#fatal four way elimination

[ramblings-of-a-chaotic-neutral]

Hello everyone! I'm back with another Merlin au! This time featuring a role reversal and Merlin getting yet another job that he never wanted! Enjoy! :D

EDIT: You can find part 2 of this au here!

This au takes places during the season four finale, when Arthur gives up on being king and tells Merlin that Camelot will have to find itself another king if they defeat Morgana, since Arthur no longer feels worthy of being king.

So, Merlin leads him to Excalibur and helps him draw the sword from the stone in front of the people of Camelot, successfully convincing Arthur to believe in himself and his place as a good leader.

That night though, after Arthur confided in Merlin about his worries of Morgana's magic being too powerful for them to fight, Merlin sneaks back into the castle in dosguise as Dragoon and plants the curse that will strip Morgana of her powers the next day. However, he gets caught in the act by Morgana, who of course immediately starts attacking her sworn enemy.

Merlin is put on the defensive, putting all of his efforts into shielding himself from Morgana's attacks and fending off Helios and his fighters at the same time. After a few minutes, his spell that disguises him as Dragoon fades, as all of his magical strength is poured into his fight against Morgana.

Merlin can see the exact moment that Morgana's eyes widened with shock, and it's then that he realizes what had just happened: Morgana knew exactly who he was now.

After the moment of shocked silence passed, Morgana started cackling, finding the situation hilarious. She taunts Merlin, asking if Arthur knows what he is. Upon seeing Merlin wince, Morgana offers him a deal: join her side and help eliminate Arthur, or he can burn in the courtyard like so many of their magical bretheren. Morgana sneers at him that he'd better accept her deal, as he'd burn on a pyre at Arthur's hand even if Merlin kept fighting at his side.

Merlin, predictably, rejects her offer and continues his attack, rebuking Morgana for her cruelty and violence. At this point, their fight had migrated all the way out into the courtyard, which gave them more space to use more destructive spells against each other.

Morgana hurled fireballs at Merlin, and he responded by throwing blinding arcs of lightning at her. Morgana managed to barely sheild herself against the attack, but Helios and his men weren't as lucky and were blasted away in the attack, all of them fatally wounded.

Seeing that her backup was now gone, Morgana redoubled her attacks, franticly throwing spell after spell at her prophesied killer. As Merlin desperately shielded himself, he had an idea. The very thought of it caused guilt to well up in his throat, but he saw no other way to survive.

As Morgana renewed her constant barrage of spells, Merlin didn't defend himself with a shielding spell. Instead, he powered all of his already diminished power into a redirection spell, attempting to throw Morgana's spells back at her.

Sure enough, as soon as Morgana's spells collided with Merlin's redirection spell, they were launched right back at Morgana, who didn't have enough time to dodge or shield herself from the blast.

Morgana's own spells hit her with all of the killing intent that she had aimed at her mortal enemy, and her spells accomplished their goal: killing their target.

Merlin both shocked and horrified as he looked down at Morgana's body, as he didn't intend to kill her, only subdue her so that she could stand trail and face Arthur's justice. However, it seemed like Morgana's own murderous fury had been too strong for even herself, ultimately bringing about her demise.

As Merlin silently held onto Morgana's fallen body, just as he did on that fateful day when he poisoned her and pushed her into Morgause's clutches, he saw the run begin to rise over the castle. He quickly jolted up at the sight, his heart leaping with panic, since he needed to be back in Arthur's camp in the woods before anyone noticed that he was gone!

Merlin ran out of the castle, quickly finding his way back to Arthur's camp, and planning out what he was going to say to hopefully explain his absence. Maybe picking medicinal herbs in preparation to help anyone wounded during the upcoming battle? That would work!

But... there wasn't going to be a battle, since all of their enemies were now lying dead in the castle's courtyard, unknown to all of the fighters preparing to give their lives to retake their home. Shit, everyone would start looking for answers the moment they set foot in the castle, how was Merlin supposed to throw them off his trail?!

Merlin was so preoccupied with these thoughts swirling around his head as he ran back to the hidden camp that he didn't notice the many eyes peering at him from a certain window in the castle, with the men inside having seen everything that had just transpired.

(When Morgana had taken over the castle, she had locked all of the lords and older knights on Arthur's council in an old meeting room, planning to execute them later. She didn't plan to rule with some useless council to hold her back after all!

It was truly an unfortunate coincidence for Merlin that the particular room that Morgana had locked them in had a perfect view of the courtyard below and the unexpected battle that took place on it that night.)

Merlin, luckily, managed to make it back to the camp just as Arthur was waking up, and no one else seemed to have noticed that he was missing that morning, too preoccupied by preparations for the upcoming battle. Merlin breathed a sigh of relief when no one commented on him being gone. Maybe this would actually go smoothly!

That morning, Arthur gave a rousing and inspiring speech to his people, ready to lead them into battle. With the light shining on him and Excalibur by his side, his people ready to follow him to the ends of the earth, Arthur looked every bit the king Merlin imagined he could be. Looking at Arthur, King Arthur, Merlin's heart swelled with pride and hope. And if he had to blink some tears from his eyes, then no one commented on it.

Still, the fact that Arthur was leading them into a battle that was already won had Merlin shifting his feet with nervousness. How would Arthur react? Would anyone discover that Merlin was behind Morgana's defeat? Would they question their unexpected boon, or would they simply accept it with relief?

Merlin's anxiety heightened with each step the army took towards Camelot. While the army, along with Tristan and Isolde, were going to try to storm the castle from the main entrance (which Merlin knew would be easier than anticipated, since Morgana's army was dead), a smaller group comprised of Arthur, Merlin, Gwen, Percival, and Leon were sent through the underground tunnels to launch a sneak attack on Morgana.

Merlin just put on a stoic face and nodded as Arthur outlined the plan, still trying to figure out how he could avoid suspicion after the army of Camelot realizes that Morgana and her army were already defeated.

Their small group easily makes to through the tunnels, which puts Arthur more on edge, as Merlin can see that he thinks that it's almost too easy, like they're walking into a trap. Merlin wished that he could allay Arthur's fears, but he couldn't at the moment, not without revealing that he knows too much.

When they reached the dungeons, Leon and Percival separated from them to go free Gwaine, Elyan, Gaius, and the other prisoners held down there. Meanwhile, Arthur, Merlin, and Gwen headed for the throne room, with two of them tense and ready for a fight against a formidable sorceress, and one of them tense under the weight of his own secrets.

When Arthur burst open the doors to the throne room, adrenaline rushing and ready for a fight to the death, he was ready to see his sister on his throne, mocking and tormenting him. Instead, to his shock, he found his entire council inside, alive and well and loudly squabbling amongst themselves.

Upon hearing the doors to the throne room crash open, they all froze and grew silent, turning to look at who was there. They all relaxed upon seeing Arthur, but tensed when they saw who was standing right behind him.

"I'm glad to see that all of you are unharmed, but what are you all doing here? Where is Morgana! We must defeat her at once!"

The lords' eyes grew wide as they started murmuring amongst each other in sharp tones. Finally, Geoffrey was pushed forward, seemingly appointed as the voice of the group.

"Welcome back, my lord. It is truly a blessing to see you back unharmed. However, we do bring troubling news to you. It is with a heavy heart that we inform you of these changes."

Geoffrey trailed off from there, his face grim. He seemed reluctant to say anything further, much to Arthur's frustration and horror.

"What do you mean news? What has happened? What has Morgana done?!"

Geoffrey sighed, looking every bit of his numerous years. After another tense moment of silence, Geoffrey spoke again.

"Sire, we wish to inform you that Morgana Pendragon is dead. She was killed in a battle in the early hours this morning. Her body still lies where she met her demise in the courtyard."

While Merlin grew pale and tensed even more, both Arthur and Gwen stumbled backwards with shock at Geoffrey's words, the breath knocked out of them both by the unbelievable news.

"What- How did this happen?! Who could have... how is that even possible?!"

"We," Geoffrey replied as he gestured to all of the lords and council members standing around him, "witnessed all of it from a room overlooking the courtyard. It was an unbelievable sight, one that I myself might not believe if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes. A lone sorcerer called lightning down on all of Morgana's soldiers, killing them in an instant. He then proceeded to battle Morgana to the death in a duel of magic. He managed to defeat her before leaving the citadel in a hurry."

Arthur stood, frozen, as Geoffrey's words swirled around his head, almost comprehendible. Many conflicting feelings- relief, grief, shock, horror- welled up in his chest, almost choking him with their strength. He was paralyzed as he grieved his sister, celebrated his kingdom's safety from her wrath, and feared this new, more powerful sorcerer who had single-handedly defeated his sister, the most power magic user Camelot had ever seen.

Merlin, meanwhile, stood completely still, his heart beating as fast as a rabbit on the run from a wolf. They saw him, they all did. But it was dark, so maybe they didn't recognize him? Merlin hoped with everything he had that they hadn't recognized him during the battle.

Grimacing again, Geoffrey cleared his throat, apparently having more to say. Merlin's heart leapt with terror as Geoffrey opened his mouth once more.

