her Chartered Accountant beau and challenged the societal norm of arranged marriages. She has raised a family with 2 children and 3 grandchildren, instilling values of working hard, challenging the status quo, helping others and giving back to the community. Aruna has been a homemaker, but that has never deterred her from her ideologies. From being an active Lioness Club member to taking over reigns of her husband’s business soon after he suffered paralytic stroke, she is an ensemble of compassion, strength and determination. Keeping a finger on the current market scenarios and having a vision for he future, Aruna has launched the brand on digital platforms as she envisions online commerce and global reach to be the future and has laid a firm foundation, in that direction. FOUNDER'S BELIEF AND IDEOLOGY She believes, when status-quo is challenged & redefined – the Ordinary achieve the Extra-Ordinary.. and when the ordinary rise, to challenge the status-quo, they shake the very foundation of the society, they break the shackles of the existing belief systems, they force you to think differently and compel you to re-define limitations. They cause disruption of massive proportions to take a giant leap forward for all of society. Some see them as rebels and some as revolutionaries, some see them as radicalizing the society and some as re-defining the society: They OWN a Movement – Mahatma Gandhi (Ahimsa – Non-Violence Movement) They BUILD a better World – Mother Teresa (Compassion and Healing for the poorest of poor) They LEAD a Nation – Indira Gandhi (first and only woman prime minister of India) They BREAK Barriers – APJ Abdul Kalam (Missile Man of India and former President of India) They BREACH Boundaries – Gunjan Saxena (First Indian woman to fly a helicopter in combat zone, Kargil Girl) OUR BRAND STORY When the pandemic brought the world to a standstill and people had time to reflect on life outside the hustle bustle of the daily grind, Aruna saw an opportunity to use her passion, to help the less privileged. At the tender age of 72 years when most people think of hanging their boots, she tied her shoe laces and embarked on her culinary journey. The term WICKED GOURMET was coined not only to impress her ideologies but also to reflect her personality and attitude in the brand.

The word WICKED has many positive connotations in today's world - clever, out of the box, re-evaluate, inspire to think differently, naughty, fun loving, young spirited, rebel or revolutionary... the list is never ending. BRAND VALUES: Quality before Margins - People before Profits - Ethics before Earnings BRAND IDEOLOGY: Push the Boundaries, Challenge the Status - Quo, Think Out of the Box, Never Stop having Fun ABOUT OUR PRODUCTS Wicked Gourmet Kitchen by Mirai is a brand where culinary art meets the science of food. You will not find these flavours every easily in the market. Our products cater to diverse palate needs and are WICKED-ly delicious!! These recipes are a treasure trove of Aruna Solanki's culinary passion of more than 50 years and are made with her own WICKED twiist on them, using only the finest natural ingredients are Gluten Free and Preservative Free. If you are as WICKED as we are, give us a try. We promise you won't regret it. * only cheese sauces contain preservatives PRODUCT RANGE AND CUISINES Our Products are CLEAN LABEL and made of finest quality ALL NATURAL ingredients. They are PRESERVATIVE FREE, GLUTEN FREE, NO MSG, NO ADDED FLAVOURS and NO ADDED COLOURS. Our product range consists of both JAIN and NON - JAIN products. PRODUCT RANGE: Sauces - Italian Pizza Sauce, Marinara Pasta Sauce, Arrabiata Pasta Sauce, Jain Pizza, Pasta Sauce and Enchilada Sauce. Cheese Sauces - Classic Cheese Sauce (Jain), Jalapeno Cheese Sauce (Jain), Nacho Cheese Sauce, Italian Herbed Cheese Sauce and Chile con Queso Cheese Sauce. Spreads - Mexican Bean Spread and Jain Mexican Beans. Dips - Classic Mexican Salsa, Jain Jalapeno Salsa, Aglio e Olio and Red Chilli Garlic Oil. Chutneys - Schezwan Chilli Chaptata, Jain Schezwan Chilli Chatpata, Hyderabadi Lasun Chutney, and Khatta Meetha Nimbu Chutney. Simmering Gravy - Masala Butter Gravy, Punjabi Salan, Jain Punjabi Salan and Kerala Curry. Subzis (Heat and Serve) - Punjabi Rajma Masala, Jain Punjabi Rajma Masala, Dal Makhani, Jain Dal Makhani, Amritsari Pindi Chole, Jain Amritsari Chole, Maharashtrian Misal. Desserts (All Jain) - Chocolate Walnut Fudge, Chocolate Hazelnut Fudge, Dark Chocolate Hazelnut Fudge, Dark Fantasy Fudge and White Chocolate Cranberry Fudge. Pickles (Jain - Seasonal and Limited QTY) - Gujarati Chundo (Sundried) and Gujarati Gud Keri (Sundried). TYPES OF CUISINES: Italian, Mexican, American, Asian, Indian and many more... * only cheese sauces contain preservatives. ** Products are also available in COMBOS. Chocolate Walnut Fudge is loaded with Walnuts Chocolate Walnut Fudge has No Preservative - Gluten Free - No added Colour Chocolate Walnut Fudge is made in small batches. WICKED GOURMET KITCHEN by MIRAI implements the Strictest Hygiene Standards, Best Practices and Internationally accepted processes and packaging methods. This helps keep our Gourmet products made with ALL NATURAL INGREDIENTS and PRESERVATIVE FREE - Fresher for longer!!; Package Content: Pack of 1 X Chocolate Walnut Fudge; Item Weight: 200g [ad_2]

[ecs-frcrce]

India's very own 'Agniputri' - Dr. Tessy Thomas from Kerala, India is the first woman to head the Intercontinental Integrated Ballistic Guidance Missile Programme. She is the Director of Agni - V missile that is capable of striking any deep spot inside China, sending down a chill in the spine of approximately 1.5 billion Chinese people. Her husband is a Commander in the Indian Navy - Com. Saroj Kumar. Her only son Tejas is named after 'Tejas' the first fully Indian-made light combat aircraft (LCA). Give a big salute to India's very own 'Agniputri' - Dr. Tessy Thomas as these are our nation's heroes in real life compared to reel life. Her education, career & life should inspire our daughters. Jai Hind 🇮🇳 🇮🇳 🇮🇳 (at Fr. Conceicao Rodrigues College of Engineering) https://www.instagram.com/p/CmiUUtOqlYf/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 10.16

456 – Ricimer defeats Avitus at Piacenza and becomes master of the Western Roman Empire. 690 – Empress Wu Zetian ascends to the throne of the Tang dynasty and proclaims herself ruler of the Chinese Empire. 912 – Abd ar-Rahman III becomes the eighth Emir of Córdoba. 955 – King Otto I defeats a Slavic revolt in what is now Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. 1311 – The Council of Vienne convenes for the first time. 1384 – Jadwiga is crowned King of Poland, although she is a woman. 1590 – Prince Gesualdo of Venosa murders his wife and her lover. 1736 – Mathematician William Whiston's predicted comet fails to strike the Earth. 1780 – American Revolutionary War: The British-led Royalton raid is the last Native American raid on New England. 1780 – The Great Hurricane of 1780 finishes after its sixth day, killing between 20,000 and 24,000 residents of the Lesser Antilles. 1793 – French Revolution: Queen Marie Antoinette is executed. 1793 – War of the First Coalition: French victory at the Battle of Wattignies forces Austria to raise the siege of Maubeuge. 1805 – War of the Third Coalition: Napoleon surrounds the Austrian army at Ulm. 1813 – The Sixth Coalition attacks Napoleon in the three-day Battle of Leipzig. 1817 – Simón Bolívar sentences Manuel Piar to death for challenging the racial-caste in Venezuela. 1834 – Much of the ancient structure of the Palace of Westminster in London burns to the ground. 1836 – Great Trek: Afrikaner voortrekkers repulse a Matabele attack, but lose their livestock. 1841 – Queen's University is founded in the Province of Canada. 1843 – William Rowan Hamilton invents quaternions, a three-dimensional system of complex numbers. 1846 – William T. G. Morton administers ether anesthesia during a surgical operation. 1847 – The novel Jane Eyre is published in London. 1859 – John Brown leads a raid on Harpers Ferry, Virginia. 1869 – The Cardiff Giant, one of the most famous American hoaxes, is "discovered". 1869 – Girton College, Cambridge is founded, becoming England's first residential college for women. 1875 – Brigham Young University is founded in Provo, Utah. 1882 – The Nickel Plate Railroad opens for business. 1905 – The Partition of Bengal in India takes place. 1909 – William Howard Taft and Porfirio Díaz hold the first summit between a U.S. and a Mexican president. They narrowly escape assassination. 1916 – Margaret Sanger opens the first family planning clinic in the United States. 1919 – Adolf Hitler delivers his first public address at a meeting of the German Workers' Party. 1923 – The Walt Disney Company is founded. 1934 – Chinese Communists begin the Long March to escape Nationalist encirclement. 1939 – World War II: No. 603 Squadron RAF intercepts the first Luftwaffe raid on Britain. 1940 – Holocaust in Poland: The Warsaw Ghetto is established. 1943 – Holocaust in Italy: Raid of the Ghetto of Rome. 1946 – Nuremberg trials: Ten defendants found guilty by the International Military Tribunal are executed by hanging. 1947 – The Philippines takes over the administration of the Turtle Islands and the Mangsee Islands from the United Kingdom. 1949 – The Greek Communist Party announces a "temporary cease-fire", thus ending the Greek Civil War. 1951 – The first Prime Minister of Pakistan, Liaquat Ali Khan, is assassinated in Rawalpindi. 1953 – Cuban revolutionary Fidel Castro delivers his "History Will Absolve Me" speech, and is sentenced to 15 years' imprisonment by the Fulgencio Batista government for leading an attack on the Moncada Barracks. 1962 – Cuban Missile Crisis begins: U.S. President John F. Kennedy is informed of photos taken on October 14 by a U-2 showing nuclear missiles (the crisis will last for 13 days starting from this point). 1964 – China detonates its first nuclear weapon. 1964 – Leonid Brezhnev becomes leader of the Soviet Communist Party, while Alexei Kosygin becomes the head of government. 1968 – Tommie Smith and John Carlos are ejected from the US Olympic team for participating in the Olympics Black Power salute. 1968 – Kingston, Jamaica is rocked by the Rodney riots, inspired by the barring of Walter Rodney from the country. 1968 – Yasunari Kawabata becomes the first Japanese person to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. 1970 – Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau invokes the War Measures Act during the October Crisis. 1973 – Henry Kissinger and Lê Đức Thọ are awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. 1975 – Indonesian troops kill the Balibo Five, a group of Australian journalists, in Portuguese Timor. 1975 – Three-year-old Rahima Banu, from Bangladesh, is the last known case of naturally occurring smallpox. 1975 – The Australian Coalition sparks a constitutional crisis when they vote to defer funding for the government's annual budget. 1978 – Pope John Paul II becomes the first non-Italian pontiff since 1523. 1979 – Bu-Ma Democratic Protests against the Yushin regime (유신정권), took place between 16 and 20 October 1979 in Busan and Masan (now Changwon), South Korea. 1984 – Desmond Tutu is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. 1985 – The Finnish dry cargo ship MS Hanna-Marjut, on its way from Mariehamn to Naantali, sank in hard sea on the open water of Kihti between the Kökar and Sottunga islands of Åland, leading to the drowning of four people. 1991 – George Hennard runs amok in Killeen, Texas, killing 23 and wounding 20. 1995 – The Million Man March takes place in Washington, D.C. About 837,000 attend. 1995 – The Skye Bridge in Scotland is opened. 1996 – Eighty-four football fans die and 180 are injured in a massive crush at a match in Guatemala City. 1998 – Former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet is arrested in London on a murder extradition warrant. 2002 – The Bibliotheca Alexandrina opens in Egypt, commemorating the ancient library of Alexandria. 2013 – Lao Airlines Flight 301 crashes on approach to Pakse International Airport in Laos, killing 49 people. 2017 – Storm Ophelia strikes the U.K. and Ireland causing major damage and power loss.

[whattheabcxyz]

2022-10-14

Transport

Singapore: Lower COE supply expected in next 3 months - quota may increase only from 2024

Singapore

Fallen tree that killed woman at Marsiling Park had termite infestation but showed no outward signs of poor health

At-risk infocomm & media roles identified in newly-launched jobs transformation map

MAS says effect of GST hike is "transitory"

POFMA correction orders issued over allegedly false claims on XBB variant

$1.5b package to help Singaporeans cope with inflation - 2.5m people to get up to $500 in cash

Man who dumped Felicia Teo’s corpse jailed for 26 months but could be released soon - he claimed she had died after consuming Ecstasy & that he had disposed of her body because he was worried about being charged for drug possession ...seems like Felicia’s only crime was to have associated with the wrong kind of people, if you can even call them that

Economy

Singapore avoids technical recession - economy beat forecast to grow 4.4% in Q3

Politics

US House committee probing Capitol attack votes to subpoena Trump

North Korea fires missile & flies warplanes near border as South Korea imposes sanctions

Business

Singapore to feel pinch as US tech curbs on China further hit chipmakers' outlook

Art

^ Western culture’s fascination with polyhedra dates back to the Renaissance

Travel

SIA in talks over potential Vistara & Air India merger - merger will enable SIA to retain critical foothold in market

[globalindian]

Shanti Sethi and her Trailblazing Career in US Navy

‘Trailblazer’. The term follows US Navy veteran Shanti Sethi, as a quick Google search will tell you. The first-Indian American commander of a major US Navy Combat ship, Shanti was appointed to the office of another pioneer — US Vice President Kamala Harris, in February 2022. Shanti describes her journey to the topmost ranks of the Indians in USA, her experience as the commander of a warship and how she made it to the White House, as well as the stereotypes she broke along the way.

