#e-Comms channels

[cocoakiwis]

Griffelkin posting 😋

[yasmindifference]

8 (my birthday is the 8!)

The night is unseasonably warm, barely even cool enough for long sleeves. As such, the suit jacket Jason drapes around Tim's shoulders five minutes into their walk nearly makes him roll his eyes.

He channels his reaction into a girlish giggle instead, then has to swallow a more sincere laugh when he sees how the high-pitched sound nearly cracks Jason's mask.

"You're soooo chivalrous," Tim says, unable to resist pushing that little bit further. His Valley girl impersonation puts a twitch in Jason's eye every time. "Like, swoon."

Jason wraps an arm around Tim's waist--probably solely to disguise the sharp pinch he delivers to Tim's side--and smiles down at him.

"You deserve it, baby," he says, in the same smarmy tone he's been using all night.

It makes Tim want to punch him, a reaction he's sure Jason's eliciting on purpose--after all, he's been doing the same thing with his own Valley girl impersonation.

...It's possible he and Jason aren't taking this mission as seriously as they should be.

Oh well.

In retaliation for the pinch, Tim fakes a stumble over a crack in the sidewalk and drives his elbow into Jason's gut, earning a faint oof he wants to smile over.

Instead, he puts his hands to his face in exaggerated dismay.

"Oh, I'm so clumsy," he says mournfully. "It's so embarrassing..."

Jason brushes his hair (or rather, his wig) out of his face and twists his ear painfully in the process; Tim applies his stiletto heel to the toe of Jason's left shoe.

"You're not clumsy, baby, it's just those shoes," Jason says, voice a little tight--with pain or annoyance? Tim can't tell. "You want me to go get the car?"

"No, no," Tim says, "it's such a nice night--just look at those stars!"

He tips his head back and gazes dreamily at the sky which, being in Gotham, shows not a single star.

"They're so beautiful," he says happily.

"Not as beautiful as you," Jason says, with such smarmy passion that Tim barely remembers to hide the laugh he can't help behind a cough.

"Oh, pookie bear," he says--

--and finally, Jason breaks.

He lets go of Tim's waist to brace his hands against his knees as he cackles, choking out "fucking hell" and "pookie" as he struggles to catch his breath.

Tim just smiles and enjoys the victory.

"Okay," Jason says once he catches his breath, "holy shit, you win. How the fuck did you say that with a straight face?"

"Practice," Tim says dryly. "You play the tough guy too often. You should branch out more, broaden your range. Then you won't be so easy to shake."

Jason gives him a flat look and, straightening to his full height, spreads his arms in a silent invitation to look at him. Admittedly, Jason's height and bulk do make him less than ideal for the kinds of covers Tim prefers.

Tim was bullshitting anyway--Jason might default to tough guy, but he's entirely capable of more versatile covers. And he really wasn't that easy to shake; Tim was kind of expecting to break him when he showed up in a dress, stilettos, and wig without warning. Instead, he lasted all through dinner and a ways into their walk.

"Okay, you lasted a lot longer than I expected," he admits.

Jason smirks. "Admit it, I almost got you at dinner."

It's true that Tim came extremely close to breaking when Jason spoke over and ordered for him at the restaurant. Tim actually didn't get to say a single word to their waitress--not even thank you.

"You almost got a plate dumped in your lap," he corrects. Now that they've given up the covers, he shrugs out of Jason's jacket and hands it back. "I could see Ashley thinking about it every time you cut me off."

"Yeah, that was a close one," Jason agrees. "I doubled my usual tip in thanks for her restraint."

Tim nods in approval. "But yeah, admittedly I was not expecting you to go the--"

"Hello?" Dick's voice breaks in, thick with annoyance and a little too loud over the comms. "Did you guys forget that you have a job to do? This does not sound like an undercover conversation!"

Tim and Jason trade eyerolls.

"Good catch, Dickiebird," Jason says. "We are not in fact undercover."

"Excuse me?"

"Dick," Tim says with extreme patience, "Damian is a trained vigilante. He absolutely does not need us as backup on his first date."

Dick gasps in offense. "We agreed--"

"No, we agreed," Jason corrects.

"Yeah, we agreed your mother-henning was out of control," Tim says. "We tipped off Damian last night so he could change his reservation."

"And got Babs to find something to distract you with so you couldn't come follow him yourself," Jason adds.

Dick splutters.

"Take a deep breath," Tim suggests.

"Chill the fuck out," is Jason's less gentle contribution. "Anyway, we're done for the night. You should call it, too--maybe work on remembering the kid is sixteen and not six."

"Harsh but fair," Tim agrees thoughtfully. "Night, Dick!"

Dick is still spluttering when Tim pulls out his comm.

"How much do I owe you for dinner?" he asks Jason.

Jason shrugs and slings his jacket over one shoulder. "Buy me ice cream, we'll call it even."

"Deal," Tim says.

Because he, unlike Damian, is no longer a teenager, he doesn't ask if going for ice cream constitutes a real date.

He can't stop himself from wondering, though.

Happy early birthday, anon!!! In celebration, this got very long lmao. Prompt #8 was two characters on a nighttime stroll! I hope you enjoyed! ♡♡

[catrionaalexandra]

Chapter 1 — Beneath the Surface

Resident Evil: Sable Dawn

“Sometimes the only way out is through…”

12:46 AM

As the dust settled, Y/n let out a grunt and shoved a broken support beam off her shoulder. Her headlamp flickered, casting uneven light as she coughed into her arm and looked back at the wreckage.

The corridor behind them had collapsed—steel and concrete sealing them in like caged beasts.

“We’re trapped,” she said, her voice quiet.

Leon brushed gravel off his shoulder and sighed, “Looks like it.”

Y/n’s gaze fell on him—watchful and calculating. His face was composed, but she noticed the tension in his jaw was back and how his eyes roved their surroundings.

He didn’t panic, but she could tell he was worried.

She pulled a flashlight from her belt and held it out to him, “The battery’s good,” she began, tapping her headlamp with her finger, “Mine’s acting up.”

He nodded silently, and their fingers touched briefly as he took the small light. It was nothing—barely a moment—but her heart skipped a beat.

Stupid, Y/n…Stay focused.

“You okay?” he asked, not as small talk, but with a deeper meaning. With Leon, it always held more significance. He studied her face, as if he already knew the answer, as if he had memorized every time she hadn’t been fine.

Y/n straightened, her ribs flaring in protest, “Nothing feels broken.”

“Good,” He paused, then added, “We should move. If that was a prototype, there could be others.”

Stepping into a narrow maintenance tunnel, Y/n and Leon found themselves in a tight, damp, and condensation-coated space. The air reeked of decay and rusted metal, and as they moved, Y/n’s eyes followed Leon’s silhouette ahead.

He was methodical, alert and familiar.

Too familiar.

Three Years Ago – Siberia, B.S.A.A. Blacksite E-47

Snow had been falling the first time she met him.

The mission had gone south when a convoy was lost in a blizzard. She was left for dead, crushed under a flipped truck, bleeding and freezing, until a lone figure emerged from the white and hauled her out.

He had said, “You’re not dying here. Not like this.”

Later, when the B.O.W.s attacked, they fought side by side for two days straight.

With no sleep and no backup, they were left with each other, fighting for their lives.

She never told him, but near the end, she began hallucinating—seeing fire dancing in the snow. He grabbed her hand, pressed a comm into it, and said, “Hold the line, Ivy. I’ll get us out.”

And he did.

She owed him her life…

What terrified her more was the extent to which she was willing to give it in return.

Present – Geneva Underground

The tunnel led into an old bay, filled with rusted scaffolding, rotting electronics, and documents partially dissolved by mold.

Y/n’s eyes roamed the room, but then stopped, “Leon, over here.” She waved him over.

He crouched beside a wall streaked in blood, joining her.

Above them, a message smeared in crimson read:

WE ARE NOT HUMAN ANYMORE

Beneath it, several photographs were pinned—of scientists, soldiers, and even children—all labeled with codes and timestamps.

Some were crossed out and others weren’t.

“This was a lab,” she whispered, “They were tracking mutations—survivors.”

Leon’s face turned grim, “Someone was recording their progress.”

“Not just B.O.W.s… These were volunteers, or used to be,” Y/n frowned, looking at the pictures, but then her attention was quickly averted to the static that crackled in her comm.

“…-Vy. Ivy. If you’re hearing this—don’t trust—”

The message cut out and Y/n froze again.

“Replay that,” Leon said, looking down at her.

She tapped her wrist comm, “Leon, I can’t… it wasn’t on a recorded channel.”

Leon’s eyes locked onto hers, “Who was it?”

Y/n’s voice dropped, “My sister.”

_

Y/n “Ivy” Cross, formerly a field scientist, had a life-changing event two years ago, during a UN-sanctioned biotech mission under Umbrella Europe, her sister, Dr. Margot Cross, vanished.

Official reports claimed that Margot had died in a lab fire at their Montreux facility.

Y/n never bought it, not one bit.

The mission after—that’s when she met Leon, an unauthorized pursuit of a lead she shouldn’t have chased.

She had been searching in secret ever since.

Until now.

Leon stepped closer, “If Margot’s alive, we’ll find her. Together.”

She didn’t answer, but her eyes shone with emotion.

“I mean it, Ivy,” he said softly, “You’re not alone.”

His words pierced through the emotional armour she had crafted over the years. Their eyes met, and something shifted. There had always been tension between them—lingering glances, heavy silences, jokes with meaning, and many unspoken things passed between them.

Though, down here, with blood-streaked walls and monsters lurking just beyond the light, the tension was electric.

Y/n took a step forward, “Leon…”

But a sound had snapped the moment in half like a piece of plywood breaking over someone’s head.

Click-click…

The lights went out.

Silence.

Then—a scream.

It was inhuman and near.

Just in time, they turned to see a massive creature slam through the ceiling vent—faster and larger than the last one.

Leon shoved Y/n back and fired upward, “Move!” he yelled, retreating toward an access door.

She rolled, drawing both of her pistols, and fired into the creature’s torso.

It didn’t drop, it didn’t even flinch.

“We’ve got a hybrid,” she gasped, “No decay—it’s fresh.”

The monster lunged and Leon tackled Y/n, crashing them into a splintered crate as claws ripped the space where she had just been.

They scrambled to their feet, shaken and scared, “We can’t fight this here,” Y/n shouted, “We need height!”

Leon nodded, “There’s a ladder, back left.”

The creature followed on all fours, its rusted saliva falling from its jowls as they ran towards their only escape.

They climbed, hand over hand into the dark unknown, adrenaline surged—but so did something deeper.

Death was hot on their heels, and something far more dangerous was brewing between them—a bond that transcended mere survival and loyalty.

Something undeniable, something real.

<- Previous Next ->

[lifblogs]

Lif's Tech Lives Collection

In honor of Star Wars Day I decided to put my Tech Lives fics all in one place for y'all! Some of the fics feature him alive even if he's not what the fic is about, but he's there, so I'll be sharing those too. Bolded fics are personal favorites of mine. If I had to recommend three one-shots from this list I highly, highly recommend "We Do This Together," "May They Be Remembered," and "Reunion." My rated E fics are well... Hemlock's his own trigger warning--let's just say that.

Rated G

May I Have This Dance? Word count: 1473 Pabu has finished rebuilding after the attack from the Empire, and Clone Force 99 joins in on the celebrations.

Water Gun Fights and Dad Voices Word Count: 1152 On a hot afternoon on Pabu Omega and Hunter decide to have a water gun fight, though their method of doing so is a bit alarming.

Not Just the Braid Word Count: 1068 Omega has a ridiculous request that Crosshair doesn’t know how to fulfill, and does not want to fulfill: braiding Omega’s hair.

Mayday Word Count: 6646 Crosshair falls incredibly ill during a storm, and his family does what they can to help him. Only, there's not much they can do.

After Word Count: 1909 Tech has gone missing on Pabu, and his family tries to find him, helping him away from a dark path.

Alive Word Count: 2025 After Eriadu, Echo leaves messages on Tech's comm channel, feeling like he's talking to his brother again.

Rated T

Better Late Than Dead Word Count: 1268 Tech arrives on Pabu for the first time since he was rescued from Dr. Hemlock, and put his mind back together (mostly). A special someone is there waiting for him.

We Do This Together Word Count: 2599 Tantiss is embroiled in battle. Crosshair has been singled out by CX-2. During the fight, CX-2’s helmet comes free, and Crosshair is met with an all-too familiar face.

CT-9902 Word Count: 1188 Tech wakes up after his Fall.