"Sire, it is with great remorse that I must inform you of this, but there is more news. As is law, Morgana took the throne through right of conquest, as your father did in his time. Morgana was, in the time she ruled Camelot with her forces, the rightful ruler in the eyes of the law.

However, this sorcerer defeated the the ruler of Camelot and conquered her entire army. By the laws of Camelot and by the right of conquest, he is the rightful king of Camelot. Therefore, unfortunately, unless you formally challenge him for the throne and win, we cannot reinstate you as king at this time."

If it was possible, Merlin became even paler at those words, feeling woozy and sick to his stomach. Had he just sabotaged his own efforts?! He did all of this to keep Arthur as king, not undermine him!

Gwen gave a loud gasp, a look of horror on her face, while Arthur's jaw clenched in anger and frustration.

"This is preposterous! Whoever that sorcerer is, he fled! He cannot become king, nor can I challenge him, if he isn't even here!"

Merlin took a staggered step back as Geoffrey's eyes landed on him. He had the grasp at the pillar next to him for support under the old librarian's gaze. He knew.

"The sorcerer did leave after his battle with Morgana, as I said earlier, but I'm afraid that he is here right now, sire."

Merlin felt like he was about to faint. Oh gods, was he about to throw up?

Arthur's entire body jolted to attention, his grip tightening on the sword as he registered Geoffrey's words. He forced one strained word passed his clenched jaw.

"Where?"

Geoffrey motioned one of the other lords on the council forward, and he stepped forward with the coronation crown and royal seal resting on a pillow.

"The council and all of Camelot's vassal lords feel that it is in Camelot's best interest to acknowledge and formalize the sorcerer's claim to the throne at this time, as we are yet unaware of his true power or the danger he poses should he decide to attack. We unanimously agree that it would be best to not give him any reason to retaliate against Camelot, as we fear he might if we do not acknowledge his rightful conquest."

Arthur's face fell, his expression ashen and devastated. His own council had turned against him? They had chosen this unknown and potentially dangerous sorcerer to place the lives of his people in?

Arthur, Gwen, and Merlin were all frozen with shock and dread, looking on in horror as Geoffrey took the coronation crown and royal seal from their cushion and stepped forward, approaching the paralyzed trio.

"It is with a heavy heart that we crown the new king of Camelot, ascended through the right of conquest over Morgana Pendragon."

Geoffrey moved past Arthur, looking at first like he was heading for the door behind them, but Merlin knew who he was actually walking towards. Merlin flinched backwards, trying to get away from Geoffrey and the crown he was carrying, but he was stopped by the hard stone wall behind his back.

"We, the council and lords of Camelot, do declare our fealty to the slayer of Morgana, the prophesized sorcerer known as Emrys, King Merlin!"

Geoffrey punctuated his announcement by placing the crown on a very pale Merlin's head, much to the horror of Arthur and Gwen.

And it was at that moment that Merlin did faint.

That's all from this au for now! Let me know what you think of it and if you'd like a continuation of this au! Until next time!

And, as always, thank you for reading through my ramblings! :D

[writingintheshadowsforever]

Shuri x Reader Fatal Touch Part 2

Summary: When your secret is brought to light and threatens to unravel the life you've built. You decide its time to move on and never look back, or at least you try to. Shuri isn't letting you go without a fight

Queen Ramonda was notified of an unknown breach in security at one of the outreach centers located in Nigeria. This came as a surprise considering how close to home the neighboring country was. In the past whenever France, the U.S., or any other country made a play to steal vibranium. It was always on the outside the continent of Africa, sense it was believed every country there was under the same protection as Wakanda itself. But then again maybe that's why whoever was responsible for this attack chose Nigeria. It was an unexpected and bold move, not to mention it could be the very nation itself responsible.

Either way the mission was the same as all the others. Eliminate all threats, recover any stolen vibranium, and capture all assailants so they could identified. It was a dance the Dora Milaje had been through a number of times, but this was your time partaking in this kind of mission. Your position in the royal guard had always been special. After you revealed your secret to T'Challa not only did he agree to keep it from everyone else including his parents, Nakia, and most trusted guards like Okoye. But he went out of his way to make sure you could serve in the army, while not compromising yourself. He presented the idea to his Queen Ramonda, and King T'Chaka of giving Shuri her own personal bodyguard who would train with only the best warriors.

He made you out to be the perfect candidate voicing how you being the same age as the Princess, and being able to grow up with her. Was more of a benefit rather than a liability Shuri would see you as a friend making it easier for you and to bond and trust each other. The connection between you two would be genuine and unbreakable. It took some conniving, but eventually both of them caved. But with you being such a formidable warrior there were still moments you would go on missions. Most of them were high-level with T'Challa, Okoye, and a few guards. It was important for you to have field experience just in case.

"Is there a specific reason you required my assistance on this mission?" You asked Ayo while switching out your everyday gloves, for the more sturdy ones made out stronger material. Unlike the Doras you didn't have armor. Your mission attire was a simple black vibranium suit that took shape on your body. The same way the Black Panther suit did, but you still put on a extra layer of gloves.

"It was a suggestion I bring you along, and we could use your skillset" she told you.

You snorted "Gee I wonder who made the suggestion."

Your snippy tone had her eyes snapping in your direction narrowing at the comment. You held your hands in surrender and walked around her to join the other Doras on the bench. Ayo let you off the hook shaking her head.

She didn't have to tell you who it was, because the only person the woman took orders from was The General. Who was seemingly absent from such a big mission. Deep down while you wanted nothing more than be angry with Okoye, for once again interfering in your relationship with Shuri. For the second time in less than twenty-four hours you found yourself feeling grateful for her actions. The hurt on Shuri's face when your heartbreaking words reached her ears was still fresh on your mind.

There was no doubt in your heart if you had stuck around a second longer. You would've caved in and took everything you said back. Even it took dropping down on your knees and begging for her forgiveness. You cherished her love more than your own dignity, but Okoye had been right. The Princess deserved to be someone who could love her all the way, and not just halfway. She deserved more than your empty promises, and distance love.

It would be a hard adjustment for both of you, and maybe you would have to stay gone a bit longer. This time for the message to really sink in, but once it did Shuri would finally move on. Seeing her happy and falling in love with someone else was going to tear a hole in your heart. A hole that could never be filled without her, but its what's best for Shuri.

"Are you sure we need her for this particular mission?" Aneka questioned her love. Her eyes were trained on your relaxed form. You were sitting between two other Doras with your head thrown back against the wall of the Talon fighter. Eyes were closed with your breathing steady. You didn't look to be in distress anymore, but all she could think about was all the inner turmoil. You had been going through just an hour ago, and your refusal to share any info on what was causing it.

"Okoye wanted me to bring her" Ayo replied making it clear. Your presence here was never up for discussion. "Is there something going on I should know about?"

"Just keep an eye on her during the fight alright don't let her out of your sight if you can. The Queen doesn't want any casualties on this mission, and that's kind of ironic with her here."

"Are you saying y/n can't show restraint?

Aneka raised an eyebrow and scoffed. "She is an urban legend outside of Wakanda. They call her the Girl with The Touch of Death. I'm not completely sure of how she got that name, but everyone here has heard stories."

"Nevertheless y/n knows her place and will follow orders the same as everyone else here" Ayo said with certainty in her voice, but it wavered a little bit. The second in command wouldn't admit to her lover, or anyone else, but she felt something was off with your aura. She just prayed to Bast it didn't jeopardize the mission.

One Hour Later

The Talon Fighters landed in a discreet location in a wooded area covered by the trees and bush. It would be a ten minute hike to the Outreach center, but it allowed you guys to keep the element of surprise. It was believed the strike team had already managed to get their hands on some vibranium samples, and were in the process of dealing with the scientists and volunteers. It was important that no one died considering some of the volunteers belonged to different countries who wouldn't be too happy with losing an asset.

It was the last Queen Ramonda needed right now.

"Alright is everyone clear on the objective. We move in quietly, spilt up accordingly to locate our targets, and neutralize with minimal force." Ayo shouted to all of the Doras her eyes scanning the small army to make sure everyone was paying attention.

When her eyes landed on yours her face took the form of a frown. Your hood was pulled up along with your mask covering all of your face expect your eyes. They were dark and clouded with despair, still you nodded your head along with the other Doras.

Ayo gave you the west wing of the building to clear out partnering you up with three other Doras. She could feel the waves of dread coming off you, and knew whatever storm had brewing inside of you had only gotten worse. And nothing was going to subside it you were a walking natural disaster at this point. She wished that herself or Aneka could've been in your group, but they had a lot of ground to cover. Makena was the next in line in seniority. She was only a few years behind Ayo in terms of service, and was a excellent order. She was put in charge, and warned to do her best to keep you from getting carried away.

The four of you moved through the halls at a slow, but methodical pace. None of you made any noise with your movements you could hear raindrop hit the floor, or better yet the muffled pleadings of the workers through steel walls. Once Makena was able to pinpoint the exact location of where they were being kept. She rounded all three of you up to come up with a plan of attack. But you had only one plan on your mind, and it was attack. The adrenaline pumping through your veins coupled with your bad nerves. It wouldn't take much to set you off. So when the sound of a gun clicking reached all of your ears, you broke off from the group. Drowning out Makena's panic whispers ordering you to stop.