A life on the high seas

In March 2011, there was much excitement across the country when the USS Decatur, a guided missile destroyer from the United States navy, docked in Chennai.When they discovered that the ship’s skipper was an Indian lady creating history, rather than just being of Indian ancestry, their excitement only grew. The brave navy experienced many firsts during that moment. Yet, who recalls the years spent at sea as some of the most beautiful in her life.

“There’s nothing better than a sunrise at sea, when there’s nobody else around,” Shanti smiles. “I never thought being in the Navy would be a career. Every time I reached a turning point, I would stop and think about what I love and I realised that what I loved was being in the Navy. She has come a long way since, working in different departments of the Navy, going from a life at sea to working as an Operations Director for the Navy and travelling the world for work.

The early days

Shanti’s Indian roots come from her father — her grandparents, she said, hailed from Northern India (now Pakistan). Her father arrived in the US in the 1960s, having been raised in Delhi. When her parents split, Shanti and her brother stayed with her Canadian-origin mother in the United States. She stayed in touch with her Indian-ness through her father’s relatives and recalls travelling to Delhi to visit family as a child.

Shanti joined the Navy in 1993, “It was an accident, actually,” she remarks. “My intention was to join the army, not the Navy per se.” It wasn’t an unusual move for a graduate from Norwich University, which is known for its longstanding army traditions but perhaps so for a woman. She speaks with levity today but when has entering a male dominated world been easy for a woman? In addition, the Combat Exclusion Act was still in effect, prohibiting women from entering areas of conflict. Shortly after, the partisan act was lifted, but when Shanti initially joined the army, there were many things she could not do. She claims, “I couldn’t be in the infantry.” Although they were prohibited from participating in combat, women were permitted to manage ships and “perform the things that the Navy was about” in the Navy. She would get the chance to captain her own ship here.

Commanding the USS Decatur and the liaison to Congress

After serving a little over four years on ships as a junior officer and learning how to lead in small groups, Shanti came back ashore to Naval Academy, returning to sea in 2000. As she moved up the ranks, the time she spent at sea decreased in exchange for a management role. She had received her command in only 13 years, much earlier than the customary range of anywhere between 17 and 19 years. She was posted in Texas as a coastal minehunter and “had about 60 people working for me. She was then named the Service Navy Liaison, working with Congress as one among the many Indians in Australia.

Shanti spent two years as the navy’s liaison before returning to sea in 2010, this time as the commanding officer of the USS Decatur, an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer.

The return to land

In July 2015, Shanti took over her new role with The Joint Staff, working as an executive assistant to the Director of Joint Operations. Two years later, she was named the Commanding Officer of Task Force 64. This Naval task force was responsible for defending NATO Europe against ballistic missile attacks from Iran, served as the Integrated Air and Missile Defense Advisor to the Commander of Striking Forces NATO and as Director and Tomahawk Strike Coordinator for the U.S. Sixth Fleet during its operations in Syria. Shanti oversaw a 100-person team in August 2019 while serving as Chief of Staff. She also oversaw the Integrated Naval Force Structure Analysis, 2020. She moved up to the position of senior military advisor to the Secretary of the Navy in 2021.

According to Shanti, it’s never easy switching from being in charge to making photocopies. However, it’s undoubtedly a technique to keep your ego in check. It serves as a constant reminder that anyone can transition from being king to assembling a binder. Despite how banal they were, her new positions gave her a deeper understanding of the White House’s top levels of decision-making.

[hindimaster]

IndependenceDay2022 Tessy Thomas Is India's Pride And Missile Woman Who Handled The Important Responsibility Of Agni Missile Program

IndependenceDay2022 Tessy Thomas Is India’s Pride And Missile Woman Who Handled The Important Responsibility Of Agni Missile Program

Nari Shakti Tessy Thomas India’s Missile Woman: एक ऐसा क्षेत्र जहां पुरुषों का वर्चस्व रहा हो, उस क्षेत्र में जाकर अपना लोहा मनवाने वाली शख्सियत का नाम टेसी थॉमस (Tessy Thomas) है. वह भारत में ही नहीं बल्कि पूरी दुनिया में मिसाइल वुमन (Missile Woman) के नाम से मशहूर है और हो भी क्यों न? वह अग्नि मिसाइल प्रोग्राम (Agni Missile Program) की अहम जिम्मेदारी संभालने वालीं भारत की पहली महिला हैं. अभी वह…

[cloverpanty04]

Publiczna Szkoła Ważna Im. B. Prusa W Mirczu - Myśl O Społeczeństwie 28.04

Oil prices fell back and stocks rose Tuesday as investors reassessed the risk of war in the Middle East. Tariq Qureshi was banned from teaching for three years and told he had to apply for his old job back. The Federal Reserve cut interest rates three times in 2019. As an election year dawns, minutes from | | Link widoczny właśnie dla zarejestrowanych. A new trail in California will give hikers access to parts of Sonoma Mountain for the first time. Scientists at Regensburg University Hospital in Germany studied medical records of 56 people who had died with encephalitis, a brain condition, and found Borna disease in eight new | | Link widoczny tylko dla zarejestrowanych. Djokovic, who has yet to drop a set at the tournament, beat Chile's Cristian Garin 6-3, 6-3 in Brisbane, while team-mate Dusan Lajovic won 6-2, 7-6, with Serbia set to travel to Sydney for the quarters. Overall the quality and performance is better than I expected for the price and it even has a 320 GB hard drive for those who want local storage.

The 21-year-old, who just finished his junior | | Link widoczny ale dla zarejestrowanych. Elizabeth Wurtzel, the author of the acclaimed memoir Prozac Nation Young and Depressed in America, has died at the age of 52 following a long battle with breast cancer. The holiday guru has stepped up to the plate once more to answer your questions. Puerto Rico Governor Wanda Vazquez declared a state of emergency on Tuesday after a series of earthquakes killed at least one osób, toppled buildings and knocked out power to nearly the entire island of more than 3 million people. Not before the anaesthetic era,' I suggest. She definitely would not want to live there. EXCLUSIVE BY MATT HUGHES At least seven Southend players have not received wages that were due last week and the club are in talks with the PFA to resolve the matter. Teams are looking for good nonconference games in November and December so when N.C.A.A. December meeting show a renewed sense of patience.

In New York the show was an award-strewn hit. Weather presenter Laura Tobinappeared on the Today Show on Wednesday and revealed she holds no grudges towardsLiberal backbencher Craig Kelly. Blame my being a child of the Sixties (the dawning of the Age of Aquarius, and all that). St. Marys University in Minnesota, was preparing a stack of old papers to be logged in a database and put into storage. The Beijing-Zhangjiakou high-speed railway, featuring driverless bullet trains that can run up to 350 kilometers per hour, has just entered into service as China gears up for the 2022 Winter Olympics. Since, the Michigan athlete has made a remarkable recovery. So what's sprawdzian like? Faced with staff resignations and significant debt, the organization declared bankruptcy after 15 years. India and Pakistan on Wednesday cautioned their citizens about travel to Iraq, hours after Iran launched missile attacks on U.S.-led forces in | | Link widoczny wyłącznie dla zarejestrowanych. Pope Francis was happily greeting children and pilgrims in St.

The Parliamentary Labour Party has long been at odds with Mr Corbyn over his policies and attitude to Brexit and her speech on the party's future went down badly according to | | Link widoczny tylko dla zarejestrowanych. The Wolves winger has been a stand-out in the Premier league this season. Neil Simpson explores the best of Belfast, which has enjoyed a tourism boom thanks to its links to Game Of Thrones. Flights to Lourdes in France are also on the topic agenda for the guru this week. Global / shared folders are also supported. Most newspaper horoscopes are rubbish, though I still occasionally glance at my 'stars'. Peter's Square on Tuesday when he slapped a woman's hand to free himself. A comparative electromyographical investigation of muscle utilization patterns using various hand positions during the lat pull-down. The masterpiece was created by food artist Michelle Wibowo, using a staggering 16,074 individual triangles.

Google surprised many with the launch of a $199 Chromebook this week. We should almost hire a 12-year-old to help us out with this, an official wrote. Iraq. In sprawdzian , 2-D is the new 3-D. Laurent Baheux's coffee table book, The Family Album of Wild Africa, includes almost 300 photographs of animals looking majestic, tender, contemplative and sensitive. The family of an Egyptian journalist detained for nine months without charge expressed outrage that images of him were leaked to natomiast Facebook | | Link widoczny tylko dla zarejestrowanych. The Blues were docked nine points last season for breaking the EFL's profitability and sustainability rules. The court found no wrongdoing. Argo, the new film from the increasingly admired Ben Affleck, concentrates on another tale that is so astonishing it is difficult to believe. He recommends a brewery bike tour and a visit to the Titanic Belfast museum. But failed więc do so and got a post at a different school in Stockport, | | Link widoczny ale dla zarejestrowanych. Former Victoria's Secret model Bridget Malcolm is enjoying her summer | | Link widoczny wyłącznie dla zarejestrowanych. Link widoczny wyłącznie dla zarejestrowanych.

[sleepysera]

Apr. 22 Headlines

WORLD NEWS

India: Delhi hospitals run out of oxygen supplies (BBC)

"Six hospitals in the Indian capital Delhi have completely run out of oxygen and doctors say other hospitals have just a few hours' worth of supply left. A number of people have died while waiting for oxygen, and more than 99% of all intensive care beds are full. "

Indonesia: Races to find missing submarine before it runs out of oxygen (CNN)

"Concerns were mounting Thursday over the fate of an Indonesian submarine that went missing with 53 crew members on board, as a military official warned the vessel would run out of oxygen in three days."

Israel: Syrian air-defence missile lands near Israeli nuclear site (BBC)

"A Syrian anti-aircraft missile has exploded in southern Israel, only 30km (20 miles) from a secret nuclear site. Warning sirens went off before a loud explosion was heard in the Dimona area. No injuries or damage were reported. The Israeli military said the missile was one of several that had been fired towards an Israeli aircraft. It responded by attacking several air defence batteries in Syria."

US NEWS

Ma'khia Bryant: More body cam footage released, Columbus officials urge calm (CNN)

"In a series of clips from police body camera video, the girl is seen holding a knife during a tussle with another young woman. An officer arrived at the scene and opened fire when the girl appeared to attempt to stab a second woman. 'She's a ---- kid,' a man at the scene tells the officer after four shots were fired. 'Damn, are you stupid.'"

Andrew Brown: Witnesses describe chaotic scene in deputy-involved shooting (CNN)

"Neighbors on Thursday described a chaotic scene of North Carolina deputies trying to serve a warrant, a car pulling away and shots fired -- leaving one man dead. The shooting took place Wednesday morning in a working-class neighborhood of Elizabeth City in the northeastern corner of the state."

Daunte Wright: Hundreds attend Minneapolis funeral (BBC)

"Hundreds of mourners, including family members and activists, have attended the funeral of a black man who was shot dead by police in Minneapolis. Daunte Wright, 20, was killed during a routine traffic stop in the Brooklyn Center suburb of the city on 11 April."

[newstfionline]

Wednesday, May 19, 2021

Changed by pandemic, many workers won’t return to old jobs (AP) There’s a wild card in the push to return to post-pandemic life: Many workers don’t want to go back to the jobs they once had. Layoffs and lockdowns, combined with enhanced unemployment benefits and stimulus checks, gave many Americans the time and the financial cushion to rethink their careers. Their former employers are hiring again — and some, like Uber and McDonald’s, are offering higher pay—but workers remain hesitant. Employers and business groups argue that the $300-per-week federal unemployment supplement gives recipients less incentive to look for work. But Heidi Shierholz, a senior economist who researches low- and middle-income workers with the Economic Policy Institute, said health concerns and child care responsibilities seem to be the main reasons holding workers back. In April, she said, at least 25% of U.S. schools weren’t offering in-person learning, forcing many parents to stay home. And health concerns could gain new urgency for some workers now that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said fully vaccinated people can stop wearing masks in most settings. Some workers say the pandemic helped them prioritize their mental and physical health. And in a tight labor market, some workers are also finding that if they hold out, they might get a better job than the one they left.