Imperial Property Word Count: 1453 Tech wakes up from one of the many surgeries he needs after Plan 99, and he is sorely reminded that his body is no longer his own.

Better Than Old Times Word Count: 2055 Crosshair relapsed into the sleeper agent Hemlock made him, and he stunned Omega and attempted to kill Hunter, and Tech. After the incident is over and things have calmed down, Crosshair feels guilty, and tries to make sense of who he is. His family tries to help him.

Waking Up Word Count: 2448 Tech waking up on the Marauder pre-Plan 99 vs. Tech waking up on Pabu post-Plan 99 after being rescued by his family.

And They Would Not Let Him Fall Word Count: 1972 Tech goes on a mission after he's saved from Hemlock by his family. None of them expected heights would be involved.

Home Word Count: 3108 The Bad Batch storm Mt. Tantiss to rescue Omega, the other clones, and Tech. Only problem: Tech doesn't want to go home.

Rated M

A Cup of Caf Word Count: 2337 Tech, post-Tantiss, has yet another nightmare of the horrors he went through after Plan 99. Phee helps him through the mental and physical health concerns that ensue.

Little Secret Word Count: 1215 Hemlock is enjoying turning Tech into CX-2.

May They Be Remembered Word Count: 5936 Emerie is interrogated by Hemlock as he believes she aided in Omega trying to escape Tantiss once again. This leads to Omega being caught and dragged to sub-level containment. She is given a cruel ultimatum. All the while, battle rages outside.

Brother, Hold Me Up Word Count: 60,855 On their quest to find Mount Tantiss, the Bad Batch run into an unexpected adversary who is hunting Omega. During an altercation it is revealed to Hunter that he is none other than Tech, their dead brother. Primary mission: bring him home. Once they do there are excruciating challenges they did not expect. Is Tech just meant to suffer? Can they fix his body and bring his mind home too?

A Man With Scars Word Count: 4023 Hunter is helping Tech recover after getting him back from Hemlock. With the trauma becoming too much in the moment, Tech accidentally reverts back to CX-2 and almost kills Hunter.

No Rest for the Fallen Word Count: 1565 Tech survived Plan 99, but he can't take much more of being Hemlock's plaything.

To Stop Falling Word Count: 4035 CX-2 has been held captive on Pabu after the destruction of Tantiss and death of Hemlock. His mind is a mess as he and Tech fight for control, and his chronic pain from his injuries has been growing. Omega realizes he's hurting, and his family tries to take care of him.

Tell Me Your Name Word Count: 2883 Tech is now stable enough after his fall to withstand interrogation.

Reunion Word Count: 6571 Tech attempts to escape Tantiss with Crosshair.

Rated E

Science Experiment Word Count: 5646 Tech decides he wants to have sex with Phee for the first time. Yet it seems his trauma and what his body has been through wants to get in the way.

Power Word Count: 1959 Hemlock is aggravated by the slow pace of his projects, and he masturbates to thoughts of CX-2 to try and relieve some of his feelings.

First and Last Word Count: 2551 What happens after the first scene of chapter 5 of Brother, Hold Me Up. Hemlock hungers for his creation, CX-2, and CX-2 must earn his pain meds.

Tech's Alive Word Count: 3632 Tech is facing his first mission since Tantiss with trepidation. A word said to him in comfort is enough to bring repressed and forgotten memories to the surface, and he feels like he's being torn apart inside.

Just Another Experiment Word Count: 1786 CX-2 undergoes more experiments to study and aid his nerve functions after his Fall. OR Hemlock has fun with sounding and I want to punch him in the face and hide at the same time.

Welcome to the Re-education Program Word Count: 2234 Hemlock deems Tech has healed enough from his surgeries and can begin the Re-education Program.

In Body and Mind Word Count: 3474 During a training session with CX-2, Hemlock finds himself drawn to him... especially to his lips.

Reasons to Live Word Count: 4636 Struggling with sleep due to his nightmares, Tech decides to take Batcher for a walk, and they run into Phee.

[inevitably-johnlocked]

Heyyy ! :D

How are you doing?

First of all, I apologize for my last ask sounding so dry (at least, in my opinion, it's been nagging at my brain for a couple of days :,D)

Second of all, do you have any fics where John's past is discussed/discovered/mentioned ?? I find his character really interesting, and the lack of backstory outside of Afghanistan (and even then there's little info) drives me up the wall. So yeah.

Bye and tnx :))

HI LOVELY!

NO Don't apologize!!! I did find your last ask, I haven't published it yet... I was putting it aside because I'm not sure if I'm making a fic list out of it or not, I have to check my backlog of lists!! Nothing personal, don't feel bad, at all, please, I like request asks!

As for John's past, here are some lists you might enjoy:

Past Jolto (Nov 2019)

John’s Homophobic Past (COMMUNITY RECS)

John’s Childhood (COMM RECS)

Army-Related John Fics (Sept 2020)

BAMF and/or Soldier John (July 2020)

Sorry I don't have many lists currently, and I don't have a lot of fics for a new list yet, but here's what is on it right now:

The Skin Over My Heart by standbygo (E, 8,849 w., 1 Ch. || Post-Hiatus, Fake Relationship, Case Fic, Dog Tags, Military, Homophobia, Gay Bashing, POV First Person Sherlock, Friends to Lovers, First Kiss / Time, Declarations of Love, Undercover, Haircuts, Flashbacks, Touching, Pining Sherlock, Hospitalization, Metaphors, Introspection, Hand Jobs, On the Couch, John’s Past, Angst with Happy Ending) – Sherlock and John are still trying to adjust to Sherlock's return from his hiatus when John's friend Bill Murray brings them a case. Someone is targeting the LGBTQA+ members of Bill's unit. John and Sherlock go undercover at the unit, but when they end up having to flirt to flush out the suspect, Sherlock realizes he's in over his head.

Rupert Street by WritingOutLoud (M, 27,262 w., 9 Ch. || Alternate First Meeting || Case Fic, Sexuality, Demisexual Sherlock, Drugging, Smart John, Sherlock Has Internalized Biphobia, Fluff, Angst with Happy Ending, Gay Bar, Flirting, John Manipulates Sherlock to Eat, John Deduces, Arguments, Kidnapping/Torture, Hospitalization, John Whump) – Discharged from the war with nothing but the clothes on his back and a realisation of his bisexuality, John Watson has to learn who he’s become. He can’t afford London on an army pension, but the city is the only friend he has. In an effort to understand his newfound queer identity, he heads to a bar one night, where he stumbles across a mysterious stranger who turns his life upside down. ‘I dug around inside myself, and I'm not quite sure what I found, but it was beautiful and terrifying all at the same time.’

Bakers with Benefits by Raina_at (E, 88,130 w., 14 Ch. || Great British Bake Off AU || Strangers to Lovers, Switchlock, Friends with Benefits, Mentions of Alcoholism / Past Drug Use, Banter, Flirting, Fluff, Light Angst, Semi-Public Sex, Past Sherlock/Victor, Mutual Pining, POV Sherlock, Obsessive Sherlock, John’s Bum) – Sherlock Holmes has a successful YouTube baking channel, but what he really wants is his own bakery. When an old friend sends him a call for the very first Great British Bake Off, he seizes the opportunity to finally win a sponsor for his bakery. Here's the plan: Win Bake Off, get the bakery, don't fall in love with the handsome Army doctor at the neighbouring station. Easy.

Radioactive Trees In A Red Forest by Maribor_Petrichor (E, 280,251 w., 73 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Post-S4, Suicidal Ideations, Alcohol / Rx Drug Abuse, Coming Out / Bisexual John, Seizures, Past/Referenced/Implied Child Abuse, Hallucinations, Rehab, Celibacy, Sobriety / Relapse, Slow Burn, Friends to Lovers, Grief/Mourning, Psychological Trauma, Nice /Not Anti-Mary, John’s POV, Parentlock, First Time, Angst, Switchlock, Angst with Happy Ending) – John Watson is what happens when a man can no longer see a reason to go on. John Watson is what happens when a man starts to let go. "It is what it is." John Watson is what happens when what "it is" becomes too much to bear. This is a story of the life, death, and resurrection of John Hamish Watson. (TO READ)

=====

I welcome other fics to add to the main list when it's done!! I'm currently going through and trying to remember which fics I've read that deal with it :P

[ithildinwrites]

MY FAVOURITE FICS OF ALL TIME (multi-fandom)

for a more extensive list i have a google doc here!

Perhaps "Fuck off" might be too kind | completed | rating: E | fandom: blue lock | mafia au, kaisagi, undercover missions | wc: 105,169

the bluelock is not locking | ongoing | rating: G | fandom: blue lock | multiple pairings, chatfic, no blue lock au | wc: 38,764

Twitch Streamer Yuuji and Youtuber Megumi | completed | rating: G | fandom: jujutsu kaisen | university / modern au | wc: 43,703

Achilles, Come Down | completed | part of a series | rating: M | fandom: jujutsu kaisen | time travel, fix it, satosugu centric | wc: 207,942

Mehr-o-Maah | completed | rating: M | fandom: jujutsu kaisen | satosugu, canon divergent au | wc: 14,446

Glory Is Two Steps Away | completed | rating: T | fandom: yuri on ice | canon divergent au, yuri & yuuri friendship | wc: 152,866

what's left of our wings | completed | rating: T | fandom: sk8 the infinity | university / modern au, renga, slow burn | wc: 207,603

Good Comms | completed | rating: E | fandom: sk8 the infinity | streamer au, renga | wc: 76,559

Yona and Her Dragons | completed | rating: T | fandom: yona of the dawn | soulmate au (platonic) | wc: 19,940

A Series of Open Correspondences; or, Rules and Regulations of the Special Operations Squad | completed | rating: T | fandom: attack on titan | levi squad centric, humour | wc: 2,463

peppermint tea | completed | rating: M (but contains some explicit content) | fandom: demon slayer | modern au, obamitsu | wc: 72,062

Blue | completed | rating: T | fandom: demon slayer | time / dimension travel, sabigiyuu | wc: 17,222

In pursuit of Olympic dreams | completed | rating: M (but contains some explicit content) | fandom: free | post-canon, rinharu, canon divergent au | wc: 588,471

The Reorganization Efforts of Central Command's Records Room | completed | rating: T | fandom: fullmetal alchemist: brotherhood | attempted murder, team as family | wc: 74,277

The Golden Sun | ongoing | rating: M | fandom: fullmetal alchemist: brotherhood | edling, soulmate au, ishvalan elric brothers | wc: 164,172

It's Not a Big Deal | ongoing (abandoned?) | rating: T | fandom: fullmetal alchemist: brotherhood | modern au, edwin, chatfic | wc: 81,114

Channel JACKAL | completed | rating: T | fandom: haikyuu | socmed, multiple pairings, post-canon | wc: 343,990

finders keepers | completed | rating: M | fandom: haikyuu | strangers to lovers, sakuatsu | wc: 44,495

Yuuei Survival Guide | completed | rating: T | fandom: my hero academia | izuku sees ghosts, ghost oboro | wc: 519,280

Yesterday Upon The Stair | completed | rating: T | fandom: my hero academia | canon divergent au, izuku has a different quirk | wc: 424,070

Aizawa’s Guidebook to (hopefully) Subdue and Conquer the Takami Demon Child. | completed | rating: T | fandom: my hero academia | winged izuku, hawks is izuku's parent | wc: 19,705

Immovable | completed | rating: T | fandom: my hero academia | pro heroes au, bakudeku | wc: 76,094

Prodigal | completed | rating: T | fandom: my hero academia | vigilante izuku, mirio has ofa | wc: 56,802

surprise reunions and childhood rekindling | completed | rating: G | fandom: my hero academia | university / modern au, bakudeku | wc: 89,959

[avengerscompound]

Shared Experience - Chapter 9

Shared Experience - A Captain America Fanfic

MasterlistPREVIOUS //

Rating:  E

Warnings:  Canon typical violence, fighting, injuries, blood, blood-drinking.

Pairing: Steve Rogers x OFC Rose Astor

Word Count: 2109

Summary:  Rose Astor met her end in 1920, joining the ranks of the living dead two years after the birth of Steve Rogers.  A century later the two meet in battle - a beacon of light clashing with a creature of the night.  Despite their differences, the two bond over their shared life experiences.  Can a vampire become an Avenger?  Can two such different beings create a life together?

Chapter 9

Rose couldn’t remember a time in her life when she felt as good as she did right now.  Not even before she had been turned did she feel as at home in her skin as she did currently.  She’d spent so much of her life trying to fit in or stand out that she never quite found who she was, and then before she had a chance her life had been stolen.  She wondered if she’d been turned because fate wanted her to be here at this particular time and place.  Did destiny design her life so that she’d end up being alive now?