Your foot slammed into the door kicking it in, and knocking the mercenary behind it to the ground. You counted a total of six armed mercenaries in all, and eight hostages. All of them were huddled in one corner of the lab on their knees, and hands behind their back. The mercenary on the top of the stairs would be a problem having the advantage of high ground. You rolled out of the way as a string of bullets came flying at the entrance. You came up behind a workstation, and grabbed a ball of vibranium a display. You whirled around throwing it with all your strength.

It went sailing through the air striking the mercenary on the stairs right in the face with such force. He flew off his feet and to the metal platform.

Two down. Four more to go.

By now the Makena and the other three Doras had joined the fight. Spinning the spears in unison creating an impenetrable shield that sent the bullets to the ground.

You threw your body forward crashing into another guy, and he tumbled back into the wall. Your hands wrapped around his machine gun that was strapped to his body. You pulled hard on it, twisting your body around using the momentum to bring him with you. He was slammed back first to the floor. The man struggled as your knee dropped down to his stomach causing him to groan in pain. Then your fist struck him in the face once, twice, three times.

A sickening crunch sounded off as you wailed on the mercenary alerting you to. The fact you probably broke his nose, but you didn't care the image of tears falling from Shuri's eyes clouded your mind. So you landed a punch for every single tear she shedded because of you. The man was paying for her pain in the worst way possible. A strong arm wrapped around your neck from behind and yanked you away from the bloody and unconscious man.

Your assailant tightened his grip to the point where your airways were nearly cut off. But the rage coursing through your body made you oblivious to it. You simply snapped your head back hitting the attacker in the face. With a cry of pain his hold loosened enough for you to slip out of it, and turn around.

You followed up with a hard kick to the stomach. He stumbled back right into one of the Dora's spear, and his body lit up with electricity. You still delivered a hard right hook to his jawline dropping him as well.

"Was that really necessary y/n" Makena scolded you disapprovingly.

"He's still breathing ain't he" You shot back with venom in your voice.

"You're doing too much damage. What do you not understand about minimal force?" She jabbed a finger over her shoulder pointing at the mercenary you brutally beat just a few seconds ago.

"I didn't kill anyone so back off" You seethed.

Makena opened her mouth to continue the argument, but one of the other Dora's yelled before she could.

"We got a runner."

Both of your heads whipped towards the door to just in time to see a tall, and lean white man bolt down the hallway. "We were able get a read on him. Makena he's wanted in Wakanda for theft and murder."

Your eyes darkened as you cracked your fingers. "He's mine" You whispered in a low tone.

"Y/N no he's headed towards Ayo I'll let her know" Makena ordered.

"I'll intercept him" You disobeyed orders once again to go into pursuit of the fleeing enemy. The distant words "stand down" barely registering in your mind.

The mercenary had a bit of a head start, and from the route he was taking. You knew he was heading for a back exit leading to the forest. Even though it was still daytime, and there was blue sky was shinning light down. The forest itself was shrouded in darkness from all the surrounding trees. He would have no problem losing you in the twisting paths, and disappearing forever.

You pushed your legs to move faster ignoring the burning sensation in your legs, and right as he reached the door you tackled him from behind. Both of you went flying through the door out into the wet grassy field. He rolled around so he was on top of you, but you brought a foot up kicking him away. He flew back to the ground.

Both of y'all jumped back to your feet to square off with each other. Your mask had been pulled down revealing your face to him. He had to be no older than thirty with dark brown hair, and a chiseled face with brown scruff.

"Aren't I a lucky guy I'm getting to face off with the Touch of Death" He said with arrogance in his voice. It was obvious that he believed this fight was already won for him.

You grimaced at the title never being a fan of it, and wishing that it didn't exist. Your only saving grace was that it never got back to Shuri that you had such a deadly reputation outside of the palace. In the past there had a been a few missions where your grim ability came into play. Eventually you used it enough times, and word carried throughout multiple regions. Until finally people decided that you had to be called something other than your name.

The Girl with The Touch of Death was born and you loathed it.

"Surrender now and maybe I'll go easy on you" You offered him.

"Technically if I surrender you're not supposed to touch me at all" He corrected you.

"Nahhh buddy you ran and I don't got no cuffs on me." You replied shaking your head. "You catching this beat down either way. Its up to you how bad it is."

For a second his confidence wavered as he paused circling you for a quick second. He was contemplated his chances of actually winning this fight, and in the end he must have decided. The odds were in his favor because with a cry of rage. The mercenary ran towards you with outstretched arms.

You moved to the side dodging his wild attack, and brought your leg to kick him in the abdomen. He doubled over with his head snapping to the side from a fist to the face. You danced around him slamming a elbow to the back of his head.

His foot slipped in the wet grass making him fall to the ground. Before he could attempt to get back up you brought your foot down onto his back pushing his body back down. "Its over."

"Is it really?" He asked with a underlying hopeful tone. In your peripheral line of vision you caught his hand grasping at something, and too late did you realize what it was. By the time you brought your arms up to defend your face. The dirt had reached your eyes bringing a painful sting to them. Out of reflex you tried to rub the pain away, and in that split second the tables were turned.

He swept your feet out from under you as your foot left his back, and you went down in the grass with a loud thud. He scrambled on top of your locking his legs around your waist to pin your body beneath his. His evil smile with gleaming white teeth filled your vision, once you were able to open them again. Before you knew what was happening your mouth flew open to gasp for air.

His hands were around your throat squeezing, and choking the life out of you. Eyes widening in anger with a tiny hint of fear you brought your hands up to tug on his wrists. But he was stronger, and your body was weakened. The adrenaline was starting to wear off in an last act of desperation. You brought your knees up to hit him in the back.

"Not going to work Grim Reaper" He laughed leaning down so his face were only inches from yours. His cold eyes filled with victory bored into your panicking ones.

"I heard stories about you all the time" He whispered. "People said death followed you wherever you went. People said you was Wakanda's secret weapon I never believed them.

Your vision was in and out as consciousness started to slip away from you. Somehow his words reached your brain and it sparked one last move from you. The only one you had left with your last bit of strength. You grasped the sleeve of the right glove, and tugged on it till your hand was free. The suit retracted revealing your bare right hand, and you grabbed his wrist again. This time letting your power flow freely no longer keeping it at bay. It answered your call with glee after laying dormant inside of you for so long.

The man didn't feel right away. He just kept cackling away shaking you by the neck every now and then. But then his hand started turning a light gray as his veins popped out. Once the effects traveled up his arm, his hold on your neck loosened a bit. The mercenary frowned peering down to see what was causing his body to shutdown.

A grin crept up on your face as he grew weaker your body was coming back to life. You were getting stronger as you drained the life force from him. Finally the man pulled his hands away from you with a cry of alarm. His skin had wrinkled up by now, and were completely blue and frail. "What did you do?" He cried out in fear.

You sat up taking in as much air as you could refilling your crying lungs. You spun your body around hitting him with a double kick to the face. He landed in the grass on his stomach, and blinded by rage of the near-death experience.

You leapt on his back placing your bare hand back on his face pressing his face to the grass. Your power flared up again, and he let out a wail as his body started to wither away.

"Stop pl-please staaa" his voice trailed off as the life was sucked right out of him. His body went still as his cries were silenced. You rolled off of the deceased man to lay in the grass breathing hard. "Fuck no casualties" you murmured.

"Y/N" a familiar voice called out to you with caution.

In a flash you were on your feet eyes locking onto the intruder. It was Ayo with wide eyes flickering back and forth between the dead body, and you. It didn't take long to realize her eyes were zeroing in on a specific part of your body. Your bare right hand.

"How much did you see?" You asked her nervously. It was a stupid question the way her hand gripped her spear so tight. Her knuckles were straining. The disbelief mixed with utter terror on her face told just exactly what she saw.

But you wanted to hear her say it.

"How much did you see?" You repeated a bit more fierce this time.

Ayo took a step back at the tone in your voice, and gripped her spear in both hands angling it towards you. "You killed him."

"He tried to kill me first" You argued.

"Y/N what was that? What did you do to him?" she hissed

"Ayo drop the spear it's me for crying out loud. I'm not going to hurt you." You insisted partially out of annoyance, but also with hurt. Did she fear you now that she knew the truth?

"How long have you been able to do that?" Ayo continued to question you instead. Her spear twitching in her hand.

In your eyes it didn't matter what you said her mind was already made up. "Oh screw this" You exclaimed and turned around to begin walking deeper into the forest.

Ayo didn't chase after you right away, her mind still reeling from what she just witnessed, and trying to process it. You got maybe twenty to thirty yards away from her, before she started after you calling your name with a sense of urgency.

"Y/N stop that is an order" she demanded just a few feet away from you.

You turned on her with tears in your eyes threatening to spill over. "What for? So you can keep looking at me like I'm some monster. I didn't ask for this Ayo I was born with it, and not a day goes by where I don't wish I wasn't."