Unhealthy Dose of Litigation (CNN) It’s not personal, it’s just business. Tell that to tens of thousands of individuals sued by hospitals for ‘medical debt’ they have no way of ever paying. Community Health Systems, Inc. (CHS) is one of America’s largest hospital chains. A CNN investigation found that since March 2020, company-owned hospitals filed at least 19,000 lawsuits against their patients over allegedly unpaid medical bills, even as other hospitals around the country have curtailed similar lawsuits during the pandemic. CHS’s 84 hospitals are concentrated in the South, but stretch across 16 states from Alaska to Key West, Florida. The hospitals have sued patients for as little as $201 and as much as $162,000. Most defendants didn’t hire a lawyer or fight the lawsuits, and judges often rendered a default judgment in the hospital’s favor. Attorney’s fees and interest are often tacked on. Once a court rules against a defendant, a hospital can proceed to put a lien on the defendant’s house or garnish part of their wages. Many garnishments were against people working for low-wage employers like Walmart. A researcher who has studied hospital lawsuits said that it’s typical for hospitals that sue patients to only make a tiny fraction of their revenue from those lawsuits. “It’s not keeping the lights on for the hospitals—they don’t need to be doing this,” she said. “But for the patients... They’re choosing between medical care and food.”

Argentina Halts Beef Exports for 30 Days to Contain Prices (Bloomberg) Argentina’s government is limiting exports of beef, a staple in the country, in the latest unorthodox move to try to contain runaway inflation that’s approaching 50% annually. President Alberto Fernandez told a key beef export association that they won’t be allowed to sell the product abroad for 30 days, according to a Production Ministry statement released late Monday. “The president expressed his concern over the sustained growth in domestic beef prices over the last few months,” according to the statement. The country’s beef exports in 2020 amounted to roughly $3 billion, but the government may be more focused on the political cost of falling domestic consumption.

Spain Turns to Corruption Rehab for Officials Who Can’t Stop Stealing (NYT) Carlos Alburquerque isn’t your typical rehab candidate. He’s a 75-year-old grandfather living in Córdoba, a city in southern Spain. He was a town notary before he retired in 2015. He hasn’t touched drugs or alcohol in years. But his isn’t your typical rehab program: It’s an 11-month boot camp to reform corrupt Spanish officials and “reinsert” them into mainstream society. “Repairing the damage is what is left for me in this life,” said Mr. Alburquerque, who is serving a four-year prison sentence for stealing around 400,000 euros, nearly a half a million dollars, in his work drawing up contracts and deeds. That such a program exists in Spain may say much about the country’s belief in second chances as it does about how corruption has captured the public imagination here. Flip open a newspaper or turn on the radio: You will hear of schemes, scandals and skulduggery which almost always lead back to the public purse. According to Ángel Luis Ortiz, a former judge who now runs Spain’s prisons, the boom-bust cycles of Spain’s economy had led it to a long history of fraudsters and betrayals of public trust, he said. But at least, corruption rates in Spain were no worse than in other European nations, Mr. Ortiz said, just 5 percent of all crimes.

Russia’s northernmost base projects its power across Arctic (AP) During the Cold War, Russia’s Nagurskoye airbase was little more than a runway, a weather station and a communications outpost in the Franz Josef Land archipelago. It was a remote and desolate home mostly for polar bears, where temperatures plunge in winter to minus-42 Celsius (43 degrees below zero Fahrenheit) and the snow only disappears from August to mid-September. Now, Russia’s northernmost military base is bristling with missiles and radar and its extended runway can handle all types of aircraft, including nuclear-capable strategic bombers, projecting Moscow’s power and influence across the Arctic amid intensifying international competition for the region’s vast resources. Russia has sought to assert its influence over wide areas of the Arctic in competition with the United States, Canada, Denmark and Norway as shrinking polar ice from the warming planet offers new opportunities for resources and shipping routes. China also has shown an increasing interest in the region, believed to hold up to one-fourth of the Earth’s undiscovered oil and gas.

Cyclone kills 19 in India, heavy rains lash parts of Gujarat state (Reuters) A cyclone on India’s west coast has killed at least 19 people and damaged infrastructure and agriculture, while heavy rains continued to lash some regions even as weather officials said on Tuesday that the storm’s intensity had weakened. The cyclone Tauktae, which made landfall in the western state of Gujarat late on Monday, has hit power supply in 2,400 villages in the state as a thousand electricity pylons were damaged, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani said in a media address. Nearly 160 roads have been destroyed, 40,000 trees uprooted and several houses damaged, Rupani added.

India reports record day of virus deaths as cases level off (AP) India’s total virus cases since the pandemic began swept past 25 million on Tuesday as the country registered more than 260,000 new cases and a record 4,329 fatalities in the past 24 hours. The numbers continue a trend of falling cases after infections dipped below 300,000 for the first time in weeks on Monday. Active cases in the country also decreased by more than 165,000 on Tuesday—the biggest dip in weeks. But deaths have continued to rise and hospitals are still swamped by patients. Infections in India have surged since February in a disastrous turn blamed on more contagious variants as well as government decisions to allow massive crowds to gather for religious festivals and political rallies.

In Gaza, grief and destruction (Washington Post) In a conflict already marked by harrowing scenes of tragedy, one image stood out. Rescuers in Gaza City on Sunday pulled out Suzy Eshkuntana, a 6-year-old, from the rubble of a building that had once been her home, but which was flattened by Israeli airstrikes. She was covered in dust but alive. Her mother and all four of her siblings were dead. It’s not clear why the Eshkuntanas’ home was brought crashing down. Israeli authorities told reporters that they had targeted a network of tunnels used by Hamas militants that may have run beneath the area where the family lived. “The collapse of the tunnel system,” Reuters reported, “caused the houses above to collapse and led to unintended civilian casualties, the military said.” In Israel’s telling, there are many more “unintended” casualties in Gaza. According to local Health Ministry officials, the death toll in Gaza climbed to 212 people, including 61 children and 36 women, as fighting entered its second week. Gaza is one of the most densely populated areas in the world, home to some 2.1 million people, the majority of whom are classified as refugees by the United Nations. That’s a legacy of the displacements that followed Israel’s creation in 1948 and the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. Children make up about half of Gaza’s population. The territory has been under Israeli blockade since 2007, after Hamas took power following a rift within the Palestinian Authority. “Living conditions in Gaza are bleak: 95 percent of the population does not have access to clean water, according to [the United Nations], and electricity shortages periodically bring life to a halt,” my colleagues reported. “The territory has one of the highest unemployment rates in the world, World Bank statistics show, and the United Nations estimates that roughly 80 percent of the population relies on international aid to survive and access basic services.”

The New Arab Street: Online, Global and Growing (NYT) The video traveled at 4G speed, leapfrogging across international borders, social media platforms and social justice movements: a young Palestinian woman in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah, shouting in furious English at a Jewish man, “You are stealing my house!” “If I don’t steal it, someone else will steal it,” he retorts. Within days—as Israel bombed the coastal territory of Gaza, Palestinian militants there launched rockets at Israel, and Arab and Jewish mobs faced off in Israeli cities—the video had rocketed from young Palestinians’ social media feeds into the Arab diaspora, then lit up the internet, kindling outrage around the world. It used to be that when Palestinians were under fire, protests would follow in the streets of Arab cities. That potential for combustion forced Middle Eastern and Western leaders to keep a wary eye on the temperature of what was called the “Arab street.” This time, a week into an Israeli bombing campaign that has killed 212 Palestinians in Gaza, the reaction from Arab capitals has been muted and protests small and scattered. Instead, solidarity with the Palestinians has shifted online and gone global, a virtual Arab street that has the potential to have a wider impact than the ones in Middle Eastern cities. The online protesters have linked arms with popular movements for minority rights such as Black Lives Matter, seeking to reclaim the narrative from the mainstream media and picking up support in Western countries that have reflexively supported Israel.

Ransomware hits AXA units in Asia, Irish healthcare (AP) The Thai affiliate of Paris-based insurance company AXA said Tuesday it is investigating a ransomware attack by Russian-speaking cybercriminals that has affected operations in Thailand, Malaysia, Hong Kong and the Philippines. Meanwhile, a cyberattack on a public health provider in New Zealand took down information systems across five hospitals, forcing staff to cancel some elective surgeries and creating all sorts of other problems. It was unclear if the event was linked to a cyberattack that has nearly paralyzed Ireland’s national healthcare IT systems. The Irish government���s decision not to pay the criminals means hospitals won’t have access to patient records—and must resort mostly to handwritten notes—until painstaking efforts are complete to restore thousands of computer servers from backups.

The Places Ranked Best for Expats in 2021 (Bloomberg) Taiwan, Mexico and Costa Rica have been ranked as the top spots to live and work abroad in 2021, based on their cost of living, ease of settling in and overall quality of life. The U.S. was ranked only 34th out of 59 places, largely because of how expats viewed quality of life in America, according to a new survey published Tuesday. Taiwan topped the charts for the third year in a row in the survey of 12,420 expats conducted by InterNations, a Munich-based expat network with about 4 million members. The top 10: Taiwan, Mexico, Costa Rica, Malaysia, Portugal, New Zealand, Australia, Ecuador, Canada, Vietnam.

[onebourbon-oneshot-onetear]

Aquatica

Chapter 4- The Enemy Below

I do not own D.C Comics, and I only own my OC and my versions of the plots.

BEEP BEEP BEEP I rolled over and slapped my hand on my alarm clock. I opened my eyes and looked at the numbers flashing on the screen, 9:15 pm. While most people are going to bed at this time, I was getting up to run around the rooftops of Gotham.

Doing my nightly patrols was actually pretty fun. It gave me a chance to exercise and use my powers in a less stressful situation than I would while with the Justice League. Usually when I work with the League, it's always an Earth-ending-life-and-death situation. That's not always the best time to test new stuff out with my powers. While patrolling Gotham, there wasn't a real sense of urgency. Most of the crimes that I stopped at night was robberies and small acts of vandalism by rowdy teens, no big deal.

I groaned and rolled out of bed. Usually I fall asleep in the early afternoon, but due to a flood in India that I had to help Superman with, I had only gotten about three hours of sleep. I went and turned on my coffee machine and headed to the bathroom to go take a shower and get changed into my leggings, leotard and jacket. I dried my hair and pulled it up into a half ponytail. I walked into the kitchen, poured myself some coffee and grabbed some leftover food from my fridge. I wolfed it all down, tied up my black combat boots, and climbed out of my fire escape onto my building's rooftop.

Since my building was in the middle of Gotham, I could see practically everything that went on. Usually I looked for the flashing lights of police cars in order to find a crime that I could help with. So far they have seemed grateful for my help, and nobody has had any problems with me helping them catch their criminals.

Tonight I didn't see any police lights, so I decided to go along the rooftops and find the criminals myself. Most of the time while jumping or flying from building to building I would catch a robbery happening in an alley. It was pretty easy from there to freeze the robber to the ground until the police got there. I could usually catch about twenty robbers a night, and a dozen more than that on the weekends. Yeah, that's how bad the crime in Gotham was. You would think people would learn not to do such stupid things, especially when Batman and I were out. Then again if these guys were smart they wouldn't be robbers.

I patrolled for a couple of hours catching about fifteen robbers, when a jet hovered above the building I was next to. I recognized it as the League's jet and I flew up to meet it. Inside was John, Diana, and Superman, and from the looks on their faces, I knew something was wrong. "What's up guys?" I asked.

"Evie, we need your help." Superman urgently said. "We have a sunken military submarine with officers trapped on it and we need to get them out." My eyes widened and I wasted no time hopping in the jet and strapping myself in.

"Do we have any idea what caused the sub to sink?" I asked.

"No, not yet." Diana said. I have only seen her a couple times since she joined the League, and I still wasn't a fan of hers. She had never been mean to me at all, so I really didn't have any reason to dislike her. As childish as it sounds, I just wasn't a fan of her personality. She thought men were beneath her, at least from the way I had heard her talk about the beliefs of Themyscara, the land she was from. Apparently the Amazon warriors thought men were not to be trusted and they were weak. Considering how Diana had never met a man up until about a month ago, I didn't think it was right for her to be so judgmental about them. But either way, I decided to act professional around her and be nice. Well as nice as I can be.

We had already left the city and were heading to the location where the sub was when Superman turned towards me and handed me something. "Here, I haven't given you a com link yet. This is one you can keep with you at all times, that way if you need something you won't have to find your own way up to the Watch Tower." I took the earpiece and stuck it in my ear. It was small and discreet so I could get away with wearing it all the time.

"Thanks." I said to him. He turned back around and started pressing more buttons on the jet. I felt the nose of the jet pitch forward and I assumed we were going to land. I wasn't expecting the whole jet to go underwater. I jumped in my seat as the jet crashed into the water and started diving down.

Superman must have sensed my uneasiness because he turned back around and looked at me. "You didn't know this thing could go underwater?"

I looked out the window at the dark water and looked back at him. "No, no clue." I weakly said. Superman just chuckled, but he grew serious when a beeping started going off on the monitor up front.

"I've locked on to their distress beacon. We're getting close." Diana said.

Superman had gotten up and looked out the front window. "We're not the only ones." He said pointing out a ship that was facing us underwater. It appeared to be a submarine, but it was sleeker and didn't look like anything our military used. We flew under it and we saw that their submarine dwarfed our ship. "We've got company." Superman said sitting back down and getting buckled back into his seat. We came back up over their ship, and they shot two missiles at us.