It wasn’t just that she was falling deeper and deeper in love with Steve Rogers.  That was part of it.  Steve was brave, kind, handsome, and intelligent.  He had this ability to be patient with her when she needed patience, and to not take her shit when that’s what she needed.  They had a history that was so in line and so strange that it felt like the universe had brought them together.  He was her friend, her guide, her lover, and her safe space.  She had never relied on anyone and now she had trouble imagining him not being part of her life.

Steve was just a part of the whole.  The rest of it was made by the Avengers.

Being a superhero was everything she never knew she needed.  No longer did she feel like an outsider, always destined to be separate from humans, and only seeing them as her prey.  She now had friends and she helped people.  She hadn’t drunk directly from anyone for so long she’d almost forgotten how good it felt.  Sometimes when she and Steve made love, her fangs would extend and she’d feel the urge to sink them into him, but it was now easy to resist the urge.  She didn’t feel the need to test herself out of boredom.  Every training session tested her, and every mission she could prove what she was capable of.

The current mission had been testing her to breaking.  Steve, Clint, Bucky, Natasha, Sam, and Rose had gone into a remote part of Russia to empty a HYDRA base.  Rose had been separated from them when the sun came up and she’d had to go to ground.  When she’d dug back out of the earth, there was an extra two feet of snow to claw her way through.  She was wet and cold and she had no idea where anyone was.

She turned on her comms and there crackled in her ear. “Hello.  Is anyone on channel?” she asked.

There was a static buzz in reply.  Then a very faint, “Rose?”

“Yes.  I’m up.  Sorry.  Where are you all?” she said. 

There was a loud crackle that echoed in the empty space before any voices came through.  “... here … you should … if… right there.”

Rose had no idea how to interpret any of that.  It was just a string of random words that anything could have fit between.  “I didn’t read that,” she replied. “Repeat.”

There was only static in reply and then it cut out completely.  “Shit,” Rose cursed.

She lifted her head and began to sniff, trying to pick up a scent or a sound of where there might be action.  The scent of smoke was faint and if she listened hard enough she could hear indistinct sounds that could be explosions but might just be the clattering of things as they fell.  She tried to narrow down the direction and took off.

The fresh snow had covered any trace of footsteps, and all she had to go by was the smoke.  It got more and more distinct as she traveled, adjusting her direction every now and again, to make sure she stayed on track.

It wasn’t long until the sounds of shouting could be heard clearly.  She followed the sounds and came across a village.  She couldn’t see her friends, but there were HYDRA operatives in their green uniforms herding up the people of the town and setting fire to their homes.  She had no idea what was going on, but she did know she couldn’t let HYDRA do whatever the hell they were doing.

She charged in without a second thought.  She thought that she should try to avoid killing any of them, but it would be hard to do when it was just her and a whole battalion of soldiers and she was only equipped with her bare hands.  It wasn’t like she had time to handcuff each of them, even if she had handcuffs.  She would need to try and knock people unconscious and hope that she didn’t hit them too hard.

She tore through the village at preternatural speed, a near blur darting in and out of buildings, slamming into soldiers and sending them flying.  She could see each person’s movement as if it was in slow motion, easily able to duck and dodge when they tried to fight her hand-to-hand.

Not that it was easy.  At least thirty soldiers were sacking the village, and they were all armed.  She was able to take one down without being spotted  His falling alerted the others who then fired at the blur, and as fast as she ran she couldn’t outrun bullets or plasma blasts.  She took two bullets through her side after she had made her way through eight of the soldiers, and another in her thigh after three more. A blaster hit her full the the chest, and the pain was so bad that she had to bury herself in the snow to help soothe the burn.  While she was covered, the soldiers swarmed her and she burst out of the pile, sending them flying.  She took another bullet in the shoulder as she was cleaning up the last half dozen people, and by the time she knocked the last man out, she was bleeding profusely and her energy was waning.

The need to feed was intense.

She looked at the man she had just knocked unconscious. His pulse was still strong and it called to her.

“Vampir!  Vampir!”

The woman’s scream pulled her attention back and she looked up at the group of villages who were all looking at her.  Her fangs were extended, and she couldn’t seem to will them back again.

“It’s okay!” she said, holding up her hands.  “I’m here to help!”

The group began grabbing weapons from the unconscious men and some pulled burning planks of wood from buildings as they approached her, yelling in Russian.  The only word she understood was Vampire.

She turned to run, but some men had gotten behind her.  One had what appeared to be a broken-off broom handle and he lunged at her.  She managed to dodge just enough that it pierced through her sternum.  She screamed, yanking the long piece of wood and sending it flying.

With every ounce of energy she could summon, she began to run.  Launching herself up and over the buildings and into the trees of the forest beyond.  She ran for miles, not knowing what direction she was going or for how long.  She just wanted to put as much room between her and the village as she could.  There was a trail of blood being left in her wake and she knew that if any of them wanted to track her they could.  She just hoped they would be too caught up with their burning homes to want to risk fighting a vampire.

It was past midnight when her strength finally gave out.  She fell from a tree and landed in a heap in the snow below it.  Everything hurt.  There was an open wound that oozed blood right in the middle of her chest and the only way to heal it would be to feed.  In the state she was in, she’d need her food to come to her, because she wasn’t going to be able to hunt.  She hoped a bear or wolves would be stupid enough to come close because if they didn’t, the sun would come up and that would be her end.

She pulled out her comms and began to fiddle with them, trying to get it to work again.  It hissed and she put it back into her ear and pressed the button.  “Hello.  Hello, please.  Can anyone read me?”

“Rose?”  Steve’s voice came in clear through the crackle of white noise.  She let out a sigh of relief but soon tensed again as he started to break up. “... are you?  Can… are? … find you.”

“Steve,” she said.  “I’m hurt.  Really badly.  I need you.”

“... red switch … device…”

“What?” she asked, and started to turn the comms unit over in her hand.  It was a tiny device.  Smaller than the average wireless earpiece.  Under a piece of protective plastic was a tiny red slide, she pushed it down and put the device back into her ear.

“... it,” Steve said.  “Stay… you.”

She fell back into the snow and closed her eyes, listening to everything around her.  It felt like an eternity passed.  Her wounds started healing very slowly, and not enough to be done by sunrise.  She wondered if she got deep enough into the snow would stop her from burning because there was no way she could break through the frozen earth with her bare hands in her current condition.

It started to snow again.  A wet, icy snow that came in sideways and settled with a slippery sheen on the ground.  She was grateful for it.  The cold didn’t bother her.  It would slow down her bleeding and cover the trail of blood that led to her.  If she was lucky, it would bury her enough that the sun wouldn’t get to her.

Footsteps crunched through the snow behind her and she lay still.  She didn’t think it was an animal, but if it was and it thought she was dead, it might get close enough for her to catch.  If it was a person, there was a risk it was one of the villagers, and they’d finish her off, but they were coming from the wrong direction and if they did just happen upon her, hopefully they’d just think she was dead and move on.

The noise came nearer and nearer.  If her heart still beat, she was sure it would be racing now.  It was difficult to remain calm and as the figure appeared in her periphery she braced for the worst.

“Rose!”

For a second she thought Steve’s voice was coming to her through the comms again. It wasn’t until he was kneeling beside her and digging her out of the snow that she realized he was right there.

“Rose!” he repeated as he cradled her in his arms.  “Oh god, please…”

She lifted her head slowly and looked up at him.  “Steve.”

He startled and pulled her close to him. “Oh, god, sweetheart,” he said. “I thought you were dead.”

“I am dead,” she said.  It was supposed to be a joke, but her voice was so weak that it missed its mark completely.

His hand went to the open wound on her chest and he looked around wildly.  “I need to get you someplace safe.  I passed a farmhouse.  Maybe they’ll let us in.  Or they have a barn we can use.”   He looked back down at her.  She had never seen him look so scared.  “What happened to you, sweetheart?  I told you to stay put.”

Even as scared as he looked, and how happy and relieved she was to see him, his blood called to her.  Her fangs were already extended.  It was too hard to pull them in when she was as hurt as she was and she looked up at him with her lips parted.  “Comms wasn’t working,” she rasped. “I tried to find you.”

Steve cupped her jaw,  “It’s okay… it’s going to be okay.”

It sounded like he was talking to himself more than her.  She licked her lips and blinked up at him. “Steve…” she said.

She was going to tell him they should get out of there.  If he got them to the farmhouse there might be animals and she could feed.  Then she’d go to ground and tomorrow night she’d be better.  Probably not completely, but enough to get to the jet and get out of there.

Steve let her back down and pulled a knife out of his pocket.  Before she even realized what it was he was doing, he sliced open his wrist and held it to her mouth.

// NEXT

[yall-imhere]

Batman - Study in the Scarlet Gallery (Batman/Bruce Wayne x Fem!OC) Part 3

The Climax of Batman - Study in the Scarlet Gallery! More stories featuring my OC, Sienna, to come :)

Alfred Pennyworth placed the freshly made pasta on the table. It was one of the dishes he would make whenever the youngest Fallbrook girl would visit Wayne Manor. Aglio e Olio. Bruce wasn’t a fan at first but then learned to like the pasta, but Sienna loved it. When she first came to Wayne Manor, Alfred went to study some recipes that the girl would like from their family’s personal chef and he taught himself how to make Aglio e Olio. When he served it the girl’s face lit up and she asked for seconds.

He knew it was too soon to prepare the dish and that he should be at the cave, but the thought of the young girl that would knock on the door after being driven from school or from their home, just to see his lonely young master, be subjected to the horrific tortures in Arkham and be this criminal… he hoped Batman would bring her back and the sight of the pasta would bring back a fragment of that cheerful girl.

It was too soon though.

As Alfred went back to the Batcave, after preparing the dish, he almost dropped his tea at the sight of the news on the screen.

“Dear God. No…” Alfred gasped.

Broadcasting on Channel 9 was the sight of six people sitting on a chair, four bound with three of them wearing animal masks of a shark, a parrot, and a fox, while the other two sat in fear side by side – Laura and Rebecca Fallbrook – as the masked-criminal, Vandal, came to view and said, “Gotham City. Tonight, you’ll find out the corrupt system that’s been protecting you. You’ll find out the truth. You can’t trust anyone in Gotham.”

~*~

“Sir, are you seeing this?” Alfred spoke through the comms.

“I am! I’m heading there now!” Batman called out as he kicked on the gas to speed through the roads trying to get to the location where the signal of the broadcast was being made. Fallbrook Manor. Sienna played them like a fool. She got him and GCPD away from that location – had Jim transport Laura and Rebecca Fallbrook, Warren Lawford only to be nabbed by the Riddler’s gang. Then in the hospital, Lyle Bolton, Armand Lydecker and Gunther Hardwicke were taken from their hospital beads, IVs ripped off by more of Riddler’s men. And all were brought to one place. 

The place they evacuated in case Vandal would attack.

She got Batman to head to Bristol to be far away from Gotham’s central where Riddler would execute the plan. 

Now she was making her final move to tell Gotham everything, and based on how the message she was making she wasn’t just going to destroy these people. She was going to ruin the people’s trust on the GCPD, the system, and goodwill that sincere companies like the Waynes, have been doing. 

“People of Gotham,” Vandal began. “You don’t know me, but I know you. I’m also someone who grew up in Gotham. I’ll admit, I didn’t understand the hardships of actually living here since I only had the view of the city. But witnessing a tragedy and trying to fight to get justice, I was thrown into the dark pits of this city.”

Reaching behind her head, she pressed a button and let her mask fall. “My name is Sienna Fallbrook.”

Batman cursed as he saw the broadcast showing Sienna’s face. He pressed on further to his gas, but with Gotham’s labyrinth-like roads and alleys, no matter how fast the car is, it's the turns that would delay his arrival. 

“You all know me as the daughter of Sheldon Fallbrook and Laura Fallbrook. The one who went insane for attacking her sister’s fiance and accusing him for murder,” the broadcast showed the tabloids that were made on the Fallbrook family, scandals and rumors. “Then they told you that I was sent to Spain to heal there with my mother’s family. I wish that was true. But the reality is this – sending to Gotham’s journalists now are my records of being forcefully sent to Arkham Asylum and then abandoned there by my own family. 

“Along with the treatment I had – the abuse, the forced injected drugs, being a test subject for doctors… along with it is the truth about Sheldon Fallbrook’s death and the supposed “escaped murderers”.” 