"I don't thin-" Ayo began

"lixoki uyafana nje nabazali bam" You snapped cutting her off.

"Your parents" she said in confusion. Like everyone else she was under the impression you had a healthy and loving relationship with your family. So your accusation threw her for a loop.

"They hate Ayo ever since they discovered what I could do. They treated like I was devil in disguise. They dropped me off the trail leading to the palace in the middle of night. Not at the doorstep but at the trail I had to make the hike alone and cold during. The middle of the night at the age of fourteen. What loving parents treat their child like that?

"But you write to them" Ayo argued.

You scoffed "none of those letters belonged to them. I wouldn't be surprised if they packed up and moved after getting rid of me. My parents biggest fear was that the royal family wouldn't want me, and I would be linked back to them. My return was their biggest nightmare" You continued to explain wiping your eyes with your sleeve

"But why lie?"

To keep up with the facade that I came from a happy and healthy home. I had to just like I had to lie in order to make it in my new life. I knew if any of you have found out the truth you would look at me the way you are right now."

Ayo shook her head taking tentative steps forward. "Y/N I'm just a little shocked that’s all I promise."

"I only wanted a family. I wanted to be loved you know, but it was all just a fairytale huh." You said with a humorless chuckle letting the tears fall.

"Is this why you refuse to be with Princess Shuri?" She asked

"How can I be with her when my touch can kill her?"

Her gaze moved to your hands again studying them with fascination. "Is your power always active?"

You shook your head. "No I've gained control over it for most of the part it. But sometimes control slips my mind when I'm emotional or lose focus. My power doesn't kill instantly but I don't how much time I'm taking off someone’s life span. If I use my power on them for even a mere second. I won't risk it with Shuri."

Ayo regarded you with sadness and pity, but you were so beyond that now. "I'll just go alright you can tell them I went missing in action, or died whatever lie you can conjure up. I'm fine with it." You made it all of three steps before Ayo was on you gripping your forearm with a serious expression.

"I am not your parents and you are Wakandan no matter what y/n. You are one of us and I brought you on this mission, so I will be bringing you back home" she declared. "Now if you wish to run away and leave the Princess with questions rather than answers. Once we return then I won't stop you, but for now you're coming home with us."

You let out a sigh "fine but on one condition."

She tilted her head to the side in curiosity, and motioned for you to continue. Her grip tightening on your arm in warning though.

"You don't speak a word of my power to anyone" You told her with pleading eyes.

Ayo didn't give you a dignified answer because saying no would have you trying to run, and saying yes would be a blatant lie. She cared for you and understood why you wanted your ability to stay a secret. But was bind by her duty to report something this big back to her General at least.

"I won't tell the Princess" she finally said after a moment while leading you back to the building.

It wasn't the answer you wanted but it would suffice for now.

Wakanda

"Yo what's up with the Princess today?

Aamina looked up from the chemical sample she was examining to give her attention to. Her friends who were gathered around the edge of the ramp. They were located on the right side of the lab working three levels up. Princess Shuri worked in her usual spot on the first floor in the center of the lab.

She walked over to join them glancing down at her beautiful boss. "She does seem to be on edge today doesn't she."

"She is and take a look around" Kayin said making a sweeping motion with his arm. "Someone is missing from her side today."

A light bulb lit up Aamina's mind as she scanned the entire lab looking for your hidden figure. You were nowhere near Shuri and she didn't see you anywhere else. Joy filled her eyes once she realized you truly weren't here.

"So Shuri is upset and y/n is missing. Do you guys know what this means?" she cheered with giddiness.

Both guys turned to their friend with raised eyebrows, and disapproving stares. "Not cool Aamina it feels different this time" Kayin told her.

"Yeah she isn't just upset she's....." Mosi's voice trailed off as he tried to find the right word to describe Shuri's demeanor. "Devastated" he finished a minute later.

"Which means its final y/n finally came to her senses." Aamina replied disregarding their concern altogether. She could finally make her move without being disturbed.

The sound of approaching footsteps ascending the ramp made all of them swiveled their heads in that direction. Amira entered the workspace dressed in a white lab coat, a dark-blue button-up shirt, black jeans, and black sneakers. Her long black hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail. "Don't you guys have something better to do than gossip. Like I don't know your job we need those samples fully examined by the end of today."

Mosi and Kayin wasted no time in getting up to head back to their desks. But Aamina's attention went back to the sulking Princess as she tried to think of what to say.

"Aamina get back to work or go home. You can dream about Princess Shuri there" Amira ordered.

"Would you chill out" Aamina whined with a hint of anger. She glanced back at her fellow scientist, and the hardened glare that met her had the girl stumbling back.

"Don't forget your place Aamina I'm your superior. I have no problem suspending you for the rest of the week, and restricting your access to the lab for the duration of your suspension."

The threat did the job as Aamina rushed back to telescope to continue her lab work.

After making sure all of them were focused back on the tasks at hand. Amira made her way back down the ramp to head over to the main center of the lab. She paused a few feet from Shuri who was scribbling something in her tablet. Her grip on the stylus was tight and her movements seemed a bit rushed. The emotional turmoil filled the air around her, and it made the girl want to turn around.

Amira took a deep breath, and exhaled for a confident boost. Then she walked over coming to a stop a few feet to leave a comfortable distant between them. "Hey I was going to grab lunch real quick do you want to come?"

Shuri barely looked at her before giving a sharp reply. "No."

"I'm not trying to come onto Princess I'm asking as a friend. A concerned one" Amira insisted.

"My answer is still no Amira go enjoy your break." Shuri told her turning to put her back to her scientist. As she went to walk away a hand took a hold of the back of her lab coat. She whipped her head to see Amira's arm reached out.

Amira knew she was crossing a line and was at risk to loss her job. Especially with the mood Shuri was in right now, but someone had to do something. "I'm sorry Princess its just you could really use the break" Amira started.

Under her sharp gaze she pulled her hand back from the lab coat. "You're not in the best of moods today, and I get it y/n broke your heart again. But that doesn't give you the right to take it out on us. Everyone is walking eggshells around you today because you're a ticking time-bomb."

No one absolutely no one ever had the guts to call Shuri out on her destructive behavior. Especially when it came to you, everyone in her life just gave her space till the storm passed. But it wasn't a storm it was a full blown hurricane, and not a person was spared its warpath.

Shuri was ready to turn that same rage onto Amira for daring to say such a thing, but it dawned on her that the girl was right. This lab had always been her safe space, the perfect getaway for whatever she was going through. And her employees loved their work just as much as she did, and viewed it the same way. Her behavior was tainting that.

Instead of whirling around to yell at the girl like she originally planned. Shuri removed her lab coat. "Griot I'm taking a short break let my mother know I'm out if she comes for me."

"Of course Princess Shuri" The A.I. replied.

Shuri started walking towards the elevator, pausing when Amira didn't follow immediately. "Are you not coming Amira? You are the one who invited after all."

The girl stood rooted in place by shock that her plan actually worked, and the boldness paid off. Amira believed she would be out of a career by now. She blinked a few times before Shuri's voice calling out for her to "come on" registered in her mind. Amira nodded chasing after the Princess.

The Market

Amira and Shuri browsed the market for a short time to see what it had to offer. Neither of them got out that much, so it wasn't often this opportunity came by. In the past you would venture down to the market on your own, and return with a present for her. Nothing to extravagant just a nice token that she would appreciate. When they passed one of the jeweler’s stand. Her hand came up to play with the necklace resting on her collarbone. It was made out of a soft and silky material tied together with a Black Panther charm dangling on it. On the back of the charm was her brother's initials engraved.

Not too long after his death you gifted her the necklace as a remainder that. He was always with her in spirit and to keep him close to her heart. She threw herself into your lap that night in the privacy of her room to break down into tears. It was one of the rare moments where you actually held her.

Amira noticed her fingers fiddling with the charm, and the faraway look in her eyes. "Hey my usual spot is right up ahead come on" she urged her. The objective of this lunch was to take her mind off of you.

It was a nice little cozy restaurant that was buzzing with a younger crowd. The doors were held open by kickstand, and the dinning room floor plan was open. The patrons were allowed to sit anywhere they pleased, and a server would come by shortly.

The chatter went down to surprised gasps as Shuri entered the establishment. The Princess didn't get out much, but after the death of her brother. The sighting of her went from rare to nonexistent. And to see her in the company of one the restaurant’s regulars got the whispers really going.

Amira led her to a booth by the window in the corner for privacy. The tables surrounding it were unoccupied, so they wouldn't have to worry about eavesdroppers. The menus were positioned on the side of the napkin holder. She pulled them out and slid one to Shuri who sat on the opposite side of her.

"My go to is this fruit bowl mixed with meats and vegetables. I know it sounds like a weird combination but it works." Amira told her trying to see if she would try anything new.

"I think I'll keep it simple and just go with the jerk chicken with vegetable rice." Shuri replied in a quiet voice pushing the menu to the center of the table. She could feel everyone's eyesight lingering on her, and it made her uneasy. Even when she did come out in the past you were always by her side, and had methods to prevent prying eyes.