"Not for long." Green Lantern said, steering us out of the way of the two missiles. We rocked to the side as we dodged the missiles, and when we righted ourselves we flew past the submarine and over a rock structure that had different canyons carved through it. If we weren't being shot at I would have loved to stay and look at the view.

The sub followed us and kept shooting missiles at us, which we continued to dodge and block. Up ahead of us were two arches made of rock.

"G.L go through there! They won't be able to fit through." I told him. Their sub was way too big to get through both arches. G.L went through both arches and I turned around to see if the other sub did too. They hit the first arch and got stuck.

"Lost 'em." Green Lantern smugly said, before two more subs came up from the bottom of the sea floor and stopped in front of us. I just rolled my eyes. You never say stuff like that, it's only an invitation for more crap to come our way.

"You were saying?" Superman asked sarcastically. Green Lantern continued to dodge the missile attacks, but Superman had had enough. He stood up and opened a compartment on the ceiling of the jet. He took out a mask to wear underwater and handed me one. "Those sailors won't have a prayer if we keep playing cat and mouse, come on." I took my staff off my belt and put it on my seat so I didn't lose while fighting and it sunk so I couldn't find it ever again. Besides, I would have all the water I would need out there.

We left the jet just before a missile hit it. Lantern put a bubble over us and we went over to the subs to find a way to take them out. Now instead of missiles being shot, they were now individual beams. I was going through the water faster than I had ever gone before. I quickly zipped over to a sub and completely froze their guns, leaving them defenseless. I looked over and watched Superman punch the other subs guns so hard that the metal completely crumpled. Green Lantern went underneath and tore a hole straight through with his ring.

Superman and Wonder Woman each took a sub and pushed them together making the windows to the subs explode, while Lantern tore off the nose of one of them. I floated back through the water to make sure that no other guns were intact. The two subs were completely dysfunctional and they both sunk to the bottom. Once they hit each other the force created an explosion.

I looked back at the sub and failed to notice that a small army had come together in front of us until someone told us to halt. I looked over and saw two more submarines, two men on what looked like underwater jet skis, and another man who held a trident and wore gold plated armor with dark green pants and accents on it. One look at them and I knew who they were.

"Those are Atlantians…" I whispered to myself. The man in the gold must be Aquaman, king of Atlantis. He may not be on dry land all the time but I definitely knew who he was. Seeing as I'm a girl who can control water, it was absolutely awing to meet the man who can practically control the seven seas, and talk to sea creatures. Talk about meeting a role model. I wanted to swim right up to him and ask a million different questions about different ways I could use my powers, but judging by the glare he was giving us he wasn't too happy to see us.

"Man, that glare can compete with Bats' glare." I said.

"You've violated the sovereign borders of Atlantis. Leave at once or you will be destroyed." Aquaman said pointing his trident at us. Oookay, guess I'm not getting those questions answered.

Superman was in the front of the group so he spoke for us. "We apologize for the intrusion." He said, putting his hands up in surrender. "We were responding to a call for help."

Aquaman looked over to the sub, which was now sitting on a bunch of rocks. "They should've stayed on the surface where they belong."

"Please. The men on board, they'll drown." Diana pleaded with him. Aquaman raised an eyebrow, and thought for a second.

"Take the crew. But the vessel stays." He commanded.

"No way. That's a nuclear sub." Green Lantern said. I looked back at him like he was crazy, which I'm pretty sure he is. He pushed past Superman and made his way closer to Aquaman. I noticed that all of the guards had now tensed up and had a hand on their weapons.

"G.L, not now." I quietly said to him, but he brushed me off.

"If you think we're just going to walk away and leave it…"

"What makes you think you have a choice?" Aquaman interrupted. He did have a point, we were at an unfair advantage, seeing as the Atlantians were in a completely natural environment down here, and the only one of us who was feeling mostly comfortable underwater this deep was me. And I know that I probably wouldn't be able to stand up to a whole Atlantian army.

G.L's eyes glowed bright green and he went to go swim forward even more, but thankfully Superman stopped him. "He's right. Time's running out." He looked over at me. "Aquatica, do you think you can make an air bubble to get the crew out of the sub?" At first I forgot that he was talking to me since he used my hero name, but I guess since we were in front of people we didn't know he just wanted to be safe.

I remembered the question and I didn't even have to think about whether I could do it. "Sure, no problem." I shrugged. I swam over to the sub and separated the oxygen molecules from the hydrogen ones in order to form a huge bubble where the outside was made of water, but inside was made of air. I looked over at Aquaman and I was happy to see he looked impressed. I didn't get to think about it too long because soon enough the crew was put in my bubble and we were getting ready to leave.

"That's the last one." Superman called up to me. I closed off the small tunnel I made from the hole in the sub to the main part of my bubble, and started moving it up to the surface slowly. I couldn't go too fast for risk that I, or anyone else inside the bubble, would get the bends. That wouldn't be fun to deal with.

I broke the surface and saw that we were in the middle of a bad storm. Thunder and lightning were everywhere, the waves were choppy, and it was pouring down rain. The rain didn't bother me, in fact it made me stronger. The part that worried me was the thunder and lightning. The last thing I needed was to risk these people getting electrocuted. "Hey G.L, think you can take over here?" I asked him. I explained what I was worried about and he agreed with me. He put everyone in a giant green bubble and I went over and hopped in the jet.

Superman decided to stay outside and speak with Aquaman so it was just Diana and I in the jet. We sat in comfortable silence and I drew some pictures on the condensation that had formed on the windows. Childish, I know but hey, I didn't have anything else to do.

Green Lantern took the crew of the sub to the hospital in Metropolis while Superman, Diana, and I went back to the watchtower. I went to the kitchen and grabbed a cup of coffee. Since I didn't have much sleep last night I needed some help staying awake now. I walked back to the main floor with my mug in my hands. J'onn, Diana, and Flash were standing in a huddle talking, while Superman was on the phone. Judging by the way he was standing and the tone of his voice I assumed it was someone important on the other line, and that someone wasn't happy.

I walked over to the group just as Diana said "Aquaman's no madman. He's a king. He only wants to preserve and protect his own kind."

"So, who's gonna protect us from him?" G.L asked.

"I don't know, I kinda like the guy." I said.

"How can you say that?" G.L turned to me and asked. "He has one of our nuclear submarines!"

I fully turned towards Lantern. "He just wants to protect himself and his people. I can totally understand what he is thinking. Everybody up here on land doesn't think twice about polluting the water and going wherever they want, not caring about whose area they are invading. As someone who deals with water quite often, I can completely understand why Aquaman doesn't like us. It infuriates me every time I see garbage floating in the ocean, or dead sea animals killed because of plastic and toxins. That is his home, imagine how he feels." I said. "Do I agree with him keeping nuclear subs? No. But I can understand where he's coming from." I said taking a sip of my coffee. Apparently he didn't like my answer very much, and G.L stormed off, fuming.

I watched his retreating form and shook my head. "That guy needs to loosen up a bit." I said. I downed the last of my coffee and went back to the kitchen to clean my mug. I didn't have anything else planned for the day, so I figured I would go downstairs to my pool.

Did I not mention that the Watchtower has a pool? Cause it does! It's more of a giant diving well, you know, one of the really deep ones. It's awesome because I can sit in it and recharge my powers, or I can work on new things with my powers. It's also my hiding place. I can make an air bubble and hide down there for hours without anyone finding me. It's worked so far, so hopefully nobody will catch on to what I'm doing.

I went down to the pool and just floated on my back, listening to the water lap against the edges. I could feel the water repowering me and it woke me up a little more than the coffee did. J'onn said he thinks he understands why being in water helps me rejuvenate so much. Apparently there is more water in my system than that of a normal humans. Normal people are made of about 60 percent of water. I'm made up of 80 percent. It's not a problem, in fact it actually helps me when I'm sick or hurt. Instead of using medicine for minor stuff like scrapes or colds I can just sit in water for an hour and the symptoms are gone. The only downfall of being made up of this much water is I am more sensitive to the heat. Being outside on a hot summer day isn't life threating, but being in extreme heat for a long period of time can deplete my powers completely, or worse, kill me.

I was laying in the pool when I got called up through my earpiece. "Evie, you may want to come up here." J'onn said.

I sighed, hoping I was going to get a little more peace and quiet. "Sure thing J'onn, be right up." I pulled myself out of the pool, evaporated all the water off of me and headed upstairs. Not surprisingly, Green Lantern was ranting about something again.

"I knew we couldn't trust that fish man. The sub's been stripped and the plutonium is gone."

"And you think Aquaman's responsible?" Diana asked him.

"Who else princess?" G.L asked her sarcastically. "We've got to go back to Atlantis and get some straight answers."

I looked over to Superman. "If it's Aquaman you want, he's not in Atlantis." He said. I saw the news was on and the usual anchorman was reporting from what looked like the World Assembly building.

"According to eyewitness accounts Aquaman then forced his way past the guards and into a closed session of the World Assembly." The reporter said. "But as to why he's here or what he wants, we'll have to wait for further developments."

"Well that's one way to make yourself heard." I said, crossing my arms. "Maybe this is a good thing, it sounds like he wants to talk things over."

"Or he wants to kill us all." Green Lantern mumbled. Diana looked like she was about to retort and I rolled my eyes and walked over to look down at Earth. I didn't need to hear any more arguing from those two. The Earth looked so peaceful from up here, I wish we could get some of that peace here. I continued to stare at it and J'onn walked over to me, apparently now wanting to hear the arguments as well.

"How are you doing, Evie?" He asked me.

"I'm fine J'onn, how are you? Are you getting used to Earth's habits yet?"

"Some customs are strange, as is everything else. It is a lot to get used to." He said.

I chuckled, "I'm sure you'll be fine J'onn. If you have any questions or you just want to talk, you can just ask. I'd be happy to help."

"That is very kind of you Evie, thank you." He turned away from me and spoke to the rest of the group. "I believe we should go down and try to talk to Aquaman. Make sure he does not get into any trouble."

"You're right. Who knows what could happen." Superman said. Diana went to go get the jet ready to go while J'onn made sure everything in the Tower was secure. We were at the World Assembly building within minutes, and there was a horde of reporters outside.

"You guys go in and talk some sense into Aquaman, I'll stay out here and cover crowd control." I told them. They nodded and flew inside. I stayed outside and looked at all the people waiting to hear news from inside the meeting. A few minutes later the reporters swarmed the door just as Aquaman walked out. I made my way over to him to make sure none of the reporters got too close. In his bad mood, I'm sure Aquaman didn't need any cameras in his face.

The reporters had surrounded him and were asking him dozens of questions. He just glared at them and pushed past them. I was about five feet away from him when I called out to him. "Aquaman, wait!" I said. He ignored me and kept walking towards the street. I followed him and was quickly gaining ground when I heard a high pitched noise. I had just enough time to see something heading straight at us before it exploded. I was thrown back a couple feet and hit the concrete wall lining the sidewalk. I couldn't hear anything except a high pitched ringing in my ears and I saw double vision. I tried sitting up but I had the wind knocked out of me from the impact of the blast.

I looked up to see what the damage was, when I saw Aquaman laying on the ground struggling to get up. I sat up straight and a sharp pain shot through my ribs. Great, they're probably cracked or broken. I groaned and was able to stand on my feet, albeit I was a little wobbly. J'onn rushed over to me. "Evie, are you hurt?" He asked, concern lacing his voice.

I took a deep breath. "I'm fine, just a little banged up." I saw Superman pick up Aquaman, with Diana's help, and flew away. "How is he?" I asked.

J'onn looked grim. "It is hard to say, he was closer to the blast than you were. His injuries will be much more serious." I took a step and the pain in my ribs flared up again. Sensing this, J'onn said "Perhaps you should go to the hospital as well."

I kept walking. "I'm fine, honestly." From the look he was giving me I knew J'onn didn't believe a word I was saying. I sighed, "Fine, have it your way." I said. J'onn walked over, picked me up and flew me to the hospital they others had taken Aquaman to.

Soon enough I had a nurse checking my vitals and bandaging my ribs up. "These are just bruised sweetie, but make sure you don't overwork yourself for a couple days." She said to me. She was a cute old thing, old enough to be a grandmother but not so old that she you had to worry about her not properly doing her job.

"I'll do my best, but unless the criminals stop working for a few days, it'll be pretty unlikely." I said. She had just finished with the bandages when she lifted my shirt back down and patted my knee in a grandmotherly fashion.

"Well then, those bad guys won't know what hit 'em." She said. I smiled and put my jacket back on.

"Can you tell me where they took Aquaman?" I asked her. I should probably regroup with everyone in case crazier rocket launching people show up.

"He's in a special ward. Take the elevator to the top floor, you can't miss it."

I nodded. "Thank you." I got off the bed and was halfway over to the elevator when she stopped me.

"Here," she handed me a water bottle. "Drink this, you don't want to get dehydrated." I took the bottle and thanked her again. I followed her instructions and when I got off the elevator Diana, John, Superman and J'onn were waiting and watching the doctor work on Aquaman.

"How's he doing?" I asked. Everyone looked over at me and Superman was the first to walk over to me.