Then in play, the old video captured by the nanny cams in Sheldon’s office. How the three animal-mask wearing criminals broke in, opened the safe behind the family portrait, and started loading the cash there into their bag. Then Sheldon Fallbrook appeared. He tried reasoning with them at first, then when they wouldn't leave, he took the prop shotgun and pointed it at them. The video also captured when he spoke in Spanish to someone that was off camera. Then he was attacked by one of the mask-wearing men and then beaten by his golf clubs, hit at the head multiple times until blood spilled. And then…

“Holy shit!” The shark wearing thief said. “Warren, you just killed the guy…”

The fox-mask wearing man then removed his mask as he took a closer look, revealing to the world who he is. Warren Lawford, Rebecca Fallbrook’s husband. 

Lawford looked like he was going to be sick but then turned away and started pushing his friends out of the window to escape, following their exit, sixteen-year-old Sienna came to her father’s body, telling him that the cops were on their way, she cried, but then her eyes went to the nanny cam and the last that was seen was her trying to get it from the shelf. 

“Yeah, you can say it was a robbery gone wrong. But why the fuck would three of Gotham’s richest batchelors would rob a man?!” Sienna went to take off the masks of each of the three men there revealing the faces of Warren Lawford, Armand Lydecker and Gunther Hardwicke, all bound and gagged, near to tears in fear.

She first went to the side where she picked up a golf club. She wielded it like a pro – rather a baseball batting pro, and then –

WHAM!

She hit Lydecker in the stomach.

WHACK!

She did it again to Hardwicke’s leg, breaking it.

The two men were crying in pain with their fractured leg and ribs.

She turned to Warren Lawford and pointed the club at him. “I’m saving you for last,” then had some of the Riddler’s men take away the two whimpering men out of the screen. Then she dragged Bolton to the center where she revealed the atrocities the man did to all of the patients in Arkham. His brutality. The violence. The abuse of power. How he molested female patients that he knew couldn’t put up a fight. 

“Thanks to good old Security Bolton, I learned how to be immune to this,” she got out a jumper cord and clipped it at the man’s nipples. The clip alone made him wince and then someone in the background started to turn on the car battery it was attached to and Bolton was crying in pain.

“SIENNA, PLEASE! MI HIJA, STOP THIS!” Laura sobbed as she begged her daughter.

“SHUT UP!” Sienna roared. “It’s not your turn yet!”

“Sienna, please!” Rebecca cried. “We’re sorry – we didn’t know!”

“YOU DIDN’T KNOW?! I TRIED TO TELL YOU BUT YOU WON’T LISTEN! I TRIED TO SHOW YOU BUT YOU REFUSED TO BELIEVE IT! I SHOWED IT TO YOU BUT YOU STILL MARRIED THAT MURDERER!”

Laura turned to her eldest and gasped. “You knew?”

“He threatened to kill me – to kill us if I told anyone – he said that he got the police in his pocket and he did!” Rebecca cried. 

“You knew and you let your sister rot in Arkham…”

“I THOUGHT HE REALLY WAS PAYING FOR HER TREATMENT!”

Sienna grabbed Rebecca by her hair and pulled her up. “BUT I WASN’T SICK, WASN’T I?!”

“Sienna, please, I’m sorry – I’m so sorry! Please! Hate me all you want but please, not my baby!” Rebecca had her arm around her womb, protecting it from Sienna. “It’s not his, I swear!”

Sienna took a good look at her sister and then threw her back on the couch. Something snapped in her and the next she did had Laura clutching her eldest, protecting her, as Sienna hit Warren over and over with the golf club at the arm, his leg, and his chest. Then she wasn’t over, she turned to Bolton and hit him right at his balls, crushing them. The man howled in pain, and in so much pain he fainted.

“THOSE DOCUMENTS BETTER ME ON THE WEB NOW, GOTHAM PRESS! AND BATS, YOU BETTER GET HERE FAST! OR ELSE I DON’T KNOW WHAT I’M GOING TO DO!”

The broadcast ended and soon email notifications started to alarm, and the news outlets were broadcasting the files that were in the documents that Batman and Jim had. The corruption in the GCPD, the justice system, who was in whose pocket, the Fallbrook and Lawford foundations that were really just funding Warren Lawford’s pockets, the scam investments, the abuse in Arkham, Bolton’s records, the redacted files of Sienna Fallbrook, and the video of the murder. Everything was out in the open.

“Sir… I think it’s too late,” Alfred spoke through the comms.

“NO, IT’S NOT!” Batman roared. “She hasn’t killed anyone! And she doesn’t want to! She’s just scared, overwhelmed, and in so much pain. I’ll get to her before she really snaps and does something she can’t take back.”

~*~

If Sienna wasn’t ill before, she was now.

As Laura and Rebecca sat there, embracing each other, to find a bit of bravery in this nightmare, Sienna paced around the room trying to control herself. Her anger. She destroyed anything that she could destroy. The shelves, the photos, the collection. She hit the three friends who were behind her father’s murder, she beat the man who trapped her in that asylum, she tortured the man who violated her body and mind for all those years in Arkham. 

But no matter what she does she can't do it. She can’t cut the cord.

What was she so afraid of?

You’re just one bad day away from being like us, the Riddler told her then when they had his group therapy.

Do that and you really just booked a no-return ticket here to Arkham, Ivy told her when she contemplated killing Bolton.

“One more bad day?” she whispered. “I had six years of bad days, this shouldn’t be…”

“Sienna, mi hija,” Laura tried to speak to her. “This is enough. You made your point. Everyone knows now. Please just stop this! We’ll do everything to make it up to you.”

Sienna turned to her mother, tears running down her eyes. “I want the room.”

The Riddler got off the director’s chair he made himself cozy at and called for his men to leave. “The room is yours, my dear! And if you ever want to go live, just  hit that button,” he pointed to the laptop screen.

Alone with her captives, Sienna walked up to her mother and raised a hand –

No. She can’t… no matter how much she hated her now. She just can’t.

Sienna turned away from her mother and started pacing again.

“Why?” She began. “Why did you leave me there?”

“I didn’t know,” Laura cried. “And I couldn’t walk into Arkham and see you. It was hard for me –”

“I was alone there. I was scared. They…”

Laura sobbed as she remembered the photos Jim gave her. The ways they used her daughter for their medical research.  How she was treated in Arkham like a rag doll. “I’m so sorry, mi hija. I’m so sorry! If you want to hurt someone, hurt me, not your sister because I should have known about this! I should have stopped it! 

“Sienna, listen to me. Everyone knows the truth now. If you give yourself up now, we can appeal to court – we can get you the right help you need!”

Snap.

“I DON’T WANT ANYMORE HELP!” Sienna roared. “ALL THE HELP YOU GAVE TURNED ME TO THIS! YOU AND EVERYONE OF THESE ANIMALS TURNED ME TO THIS!” 

Her mother cried and cried, begging for forgiveness.  

Sienna looked away, unable to keep whatever was inside her – whatever she was feeling – to come out. She went back to the computer and pressed the button that Riddler told her and then grabbed Warren Lawford. She dragged him to face the camera and demanded: “why did you do it? Why did you kill Sheldon Fallbrook?”

Warren Lawford was wheezing in pain as he tried to speak. When he was silent, Sienna punched him across the face. 

“TALK! WHY DID YOU DO IT?! I WANT TO KNOW! WHY?!”

She really did. 

Oh, the question of why, why, why, WHY?! Was the only thing that ran in her head for six years. Why did Warren Lawford, a rich kid who had everything, would steal from and kill her father?

“TALK!” Sienna stopped punching him.

Warren spat out blood. He forced himself to talk through the pain of his broken jaw and the puncturing rib to whatever it was pressing on. “Because… we… can…” Warren spoke. “Because… we were… we were… bored… and it was fun… and we knew… we can… we can get away with it.”

Rebecca cried in their mother’s arms as she listened to her husband’s confession. She couldn’t believe it. 

Sienna’s hold on his shirt loosened. “It’s people like you that’s been causing Gotham’s road to self-destruct… Maybe just one life can help change it,” Sienna reached to the back of her belt and pulled out a knife. “Just one and one of many of Gotham’s empires will fall.”

“No! No! Please! I’ll pay you! I’ll pay you whatever you want! Just please!” Warren begged.

Behind her, Laura and Rebecca pleaded for her to stop. To no resort to that.

Sienna gripped the knife in her hand. “Looks like you lost this one, Batman.”

She was about to drive the knife down but a batarang flew in and knocked it out of her hand, by stabbing her at the back of her hand with the bat-shaped throwing knife. Sienna dropped Warren Lawford and clutched her hand. Just as she was to look up to where it came from, the window crashed and entered the Batman who was swinging towards her and kicked her away from Lawford.

Sienna crashed to the bookshelf, a couple of books dropping on her.

Laura was about to go after her but Batman stopped her by saying, “GCPD IS ON THEIR WAY! UNPLUG BOLTON AND GET THOSE THREE OUT OF HERE!”

“But what about Riddler’s Gang?” Rebecca asked.

“ I already took care of it. GO, NOW!”

They did. The mother and daughter, though they hated the men who were badly beaten, untied, unhooked, and dragged them out of the room. While Sienna was still trying to get up, Batman destroyed the computer and the broadcasting equipment. 

“Your show’s over now, Sienna. This needs to stop,” Batman said.

“This doesn’t end until I say so,” Sienna got up. Reaching to her belt, she got out two knuckle braces and then went to a fighting stance.

Bruce frowned. “You don’t want to do this.”

“Yeah, I don’t… but Lawford needs to pay.” Sienna jumped to attack him. Batman blocked her attack. Unlike before he anticipated her next move and blocked the next. Her punches and kicks more than the last time with the knuckle braces and – were those steel-toed shoes? But Batman didn’t let her beat him to a pulp, he retaliated, sending back the same amount of punches and kicks. Beating her up, and he will continue to do so until she stops and sees sense. 

“Good, you’re not choosing who to punch,” Sienna mockingly smirked. “Little Bruce isn’t afraid to punch women anymore.”

Bruce frowned and then tackled her down. “STAY DOWN!”

With her free arm, she reached for the batarang that hit her hand, fell on the ground then stabbed Batman at the shoulder with it. Batman fell to the ground as she took advantage of his shock and pain to get up, and then kicked at the face. He’ll need a hospital after this. He doubted  Leslie Thompson could help with this kind of injury.

“I told you, Batman, I’m finishing this,” Sienna got up, limping and using one of the broken lamp holders for their broadcasters as her cane. 

“How? By being a killer?”

“Better than letting Lawford get away with this again and again.”

“Do this and there’s no going back. You’ll just be like him!”

“And do what? Chuck him into Black Gate and let him have his luxurious stay there because of the officers he has in his pocket?”

“That won’t happen, Sienna. You made sure of it. Right now, GCPD is cleaning out – removing those who were under Lawford, you already did it!”

“That’s not enough,” Sienna started to limp away and left Batman in the room, still trying to get his bearings back after that dizzying kick.

Reaching for his gauntlet, Batman called out to Jim: “She’s coming after them, Jim. Stop her. Do not shoot.”

~*~

Sienna saw them with GCPD. The cops had their guns at her but Sienna didn’t care. She just didn’t care anymore, she would burn everything if she could. And she could.  To prove her point, she reached into her pocket and showed something to them. A detonator. 

“There’s a shit-ton of C4 below us right now tied to the gas lines. Shoot and,” she pressed the detonator. “It’s bye bye to us.”

“YOU’RE INSANE!” Bollock called out to her in horror as she pressed the detonator.

“Wanna live? I’ll tell you where the C4s are and you can get them but I want Warren Lawford!”

Jim placed down his gun and stepped forward. “Sienna, I understand what you want – what you want to do, but I’m telling you now, it won’t do you any good.”

Sienna looked at Jim. “I want Lawford to pay.”

“And you think killing us all will be enough? You’ll be dead too!”

“Sienna Fallbrook died in Arkham Asylum a long time ago, Commissioner. There is nothing for me to live for – especially not after this…”

“THERE IS! WE CAN WORK SOMETHING OUT!”

“LAWFORD. NOW!”

“Alright! Alright!” Warren came forward himself, limping, offering himself to Sienna, as if he were some hero that will save them. It pissed her off. “Get over with it, just do it! Do it just like how I murdered the old man!”

Still holding the detonator, Sienna held up the broken, steel lamp-holder and –

“No. You’re not going to be hero – you’re not going to be some kind of martyr!” Tears fell from her eyes.  Tears of frustration. “No… it’s not suppose to end like this! YOU’RE NOT GOING TO BE SOME HERO IN THIS! YOU’RE THE MONSTER! YOU – ALL OF YOU MADE ME INTO THIS!” 