"Hey relax they are starstruck right now. It'll pass in a moment or two I promise" Amira reassured her.

"Yeah?"

"Yes" she promised nudging the Princess's foot with her own.

Thirty minutes later and indeed everyone in the cafe was back to by their own devices. Rather it was focusing on studies or telling stories with friends. Even if they were staring Shuri probably wouldn't notice, as she dug into her food. It had been hours since her last meal, and the way her mouth watered at the sight of the hot and savory dish was proof of that.

"I see even royalty forgets their manners on the right occasion" Amira quipped playfully.

Shuri paused in the devouring the nearly depleted chicken bone to glance up at her. "My apologies dear friend the food here is quite delicious."

"Its okay Princess we've all been there" She told her waving the apology off. Her own bowl of mixed fruit, veggies, and various meats sat in front of her with smoke tendrils wafting up from the heat. She took a few bites letting flavors battle for dominance lighting up her taste buds.

"That really does look good" Shuri murmured

"Do you want a bite? Hand me your spoon."

Outside The Cafe

You watched as Shuri leaned over the table to accept the spoonful of food for Amira. Her eyes lit up as she chewed on the dish a smile gracing her lips.

Just like that in the matter of a few hours the Princess had not only recovered from your words, but she had also moved on with someone one else. At least it wasn't the dreadful Aamina.

Amira really was prettier. She would be good for the Princess you decided, knowing that your love was in good hands. You turned around and walked away for good this time.

Ayo was going to tell Okoye the truth about you, and the General would realize she was right to push you away from Shuri. Eventually the news would reach her mother who in no doubt was going to tell her beloved daughter the truth.

Your time here was up.

A Few Hours Later

It was when Amria and Shuri were on the way back to the palace after a two-hour lunch break. Amira finally felt comfortable enough to bring up a sensitive topic with the Princess. It seemed like storm raging inside of her had passed by now, and Shuri had a bit more pep in her step.

"Shuri if it's okay with you there's something I want to tell you about y/n. Something you need to know" Amira said.

Shuri came to a stop to turn towards her fellow scientist with a raised eyebrow. "Don't take this personally Amira but what could you possibly know about y/n that I don't already know?" She did her best to keep her voice leveled, and not let her emotions takeover but her words came off as a warning.

Amira didn't heed it though. "Its nothing more than a theory based off what I witnessed sometime ago. While you were absent in the lab, and she thought she was alone."

"I don't do theories Amira" Shuri snapped.

"Fine if you don't want to hear it just say that. I just thought you would be interested in the story considering I believe. It might be the key to figuring out why she chooses to love from afar." Amira didn't even get to take one full step, before Shuri was grabbing her arm in a death grip.

"No I'm sorry I want to hear it" She blurted out in desperation. "Please tell me." If there one was equation in her life that seemed impossible to solve. It was the equation of your love, how could your love for her be so strong, yet you fought against it everyday. If Amira had an answer to that she wanted to hear it.

"It happened a few months ago and its going to sound crazy, but I promise its truth" Amira told her. "You were with your mother while y/n was in the lab waiting for you to return. The lab was nearly empty besides me and about two more scientists. But she was standing by your workstation like she always does, and no one else was really in her vicinity. You know I don't know why but something made me look in her direction."

She paused to take a deep breath knowing this next part was going to change everything for you. The young scientist just prayed it wasn't for the worse. You were her friend and the last thing she wanted to do was ruin your life. "Y/N was just leaning back on your workstation when something dropped from the ceiling onto her neck. I'm pretty sure it was a spider."

Shuri couldn't hold back the scoff in disbelief, but motioned for Amira to continue. It didn't seem to faze her at all. She knew how ridiculous it sounded. "She panicked and I know this sounds crazy but the spider kind of just shriveled up, and dropped dead."

"You're saying that y/n killed a spider with her thoughts or something. I don't understand" Shuri said a bit confused.

Amira shook her head. "No it touched her bare skin on her neck, and I mean she didn't glow or anything. But the second she tensed up the creature did too until it was gone. I wasn't sure of what I was seeing until y/n turned around like she knew exactly what she had done. Her behavior afterwards was pretty frantic as she looked around making sure no one else saw what happened."

"And she didn't notice you?" Shuri questioned.

"No I was on a higher level. I think it was her skin it makes sense when you think about it. Why she's always wearing gloves, and long-sleeved shirts. Why she refuses to make skin-to-skin contact with anyone. What if her skin is poisoned or something?"

Just like that the gears in Shuri's mind started turning as the theory registered in her brain. Amira's theory would literally explain everything. You pushed her away whenever she tried to kiss you, hug you, or initiate any type of physical contact.

You were never shy with your words, and Shuri could flirt with you all day without your walls going up. But it was whenever she pushed for more physically you got scared, and pulled away. You were never willing to take your relationship with her to the next stage beyond just words, and longing stares. But why wouldn't you just tell her that? Why keep it from her?

"Griot has Ayo and the team returned from their mission yet? Shuri asked the A.I. in a hurried voice.

"Yes Princess they landed in Wakanda approximately two hours ago" He answered back.

"Where is y/n's location right now."

"I'm sorry Princess but I don't have that information right now."

Shuri frowned "can you get a read on her kimoyo beads?"

"No I believe they have been deactivated Princess Shuri."

"No" Shuri whispered before breaking into a run towards the palace.

The Palace's Armory

"Did you know about this Okoye?" Ayo asked the General after recounting what had happened on the mission.

Okoye stood beside her second-in-command with her gaze focused on the city below. On the inside she was beating herself up all she could think is that she was wrong. She was wrong to come between you and Shuri. She was wrong to assume your issues with love was the product of a broken home. She was wrong to not push you to open up to her more. Now any chance to make up for her mistakes were gone considering. You were probably already gone, and this time it might be for good.

"Okoye" Ayo called her name sharply to bring her out of her thoughts.

"No I didn't if I had do you really think I would've been so hard on her." Okoye finally said turning to her with a look of regret.

"Do you think its possible T'Challa knew?"

If anyone would've known about your secret it would be him. All of the pieces to the puzzle were starting to fit right into place now. It always bewildered her how T'Challa went out of his way to give you special treatment. She still remembered the day he pulled her aside to tell her.

She would be in charge in training you privately, and to respect your attire. He made it clear your main position was by Shuri's side, and you weren't to go on any missions without his approval. All of those rules and restrictions baffled her, but now it all added up. He knew what you were capable of, and did his best to make you feel at home. T'Challa gave you a second chance at a real life filled with purpose and love.

"He knew" Okoye clarified.

"Then why keep it-" Her question was cut off at the sudden bang from the door being pushed open. Shuri came through it leaning up against the wall panting. She was out of breath and sweaty from making the long run from the market to the Palace, and to the Armory. Where she knew Ayo and Okoye would most likely be located.

"Shuri is everythin-" Okoye began to ask, but paused when the Princess held up a hand.

"Where is y/n? I need to speak with her now."

"Shuri it pains me to inform you of this, but I don't think she is here anymore. We have reason to believe she left." Ayo told her.

"I know that I need to know where she would go" Shuri insisted jabbing a finger at the General. "All those years ago when I sent you to go in search of her parents. Did you find them?"

Okoye gave her a slight nod with a frown. "I don't think they're going to be much help Princess. They weren't very welcoming when I showed up on their doorstep asking questions about y/n. The only thing her parents were concerned with was making sure she wasn't coming home."

"I don't care its the only lead we have, and I need to find her. I have to find her. Okay she doesn't get to just walk out of my life like we never meant anything to each other. I don't care if she was trying to protect me from her" Shuri exclaimed.

Her outburst caught both Ayo and Okoye off guard the last of her words making them exchange a look. And the Princess didn't miss it.

"Yes I know about her touch of death now are the two of you going to help me find her or what?"

Locating you was easier said and done. Okoye wasn't kidding when she said your parents weren't going too much help. Six years had gone by since the General tracked them down for answers, and a lot had changed between now and then.

Shuri looked them in Wakanda's database only to discover your parents had went off the grid about three years ago. She searched every nook and cranny looking for a connection to them, but couldn't find one. Without your parents the Princess was at a dead end with your whereabouts.

But she still wasn't going to give up. The state of your room made it clear you left in a hurry. Your drawers were left open with clothes hanging out, and discarded everywhere. The closet door was open with the contents of it in a disarray. Your bed remained untouched. Shuri didn't know what she was looking for, but she tore through your belongings hoping you left something behind. On accident that could lead her to you.

Two Days Later

The trip back to your childhood town took two days with you walking some of the way. Until you came across some travelers who were willing to take you the rest of the way. Since they were already headed in that direction. You made sure to pay them for their generosity once they dropped you off.

The town hadn't changed much in the eight years you had been gone. It was small and local with a few businesses. There wasn't much to do entertainment wise. One of those places where everywhere knows each other, and are friendly to one another. One school for each grade level so all of the kids would grow up together. You didn't know if any of your old classmates would remember you, but you knew some of the older people would.