"How are you doing? You were pretty close to that explosion." He said.

I shrugged. "Just a couple bruised ribs, and some scrapes. Nothing I can't handle." I said. Just as I finished the door to the operating room opened and the doctor walked out.

"How bad is it?" Diana asked him.

The doctor took off his surgical mask and put his hand to his chin. "Hard to tell. His physiology is not like ours. It's unlike anything I've ever seen." Poor man, he looked so flustered. Superman stepped up.

"But can you help him?" He asked.

"I don't know." He said. I looked past him and saw a movement in the shadows. My muscles tensed and I thought it was going to be whoever shot the rocket at us, but it turns out it was just Bats.

"Then maybe I can." He said, finally stepping out of the shadows. "Get him on a gurney, I'm going to need a water tank." At first the doctor didn't know what to think, but seeing the look from Batman he was receiving, he was practically sprinting into the O.R.

They pushed Aquaman through the hospital and into a room that had a water tank set up in it. Batman had gone ahead to get the tank ready and when the gurney came in the room, Superman lifted Aquaman up and put him in the tank. The rest of us had spilled into the room and watched as the beeping on the monitors evened out.

The doctor turned around. "His vitals, they're stabilizing." He said astounded. Batman walked over to the heart monitor and handed the doctor some papers.

"Maintain saline at 3.5 percent." He told him. He talked to the doctor some more but I had just turned around and watched Aquaman in the tank. Putting him in water makes sense since he lives there anyway, I thought. He must rejuvenate in water just like I do. I turned to see that the doctor had left and everyone had gathered around the tank.

"Same goes to you Evie." Batman said.

"Huh?" I said, coming out of my thoughts.

"Drink the water, it'll heal your ribs." I looked down and in all the commotion I forgot that I still had my water.

"Right, thanks…wait how did you know my ribs were hurt?" I asked him. He hadn't been around when I had gotten here, and my bandages were covered. Bats chose to ignore my question and he turned back towards the tank. I rolled my eyes at his mysteriousness and took a sip of my water. Immediately, the pain in my ribs had faded and I didn't feel the sting from my scrapes anymore. I smiled to myself, this is a major perk.

About half an hour later, I was sitting on the hospital bed, twirling my staff between my fingers, a habit I had picked up for when I was bored. Green Lantern was looking out the window and the rest of them had huddled around the tank.

"He's coming around." Superman said, startling me. It had been absolutely silent for the past half an hour and his voice was really loud. I got up off the bed and walked over to the tank while putting my staff away.

Green Lantern strode forward and went right up to the tank. "Good. Now maybe we can get some answers." He said. Of course he would still be upset. Don't give him a break since he almost died, let's interrogate him as soon as he wakes up. "What did you do with the plutonium?" He asked, literally banging on the glass. I raised my eyebrow, is this guy serious?

"Hey Green Bean, could you not bang on the glass like an impatient child at the zoo?" I asked him. Was giving him an attitude the smartest thing to do? No. But I don't really have a filter. Before he could crush me with the power of his ring, Aquaman woke up and floated up to the top of the tank.

"Plutonium?" He asked. He pulled himself out of the tank and took the suction monitors off his chest.

"From the submarine. You stole it." Green Lantern said. I closed my eyes and smacked my palm to my forehead. Let's not ask the Atlantian how he feels since he almost died, let's ask him if he stole our nuclear devices. Nice bedside manners, John.

"My orders were to leave that vessel where it lay." Aquaman said, sounding quite angry.

Green Lantern getting in his face probably wasn't helping the situation. "And you expect us to believe that?"

"Believe what you want. Someone tried to kill me and I need to find out who."

I scoffed, "Yeah, join the club." He looked up at me and my eyes widened once I realized what I had said. "Not to be rude or anything, I mean you have every right to go looking for them." I stammered out. "I was just collateral damage, it was really you they were after. Not that it's a good thing, cause it's not. I'm just saying you're more important than I am…not that I'm not important, it's just cause you're royalty and I'm not and…" I finally stopped when Batman elbowed me in the ribs. Everybody in the room was now looking at me strangely. "Sorry." I whispered out, looking down at my boots.

"You go by Aquatica, do you not?" Aquaman asked me. I was stunned for a second. I just sounded like a lunatic, why was he talking to me?

"Yes, that's my hero name, but if you want you can call me Evie." I somehow managed to squeak out.

"I'm sorry you were hurt when it was me they were after." He said. "I've seen what you can do with water, it is quite interesting how someone from the land can control the water so fluently."

I almost fainted right then and there. Aquaman, the King of Atlantis, was complementing me on how I control water. I stammered out a quiet thank you, and then I started grinning like an idiot. Somehow, despite how crazy I looked, Aquaman managed to give me a soft smile.

Aquaman grew quite serious again, and he headed for the door, looking to leave.

"Wait, I can help." Batman said, stepping forward. "But you're going to have to trust me." Aquaman paused for a second, then he turned around and walked back into the room. We started discussing a plan to lure the would-be assassin out of hiding in order for them to finish off the job. J'onn would morph himself into Aquaman and be taken out by stretcher. The rest of us would be waiting for the assassin, and before he can do any real damage, we would catch him. Sounds easier said than done.

Night fell and we started our trap. The news crews were waiting outside along with an ambulance, after word had spread that Aquaman was being moved to a different facility to receive treatment. I was on the roof with Wonder Woman while Bats and Superman were on a rooftop across from us. We were all looking for any signs of the assassin. "I hope this plan of yours works, Batman." Diana said into her com link.

"Just keep your eyes open." He said. Not even five seconds later, the doors to the hospital opened and Aquaman was rolled out on a gurney. Immediately the news reporters and photographers were swarming him, trying to get a picture of the Atlantian. While everyone else was busy looking at Aquaman, I glanced down and saw somebody dressed in a parka and snow hat crouching behind a mail box. I believe I just found the assassin. He could have blended in a little more, it isn't December. I thought. Plus, the poor guy has to be dying under that parka.

"Guys, isn't it a little hot for winter clothes?" I said looking down at him. Just as I said it, he pulled out a missile launcher from his duffel bag.

"There!" Wonder Woman yelled out, pointing to the man. I rolled my eyes at that. No. Really? The guy wearing winter clothes in the summer is our guy…and he's right there?! Gasp. I'm sorry, I can't control my sarcasm.

"I see him." Batman said, looking through his binoculars. Or batnoculars as I now call them. I don't know what he calls them but it's probably the boring old name for them. At least my word was more fun.

Just before the assassin could pull the trigger on the launcher, Batman had thrown a batarang and pushed it downward, so the rocket hit the ground and exploded before it could hit any people.

As soon as he realized that his plan failed, the assassin ran away and down an alley. Superman flew after him while Batman went to check on J'onn. I decided to follow Superman to see if he needed any help. Just as I turned the corner, I saw that Superman had bent over to pick up a manhole cover, but as soon as he touched it he was thrown back and electrocuted.

Batman and J'onn ran down the alley as I was bent over Superman checking to see if he was okay. J'onn phased through, and I swore I heard an engine going past even though there was no cars around us. J'onn told Diana that our would be assassin was heading her way.

"Do you have this?" I asked Batman. He looked back down at Superman and nodded. "Alright, I'm gonna go help Wonder Woman." I jumped in the air and a disc was created under my feet. God, I loved doing that! I flew to where Wonder Woman should be positioned at.

There was a giant crash as Diana pounded her way through the ground. I waited to see what would happen, and there was another smaller portion of concrete that crumbled down again. "I don't think that was supposed to happen." I muttered to myself. I heard the engine of the assassin and I flew down into the original hole that Wonder Woman made.

I caught up with him after a few turns and I smirked. Wrong move going in the sewers buddy. I decided to mess with him a little bit. I froze his motorcycle so it stopped suddenly and he was thrown forward into the water. I stopped my disc and just hovered in the air a couple feet away from him. He was groaning and struggling to get up. I guess I threw him a little too hard.

"Next time, don't run from someone who controls water in a giant tube full of water." I said to him. There was a splash behind me and Batman was standing there. I pretended to dust my hands off and turned towards him. "Well, now that that's done would you mind cuffing him? I'm sure you have handcuffs with you, right?" Even from here I could see Batman roll his eyes at me but nonetheless he walked forward.

"Don't move." Batman growled out. I finally got a chance to look at the man, even if it was for a brief second. He wore a red and silver outfit, with what appeared to be a metal helmet that encased his whole head. He had a small red scope over his right eye, I assumed that helped him shoot. Before I was even done looking him over, he had rolled onto his back and threw a small silver circle in the air just above Batman's head.

My eyes widened and before I could do anything gas came out of the disc. The second it came near me I was thrown into a coughing fit so bad that I couldn't breathe. I barely saw through the gas the assassin running away, but I was coughing so bad I never would have been able to go after him.

The gas let up a few second later and I was able to draw a small breath. "What the hell was that?" I wheezed out. Through my watering eyes I could see Batman was doubled over coughing just as bad as I was. I gathered what little strength I had and raised the water levels up quickly until it reached the top of the ceiling and I brought it down just as fast.

The gas was gone and I gulped in some air, and I could hear that Bats was doing the same. "Sorry I got you wet, I had to get the gas off of you." My voice was all raspy from all the coughing.

"It's fine." Batman said, his voice gruffer than usual. He straightened himself up and looked down the pipe in the direction our guy had run down.

"I don't suppose you know where this pipe leads, do you?" I asked him.

"This isn't Gotham, I have no idea." He said. I nodded and started jogging down the path with Bats next to me.

"Wait, does that mean you know the sewers of Gotham too?" I asked him. He only smirked at me and didn't say anything while we continued to run. "Oh, you have got to be kidding me. How do you have time to actually go do things when you're memorizing maps of the sewer?"

He was saved from answering when we reached the nearest manhole. Thankfully it was uncovered, but it was still a good ten feet up. Before I could even think, Batman had grabbed my waist and pulled me to him before he used his grapple to get us both out of the sewer.

My cheeks instantly went red after being in such close proximity to him. I'm not saying I liked him or anything, it was just a little unnerving. Plus I could feel his muscles and let me tell you, they felt pretty good. Don't blame me, I may be a hero but I am still a girl. I notice these things.

Once I steadied myself on the ground I muttered a thanks, trying to let him avoid seeing my red cheeks. I doubt he did but like the silent man he is, he didn't say anything. "Come on, Superman is following him." Bats said before using a grapple to get up into the air.

"Oh, right…yeah." I had almost forgotten we were following an assassin. I jumped on a disc and followed behind Bats. We rounded the corner and saw a green van on fire and Superman holding our assassin. "Do you know who this guy is?" I asked Bats.

"His name is Deadshot. He's one of the most deadly assassins out there. He hardly misses a target."

"Well, I hate to mess up his record." I said not sounding very sorry at all. We walked over to Superman just as Wonder Woman and J'onn did.

"Gee, why would a hired gun try to shoot somebody?" he asked, laying the sarcasm on thick. "Could it be that someone paid me to?" If he wasn't a bad guy I probably would have laughed at how sarcastic he sounded. A man after my own heart.

"Who?" Wonder Woman asked him.

"Oh come on babe, you know I can't tell you that. Professional ethics." He said. I could practically hear his eyes roll as he said that.

"Oh please," I said stepping forward. "You have no ethics. Just tell us who payed you already." I snapped out. I didn't feel like standing out here all night just so some jerk can mess with us.

"So you're the girl that can control water." He said. He looked me up and down and my skin crawled. "Tell me, are there any other liquids you can control? Cause sweetheart, I would love to find out." My eyes widened as I understood double meaning behind what he said.

"What did you just say to me?" I growled out. I walked forward and practically ripped Deadshot out of Superman's grasp and held him up by the front of his suit. "Would you like me to freeze that area of your body, sweetheart?" I practically spit at him. "Cause I can guarantee that would get you singing like a song bird."

I felt a hand on my shoulder and I whipped my head around. "I'll take it from here." Batman said. I looked back at Deadshot to see that his eyes had gone wide. I shoved him into Batman's grip and took a step back.

I looked down and saw my hands were shaking, that's how mad I was. I'm a woman, not a piece of meat. I got enough of that kind of stuff in the Navy by the guys who didn't think I was worth anything. I certainly wasn't going to take it from some scumbag who shoots people. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

"Okay. I'll tell, I'll tell." Deadshot said. I was very pleased to hear that he sounded panicked.

"What did he say to him?" I asked Superman, curious of what Bats could have said to make him flip that fast.

"Trust me, you don't want to know." Superman said. Well alrighty then.

The pair walked back over to us and Batman pushed him towards us. Deadshot dusted off his shoulder where Batman had touched him. "Who hired you?"

"I don't know. I don't ask questions." He said. I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms. A whole lot of help this guy was.

"Not good enough. How were you paid?" Batman said.

"In gold. See?" Deadshot looked over to an overturned chest that had an enormous amount of gold coming out of it. With the heated discussion between him and me, no one had noticed it.

"That has to be worth thousands of dollars." I said. Batman went over and picked up a piece and looked at it closely.

"Spanish doubloons." He said.

"Where would they get coins like this?" Wonder Woman asked.