“NO!” Jim and the others gasped as they saw her release the detonator – 

Sienna held up the sharp pole above Lawford’s head–

“RAAAAAAAHHH!” In a loud cry she thrusted down and –

No explosion.

Warren opened his eyes and found the pole just a few inches from his shoulder.

Heaving, Sienna held the pole but it stabbed the ground and not through Warren. She couldn’t do it. No matter how much she wanted to. She wanted so bad to skewer him with this but she couldn't. 

The hand on her shoulder and Sienna turn, but she can’t look him in the eye. She released the steel rod and said, “Just take him away – take him and go – before I change my mind.”

Batman nodded. Glancing at Jim’s way, he nodded at him to take Warren away but asked for a moment with Sienna before they took her in. Alone at the grass lawn of the Fallbrook Manor, Sienna faced Batman and held out her hands to him. Let him be the one to capture her, not the GCPD. Let the only person who really knows justice. But Batman didn’t. Not yet. Instead, he brought her to an embrace and let her hide her face on his shoulder.

“You’ve been bound long enough,” he told her. “For a while, let it go.”

And she did. Clutching to his suit, Sienna let out a howling cry that she’s been hiding for so long. The frustration, the anger, the sadness, all coming out as she cried on Batman’s shoulder. 

“I don’t want to go back,” she cried. “Please… just kill me now! I’d rather die than go back there!

Bruce frowned as she begged him to end her now, remembering how he too said the same thing to her when he suffered from depression when his parents died. How she caught him about to harm himself and she stopped him.

And like how she stopped him, he held her tight and said, “I’ll be here. And I’ll help you through this. One step at a time. I won’t leave you this time, and I’ll make sure you’re safe.”

~ A Year Later~

Bruce Wayne walked through Arkham Asylum’s security gates with a cautious eyes. He observed everything that was happening inside, ensuring everything was as it should be. After the guards inspected the basket he brought and cleared him to proceed, Bruce followed the officer, Officer Debronsky, through the rooms of the east wing. They didn’t go deep into Arkham Asylum, where criminals like Joker, Quinn, Croc, and the Riddler (they caught him again), were at, they were just at the surface of Arkham, ones that did not need maximum level of security.

They knocked on cell 017 before Officer Debronsky unlocked  it, reminding Bruce of the time limit and the dos and don’ts, before letting him in. “Fallbrook, you got a visitor!”

“Busy!” Sienna called back.

“How are your classes going, Sienna?” Bruce spoke.

Rising from her desk, Sienna smiled as she saw Bruce at the door. She was far from how he first saw her a year ago. Her face lightened and didn’t cast a shadow, the look in her eye was more relaxed than it was before. Her injuries from their fight have healed, but she does have a cut on her cheek from his punches, he apologized for that (“we’re even, I heard you fractured your cheek,” she told him when he apologized for her beaten face). And her hair has grown and hid the scar at her temples.

After the Fallbrook and Lawford Scandal, Sienna was taken into custody by the GCPD. Her court hearings went fast and with Harvy Dent’s help, she was given a minimum sentence in Arkham Asylum where once her doctors have deemed her reinstated she will be released, and be on parole. While the idea of going back to Arkham scared her, and hearing it from the jury and the judge gave her a panic attack, Bruce was there to help her. He and the others reassured her that it won’t be how it was before. And Harvy Dent made sure of it as well. 

Bruce never missed visiting hours every week to see Sienna, and every time he came he would bring her something from the outside to keep her updated with the world. At first it was music and some books, and food – she loved food – then a couple of months later she asked if she could finish her studies and now she was taking online classes at Gotham University.

“What’s the paper about?” Bruce asked as he sat across Sienna and looked at the laptop – which was being monitored by the GCPD and Arkham to ensure she was only using it for her school work.

“You wouldn’t understand,” Sienna scoffed.

“Try me.”

She grinned slyly. “It’s for my thesis.”

“Thesis already?”

“Yeah, turns out my little lectures with the Riddler have its perks.”

“I am worried that your foundation for Software Engineering and Cybersecurity Engineering is based on the Riddler’s expertise.”

“Well, you gotta hand it to Eddy, he is a genius.”

“Don’t worry, Bruce, I’m not doing anything to ruin my chance for an early release. Besides, I don’t really have anyone to talk to here aside from my doctor and group therapy.”

“Group therapy…’

“Don’t worry, it’s not Nygma running it.”

“By the way,” she took the basket from him and started taking out the containers that had food made by Alfred – no doubt – and then the plates and spoons. Good thing Alfred decided to make slides (“baby cheeseburgers!” Sienna gasped, “After twenty years you still call them that?” Bruce chuckled) since they weren’t allowed any utensils. “I’ve been taking business classes also.”

“I see you’re making good use of the free time here.”

“I gotta if I want to take back Fallbrook Conglomerate,” Sienna shrugged as she handed Bruce his plate.

“Sienna, about your family’s business…” he frowned.

“I know. We lost a lot thanks to Warren’s gambling and driving the business to bankruptcy, but I want to keep Fallbrook Tech Industries. Bruce, I already got the money from the settlement in court with Warren Fallbrook, and with the company’s worth now, I know I can buy it again.”

“I’ll see what I can do to help… besides, you’ll still have millions after you buy the company again with the money you got from the Lawfords, Lydeckers, and Hardwicks.” She basically bleeds them dry thanks to Harvy’s help. “I’ll keep an eye on Fallbrook Tech Industries, I heard they’re going to make it to a public company. You can buy the majority of its shares.”

“All of it. Just make sure it’s a clean process. Don’t want the word hostile anywhere near my name.”

“I’ll keep note of that. Anything I can help with your  paper?”

Sienna raised a brow at him. “I got it. Don’t worry about my academic standing, worry more about my mental state.” She joked. He didn’t laugh. “Kidding. But I am fine, and all thanks to you.”

Bruce smiled.

“So, I heard the Batman’s now facing someone called Black Mask.”

“I’m sure he can handle it.”

“Well, if I were him, I’d check out the docks. I heard some of the cargo there isn't exactly what they seem to be.” Sienna shrugged.

“And what makes you think that?”

“I had some intel before I got locked up – I remember an old friend saying that the easiest way to transport products is at the docks. Easy bribes,” she shrugged as she ate her food.

“Well, I’m sure Batman can handle that,” Bruce smirked. “There’s more, as your sponsor, Jack Ryder has been trying to contact me about securing an interview with you. He wants to make a documentary about your story.”

“Really” Sienna scoffed. “What’s he calling it?”

“Driven to Insanity, Gotham’s Victor Frankenstein story.”

Sienna frowned. “No.”

“I know, but I thought it would be best to tell you about it first.” His smile fell  as he remembered a message he got before coming for his visit. “Sienna.”

“Yeah?” 

“Your mother’s wondering when she can visit you.”

As he expected a frown came to her face. “I don’t think I’m ready just yet.”

“I know… and no one’s forcing you to. I just want you to know that they do want to see you. Also, Rebecca asked me to give you these.” They were photos of Rebecca’s daughter. “She gave birth a few months ago, she named her Carmen Alegria. She and your mother decided to use Laura’s maiden name to start a new life… and they were wondering if you were too.”

Sienna sighed and looked up in thought.  “I won’t lie, it did cross my mind but I don’t think I want to share the same one with them.”

“Understandable. Have you thought of a name yet?”

“Not really. But I’ll tell you when I do.”

“I’ll start on the paperwork when you do… You haven’t seen the gift in the basket, haven’t you?”

“Oh, there’s more?”

“Yeah.”

Opening the basket again, Sienna rummaged through the containers – Alfred made a lot of snacks for her – and a scroll.

“It’s not the original,  I doubt they’d let me bring the real one and I don’t think it’ll fit the walls.”

Unscrolling it, Sienna came face to face with a poster of a printed painting of Judith Slaying Holofernes by Gentileschi. The painting that started it all. The one that helped her find a lifelong friend.

“I’ll find a way to buy that painting from you again, Wayne,” Sienna said.

“I’ll keep it in good condition while it waits… times up, I’ll be back next week. Who knows by then you might be taking another class this time? Art Management?”

Sienna shrugged. “Who knows… four more years, right?”

“Less with good behavior. I’ll see you outside, Sienna.”

“See you outside, Bruce.”“Also, if they were going to make a documentary about this, I think Gotham’s Judith and Holofernes would be a much more fitting documentary title.”

[taylitruther]

Got out of my writing funk, and ended up with a hitter/hacker/thief Leverage OT3 piece.

let it all burn down, 'cause I am happy now (AO3)

Rating: E

Pairing: Leverage OT3 (Eliot/Parker/Hardison)

Selected Tags: Phone Sex, Exhibitionism, Eavesdropping, Not Actually Unrequited Love

Summary/Excerpt:

Eliot would like it noted for the record that it wasn’t his damn fault, thank you very much. It was Hardison’s or maybe Parker’s. But not his.

Eliot may not be a tech guy but he knew how radio and communication frequencies worked, and figured that the little comms could probably tap into some interesting stuff. So after Hardison had explained that as part of the upgrades he had made to their little earbuds he had added a way to change the channel on the earbud itself, Eliot knew what his next free day would be spent doing. ~~~~~ Eliot decides to spend an afternoon messing with his comm, and gets more than he bargained for.

[navcommrelay]

Juno 2-1

Third Deployment: Delayed, 1500 Hours (Refueling 3/4 DropShips)

Deployed:SWMC Alpha Lance 

SWMC Bravo Lance 

CFRI 2C Alpha Lance 

CFRI 1C Beta Lance 

Angel Company 5 + 6 (RTB / DropShip Pickup)

CFRI 2C CMD/Logi Unit

CFRI 1C Alpha Mechanized 

Dropship at FOB 

SWMC Support and Logistics crew

DropShip Deployment:

CFRI 1C Gamma Lance

Objectives: SWMC Alpha 1-3 SWMC Bravo 2-5 SWMC Support CFRI 2C/L CFRI 1A, 2A, 1B Designated "HOMESTEAD": Entrench and defend FOB while waiting on repairs. CFRI 1C-Gamma SWMC Alpha 4 SWMC Bravo 1 Designated "SENATE": Move to assist Sword. Destroy sites Hillman and Morris.

After-Action Report:

SWMC Support and Logistics assisted in CFRI 2C deployment and entrenchment of HQ. All garrisoned SWMC elements began rounds of repairs to return them to combat ready. Bravo 5 received a new ‘mech transferred from Smoke Jaguar reserve. Bravo 5 then disbanded from SWMC Bravo Lance to assist Omaha LZ, considered struck from SWMC roster.

CFRI 1-C Gamma with SWMC Bravo 1 and Alpha 4, designated as combined force “SENATE,” moved Southwest to assist Canopian and Aurigan forces. SENATE was able to break a stalemate at Hillman with a flanking maneuver. Blakist forces at the site broke and surrendered after a united push that followed. SWMC Bravo 1 sustained moderate damage. CRFI 1-Gamma-1 suffered damage to all RA Actuators after melee engagement. Requests forwarded to SLDF logistics for more ARAD LRM ammunition.

Engaged and Destroyed: 3x Rusalka-class Medium Aerospace Fighter 3x WFT-B Wolf Trap  1x AV1-O Avatar-E Heavy OmniMech 2x Prowler (WoB) Combat Vehicle 1x PAT-008 Puma-class Assault Tank 5x WoB Rifle Infantry  Damage and Losses: SWMC Bravo 1 - Most armor stripped (no internal damage, pilot injury (triaged) CFRI 1-Gamma-1: All RA Actuators damaged. Light armor damage. 

SENATE COMBAT COMMS EXCERPT: CI/NL: “SENATE elements, orbital scan shows friendlies only.” CI1G1: “Copy, OPSCOM. Weapons up. We’ll wrap up here.” (Channel Switch Clicks) CI1G1: “WE GOT ‘EM ALL, BOYS!”(Multiple cheers, shouting) CI1G1: “Alright, alright, settle down. Here’s the plan.” CI1G1: “We get to babysit SWORD until Logi pulls up-” (Angry shouting, complaints) CI1G1: “CAN IT! We’re holding for Logi for the salvage.” CI1G2: “Are we getting a cut of salvage pay for our kills?” CI1G1: “Per the Commander’s orders, yes. This time.” (Cheering resumes.) [EXCERPT ENDS]

[iviarellereads]

System Collapse, Chapter 11

(Curious what I'm doing here? Read this post! For the link index and a primer on The Murderbot Diaries, read this one! Like what you see? Send me a Ko-Fi.)

In which family means no one's secrets get revealed.