For that reason you kept your hood up as you walked through the town. Keeping your face concealed as you could feel everyone's gazes following you. Some of the faces struck a cord in your memory tugging on your heartstrings, but you had your destination in mind. And didn't want to become sidetracked for even a second. Also you didn't feel like dealing with the plethora of questions they would bombard you with.

Not too many people ever left this place, and the ones that do hardly ever returned. Unless it was a social visit to family and friends. You weren't a hundred percent sure your parents were gone from this place, and your childhood friends were different people now. There was no way to know if you would even get along with you now, and the last thing you needed was more personal connections.

There was one more ulterior motive for why you were going through so much trouble to keep your identity a secret. If you knew Shuri (which you did) she wasn't just going to let you disappear in peace. Not once she realized you had no intentions of returning this time. She was going to use all her resources to in her search, and putting out a country wide alert for you wasn't off the table.

You prayed to Bast that the one person in this town who really did know and care for you was still here. The old lady never wrote back to you, and you never bothered to do a welfare check on her or anything. You had convinced yourself she was happy to have you gone, and guilt tore through your body.

Because here you was turning up on the doorstep of her house that was still standing in the same location. It was midday so if she was still here she would be cooking dinner by now with some music playing in the background. It took five minutes for you to muster up the courage to finally knock on the door. You didn't want the nosy neighbors alerting the town's guards of some stranger hanging around, and acting weird.

You heard the thumping sound of footsteps approaching the door, and your heartbreak picked up. If it wasn't her on the other side of the door you were truly out of luck, and on your own. Finally the door opened revealing a short mocha skinned woman with curious brown eyes. There were streaks of gray hair mixed in with her original black hair pulled up into a neat bun. A locket dangled on her neck holding a picture of her late husband. She was dressed in blue summer dress with some sandals.

You yanked your hood off showing your face with tears of joy and pain. "Hi Mrs.Hassan its been a while huh."

Her eyes widened in surprise at the sound of your voice. Shock coursing through her body. "Y/N baby is that really you? She asked stepping outside onto the porch to get closer. You let her until she reached out a hand to touch your cheek. At that you jerked your head back avoiding the physical contact.

She frowned as a warm smile graced her lips. "Oh its you alright stop being so stubborn and come here."

You laughed leaning down to wrap your arms around her in a tight hug. And she returned it making sure to avoid touching any skin that wasn't covered by clothing. Your laugh broke down into a chilling cry as your emotions finally caught up with you. Zola pulled back from the hug to lead you back inside the safety of her home.

Where she led you over to the couch so you could sit down, and get all the crying out your system in peace. You buried your face into your arms hunched over. You could feel her rubbing wide circles into your back trying to calm you. But all you could think was Shuri, and how life really wasn't fair.

You spent your entire life telling yourself that you would never fall in love with someone. Not because it wasn't worth the risk, but because you figured no one was capable of loving you in such a way. After all the very people who brought into this world, and was supposed to cherish you more than anything despised your very existence. All you wanted out of life was a purpose, and you found one with the royal family. But falling for Shuri was never part of the plan but the girl made it so easy. Your heart never stood a chance, and now you were thinking that Bast just had it out for you. Why let you feel something that you could never truly have.

"Sweetheart tell me what happened" Zola said softly.

"I had nowhere else to go" You whispered sitting up straight, so you could lean back into the cushions.

"I'm not angry that you're here y/n you have always been welcomed in my home, and you know that. I'm just surprised to see you here its been eight years. One day you were here and the next you were gone for a while. I was terrified those awful parents of yours did something to harm you."

Knowing that Zola never stopped thinking about you from day one made your heart clench. It made you feel even worse for not trying to visit. "I wrote you all the time."

"I know I got the letters" Zola replied nodding her head in the direction of her five shelf bookcase.

You glanced over to see a pile of old letters sitting atop the third shelf. "Wait why didn't you ever write me back?" You asked a bit hurt by this revelation.

Zola arched an eyebrow at your tone. "Baby you never put a return address on a single letter, and your parents wouldn't tell me what they done with you."

Heat rushed up to your face as you looked down slightly embarrassed. It had been your fault she could never reach out to you, but then again you figured she would move on with her life in your absence.

"I didn't know if you would care enough to write back. The letters were part of my cover story, everyone thought I was writing to my parents" You confessed in shame.

Hurt flashed in her eyes as she released a disappointed sigh. There was a moment of silence, and for a second you were worried she was going to kick you out. Now that she knew you had no real intention on keeping in contact with her. But she just asked another question.

"Where did they send you?"

"They took to the capital city to give to the King so I could enroll in the academy for young Doras."

"Ahhhh now it makes sense." But her eyebrows scrunched up in confusion. "No offense but why are you back here now then?"

"i screwed up Mrs.Hassan this stupid curse ruined everything like it always did. You are the only person in my life who's ever been able to see past it, and treat me like a person."

Zola smacked you in the back of the head making you cry out in pain, and scoot away from her. "Young lady I don't ever want to hear you talking like that again. I told you that years ago when I started bringing you over for dinner. Now I get your parents didn't love you, but not everyone else was going to be like them. You never gave people a chance to see the real you sweetheart, and every time someone did. You pushed them away and went running from the hills."

"It was better than letting them find out the truth about me, and then starting treating me like some monster" You shot back.

"But how do you could you know that was going to happen when you never gave anyone a chance?" Zola insisted.

"It wasn't a risk I could afford to take alright. I can't every take that risk even when I want to" You blurted out.

It was your last statement that had her narrowing her eyes at you as she studied you with a piercing gaze. The woman always a knack for being able to see past your words, and find any hidden meanings in them. You got up from the sofa and walked over to stare out the window.

"You let someone in" she breathed.

"Not really she kinda forced her way in by just existing. I didn't know love like existed till I saw her Zola." You told her with a longing in your voice.

"Then why are you here and not out there fighting for her?"

"Because I can't be with her not like this" You snapped whirling around to hold up your hands.

Zola shook her head while getting to her feet. "Y/N when it comes to love sometimes you have to fight no matter what. Even when the odds are stacked against you, and it seems like things can't work. You find a way or make one if you have to, but you never give up. You don't just walk away. That's how some of the greatest love stories are created."

"Sometimes walking away is love, and some of those stories still end in tragedy." You replied making eye contact with her before going on. "I won't let us become a tragedy."

"Two people who are in love with each other, and meant to be together but won't ever get the chance. Because one of you decides it's not even worth trying. It sounds like a tragedy to me" Zola argued.

"Its better than the tragedy where one of us ends up dead" You stated in a low voice.

Zola dropped it knowing that when you got like this there was no point in arguing anymore. You had already made up your mind, and no one could change it.

One Week Later

It wasn't even a question on rather or not Zola would take you in. While she hated the circumstances of your return. She was ecstatic to have some company around the house full-time again. A few of the neighbors would drop by and have tea with her sometimes, and one of the older guards stopped by at least once a week. Bringing her groceries and just to check up on her well-being, but it wasn't the same as having another person living with her.

She had someone to talk to and reminisce with about her younger days, and you loved to hear her stories. Especially the ones about her and her husband. You fit in nicely in your new/old home helping around the house by doing the hard chores. You didn't let her lift a finger when it came to taking out trash, or even picking something up from the floor. Zola started to give you cooking lessons, because if there was one life skill you lacked. It was whipping up any meal that didn't have to be microwaved. Years of living in a royal palace with a team of the best chefs in the world would do that to a person.

She didn't push you on what your plans were for the future, but her heart ached knowing you gave up so much. You thought she didn't notice you stepping away to flip through a small pocket-size notebook, but she did. A picture slipped out one day without you knowing, and when she picked it up. Zola thought her eyes were deceiving themselves.

It was you in the picture with your arm thrown around the Princess of Wakanda pulling her close. Your head was turned towards her lips puckered out nearly touching her cheek. Shuri had the biggest grin in the world eyes closed in anticipation. Waiting for the kiss that would never come.

You didn't tell her your love was the Princess herself, and now that she knew the urge to do something was stronger than ever.

You wouldn't know the elder woman was plotting behind your back till a day later. Zola had gone out into the town to do some light shopping. She left while you were sleep knowing you would insist on tagging alone to assist her in carrying stuff. But leaving you behind was intentional this time.

You were pacing around the house reading the miniature notebook while munching on. A fresh bagel Zola cooked before she left, so you could have a light breakfast. It was then you heard a light tapping on the back screen door leading to the backyard. Your steps faltered as your mind went into high alert.

"Zola that you? You yelled walking into the kitchen. No response just silence but then again it wouldn't make sense for her to use the back door. Maybe it was a neighbor but then why not answer back. It was possible they didn't recognize your voice, and figured you were an intruder. You were pretty sure no one knew of your return yet.

You went over and wretched the door open ready to fend a home invaders just in case. But no one was there the concrete platform was deserted besides her little statues. You stepped outside to examine the open backyard just to be sure. Deciding it was the wind you turned back around to go back inside only to stopped by none other than Okoye.

The General stood in your way blocking the back door entrance with a raised eyebrow. She wasn't in her armor, and her spear was missing from her hand. But you knew none of that mattered she was still dangerous, and it wasn't a fight you could win. Not even you were that good besides she taught you everything you knew.