I snorted "I don't know, maybe some pirates hired him." Everyone looked at me a little annoyed, except Deadshot who let out a loud snort. I looked at him furiously. "I don't remember talking to you." I said. His eyes widened and he didn't say anything else. I looked up and everyone was still looking at me. "Sorry." I said looking down at my boots. I really needed to stop doing that every time I get embarrassed, it was starting to become a bad habit.

"Atlantis. That is where you would get these coins." J'onn said. I realized he was right. With all the sunken ships and shipwrecks that have happened, especially during the times of the Spanish conquistadors, they would have plenty of treasure to just give away.

"We've got to warn Aquaman." Superman said.

"Too late." I looked up and Green Lantern was hovering above us before he dropped down onto the ground. "That royal pain in the neck's already gone. And I couldn't stop him."

"Hera help him." Wonder Woman said. I internally rolled my eyes at that, and then a thought popped into my head.

"Wait," I said. "Does this mean we are going to Atlantis?" I asked excitedly.

"It would seem so." Superman said. I squealed inside. Atlantis! The city underwater, where everyone there could control water and were super cool and watery! I wanted to jump up and down, I was so ready to go. "Come on, let's go."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Deadshot trying to nonchalantly creep away. "Not so fast." I said. He tried to run and I decided it was time for payback. I froze him directly to the ground in a giant bunch of ice. "This should hold him until the police arrive." I said. Superman chuckled and walked past me.

Deadshot was struggling to get out to absolutely no avail. We all filed past him, with Bats and I going past him last. "Aw come on sweetie, a little help here?" He shivered out. I just laughed and kept walking.

"Sorry, but you aren't getting out of there. Next time you should watch your mouth." I called over my shoulder.

"That was a little harsh, don't you think?" Batman asked me.

"Nope." I said, popping the 'p'. "He deserves it." I looked up and Batman was smirking again. "By the way, what did you say to him?" I asked.

"Nothing. Don't worry about it." He said and quickened his pace so he was walking in front of me. I shrugged my shoulders. If he didn't want me to know, it's probably for the best.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Diana had gone to get the jet when the rest of us stayed behind and waited for her. We started discussing plans for how we would talk to Aquaman once we get to Atlantis. I had noticed that Batman had been very quiet and stood farther back away from the group. I walked over to him.

"Everything alright? You're even more quiet than usual."

"I'm fine." He said, not even bothering to turn towards me. "I'm not going with you guys to Atlantis. I'll stay up here and keep an eye on everything."

I guess I should have known that Bats wouldn't want to go with the rest of us. Even though he had been helping the League with the big dangers, he still preferred to work alone. "Alright, that's probably a good idea." I said. If something were to happen up here than none of us would know. "Let us know if you need anything." I had already turned and headed back towards the group when I heard the familiar sound of Bats' grapple shooting up. By the time I turned back around, he had disappeared in the shadows.

Diana had come back with the jet, so we all had piled in and headed towards the ocean. We dove under the waves and were off to Atlantis. This trip seemed longer than when we came to rescue the ship, and I started to get anxious. Despite working with the League for over a month now, I still got nervous before our encounters with the bad guys.

"We're almost there." Diana said breaking the silence. "Atlantis is just beyond that reef." I pushed aside my nerves and focused more on my excitement. I was going to go see Atlantis! I wondered what it looked like, if the buildings were made of gold, or coral, or old ships; I wasn't sure what to expect. It would be so cool to see a city that is completely underwater.

"Don't expect them to welcome us with open arms." Green Lantern said, and with that my excitement was swept away and my nerves had come back to take its place. Thanks G.L.

"Set the ship down here." Superman suggested. "Maybe we can slip under their defenses."

"Yeah, I doubt that. We are in their ocean. They probably knew we were here five minutes ago." I said. I love being right sometimes because no sooner had I said that, two explosions rocked the ship.

"Evie is right. They've already seen us." J'onn said. We all looked out the front window of the jet to see a giant ship that dwarfed ours, along with dozens of foot soldiers on their underwater jet skis.

"If it's a fight they want, they've got it." Green Lantern said glowing green and heading for the back. What is it with this guy and wanting to fight everyone?

"Wait! Remember why we're here." Diana said, stopping Green Lantern from doing anything too stupid, like start a war. That would be a pretty dumb thing to do. Even though he didn't look happy about it, G.L powered down.

"Good. Let's go talk to them." I said slipping on my air mask. Superman and Diana did the same and we opened our hatch and swam out into the middle of the vessels that were surrounding us.

"Hold your fire! We come with an urgent message for your king." Superman called out to the soldiers. I held my breath to see what they would do. A second later missiles were heading straight for us.

"Scatter!" I yelled out. Green Lantern put a shield around us to protect us from the blast and we headed towards different directions to stop the incoming soldiers. Two soldiers on speed jets were coming my way so I ducked and weaved in between the rocks to try and lose them. Unfortunately that didn't work, so I thought of a different plan. I hid on top of a rock, and when one of the jets came near me, I plunged myself on top of one of the soldiers shoulders and grabbed his neck. I flung him off the jet and he hit one of the rock formations.

However, in my genius plan I never thought about what I would do with the speed jet, you know, since I don't know how to drive it. The jet started plummeting to the ground so I jumped off and floated in the water. The jet hit the rocks below and exploded.

The other soldier following me saw the explosion and started coming in our direction. I pushed myself through the water until I was a good bit ahead of him. I stopped and turned around, looking at the jet. I waited until he was close to me and I took my staff, extended it, and clotheslined him. He flew off of his jet and sank to the bottom. I carefully swam back to where everyone else was trying to stop the larger ship from firing at us.

Superman lifted a rock and ran underneath the bottom of their sub, sinking it. "This way!" he said flying past us. We swam past another rock arch, and we saw the outline of buildings.

"There it is!" G.L pointed out and we swam faster to the buildings and as we got closer, I realized that the city was under a giant bubble. That surprised me, I thought that the city would be completely submerged underwater. I was so curious about the city, once we helped Aquaman I wanted to ask him if he could show me around. That might be a stretch though, considering I had only talked to him for a total of like, five minutes.

Once we got closer to the city, we started letting our guard down. There didn't seem to be any more soldiers following us, so we weren't in immediate danger. At least, that's what I thought. There was a blast behind us and silver spiked balls were floating past us. They reminded me of old Navy mines that you would see in movies.

We each ducked and dodged them, careful not to try and set them off. I dove down deeper and somersaulted myself over an incoming mine. I carefully weaved my way back to the others. "Not even close." Green Lantern said.

I was thrown forward into the rock wall when the first mine exploded behind us. Spoke too soon G.L, I thought. "Depth charges." I heard J'onn say. Each mine that went off caused the nearest one to go off as well, surrounding ourselves in a ring of explosions. I was being tossed against the cliffs from the pressures and forces of the explosions, and I was unable to get myself back up. After one large explosion, a piece of rock fell off the wall behind me, hitting my head and I blacked out.

Why was everything so bright? And what the hell is that beeping? I groggily opened my eyes and saw I was kneeling in a giant room, with marble floors and giant pillars. This must be one of the buildings inside of Atlantis, I thought. There was a man standing in front of Superman, speaking to him about Aquaman.

That's when I noticed the metal sensors on top of everyone's heads, I assumed that's what the beeping was. I thought my headache was because of the rocks, but now I'm pretty sure it's because of this thing on my head. What the hell were they planning on doing to us?

"Where's Aquaman?" Superman asked the man he was talking to.

"I thought your kind already took care of him." The man in the green outfit said.

"No. He came back here." Diana said, just waking up as well.

"We came to warn him about a plot against his life," Superman said, trying to make the guard understand that we wanted peace, and not a fight. "An Atlantian plot." I glanced around the room and noticed that we were surrounded by not only guards, but some civilians as well. They were all dressed in varying shades of green or blue. I wanted to look around some more, but the guard standing next to me didn't look too nice. I certainly didn't want him thinking I was trying to escape.

I noticed a movement on the balcony above me and I looked up to see one of the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. She had red hair, that looked almost purple in the light, and she was wearing a green crop top with gold on the edges and matching pants. She had a sheer cape that trailed down her back and around her legs. Then I noticed the crown that was on top of her head. That has to be the Queen of Atlantis, I thought, perhaps she could get us out of this mess.

"Lies and deceptions!" The man Superman was talking to said. He picked up his trident and shot Superman with an electric beam. My eyes widened, why couldn't these jerks just believe what we are telling them? The force of the beam knocked Superman backwards and he laid on the ground groaning.

"I consider this latest incursion nothing less than an act of war." He said, looking at all of us.

"Yeah? Last time I checked, we didn't shoot first, you just did." I said, giving this man my meanest glare. He looked over at me and I knew I probably shouldn't have opened my mouth.

He walked over to me and knelt down, putting his trident right up against my throat. "You dare speak to me like that, you land dweller? Just because you can handle water as well as an Atlantian can, does not mean you are worth anything here." He pressed the end of the trident in my throat a little harder with enough pressure to draw blood, and then he stood back up and walked to the center of the line we were kneeled in. "You'll be executed as enemies of the crown. Then I will wipe out the surface world forever." With that threat he turned away, and we were all lead to a metal room.

The others were led in first and handcuffed to the walls. Just before I was about to enter a guard grabbed me and pushed me to the side. "This one thrives in the water. Take her to the heat chamber." A not so gentle guard pulled me out of this room and into a smaller one.

I started struggling but the guard only gripped my arm harder, so hard I'm pretty sure I'll have a bruise there tomorrow. "Umm, not to sound rude or anything but where are you taking me?" I asked him, figuring if I knew where I was going, I would be able to get myself out of this situation.

"The heat chamber." He grunted out, obviously not interested in talking to me.

"Oh, now I know where I'm going. Thanks big man!" I said in the most sarcastic tone of voice I could possibly muster at the moment. Suddenly he spun me around so my back was to the wall and my feet off the floor, while he was holding me up by my neck. This guy had a strong grip and I couldn't draw in a breath.

"Listen to me you Land Dweller, I don't like you. Quite frankly, I'm going to enjoy watching you burn up in the heat chamber." My eyes widened and I started panicking. What did he mean I would burn up? He gave me a sickly sinister grin. "That's right girl. The heat chamber is where Atlantians go to die. It's so hot it burns them to a crisp. Who knows what it will do to you when you're in there." At this point I was seeing black spots in my vision and I could feel myself about to lose consciousness, until he released my neck and I dropped to the floor.

The second the pressure was gone I started sucking in air, trying to get the pounding out of my ears and the spots in my vision to go away. I had hardly taken a single deep breath when he pulled my arm and practically dragged me the rest of the way down the hallway. He opened a door and inside was a glass container, with large vents coming into the top of the container.

My heart rate quickened and I started squirming harder. Too long in that heat, and the water inside of me would evaporate, killing me in a matter of minutes, practically burning me from the inside out. My struggles were proven completely pointless as the guard threw me in the chamber and the door locked behind me.

I scrambled onto my feet and started banging on the door trying to break it. The guard looked back at me and sneered before pressing some controls on a table in the middle of the room.

The vents turned on and I immediately felt the heat coming through them. Imagine opening a black car in the middle of the summer on the equator. Then multiply it times a hundred. Within thirty seconds of the vents turning on I could feel myself becoming dehydrated and sweat was pouring off my body. The seconds seemed like lifetimes, and I could feel my skin drying up, literally watching cracks form on my arms. I started coughing and I collapsed onto my knees. The inside of my body felt like literal fire, and I curled up into the fetal position.

I figured that this was the end of my life. The city that I was so excited and willing to see would be my cemetery. I wanted to laugh at the irony but if I did that my lungs might turn to dust. I closed my eyes, preparing for death, when I realized it had gone quiet in my glass box. Then I realized the vents were no longer on.

My eyes fluttered open and I saw a woman on the other side of the glass, the unconscious guard at her feet, pressing the buttons on the control panel. She looked up at me and I realized that it was the woman in the crown that I had seen earlier. The door to my box opened and a cool gush of wind came in.

I still couldn't move, but I felt her drag me out of the box and onto the granite floors in the middle of the room. I probably looked pathetic, trying to draw air into my lungs, but my entire body felt so dry that I couldn't do anything properly. I wondered if this is what fish felt like when they were out of water. "Perhaps this will help." I heard the woman say. Seconds later I felt a splash of water on me, and it was absolute Heaven.

Just from that one splash of water, I felt ten times better. I was able to draw in breaths without sounding like I was dying, and I could start to move my body more without being afraid it would break apart. The woman gave me another splash of water and I felt completely renewed. I sat up and looked up at her. "I don't mean to sound rude, but who are you?" I asked her. She held out a hand and pulled me up from the ground so I could steady myself.

"I am Mera, Queen of Atlantis and wife to our King, Aquaman." She said. I nodded and looked down at the guard lying on the floor.

"Nice work there your majesty." I grinned and looked at her. She also smiled, but it vanished quickly and she looked quite serious.