Murderbot spends the trip recharging a bit. The hopper is faster than the ground vehicle, which is good for travel time but bad for its nerves about human safety. MB hopes B-E don't know about the construction access, and if they do, won't be able to find where the HSUs moved the tunnel vehicle.

Iris grabs a med kit and says MB's leakage is worrying her. MB says it should stop soon, and thinks its power drain is a worse problem. It kind of just wants to watch Sanctuary Moon with Art-drone, only Art-drone is even worse off, so it puts on some World Hoppers instead.

Leonide asks if MB is really a SecUnit. Iris tells her to mind her own business. Leonide calls her oversensitive, goes silent for 5.3 seconds, then bursts out to ask if someone is really watching media right now. Tarik deadpans her about distracting himself while flying, and she says fuck all of them in response.

They arrive at the terraforming end of the tunnel to find an obstruction in the hangar, but it's just the shuttle, with a hat! Ratthi deployed the survival tent to keep the dust out. His voice makes MB's performance spike upward with relief.(1)

Ratthi pushes the button for the tent to pack itself up, and they all load into the shuttle. Leonide boards first, but only to make room for Iris and MB to get Art-drone in safely. MB can feel Art watching in the feed for any funny business or betrayal, but MB thinks she just knows the fastest way to escape is to help.

With Art-drone failing, the pathfinders need a little assistance. MB steps in to do what it can, though they're far from the drones it's used to.

Unfortunately, just as everyone's starting to relax, they pull out of a dust cloud and find an armed B-E shuttle following. Iris offers "to authorize deadly force" which MB doesn't need but appreciates. MB positions the pathfinders so that one takes a blow and explodes into a cloud of sensor-scattering debris, allowing the other to swing around and bop the B-E ship on the nose.(2)

The shuttle fell away, still intact but probably dealing with damage, a disoriented bot pilot, and a terrified human crew. Our shuttle powered upward, back on course and widening the distance between us.

As they come out of the comm blackout zone some time later, they see another ship, but quickly determine it's one of their own, a University ship finally come to help.

They pick up a B-E transmission and, having decoded their encryption in just two days, play back the whole argument about whether to engage. Leonide asks for comms, and when given, stands with her team in telling the others to stand down.

The channel got so quiet, Tarik tapped it to make sure it hadn’t gone dead.

Art-prime takes over the pathfinders, redirecting them now that they're not needed for defence. Art-prime starts integrating Art-drone, and Art-drone asks which ship came to help. Art tells it to guess. Art-drone pessimistically declares it must be Holism. They finish the handoff, and as Art-drone goes dead, Iris makes a sobbing noise that startles MB. In a private connection, she asks if there was time for a full transfer, and MB confirms it. Iris adds that she always gets emotional at the thought of losing any part of her Peri and its experiences.

I know, I said. And I did know, and now I was having an emotion. Like a big overwhelming emotion. It felt bad but good, a weird combination of happy and sad and relieved, like something had been stuck and it wasn’t stuck anymore. Cathartic, okay. This fits the definition of cathartic. It was like the way I’d felt when I killed the Target who threatened Amena and laughed at me because I was upset when I thought ART was dead. Except without the violence, and that only lasted a minute or so, and this seemed like it would go on a while.(3) Nobody was dead and I hadn’t had a relapse of my stupid memory thing. And if I did have a relapse, at least I knew what it was now. Don’t just sit there, ART said to me and Iris as it brought the shuttle into its docking module. Console each other. I said, You fuck off at the same time as Iris said, Oh, shut it, Peri, and that felt even better.(4)

=====

(1) I just bet! (2) Insert a skeletor NYEHEHEH giggle from me here. Nonfatal, but completely effective. Love to see it. (3) I just need to take a minute to have my own emotion at this. Like, I keep saying on main and anywhere people will listen that engaging with anger will give you a short-term good feeling and a long-term bad habit that becomes more and more deeply patterned on your daily life and harder to break. And, I just love seeing allusions to that in this sort of fiction. Like, it was a necessary violence, and there's no denying that the feeling was justified afterwards. But, violence and anger are not pathways to fulfillment and joy. The more you give in to the rage bait, the more that anger takes over your life and affects everything you do and everyone you interact with. It's important to be aware of those choices. And I love that Murderbot's commitment is to trying to save life, even when it's life that's threatening itself or its humans. It doesn't always work, but it does make it easier to live with yourself. (4) Yep, it's definitely a love language for Art.

[electrospherevaults]

Defiler - Chapter 26

[Click here to read the rest of the Defiler story]

Kingdom Of The Endless Sun

Mallik, you know you cannot win. Not like you will not try – I have known you all your life, past, present and future, and I know all too well how much of a stubborn child you are. You can lash out at me, bite me, slash me, scratch me, crash me. You can make me bleed, choke, cough, suffocate, wound me in all ways you think a god can be wounded. But all the wounds you inflict are meaningless. Because all the wounds in the world cannot cease my

Kingdom Of The Endless Sun

Sir! We got contact!

Pass him on to my comms, stat!

Please be alright…

Arckie, can you hear me?

Yes. Loud and clear.

You sound far, can you come closer to the mic? Can you move?

Let me try.

Ugh.

Are you hurt?

Leg’s busted. Our bridge got hit. It was a direct hit from the starchild, I think. … I can hear nobody but myself.

Seems your luck never runs out. Can’t say the same for those around you though. … I will send a rescue shuttle to your coordinates right now.

You are on the other end of the battlefield, it’ll never make it…

I can most certainly try! The child seems… “asleep” right now. We’re gathering the wounded and the dead and see what gives.

J’Ardin, why are you stopping?! My rescue is not worth your resources! Not when the enemy still stands! Refocus your efforts on the starchild, make it bleed out onto the stars! … Besides – it would give you an edge in your war, would it not, dear old friend?

Don’t be a fool, Arckie! I am not here to win the war! I am here to prevent annihilation! OUR annihilation. Now, stand by, we’re triangulating your coordinates.

Stubborn as always, I see.

I do appreciate your efforts however, J’Ardin

Are we winning, J’Ardin?

Do you want an honest response to that?

Heh. Figured we might be, given it’s “asleep”, like you said.

Nah, we keep firing and firing and firing, but… Nothing! We’ve wasted so much silver! A year’s worth of ammunitions – gone. All in just fifteen minutes of combat. Still… It’s stopped now, and I do not know why…

How can a single starchild be able to pull such serious firepower… It does not even rank amidst the biggest we had faced back in the war! It’s like it does not want to die. It’s mesmerizing, in a twisted sense of the word.

I’m guessing it was a mistake to listen to that maiden.

Hm, hard to tell. It didn’t seem like a bad plan at the time. We’ve never had someone inside a starchild before, and her soldiers were inside from before the battle even began. I say it was worth a shot. But we were too confident.

Say, how’s that beautiful ratlung of yours doing anyway? She still on the ship with you? And do you think she’d mind having wine with the King’s enemy?

…I can’t believe you’re thinking of companionship at times like these, J’Ardin.

You’re feeling jealous, my old friend? Do not worry, you will be in my private company too, I assure you.

Well, all you got will be just me, because she’s gone.

Dead?

I wouldn’t doubt it. I have not heard of her since the transports got destroyed. And even those that made it in, were cut off.

Yeah, I know. I sent good men to die in there as well, Arckie.

Curious then.

Hm?

Curious that you’d be willing to dine with the woman responsible for your men’s deaths.

Well, when you put it like that…

And we call you a military genius! Hahaha!

Heh, I’m glad your spirits are high at least, old man!

We’re the same age, you damned idiot!

Sir! Shuttle dispatched!

Good news, Ar-

Yeah, I heard. Thank you for your help, General J’Ardin.

Don’t mention it! It’ll be good to see you again in one piece, my friend. And I’m certain your sailors we have rescued will feel the same as well.

General J’Ardin – is this a secure and private channel we’re on?

*BZZT*

Now it is.

J’Ardin. Did you hear the starchild speak?

Not today, no. Pity – they are flowery with their prose. I don’t know if I had missed it, but it’s amusing nonetheless.

I think… I heard it earlier?

When?

I am not certain. You never can be with these things. What I do know is that it was confident, and assured.

And then it was not.

You think the maidens made it?

Maybe our own men too! Difficult to say.

Not difficult at all.

J’Ardin? Do you hear her?

Affirmative. I can see her too.

So can I. And I can see you too!

Indeed. Timespace shenanigans I take.

You would be correct.

General, King, allow me to introduce myself:

My name is Mallik. I come from Tabora, the planet you’re claiming to protect below.

If your goal is to frighten the men and women that serve us both, Mallik of Tabora, then I do not think you will succeed.

Just Mallik will suffice. And I do not hold an audience with your men, King Arcuturus of Solaria and General J’Ardin of Scythia.

My only audience is you two.

Us two… J’Ardin, the Astrids always showed us figments of our imaginations… To toy with us, to distract us. Is the ratlung yours?

Heh, what kind of mind do you think I field? One that employs whores?

Know what, maybe I should leave you both to die now.

By the rings… I apologize for my friend, but your species is not known to be tact with how it toys with those it seeks to use.

Again, your highness – I am Mallik. I am a Taboran, a ratlung, and someone that seeks to destroy the starchild you both have been fighting all your lives.

Pardon my friend, he is old and foolish, and his mind focused on war.

As if your mind is focused on anything less equally foolish, your highness.

In either case, there is little time, so listen to me carefully.

You both are to die. There is no escape from your fates.

Believe me, I have looked.

But, there is a silver lining here, one that shines bright for men such as you, for men of such importance. I believe you’ll find some solace in your deaths carrying meaning. Much like the martyr Wrethella, who gave her life for you in the last war a hundred years-

Seventy-eight. It was seventy-eight years and thirteen days ago.

Well, you know the math better than me. And you understand the importance her sacrifice played, King Arcuturus. All these ratlungs, who willingly sacrifice themselves in your name to this day; devoted, unrelenting killing machines, all because of her.

I do.

Then you understand what’s at stake here, and what I’m about to ask of you.

Yes. But listen, we-

Arckie, stop.

…

We knew this day would come eventually. We are but mortals after all. We cannot outrun time, nor fate. At the very least, let the astrid finish what she’s saying first.

Well, I’m an actual ratlung from Tabora, General J’Ardin, but I’m glad you’re letting a whore speak nonetheless, spaceboy.

Heh, touché. I may be a man of few manners, but the few I still got are important to me.

And those manners pertain to war and tactics.

And letting ratlungs talk.

Indeed.

My question is simple:

Are you ready to die, gentlemen?

How are we to build a future, if we ourselves are dead, ratlung?

Did you ever stop to consider the world will go on even after you are gone?

Or do you think yourself so important the world simply ceases once you close your eyes?

Of course I have! I am no fool, I know how the world works!

And yet, here we are, fighting the same fights over a hundred years later.

The menace that the starchilds posses cannot be understated. Were it not for us – for me and for my friend here – the galaxy would not have been as it is today.

And were it not for you still being here, the galaxy would not have been plunged into a meaningless war for the past decade either.

It is NOT my FAULT!

Oh it absolutely is.

Oh SHUT UP!

No, YOU shut up and listen, Arckie!

I am governed by petulant children it seems.

I had tried to talk to you about your goals. Your ambitions. You are stifling the galaxy, my friend – we are not the sole men that hold the answers.

How many more men do you know that know as much as we do, J’Ardin? How many more can we trust with the fate of the galaxy, a fate that hangs in the balance-

What fate? What balance? Arckie. Do you think we saved the galaxy? We only saved ourselves. The galaxy suffered our myths.

I’ve had enough of you.

Hey, wait a second! Wait a damn sec- J’Ardin, where the fuck is he going?

Leave him be – he needs to be high and mighty and dramatic-

You know I AM right.

-but he’ll be back. He always comes back. And he knows I’m right.

Holy Maker, this cannot be…

Yeah, that is Arckie alright.

You should have seen him back when he was a prince actually! Somehow worse tempered than he is now, haha!

I would really rather not, General.

Ah, please, call me J’Ardin.

I will not, General.

Well. Suit yourself.

How about you though? I seek freedom, Arcuturus seeks control. What do you seek, Mallik?

That’s easy an answer. I seek to save what you two refuse to save, obviously.

And is that your god? Your Maker?

Hah.

Don’t make me laugh.

I seek to kill Him.

Heh, so you seek two things, actually. I was like you once. Splitting myself across a million pieces, trying to save a galaxy. All I did was save my ass in the end. I cannot complain – it was an ass worth saving.

And why would that be?