"How are you here?" You squeaked out the question looking over your shoulder for. The person you knew had to be accompanied with her.

"I think the better question is why am I here, and you should know the answer to know." Okoye said narrowing her eyes at you. "Don't try it y/n."

Of course she knew you were trying to come up with an escape plan. Which meant you wouldn't make it very far.

"She's waiting for you over by the tree" Okoye told you motioning for you to go.

You shook your head folding your hands together. "Okoye please just let me go" You pleaded out of plays.

"I was given orders to do the exact opposite y/n, and even if I wasn't." She paused to soften her facial expression. "I would still do this to fix my past mistakes. I was wrong about you."

You were taken back by her last words not expecting them. "No you were ri-"

Okoye let out a sigh of exasperation reaching out to spin your body around and give you a light push forward. "uhambe mntwana."

You stumbled into the grassy field and looked up to see a figure occupying the swing connected to the tree. You already knew it was Shuri with her back to you. Heart pounding in your chest you covered the distance between the two of you in five seconds.

You wished you had walked slower as you came around into her line of vision. "Princess Shuri" you addressed her nervously.

She lifted her head at the sound of your voice, and a feeling of relief overcame her as she shot out of the swing to hug you. But you retreated backwards denying her.

Shuri frowned "y/n if I have to order Okoye to hold in place so I can hug you I will."

"How did you find me?" You asked ignoring the threat. You knew she wouldn't no matter how frustrated she was with your behavior. It was a boundary she refused to cross.

"Your friend wrote me later telling me you were here making the biggest mistake of your life, and I agree" Shuri revealed.

You threw your head back with a groan, of course Zola was behind this.

'You certainly didn't make things easier no clues not even a goodbye letter" Shuri said offended.

"I figured a goodbye letter would've made things worse. I wanted you to move on."

"Usisidenge" was her sharp reply.

You raised an eyebrow at her. "What?"

"You really are the dummy Aamina says you are if you honestly thought I could just move on from you."

"Well it wasn't too hard to believe after I witnessed your lunch date with Amira. You looked perfectly fine to me" You argued angrily. Turning your head away to hide the hurt evident on your face.

Shuri frowned not knowing what date you were talking about right away. But then it hit her the day she went out with Amira to take her mind off of you, and get her raging emotions under control. You must have saw them after returning from your mission. "How did you find us?"

"Aamina couldn't wait to the rub the news in my face" You whispered a breeze carrying your voice.

Shuri burst into laughter out of nowhere causing you to look at her again. "Is that why you punched her?"

You shrugged your shoulders. "You weren't there to stop me and she was a little too happy about my downfall."

"Well just for the record it wasn't a date Amira was simply trying to help take my mind off you. I wasn't exactly a joy to be around in the lab you know" Shuri told with her laughter dying down.

You didn't know what to say. On one hand you were relieved to know she hadn't moved on you so fast, but showing it would make her think the two of you still had a chance. You were determined to stand your ground on your decision.

"She told an interesting story about you" Shuri went on gaining your full attention.

You rose an eyebrow in suspicion. "And what story would that be?" On the inside you were working yourself into a full blown panic trying to figure out exactly what Amira told her.

"She said she once witnessed you kill a spider with a simple touch, or more so it touched the skin on your neck spooking you." Shuri watched you carefully for your reaction, and even though you tried to hide it. She noticed how the muscles started to tense up.

You swallowed hard thinking about all your options. You could deny but what was the point? Had Ayo or Okoye told her about what you did on the mission yet? In the end you decided to test her knowledge.

"So you know about me? You asked nervously

Shuri gave you a tiny nod settling down back into the swing. "I do."

"Then why are you here?" You asked in confusion.

She let out a dry chuckle throwing her head back. How dense could you be? "I'm here because I love you, and nothing or no one will ever change that y/n."

"But my powers what I can do" You insisted holding your hands up. "Does it not make you see me differently?"

"I mean your ability does interest me from a scientific standpoint, but other than that no you're still my y/n. The one I grew up with who protected me from the monsters under the bed. The one who use to help me prank my brother all the time, and would even take the fall for me when I screwed up. The one who carries me to bed whenever I fall asleep. The one who had my heart from the start." Shuri was on her feet now with each word bringing her a step closer to you, and this time you stayed put.

She took that as a good sign resting her hands on your hip. "The one who I know is still in love with me."

"I lied when I said I didn't belong to you I always have and always will" You replied in a low voice.

"If that's true then come back home let me help you, so we can be together for Bast's sake." She pleaded bringing her hand up to graze your cheek.

It was a ghost of a touch but your body was lit up with fire from the physical contact. You wanted more to lean into her hand to kiss her, but it still wasn't a risk you were willing to take. "You can't Shuri don't you think I've already tried."

"Yintoni ngubani" she demanded to know in a mixture of anger and disbelief.

"The American scientist they call Bruce Banner, or you may know him as the Hulk. When he came to Wakanda for during Thanos's invasion I pulled him to the side, and asked him if there was anything he could do for me. Before we were dusted I gave him a blood sample, and apparently he looked into developing a cure for me. In our five-year absence but he couldn't find one" You explained.

If there was anyone in the world who knew your pain it was Bruce Banner. You heard of his story after the incident in Johannesburg, and while most people hated him for what he did. You sympathized with the both the scientist and the giant green guy.

You was expecting Shuri to take a step back and admit defeat instead she flicked your forehead hard. The sharp sting had you flinching back, and rubbing the sore spot.

"Ow what was that for?" You exclaimed with a frown.

"Isidenge" she muttered under her breath.

"Hey stop insulting me" You complained now full on pouting.

"You dare trust an American scientist's judgement over mine. You seek out the Hulk's help but not mine. How does that make any sense y/n"

"I didn't want you to know Shuri I was scared it would change things between us. I love you to you know I have since we were younger, and I didn't want you to fear me, or to jeopardize what we have."

Shuri shook her head still regarding you with a look of disappointment. Her hand took your chin in a firm grip forcing you to return your gaze. "You're not a monster its not like you use your power to harm people, and when you do its in self-defense. If you want to get rid of it I promise I won't researching till I find the answer."

Out of nowhere her arm snaked around your waist bringing your body closer to hers. You placed both of your gloved hands on her shoulder, and dug your feet into the ground. "Shuri what are you doing?" You asked alarmed.

"I'm going to kiss you" she stated.

"No we can't" You refused.

"I trust you" and with those words Shuri leaned forward connecting her lips to yours, and your eyes went wide with fear as you focused on not letting your power loose. But the feeling of her soft lips pressed to your own made you want to give in. This moment was something you dreamed about on a regular basis. You didn't think the day would ever come where it was reality.

The Princess pulled away with a frown, and you let out a whine. "you can do this y/n." This time when her lips met yours you were ready kissing her back with a careful approach. Your hands moved to cup her face as she deepened the kiss with ferocity. Your body sinked into her own, and she brought her other arm down to your waist encircling you in her arms.

Your lips moved against her in a slow and passionate kiss, both of you savoring this moment. Taking the time to learn what the other tasted like. It was heaven for both of you, and neither of you came up for air until two minutes later.

Shuri pecked your cheek over and over again with an adoring smile. "Come home?"

"I guess I can after all who I am to defy the Princess" You replied with a smile.

Shuri chuckled pulling you into her arms with no intention of letting you go anytime soon.

Translations:

Uhambe Mntwana- Off you go child

Usisidenge- Stupid

Yintoni Ngubani- What who

Isidenge- Idiot

Tag List: @jejutwist @alistair-mooncrest @ilacknames @unsatisfiedanddisappointed @letitias-fav @bananafishok @justariellove @laurensmabel1 @greek-freak101 @bubshri @ajawasblog @deliciousfestsalad @rhayanm @zhanylai @izzyorzua24 @mocha-aya @lizlil @shinsousliya @angelsmist @newctrll @6-noir @snowtrova @ogbells16 @mbakuetshurisprincess @foamygrapesoda @tchhairbandhere @ohcoolcoolcool @jerullium @hotgirlslovepink @thefakesmilingsunshine @minionslikeppl @kjonamission

[stephensmithuk]

The Hound of the Baskervilles: Baskerville Hall

CW injury discussion, discussion of violent crime including torture, whaling and capital punishment:

There were three classes of travel on British railways at this point, althought second-class travel was on its way out:

Paddington station, designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel and today and a Grade I listed building, still has a big platform where it is possible to see someone directly onto a train without going through a ticket barrier. This is Platform 1 with access to the taxi rank and Elizabeth line station. It is also home to the GWR warm memorial and Paddington Bear statue, with a shop dedicated to the ursine Peruvian immigrant in the retail area at the south-eastern side.

The Museum of the College of Surgeons is now called the Hunterian Museum and is located near Holborn tube station. Admission is free, but they recommend advanced booking. It is closed on Sundays and Mondays.

It would be rather harder on a modern train to conduct a conversation as the vehicle was pulling out due to the elimination of most rolling stock with "droplights" i.e. manually lowerable windows, usually so you could open the door. The High Speed Trains which had at their end doors, them were withdrawn in 2019, the surviving "Castle Class" examples had their doors replaced with sliding ones and the Mark 3 carriages used on the Night Rivieria sleeper service now have them set to automatic locking during train movement. This was due to an enthusiast who stuck his head out of a window on a train with similar provision, resulting in a fatal encounter with a signal gantry.