"We must go now. You're friends are in as much danger as you were in." I frowned, suddenly worried about them. In my whole being turned into a raisin ordeal I had completely forgotten about them being chained to their own chamber. Mera and I rushed out into the hallway and back where the others were. We peeked into the door and I saw that the container the others were in was filling up with water. Now I see why I couldn't have gone in there. It would have been way too easy for me to stop the water. I checked to make sure the others hadn't drowned yet, but they were still struggling which meant that they hadn't been underwater too long.

Mera went in first, slipping through the door and behind the guards. Without warning, she picked up a silver weapon that somewhat resembled Hawkgirl's mace, and whacked both guards on the head with it. They crumpled to the ground in a heap and didn't move. I rushed into the room while Mera was already pulling the lever to drain the water that had filled the container with everyone in it.

The water was sucked down the drain like an oversized bathtub and the glass lifted up. The others were panting hard, trying to catch their breath and refill their bodies with oxygen. I didn't even bother waiting for a key and I went over to J'onn first and slashed his shackles off with a piece of thick ice. He ripped the headband off his head and sent me a smile.

Mera had already taken the locks off of John and she was making her way to Diana. "Thank you. But why?" Diana asked Mera in a weak voice. Usually I would have something sarcastic to say about the whole thing, but seeing as how she almost died I would give her a break, just this once.

"You believe someone in Atlantis had betrayed my husband. I also fear for his life, but I need your help." She explained. My heart went out to the poor woman. She sounded so desperate and sad, you couldn't help but want to help her.

"You've got it." John said, with Superman and J'onn walking behind him and rubbing their wrists where the handcuffs were. I smiled a bit at that, it was nice to see John so determined to help the Atlantians when twelve hours earlier he hated them. I personally think John needs to let lose a little bit, he's too serious all the time.

Mera had led us out of this torture building and let us walk around Atlantis. The buildings were incredible, they were all sorts of geometric shapes, and the colors weren't too bright or too dark, they resembled natural ocean colors. I was practically bouncing up and down when I was walking I was so excited. Apparently I was too excited cause Superman put a hand on my shoulder in order to calm me down a tad bit. "Sorry." I said shrugging and looking sheepish. He only smiled and shook his head. That's what I liked about him. He didn't take the small things too seriously unlike some people we know. *cough cough* John Stewart *cough cough*. Oh sorry, must have had a tickle in my throat.

Anyway, back to the tour. The best part was the giant waterfall that was in the middle of the city. It had a bridge that circled the whole thing and the sound was so soothing. It seemed like the most fitting thing to have in the center of the city. A place where air can meet water all the time.

"Your kingdom is truly magnificent." Wonder Woman said, reflecting my thoughts. "I see why Aquaman protects it so passionately."

"Unfortunately, there are those whose ambitions would destroy it." She said. I had to hand it to her, for her family being missing, she was holding all of this together very well. I suppose that must have been the Queen in her. Her people looked to her and drew their strength from her.

Mera was right with the whole destroying Atlantis bit, because when we turned the corner on the bridge guards started shooting at us, nearly hitting the Queen herself. Out of instinct, I drew the water from the waterfall and froze it creating a giant block of ice in order to protect us from them.

More guards came from behind us and I heard Green Lantern tell everyone to step back. I was too focused on my ice to really pay attention to what he was doing but I heard a giant boom and the bridge rattled, with the sounds of screaming guards following. Luckily I had jumped and formed an ice disk while everyone else floated above the hole in the bridge, with Diana holding Mera.

"Well that was easy." I said while evaporating the water from the ice into my staff, which was now back on my belt.

"Thank you." Mera said looking up at Diana.

"This fight is far from over." J'onn said looking at all of us. He flew up over the city and we all followed suit. We decided to go back to the palace in order to regroup and think of a plan. We entered the throne room, and we were all impressed. It was made completely of white marble and silver stone. On the far edge of the room sat a platform with Aquaman's throne on it, in between two black marble pillars. I was ogling at the room when my eyes found Mera.

She looked as if she were about to collapse from the stress she had been through these past two days. "Your highness, perhaps it is best if you rest for a minute." I said gesturing to the stairs in front of the throne. She gave me a grateful smile and I led her over to the stairs while the others seemed to split up to look for Aquaman. I sat with her and tried my best to soothe her.

After a few moments neither of us had spoken. To be perfectly honest, I had no idea what to say to the woman. She was missing her husband and son, even I had no idea what kind of pain that felt like. "You are quite talented with water." She said softly, breaking the silence.

"Thank you." I said just as quietly, not wanting to be so loud in this big room.

"It seems as if you are not Atlantian, yet you have the very powers that we have. How is that?" She inquired. I bit my lip, thinking of a way to tell her how I got my powers without boring her about my past.

"Well, I was part of the military for a little while. One day I had walked into a lab filled with chemicals, and one of them exploded. The next thing I knew when I woke up in our hospital, I could control and manipulate water." I said. I figured that would be the short and sweet version. Mera was looking at me with wide eyes, as if she was surprised that I was not born with this ability.

She seemed to have gotten over her disbelief and she smiled. "When this whole thing is over you should come back here to Atlantis sometime. Perhaps you can learn new ways to use your powers and I could gain a friend." She said looking over at me. "I may be queen, but that does not mean that I have too much time to go out on social visits. It would be nice to do girl things with someone who isn't intimidated because I am their queen." She explained.

I sent her a smile and patted her hand. "That sounds wonderful. I would love to see more of your kingdom." I said. Before Mera could reply J'onn materialized through the floor.

"We've searched the entire palace." He said. Superman and Diana flew in from an upstairs balcony.

"But there's still no sign of him." Superman said. With these words, Mera finally broke. Her strong façade cracked and it was plain as day, the pain that she was feeling. She put her hands over her face and sobs racked her body. I put a comforting arm around her shoulders and my other hand rubbed circles in her arm.

"Mera, it's going to be okay. We'll do everything we can to bring them back to you, I promise." I said to her. Just then, footsteps echoed down the hall and everyone, except Mera, looked up at the doorway. I looked up and my jaw dropped.

Inside the doorway was Aquaman, holding a baby who I presumed was his son. The joy didn't last because my eyes immediately glanced down to the red bandage covering his left hand. That can't be good. Mera must have sensed that someone else was in the room with us, because she stopped sobbing and moved her hands from her face. She finally looked up to see her husband and child in the doorway.

A look of pure joy swept across her features and in mere seconds she was sprinting across the room to get to them. I stood up from the steps and met the others in the center of the room. She tackled them both into a hug and they murmured some words to each other, but as soon as Aquaman let go of his son, we all could see the red stump where his hand used to be.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

While Aquaman wasn't freaking out over missing a hand the rest of us were. Mera immediately rushed him to their version of a hospital so he could get looked at and possibly fixed. From what I understood, the doctors didn't think they could reattach the hand, but they could put on a prosthetic.

We all stood in the operating room while the doctor put something metal in place of Aquaman's hand. The noises of the drills and the sight of all the blood was making me a little nauseas, so I did the best I could not to look over at the doctor working, instead, finding the floor tiles much more interesting.

"His own hand. I can't believe it." Superman said, still not quite believing it.

"I told you he was a madman." John said, crossing his arms.

"Is it madness to sacrifice all for someone you love?" Mera asked him. At least John had the decency to look a little ashamed for calling her husband crazy right in front of them.

"Can't you work any faster?" Aquaman demanded of the doctor. Good grief, if cutting off your own hand isn't enough to keep you down, than what is?

"This is a delicate operation, My Lord." The doctor said. "It can't be rushed." I don't know what kind of doctors they had here in Atlantis, but they freaked me out. Why were they in a full body jumpsuit? It was extremely unnerving to not see any skin at all, and only see a blue suit and some weird looking goggles.

Aquaman continued to sit in the chair, groaning in pain as the doctor attached his prosthetic on. I'm glad I wasn't in that situation, cause they would have had to have given me barrels of anesthesia to make sure I didn't feel a thing.

Suddenly a small beeping noise disturbed the continual zapping of the doctor's instruments. At first I wasn't sure what it was, but then I realized it was one of our com links. "Superman, a situation has developed up at the north pole." Ah, so Bats decided to make another appearance today. How thoughtful of him.

"What, did Santa forget to pay his rent this month?" I said loud enough for Batman to hear. I heard the loud sigh and could practically picture the eye roll and frown that was quite normal for Bats to wear when he was around either me or Flash. What can I say? We are the comedic relief to this team.

"No Evelyn." Bats said. Ouch, use of my full name. "Thermal readings show temperatures increasing rapidly."

"If that continues, the ecological effects could be catastrophic." J'onn said.

"Then let's check it out." John said, always ready for a fight, he is.

"But what about the crisis here?" Diana asked, looking over at the royal family who was gathered around the doctor.

"I have a feeling the two events are connected." I said.

Aquaman looked over at us just as I said this. "It's the doomsday thermal reactor." I blinked, not quite understanding what he was saying.

"Uh, yeah sorry but did you say a doomsday thermal reactor?" I asked. "That doesn't sound like a fun time."

Aquaman ignored me. "We designed it to create a polar meltdown."

"What?" John shouted. Great, and these two were getting along somewhat well.

"I had it built as a weapon of last resort." Aquaman explained. "To protect Atlantis, should the surface world ever attack." We all just stood there in shock, not quite believing that the Atlantians had a weapon that could kill all of the humans in practically a day. "But I never armed it." Aquaman added looking down.

"Oh, well if you never armed it I guess that makes it a-okay then, doesn't it?" I said, getting quite upset. Not only was he prepared to kill us but he would take the rest of the animals down with us? I mean honestly there are better ways to end the world then melting the North Pole. Think about the polar bears people! We need to save them!

Aquaman glared at me, but it faded when he saw just how upset we all were. His glare turned into shame, and my heart started to melt a little bit. I could see he never actually intended to use it. This doomsday device was no different than our nuclear weapons. God forbid those ever have to get used. I suddenly felt bad for snapping at him like that.

"Then Orm must have armed them," John said, interrupting the awkward silence that had settled around us. "Using the plutonium from the submarine."

"If the polar cap melts the world will sink beneath the waves." Superman said. To be honest that didn't sound like such a bad world. I mean, I would have fun, the Atlantians would have fun, but I guess for everyone else it would kind of suck. "Everything will be destroyed." He concluded. Suddenly this plan didn't sound as cool.

"We have to stop Orm." I said.

"And he will be." Aquaman said. His procedure was finally done and he stood up from his operating chair. In place of his left hand was a harpoon, attached by a gold medal holder on his wrist. That was the most metal thing I have ever seen, no pun intended. He was like a cooler version of Captain Hook. Except much hotter. What? I'm not blind. He's gorgeous.

"I'll see to it personally." He said and with the expression that was on his face I believed him. Poor Orm. He's gonna have hell to pay when Aquaman gets ahold of him.

"So, road trip to the North Pole anyone?" I asked.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Soon enough we were on our way to the North Pole. Aquaman decided to swim there while the rest of us flew. Well, I say flew but I guess you can call my version surfing. It was so much fun to skim across the tops of waves, I don't know why I didn't do it more often. Oh, that's right, cause I'm always saving the world and kicking ass.

Aquaman was pretty fast in the water, I had to go my full speed just to keep up with him. He was literally like a torpedo in the water. We reached the shore to the North Pole and he flipped himself out of the water, scaring off some seals that were chilling on the ice cap. And yes, I totally meant that pun.

"Aquaman, wait!" Superman called to him. I got off my ice disk and started walking behind Aquaman, with my staff in hand.

"Why do you follow?" He retorted looking between me and the others.

"We want to help." Diana told him.

"This is my battle." Aquaman said, obviously not budging on doing this by himself. "No one asked you to fight it."

"Well since we all live on this planet, we automatically have to help protect it." I said, flipping my staff over in my hand. "You don't get a say in that matter."

The others hovered beside both of us. "Evie is right." Superman said. "Like it or not, we have a stake in the outcome. We're not leaving."

"Just stay out of my way." Aquaman grumbled out. With all the grumbling this guy does he could rival Batman. Suddenly, a light beneath the ice exploded and we were all pushed back, but we landed on our feet. Here we go again.

The ground beneath us shook and two giant Atlantian ships rose out of the ice and started shooting at us. Superman and J'onn flew towards the closes ship while Green Lantern put himself, Diana, Aquaman and I into a ball and flew us right behind the others.

Up ahead I saw an entire squadron of Atlantian soldiers on jet skis come towards us. "Hope you guys are ready." G.L. said and he reduced the sphere, letting Aquaman land in the ocean while the rest of us flew towards the ship. G.L put up a shield to block the rays from the soldier's guns. I lifted the water up to create a giant wave that lifted all the skis out of the water and flipped them over, sending the soldiers tumbling into the water. That should stop them for a little bit, I thought.

There was a loud cracking noise behind me and I turned to see some of the big glaciers starting to crumble apart, it was getting too warm up here. "Superman, the glaciers are already starting to melt." I heard Batman say through our coms. I looked over my other shoulder and saw his bat jet moving past the glaciers on the other side.