Because it’s mine. The galaxy just happened to be the place where I was staying, and if that was gone, I would be gone along with it. Arcuturus and I had no choice, really. We had to save our homes. So…

We did.

I’m guessing you seek to save your own home too? Your planet below, the one we claim to protect.

…Yes.

A most noble goal of you indeed then.

There is nothing noble about survival, J’Ardin. I think you, of all people, should be aware of this. To you, Tabora was naught but a desert of little value, to me it was a home that now lies broken. Broken from promises made by those we believed in.

By the Maker, by the King, by you even.

Yeah, I can’t say I’ve not let you down. Up until today, I didn’t even know the name you had for your planet. I’ve had only known it as Eonov – an ancient name, from before my parents were born. Does this piss you off?

What do you think?

That you hold a lot of anger inside of you.

And you do not?

Oh I do! But, once you’ve reached an age such as the one I possess, you find anger loses its touch. Anger does not keep you going no more. You need something beyond it. A higher purpose, so to say.

And what is your purpose then, General J’Ardin, of the Jardinista Schism?

Heh, I like to think of it as a rebellion instead.

Your dogmas are not radically different enough.

They are not? Pft, you insult me.

What difference does it make? Living under the banner of a king or a general, the bootheel still tastes the same. Especially for a planet like Tabora, whose sole purpose is to be of entertainment for you lot. My world would not warrant your attention were it not for its prize.

And, without it? You will forget us altogether. We might wind up a curiosity that is dug up every once a blue moon – the curiosity of the planet whose sun always shines. Come, come and take the ride across the seas of endless sun!

Doesn’t that sound fun?

But we are more than just fun, we are more than just a curiosity – and I know, deep in my heart, from all the years I’ve been alive on this planet, trying desperately to escape to the stars for half of them, that you will not grant us that nuance.

Even if I leave, I will still be just a ratlung from that funky desert planet.

Then why do you continue?

Because the fight must be fought.

Because my mother did not deserve the fate He chose for her.

Because I will not go down without a fight.

Then you must understand why I keep my fight too. You are not the only one to have seen inside its heart. Your god was thought to be dead, and thus I neglected it. It was a mistake. And now it seeks to destroy us all. I cannot die just yet, not when such gods roam our worlds.

My King. You are already dead.

I have not been able to stop even my own mother’s demise, do you think I’d have gone and prevented yours if I had the chance? With the powers the Maker granted me?

I guess this means I am dead too. End of the line. Mortality’s end, where immortality begins.

The battle lasts exactly twenty-four minutes and thirty-seven seconds. J’Ardin, you said you had been spending your ammo for the last fifteen?

You will die in the next three. Arcuturus in the next two.

The shuttle will never reach Arcuturus. The Starlink will implode before then. And the sole survivor will be a woman clad in emerald robes, who will be on her way out, seeking to rebuild what you both took from her.

Huh. Go figure.

Cunning creature.

She is a ratlung after all.

Never underestimate the whores, dear General.

Heh. You’re never letting that one go, huh?

Nope.

Then, dear Mallik… If my fate is decided, what do you want from me? And from my friend?

The General commands respects, but you command admiration, King Arcuturus of the Grand Kingdom of Solaria.

Both are useful to the people.

And right now, they are dying by the hundreds.

But you can save thousands of lives with just a flick of your thumb.

The bridge has one last function still. The engines are still operational. I want you to shatter His heart.

And what about me?

The King’s demise will trigger a chain reaction. The Maker will not know what hit Him, but He will try to grab as much as He possibly can. Then, He will fall, just as I’ve devised with the help of one of your cosmonauts.

In-between His Fall and His Heart, I need you, General J’Ardin of Scythia, the pride of the Jardinista, to save as many as you can. Royalists and Jardinistas alike. Do that, and you will die; do not, and millions will.

And what about you?

I…

My friends are inside.

I cannot leave them behind.

So I will try to save them before He falls

dead on the surface of His prison.

[ictlsg23]

SESSION 1. INTRODUCTION TO INFOCOMM TECH LAW IN SINGAPORE

OPTIONAL READING: ICT LAW IN SINGAPORE CHAPTER 1

OPTIONAL REFERENCES: LAW AND TECH IN SINGAPORE CHAPTERS 1-3

A. COURSE DESCRIPTION AND OBJECTIVE

New economies have emerged within the last two decades including digital models of transaction and disruptive innovation. Internet intermediaries generally are taking on a major role as facilitators of commercial and non-commercial transactions online. These include social networking platforms (e.g. Facebook, IG and Twitter), multimedia sharing platforms (e.g. YouTube, Apple Music and Spotify), search engines and news aggregators (e.g. Yahoo, Google), content hosts and storage facilities (e.g. Dropbox) and many others. Content generating platforms such as TikTok have also become popular even as cybersecurity concerns and other misgivings have emerged at the governmental level in some jurisdictions.

In the last few years, the use of Internet of Things (IoT) have become quite common in advanced economies, the latest being wearable devices for the 'Metaverse' and an even more immersive experience in the digital realm. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is also becoming more visible at the workplace and at home, leading to ethical concerns and a slate of guidelines globally to 'govern' its development and deployment. Most recently, interest in generative AI (GAI) emerged from the successful launch of chatGPT and other similar services.

Policies and laws have been adapted to deal with the roles and functions of Internet intermediaries, IoT and AI devices and services, and their potential effects and impact on society. Regulators in every jurisdiction are faced with the challenge to manage the new economy and players, and to balance the interest of multiple parties, in the context of areas of law including intellectual property, data protection, privacy, cloud technology and cyber-security. Different types of safe harbour laws and exceptions have emerged to protect these intermediaries and putting in place special obligations; while some forms of protections have been augmented to protect the interests of other parties including content providers and creators as well as society at large. Students taking this course will examine the legal issues and solutions arising from transactions through the creation and use of digital information, goods and services ('info') as well as the use of non-physical channels of communication and delivery ('comm').

The technological developments from Web 1.0 to 2.0 and the future of Web 3.0 with its impact on human interaction and B2B/B2C commerce as well as e-governance will be examined in the context of civil and criminal law, both in relation to the relevance of old laws and the enactment of new ones. In particular, this course examines the laws specifically arising from and relating to electronic transactions and interaction and their objectives and impact on the individual vis-à-vis other parties. Students will be taken through the policy considerations and general Singapore legislations and judicial decisions on the subject with comparisons and reference to foreign legislation where relevant.

In particular, electronic commerce and other forms of transactions will be studied with reference to the Electronic Transactions Act (2010) and the Singapore domain name framework supporting access to websites; personal data privacy and protection will be studied with reference to the Personal Data Protection Act of 2012 and the Spam Control Act; the challenges and changes to tort law to deal with online tortious conduct will be analysed (e.g. cyber-harassment under the Protection from Harassment Act (2014) and online defamation in the context of online communication); the rights and liabilities relating to personal uses of Internet content and user-generated content will be considered with reference to the Copyright Act (2021); computer security and crimes will be studied with reference to the Computer Misuse Act (2017) and the Cybersecurity Act (2018); and last, but not least, Internet regulation under the Broadcasting Act and its regulations as well as the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (2019), the Foreign Interference (Countermeasures) Act (2021) and the Online Criminal Harms Bill (2021) will be critically evaluated.

You will note from the above paragraph that there have been an acceleration in the enactment of ICT laws and amendments in recent years, which shows the renewed focus of the government and policy-makers when it comes to the digital economy and society (as we move towards a SMART Nation). This is happening not online in Singapore, but abroad as well. In such an inter-connected work with porous jurisdiction when it comes to human interaction and commercial transactions, we have to be aware of global trends and, in some cases, the laws of other jurisdictions as well. When it is relevant, foreign laws will also be canvassed as a comparison or to contrast the approach to a specific problem. Projects are a good way to approach in greater depth.

B. CLASS PREPARATION FOR SESSION 1

In preparation for this session, use the online and library resources that you are familiar with to answer the following questions in the Singapore context (and for foreign/exchange students, in the context of your respective countries):

What are the relevant agencies and their policies on ICT?

What are the areas of law that are most impacted by ICT?

What is the government's position on Artificial Intelligence?

What are the latest legal developments on this field?

Also, critically consider the analysis and recommendations made in the report on Applying Ethical Principles for Artificial Intelligence in Regulatory Reform, SAL Law Reform Committee, July 2020. Evaluate it against the second version of the Model AI Governance Framework from the IMDA. Also, look at the Discussion Paper on GAI released on 6 June 2023. Take note of this even as we embark on the ‘tour’ of disparate ICT topics from Session 2 onwards, and the implications for each of those areas of law that will be covered in class.

C. ASSESSMENT METHOD AND GRADING DISTRIBUTION

Class Participation 10% (individually assessed)

Group Project 30% (group assessed)

Written Exam 60% (2 hour open book examination)

This course will be fully conducted in the classroom setting. Project groups will be formed by week 2, projects will be assigned from week 3, and presentations will begin from week 4 with written assignments to be due for submission a weeks after presentation. Further details and instructions will be given after the groups are formed, but before the first project assignment.

D. RECOMMENDED TEXTBOOK AND READINGS

The main textbook is: Warren B. Chik & Saw Cheng Lim, Information and Communications Technology Law in Singapore (Academy Publishing, Law Practice Series, July 2020). You can purchase the book (both physical and electronic copies) from the Singapore Academy of Law Publishing (ask for the student discount). If you prefer, there are copies available in the reserves section of the Law Library that you can use. The other useful reference will be: Chesterman, Goh & Phang, Law and Technology in Singapore (Academy Publishing, Law Practice Series, September 2021).

Due to the rapid pace of development in the law in some areas of analysis, students will also be given instructions and pre-assigned readings via this blog one week before each lesson. Students need only refer to the SMU eLearn website for administrative information such as the Project Schedule and the Grade Book as well as to share project papers and presentation materials. Students will be expected to analyse legislative provisions and/or cases that are indicated as required reading for each week.

Free access to the local legislation and subsidiary legislation may be found at the Singapore Statutes Online website at: https://sso.agc.gov.sg. 

Local cases are accessible through the Legal Workbench in Lawnet. The hyperlink can be found under the Law Databases column on the SMU Library’s Law Research Navigator at: http://researchguides.smu.edu.sg/LAW. 

Other online secondary legal materials on Singapore law that you may find useful include Singapore Law Watch (http://www.singaporelawwatch.sg) and Singapore Law SG (https://www.singaporelawblog.sg). 

There are also other secondary resources made available from the SMU Library when doing research for your projects such as the many other digital databases available from the LRN (e.g. Lexis, Westlaw and Hein online that are all available under the Law Databases column) and the books and periodicals that are available on the library shelves.

[shayannawab]

Thermal, Tough, Timeless: The Science Behind Zealcon’s Glass Systems

In the heart of the UAE’s fast-evolving architectural scene, one name stands out for consistently delivering excellence in glass and aluminum innovation: Zealcon Group. Since 2007, Zealcon has carved a strong reputation as a premium provider of aluminum and glass solutions tailored for the harsh Gulf climate and the luxurious lifestyle it supports.

But what exactly makes Zealcon’s glass systems stand out in a saturated market? It’s not just design — it’s the science. Every panel, every seal, and every frame is the result of careful engineering that balances thermal performance, structural toughness, and timeless elegance.

Let’s take a closer look at how Zealcon merges form and function to shape the future of modern living in the UAE.

Climate Matters: The Thermal Edge

One of the most important factors in glass system performance is thermal insulation — a non-negotiable in the UAE, where temperatures can reach well above 45°C in summer. Zealcon’s advanced glass panels are built using double-glazed and low-emissivity (Low-E) technology, which helps block infrared and ultraviolet rays while allowing visible light to pass through. This results in a more comfortable indoor environment and significantly reduced energy costs.

These features make Zealcon’s systems perfect for glass room in Dubai, where homeowners seek maximum natural light without the extreme heat. The thermal barrier reduces dependency on air conditioning, supporting both sustainability and cost savings.

By integrating thermally broken aluminium frames, Zealcon further enhances insulation. These specially engineered frames contain a non-conductive material between the inner and outer aluminum profiles, preventing heat transfer and condensation. This is where Zealcon truly shines—not only are they a top aluminium frames supplier, but they also understand how to make the most of material science for real-world performance.

Built to Endure: Tough and Tested

When we talk about toughness in glass, we don’t mean brute strength alone. We’re talking about impact resistance, weather endurance, and long-term reliability. Zealcon uses tempered and laminated glass to ensure maximum safety and resilience. These types of glass are up to five times stronger than standard glass, making them ideal for both residential and commercial applications.

This durability is crucial for UAE structures exposed to sandstorms, intense UV exposure, and high humidity. Whether it's a large commercial façade or a custom glass partition in an office, Zealcon’s systems are designed to perform under pressure — literally.

Their aluminum components are anodized or powder-coated for corrosion resistance, which is critical in coastal cities like Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Combined with precise glass installation practices, Zealcon ensures the longevity of each project, even in the most demanding conditions.

Seamless Integration: The Art of the Glass Partition

Interior design trends in the UAE have shifted dramatically in recent years toward open, airy layouts. However, open doesn’t have to mean exposed. This is where Zealcon’s glass partition systems come into play.

Their partitions divide space without sacrificing light or visibility, offering the perfect blend of privacy and openness. Whether in a corporate office or a luxury home, these partitions allow for flexible space planning and contemporary elegance.

Using a combination of frameless glass panels and sleek aluminum channels, Zealcon’s partition systems are quick to install, easy to maintain, and highly customizable. Clients can choose frosted, tinted, or even smart glass to suit their needs. And thanks to Zealcon’s expert knowledge as an aluminium frames supplier, the framework supporting these partitions is as refined as the glass itself.

Glass Rooms Dubai: A Lifestyle Statement

There’s a reason why glass rooms in Dubai have become a coveted feature in villas, penthouses, and even commercial lounges — they bring the outside in, without compromising comfort. Whether it’s a sunroom, a winter garden, or a modern tea room with skyline views, glass rooms embody a luxurious indoor-outdoor lifestyle.

Zealcon designs each glass room to meet the client’s aesthetic and functional needs. Using high-performance insulated glass, motorized shades, and precision aluminum framing, these rooms maintain optimal climate control while offering sweeping views and abundant daylight.

Beyond beauty, the science behind these rooms ensures year-round usability. Thermal breaks, UV coatings, and reinforced seals make Zealcon’s glass rooms as practical as they are stunning.

The Supplier Behind the Solution

What truly sets Zealcon apart is not just their installation expertise, but their role as a trusted aluminium frames supplier in the UAE. By controlling both the supply and installation processes, Zealcon ensures unmatched quality control, faster project timelines, and full design flexibility.

From initial consultation to final fitting, Zealcon’s team brings together architects, engineers, and craftsmen to ensure each project delivers long-term value. Their frames are built to global standards, and their commitment to customization allows clients to choose frame styles, colors, and finishes that perfectly match their vision.

Timeless by Design

Trends come and go, but quality design endures. Zealcon’s commitment to thermal comfort, material toughness, and timeless aesthetics ensures that their glass systems are more than just modern—they’re future-proof.

Whether you're upgrading your office with elegant glass partitions, creating a private glass room in Dubai, or sourcing premium-grade frames from a top aluminium frames supplier, Zealcon delivers excellence at every step.

Final Thoughts

In a region where architecture is both an art and a necessity, Zealcon Group continues to innovate with a science-backed approach to glass and aluminum solutions. Their systems aren’t just about walls and doors — they’re about creating environments that are smart, sustainable, and striking.

Thermal. Tough. Timeless. That’s the Zealcon way.

[interactivepixelsdelhi]

Top 10 Reasons to Hire a Digital Marketing Agency in 2025

Here are the top 10 compelling reasons you should partner with a professional digital marketing agency in Delhi—specifically the best digital marketing agency in Delhi, Interactive Pixels, to drive your brand’s growth in 2025 and beyond.

1. Deep Local Market Expertise

Digital marketing thrives on understanding your audience’s nuances. A dedicated digital marketing company in Delhi NCR like Interactive Pixels has its finger on the pulse of the region’s trends, preferences, and cultural context. From metro professionals in Gurgaon to startup founders in Noida, they know which messages resonate—and which fall flat.

2. Proven Track Record

Interactive Pixels has successfully steered dozens of Delhi-based businesses to higher ROI through data-driven campaigns. Rather than experimenting blindly, you benefit from strategies honed over multiple sectors—from hospitality and real estate to e-commerce—ensuring your marketing budget delivers real results.

3. Comprehensive Service Portfolio

Whether you need SEO, paid advertising, social media management, email marketing, or content creation, a top digital marketing agency in Delhi offers end-to-end services. This one-stop-shop approach saves you time (no vendor juggling) and keeps messaging consistent across all channels.

4. Cost Efficiency

Building an in-house team involves salaries, training costs, software subscriptions, and overhead. By contrast, hiring a specialist digital marketing company in Delhi NCR gives you instant access to a full team of experts—account managers, SEO strategists, designers, copywriters—without the long-term commitment and hidden costs.

5. Cutting-Edge Tools & Technologies

Leading agencies like Interactive Pixels invest heavily in premium tools for keyword research, competitor analysis, A/B testing, and performance tracking. You gain insights from platforms that might be too expensive or complex to manage on your own, ensuring campaigns are optimized in real time.

6. Scalable Strategies

Your marketing needs today might look very different six months from now. The best digital marketing agency in Delhi builds flexible roadmaps: start with brand awareness, then scale into lead generation, conversion rate optimization, or customer retention tactics. This adaptability keeps you ahead as your business grows.

7. Focus on Core Competencies

Your team excels at product innovation, customer service, and operations. By outsourcing digital marketing to experts in Delhi NCR, you free up internal resources to refine your offerings, improve user experience, and strengthen customer relationships—while the agency handles the visibility and lead funnel.

8. Data-Driven Decision Making

Gut feelings are no substitute for hard numbers. Agencies provide detailed monthly reports—traffic sources, bounce rates, conversion metrics—so you see exactly what’s working. With these insights, Interactive Pixels refines campaigns on the fly, reallocating budget to high-performing channels and cutting waste.

9. Creative Edge & Fresh Perspectives

Internal teams can get tunnel vision. A specialized partner like a premier digital marketing agency in Delhi injects fresh ideas into your strategy—whether it’s an interactive Instagram story series, a viral TikTok challenge, or a localized Google Ads campaign targeting the Delhi NCR commuter. This creative spark can differentiate you from competitors.

10. Measurable, Scalable ROI

At the end of the day, marketing investments must pay off. Working with Interactive Pixels means clear KPIs from the outset: cost per acquisition (CPA), customer lifetime value (CLV), return on ad spend (ROAS). With weekly and monthly checkpoints, you’re never in the dark about campaign performance—and you can scale up what works most profitably.

Why Interactive Pixels Stands Out? 

Local Roots, Global Vision: Interactive Pixels blends deep Delhi NCR insights with global best practices in digital marketing.

Transparent Communication: Regular strategy calls, open dashboards, and real-time chat support keep you in control and informed.

Customized Roadmaps: No cookie-cutter plans—every campaign is tailored to your unique goals, audience, and budget.

In 2025, the digital battlefield is more competitive than ever. Partnering with the right digital marketing agency in Delhi turbocharges your brand’s visibility, drives qualified leads, and maximizes your marketing ROI. From cost savings and advanced tools to creative campaigns and data-driven optimizations, Interactive Pixels delivers everything you need to outshine competitors in the fast-paced Delhi NCR market.

Ready to elevate your online presence? Reach out to the best digital marketing agency in Delhi today—Interactive Pixels—and start transforming clicks into customers.

[guyclement]

URBEX Guy Clément MALL OF FAME | UNITED STATES OF AMERICA | THE MONTGOME... - N'hésites pas à t'abonner à ma chaîne et activer les notifications 🔔pour être informé de mes prochaines explorations et découvertes! Feel free to subscribe my channel and activate notifications 🔔to be aware about my next explorations and discoveries! Le Centre commercial Montgomery (Alabama) à ouvert ses portes en 1970, il a dû fermer en 2008 faute de clients. En février 2013, une partie du site a été réaménagé Son histoire passe par un agrandissement en 1987 et achevé en 1988. Les enseignes phares USA étaient présentes : Piccadilly Cafeteria, Gap, Eddie Bauer , Ruby Tuesday, American Eagle Outfitters, JCPenney et Dillard's. En 1998, Glimcher Realty Trust rachète  le centre commercial pour 70 millions de dollars mais la fin approche dès les années 2000... Après une polémique avec le Maire, la société Glimcher a vendu le centre commercial en mai 2007. Le centre commercial a fermé ses portes en 2008. En mai 2011, la société Keith Corporation souhaite racheter une surface conséquente du site. Actuellement, une caserne de pompier utilise une petite partie du site.... The Montgomery (Alabama) Mall opened in 1970, it had to close in 2008 due to lack of customers. In February 2013, part of the site was redeveloped Its history goes through an expansion in 1987 and completed in 1988. USA flagship signs were presented: Piccadilly Cafeteria, Gap, Eddie Bauer , Ruby Tuesday, American Eagle Outfitters, JCPenney and Dillard’s. In 1998, Glimcher Realty Trust bought the mall for 70 million dollars but the end is approaching as early as 2000... After a controversy with the Mayor, the company Glimcher sold the mall in May 2007. The mall closed in 2008. In May 2011, the company Keith Corporation wants to buy a large area of the site. Currently, a fire station uses a small portion of the site.... Das Einkaufszentrum Montgomery (Alabama) wurde 1970 eröffnet und 2008 wegen fehlender Kunden geschlossen. Im Februar 2013 wurde ein Teil des Geländes umgebaut Seine Geschichte geht durch eine Erweiterung im Jahr 1987 und abgeschlossen im Jahr 1988. Die USA-Flaggschiffe waren vertreten: Piccadilly Cafeteria, Gap, Eddie Bauer , Ruby Tuesday, American Eagle Outfitters, JCPenney und Dillard’s. Im Jahr 1998 kaufte Glimcher Realty Trust das Einkaufszentrum für 70 Millionen US-Dollar, aber schon in den 2000er Jahren rückte das Ende näher... Nach einer Auseinandersetzung mit dem Bürgermeister verkaufte die Firma Glimcher das Einkaufszentrum im Mai 2007. Das Einkaufszentrum wurde 2008 geschlossen. Im Mai 2011 will die Firma Keith Corporation eine große Fläche des Geländes kaufen. Derzeit nutzt eine Feuerwache einen kleinen Teil des Geländes... El centro comercial Montgomery (Alabama) abrió sus puertas en 1970, tuvo que cerrar en 2008 por falta de clientes. En febrero de 2013, parte del sitio fue remodelado Su historia pasa por una ampliación en 1987 y terminado en 1988. Las señas USA estaban presentes: Piccadilly Cafeteria, Gap, Eddie Bauer , Ruby Tuesday, American Eagle Outfitters, JCPenney y Dillard’s. En 1998, Glimcher Realty Trust compra el centro comercial por 70 millones de dólares pero el fin se acerca ya en los años 2000... Después de una polémica con el alcalde, la empresa Glimcher vendió el centro comercial en mayo de 2007. El centro comercial cerró en 2008. En mayo de 2011, la empresa Keith Corporation desea comprar una superficie importante del sitio. Actualmente, un cuartel de bomberos utiliza una pequeña parte del sitio.... Il centro commerciale Montgomery (Alabama) ha aperto le sue porte nel 1970, è stato chiuso nel 2008 per mancanza di clienti. Nel febbraio 2013, una parte del sito è stato riorganizzato La sua storia passa attraverso un ampliamento nel 1987 e completato nel 1988. I segni di punta degli Stati Uniti erano presenti: Piccadilly Cafeteria, Gap, Eddie Bauer , Ruby Tuesday, American Eagle Outfitters, JCPenney e Dillard’s. Nel 1998, Glimcher Realty Trust acquista il centro commerciale per 70 milioni di dollari ma la fine si avvicina già negli anni 2000... Dopo una polemica con il sindaco, la società Glimcher ha venduto il centro commerciale nel maggio 2007. Il centro commerciale ha chiuso nel 2008. Nel maggio 2011, la società Keith Corporation vuole acquistare una superficie consistente del sito. Attualmente, una caserma di pompieri utilizza una piccola parte del sito.... Centrum handlowe Montgomery (Alabama) zostało otwarte w 1970 roku, musiało zostać zamknięte w 2008 roku z powodu braku klientów. W lutym 2013 r. Część witryny została przebudowana Retrouvez-moi sur les réseaux / Follow me for daily content: 👍 Facebook:  Urbex Guy Clement  https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?... 👉 Youtube  URBEX Guy Clément  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNhQ... 📸 Instagram:  @abandoned.urbex.world  https://www.instagram.com/abandoned.u...     🎵TikTok: @urbexguyclement https://www.tiktok.com/@urbexguycleme...     🐦Twitter: @GuyPellegrin https://twitter.com/GuyPellegrin   #abandoned #exploration #urbex