"I know, but we've got our hands full here." Superman said into his com. In the background I could hear the firing of the guns and they were only getting louder. I whipped around and saw another fleet of skis coming towards us. Four were headed straight for me, so instead of flipping them up this time, I decided to get a little rougher. I made a wall if ice right on the surface of the water. When the skis tried to go over it, they got caught and the men were sent dozens of feet up in the air and landed with a smack in the water.

Suddenly there was a huge splash and I looked over to see Aquaman on the back of an orca, jumping on top of a group of soldiers. "That has to be the coolest thing I have ever seen." I said to myself. (And look! Another ice pun!)

I looked back around and saw that everyone else was busy fighting other soldiers, but the glaciers were still melting at an alarming rate. "We need to turn the machine off." I said into my ear com. "Does anyone copy?"

"I'm already on my way over to the machine, meet me there." Batman said. I looked around and saw that one specific glacier had heat waves coming off of it. Looks like I found the hiding place. I jumped on a disc and made my way to the glacier, with Batman catching up to me. "There's not much time." He said looking over at me. "If we can't shut that down the entire world is doomed."

"I suppose this is a bad time to say I told you so." Green Lantern said into his comm.

I rolled my eyes. "Now really isn't the time Green Bean." I said. I turned to Batman. "What do we have to do?" Before he could answer me there was a bigger rumble than before as more ice fell down into the ocean. "Wait, did it just get hotter?" I asked.

Batman didn't say anything, which meant that I was probably right. We both landed and stood at the entrance of the glacier, dodging the falling ice pieces. "Bats, we might be too late." I said, starting to get a little panicked.

"Not yet." He said as he ran into the glacier. I chased after him, right on his heels. We raced in through a side entrance and saw the giant machine sparking and smoking. Great, it's completely fried. I nervously looked over at Batman but he didn't seem to be worrying too much. He picked up a few pieces of the machine and threw them back down.

"No good. I'll have to go inside and manually shut it down."

"That doesn't sound too safe." I said, worriedly looking at the machine which seemed to be sparking even more frequently.

"Your ice, can it protect me?" Batman asked.

I paled a little bit, I wasn't sure if I could put enough ice around him without actually seeing him. "I might, but I would have to be directly with you. I'm not sure if I could do it without a visual." I quickly said, knowing that time was of the essence. Batman seemed to hesitate for a second, but he nodded.

"Alright then." I said. I stood directly next to him and closed my eyes. I imagined a layer of ice covering both of us, but with the consistency of water, so we could move without breaking the ice. To my absolute surprise it held together when we walked forward into the tube we would have to crawl into.

Batman went crawling in first and I followed behind him. We had only been in for a few moments when an explosion rocked the machine back and forth. We both paused and waited to make sure nothing would happen then we continued on at a faster pace. "We might want to hurry, just a teeny bit." I said.

It was hot as hell in this machine, and I could feel myself starting to weaken. I wasn't fully recovered from the heat chamber I had been put in earlier today, and this was only depleting me more. Plus, I was tasked with keeping both Bats and I safe from this machine, using a technique I had never done before. Needless to say, the stress was starting to get to me. "Seriously Bats, how much longer?" I asked through gritted teeth, with sweat dripping from my forehead.

"We're here." He said as we came up on a valve release. He twisted the nozzle and the machine started shutting down. As soon as he said we were safe, I release my hold on the water and it fell onto the ground. I don't even have the energy to soak it all up. I lean up against the wall and put my head back, closed my eyes and took some deep breaths. I probably look like a wreck at this point but I didn't care.

"You alright?" Batman asked. I opened one eye to look at him and he was staring at me, looking quite concerned.

"I'm fine. It's just been a long day." I said, resting my head back against the wall.

"I could assume that from the bruises on your neck." He said, nodding to them. Oh yeah, I had completely forgotten about that.

"Yeah well what can I say, me and security guards don't get along. Especially when they throw you in a heat chamber and try to turn you into a raisin." I said. He nodded so I guess he understood what I was saying. I had finally gotten my breathing returned to normal and I sat up on my knees. "Okay, let's get out of here."

We crawled back out of the tunnel to see Aquaman walking towards us. "Looks like we did it." I said.

"Then the threat is over." Aquaman said. Without another word we left the machine behind and went towards the entrance of the cave where the jet was parked. Aquaman jumped in the water and went back over to the others, presumably to tell the others the good news.

"Do you want a ride?" Batman asked me. I was quite shocked, usually once the mission was finished he would high tail it out and we wouldn't see him for a few days. I was still feeling weak so I nodded and jumped in the back. Bats got in the front and threw me something, which landed in my lap.

"Here, this should help." I looked down, and sitting in my lap was a bottle of water. I arched an eyebrow and picked it up.

"Since when do you keep water in your jet?" I asked him.

"Since the last time I got thirsty." He deadpanned out. It took me a second to realize that he was joking.

"Are you joking around with me?" I asked him. He didn't say anything but I could see him smirking in the reflection of the glass. "You are joking." I gasped. "Mark this down ladies and gents, that on this day in the good year of our Lord, the Batman of Gotham told a joke!" I said in a totally ridiculous British accent.

"Evie, just drink the water." He replied, but I could hear a hint of a smile in his voice. Soon enough we had landed where the others were. He opened the hatch and I jumped out, but I realized that he didn't.

"Are you coming with us?" I asked. He just shook his head.

"I need to-"

"get back to Gotham." We both finished at the same time. "Yeah, I know." I said. I smiled and turned around. "Hey Bats?" I said looking over my shoulder. He looked up at me expectantly. "Thanks for everything." I said. He nodded and flew off.

I turned back around and the others were talking to Aquaman. "I need to get back and fix the damage my brother has done to my kingdom." He said.

"We'll come with you, in case you need anything." Superman said. Aquaman looked reluctant but he agreed. "Very well."

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

We all stood in the throne room, with Mera standing next to Aquaman who was sitting in his throne. We all were behind the throne in a line. Aquaman said he needed to hear what the guards who had betrayed him had to say about their actions. He sent for them and they were escorted in.

One man was pushed to the front by the others. Poor son of a bitch, I thought. He was going on and on about how they were not to be blamed for their treason. "And surely, you must know, My Lord. Our loyalty belongs to you and you alone. We never believed in Orm's plan. But your brother forced us. The truth is we were only following orders." He said as he finished.

I didn't think for one second that Aquaman believed any of this, and I was proven right. Aquaman stood up and looked down on the guards. "Get them out of my sight." He said. From the look on his face I could understand why he was such a great king. His orders were absolute, but when the time came for it he was kind and caring. He was exactly what people needed.

"I can only blame myself." Aquaman sighed out. "My fear of the surface dwellers blinded me to those I should've feared most, and it cost me dearly." He finished the end of his sentence holding up his new harpoon hand.

"Don't be too hard on yourself." John told him. "Maybe we've all misjudged." He said. It seems that it only caused the world to almost end for these two to see the error of their ways and reach an understanding of each other. Go figure.

"Perhaps. All I want…all I've ever wanted is peace and security for Atlantis." He said, looking out at the silhouette of the buildings that made up his kingdom.

Superman stepped forward. "After what's happened, it won't be easy."

"I know." Aquaman turned around and looked at his son, who was in Mera's arms. "But some sacrifices are worth it."

"Besides, I don't think you're one for doing things the easy way." I said. Aquaman looked over at me and chuckled.

"I want to thank you all." He said, looking at each of us individually."

"It's not a problem. Anytime you need help, just let us know." Superman said. We took that as our dismissal and we started to walk out.

"Evie!" Mera called out. I turned around and she came walking forward and wrapped her arms around me, now that she had handed to baby to Aquaman. I returned the gesture. "Thank you so much." She said. She pulled out of the hug and kept her hands on my shoulders. "You are always welcome to come and visit me and my family." She said.

"Thank you." I said, "I'll make sure to stop by soon." I gave her one last smile and headed for the large doors. I had a strong feeling in me, that even though it has been a rough road between us, one day the Atlantians and the people on the land would one day live together in harmony.

[anantradingpvtltd]

Price: [price_with_discount] (as of [price_update_date] - Details) [ad_1] Product Description FOUNDER'S STORY Aruna Solanki, the founder of Wicked Gourmet Kitchen by Mirai, was born in 1948 in a modest family in Surendranagar, Gujarat. Her parents later moved to erstwhile Bombay in pursuit of a better life for their 3 children. In an era when higher education for women was rare, Aruna pushed the boundaries and earned an advanced degree. She completed her Masters in Chemistry from Bombay University. That same year she married her Chartered Accountant beau and challenged the societal norm of arranged marriages. She has raised a family with 2 children and 3 grandchildren, instilling values of working hard, challenging the status quo, helping others and giving back to the community. Aruna has been a homemaker, but that has never deterred her from her ideologies. From being an active Lioness Club member to taking over reigns of her husband’s business soon after he suffered paralytic stroke, she is an ensemble of compassion, strength and determination. FOUNDER'S BELIEF AND IDEOLOGY She believes, when status-quo is challenged & redefined – the Ordinary achieve the Extra-Ordinary.. and when the ordinary rise, to challenge the status-quo, they shake the very foundation of the society, they break the shackles of the existing belief systems, they force you to think differently and compel you to re-define limitations. They cause disruption of massive proportions to take a giant leap forward for all of society. Some see them as rebels and some as revolutionaries, some see them as radicalizing the society and some as re-defining the society: They OWN a Movement – Mahatma Gandhi (Ahimsa – Non-Violence Movement)They BUILD a better World – Mother Teresa (Compassion and Healing for the poorest of poor)They LEAD a Nation – Indira Gandhi (first and only woman prime minister of India)They BREAK Barriers – APJ Abdul Kalam (Missile Man of India and former President of India)They BREACH Boundaries – Gunjan Saxena (First Indian woman to fly a helicopter in combat zone, Kargil Girl) OUR BRAND STORY When the pandemic brought the world to a standstill and people had time to reflect on life outside the hustle bustle of the daily grind, Aruna saw an opportunity to use her passion, to help the less privileged. At the tender age of 72 years when most people think of hanging their boots, she tied her shoe laces and embarked on her culinary journey. The term WICKED GOURMET was coined not only to impress her ideologies but also to reflect her personality and attitude in the brand. The word WICKED has many positive connotations in today's world - clever, out of the box, re-evaluate, inspire to think differently, naughty, fun loving, young spirited, rebel or revolutionary... the list is never ending. BRAND VALUES: Quality before Margins - People before Profits - Ethics before Earnings BRAND IDEOLOGY: Push the Boundaries, Challenge the Status - Quo, Think Out of the Box, Never Stop having Fun

ABOUT OUR PRODUCTS Wicked Gourmet Kitchen by Mirai is a brand where culinary art meets the science of food. You will not find these flavours every easily in the market. Our products cater to diverse palate needs and are WICKED-ly delicious!! These recipes are a treasure trove of Aruna Solanki's culinary passion of more than 50 years and are made with her own WICKED twiist on them, using only the finest natural ingredients are Gluten Free and Preservative Free. If you are as WICKED as we are, give us a try. We promise you won't regret it. * only cheese sauces contain preservatives PRODUCT RANGE AND CUISINES Our Products are CLEAN LABEL and made of finest quality ALL NATURAL ingredients. They are PRESERVATIVE FREE, GLUTEN FREE, NO MSG, NO ADDED FLAVOURS and NO ADDED COLOURS. Our product range consists of both JAIN and NON - JAIN products. PRODUCT RANGE: Sauces - Italian Pizza Sauce, Marinara Pasta Sauce, Arrabiata Pasta Sauce, Jain Pizza, Pasta Sauce and Enchilada Sauce.Cheese Sauces - Classic Cheese Sauce (Jain), Jalapeno Cheese Sauce (Jain), Nacho Cheese Sauce, Italian Herbed Cheese Sauce and Chile con Queso Cheese Sauce.Spreads - Mexican Bean Spread and Jain Mexican Beans.Dips - Classic Mexican Salsa, Jain Jalapeno Salsa, Aglio e Olio and Red Chilli Garlic Oil.Chutneys - Schezwan Chilli Chaptata, Jain Schezwan Chilli Chatpata, Hyderabadi Lasun Chutney, and Khatta Meetha Nimbu Chutney.Simmering Gravy - Masala Butter Gravy, Punjabi Salan, Jain Punjabi Salan and Kerala Curry.Subzis (Heat and Serve) - Punjabi Rajma Masala, Jain Punjabi Rajma Masala, Dal Makhani, Jain Dal Makhani, Amritsari Pindi Chole, Jain Amritsari Chole, Maharashtrian Misal.Desserts (All Jain) - Chocolate Walnut Fudge, Chocolate Hazelnut Fudge, Dark Chocolate Hazelnut Fudge, Dark Fantasy Fudge and White Chocolate Cranberry Fudge.Pickles (Jain - Seasonal and Limited QTY) - Gujarati Chundo (Sundried) and Gujarati Gud Keri (Sundried). TYPES OF CUISINES: Italian, Mexican, American, Asian, Indian and many more... * only cheese sauces contain preservatives. ** Products are also available in COMBOS. Gluten Free Preservative Free Famously had with Theplas but goes well with pretty much anything Package Content: Pack of 1 X Gujarati Chundo Sundried,; Item Weight: 650g [ad_2]