The route taken is today electrified as far as Bristol (to Cardiff in fact) and is operated by the Class 802 Intercity Express train, although these mostly divert off that route at Reading. These are bi-mode units, capable of running both off 25kV overhead wire and on their underfloor diesel engines, both at 125mph like their High Speed Train predecessors, although much of SW England does not allow them to go near that speed. The main difference between the similar Class 800 is that they have larger diesel tanks for extended operations away from the wires; Devon does not have electrified railways.

The IETs come in five-car (802/0) and nine-car (802/1) on GWR. Not sure of these are 800s or 802s, but you can see why they are dubbed "Cucumbers" by enthusiasts when they are not complaining about the seats, which are a bit hard.

Spaniels were originally bred to be "gun dogs" to flush out animals and retrieve the corpses for the hunter. There are a wide variety of breeds, including the smaller ones like the King Charles Spaniel, which mainly serve as companion or lap dogs.

Dartmoor is home to the Dartmoor Intrusion, a large section of granite bedrock formed around 300 million years ago. London is on a clay bedrock, which is much younger:

Granite quarrying was widely done on Dartmoor, including by prisoners doing hard labour sentences. Today, it is no longer done as the area is now a national park, but you can get reclaimed granite from the area.

Nearly every station bar the smallest one would have a resident stationmaster and porters; these days, staffing is a lot less common in many areas and the station building may see other uses.

A wagonette is a four-wheeled carriage with longitudinal seats i.e the passengers sit on the sides facing each other. They are common on the Channel Island of Sark, where cars are banned.

Cobs are large ponies used mainly for driving carts or recreational riding:

The UK does not have an equivalent of the Posse Comitatus Act that the United States does to restrict the use of the military for law enforcement. While the use of them to deal with riots largely ended with the creation of civilian police forces, they can be still called on for "Military Aid to the Civil Authorities".

Not counting their use in Northern Ireland as part of Operation Banner from 1969 to 2007. This typically involves things like:

Civil engineering after disasters, like repairing flood defences;

Search and rescue;

Bomb disposal, such as when someone finds a German bomb during construction work;

Counter-terrorism, which mainly consists of standing around possible targets with their rifles or in 2012, sticking short-range SAMs on tower block roofs to protect the Olympics and Paralympics from aerial attack. The SAS would famously be used to end a siege at the Iranian Embassy in 1980, but this sort of thing would now be done by armed police officers today.

Selden's commutation of his death sentence due to questions over his sanity wouldn't have been uncommon, 534 of the 988 death sentences handed down were commuted between 1868 and 1899. 1889 saw 15 executions, all for murder:

****

HMP Dartmoor, on land leased from the Duchy from Cornwall, is located in a pretty remote location. It is six miles over open countryside before you reach the next town at Tavistock (which had two railway stations, both closed in the 1960s) and around ten before you'd reach Plymouth, with a further 4 1/2 before you could get to the coast. Also, you'd be doing this in a distinctive uniform with black arrows on, not exactly suited for the conditions.

This is not to say that people didn't try to escape and indeed succeed - 24 American POWs would do so during the prison's first incarnation.

It would be easier to do so when outside the prison on a work party rather than it, like Frank Mitchell, a gangster who in 1966 asked a guard if he could feed some ponies. He in fact walked to a nearby road, got into a waiting car driven by associates of the Kray twins and was driven to London. The escape (which involved soldiers in the manhunt) was a major political embarrassment, especially when Mitchell managed to get letters published in two newspapers asking for a parole date:

However, Mitchell becaming an increasing liability for the Krays; he then disappeared, generally believed to have killed and dumped at sea. They and an associate called Freddie Foreman, known as "Brown Bread [dead] Fred" for his ability to dispose of bodies, were tried for this murder and others at the Old Bailey; they were acquitted of this particular charge. Foreman admitted to the crime in 1996 and again in 2000; the CPS decided "double jeopardy" meant they could not bring new charges.

Because of its remoteness, Dartmoor ended up becoming a place for the worst of the worst in the British prison system. Mitchell, known as the "Mad Axeman". had a string of violent offences to his name, including an escape from Broadmoor that had seen him hold a married couple hostage with an an axe. He would not be the only London gangster of the period to spend time there:

It also held more "political prisoners", like Éamon de Valera. During the First World War, with other prisoners moved elsewhere, it became a Home Office Work Centre for conscientious objectors who agreed to do non-combatant work; the locks were removed, they could wear their own clothes and could even move around freely locally, although they were not very popular there.

The place was bleak too; no flushing toilets (so you had to spend each morning "slopping out", being cold and damp. Tampered-with porridge led to a riot in 1932:

A further riot in 1990 was part of a string of copycat riots in prisons following one at Strangeways in Manchester; D Wing was wrecked by fire and a prisoner was found dead in a burnt-out cell; this may have been an accident or murder.

In the aftermath, an inquiry was held by Lord Justic Woolf. A summary of the findings of the 600-page report can be found here:

Notably he recommended major improvements to Dartmoor if it was to continue operating.

In 2001, Dartmoor became a Category C prison for non-violent offenders, although concerns remained about its condition. Discussions about closure began in the 2010s with consideration being given to ending the lease and closing it down in 2023.

This did not happen, but other events are now looking like closing it anyway. Concerns over radon gas levels have now seen all the prisoners relocated as of time of writing; it may not reopen.

****

Electric lighting was of course becoming more common. Candlepower was a measurement for the intensity of a light, 1 candlepower being defined as the light from a spermaceti candle. Spermaceti is a wax found in the heads of sperm whales; it was mistakenly thought that spermaceti was whale semen because it looked like that when fresh. This was a major reason they were hunted, like in Moby Dick - today they remain at "Vulnerable" status.

The SI (metric, basically) unit is called the candela - one candlepower is 0.981 candela. The lumen is another measure, used for lightbulbs.

A billiard-room is where one plays billiards. It was also acceptable to smoke there. Women played billiards too; Queen Victoria was a fan, but I am not sure of the etiquette on mixed games. Especially if evening dress was involved, it would be seen as saucy by today's standards and positively scandalous in 1889!

[thesalemwitchtries]

Dreaming Of a Grave: Chapter Five

Word Count: 3,534

Pairing: Matt Murdock x Named! Fem! Enhanced! Reader

Warnings: Angst, Child medical experimentation and cruelty (heavy on this one), sensory deprivation as a means of harm and control, child death (vague-ish but there's a lot of them), forced isolation, feelings of isolation and hopelessness, mentions of injury and healthcare bias, and canon show events

Taglist: @reblog-reblog666

Masterlist

Thank you so much for reading! Any comments or feedback are much appreciated!

Crate Six was a horrific, but not altogether lonely place to grow up. How could she be lonely? Her small hands could fit through the wire of the cage and cling to Four’s beside her. On the other side was Eight, who spit and thrashed and snarled at everyone who passed by. She spent most of her time there, watching people pass with apathetic eyes, staring down at whichever specimen they had come to collect, she was never alone, and so: never lonely.

Mostly it was just waiting, for the people to come and prod at her, for them to leave, for the day when they’d roll the crate away, through the double doors at the opposite end of the hall, like they had for the previous Fours and Eights, like they probably had for the Six that came before her.

The Workshop had several security and protocol measures in place to prevent riot or escape. To limit any chance of mutiny or allowing them to out-number the research staff, specimens were kept in the long central hall, each team studying only one live specimen at a time. This inspired a quick turnover in those who weren’t progressing as hoped, and allowed for very limited interaction beyond those on either side of their crate.

If they were to escape, they would have to do it alone, and lab protocol ensured that subjects would have very little means of surviving on their own.

Specimens were fed only through an IV and with bland, uniform nutrient bars, unable to identify viable food sources of their own. They had geotags implanted in the base of their neck, and were allowed to move on their own only for the purpose of an experiment, keeping them monitored and weak. They wore thin hospital gowns and no shoes, adequate for the temp-controlled lab, but fatal in the scrub woods beyond the Workshop’s walls. 

Still, there was always the worry of exposure, that one specimen clever enough to escape may also be lucky enough to run into someone beyond their ironclad NDAs and explain what had happened to them. Best case, the specimen disappears, worst case, they return with a news crew or god forbid, law enforcement.

Researchers began looking for ways to stop potential leaks at the source, but almost every specimen they received was old enough to know the word help, and tongue extraction could hinder the ability to get necessary feedback from experiment subjects. Any solution that completely eradicated speech was out of the question.

Team Six was inspired to develop their solution when they received a young subject that had an extremely limited vocabulary upon arrival. After the typical entry rounds of behavior modification, she was fitted with Earmuffs.

They worked in two parts, one was a standard inner ear plug that branched out and connected to a larger disc that covered the shell of her ears, passively muffling the outer world, but not eliminating the sense of sound. The second part, was an internal transmitter and speakers, active noise canceling that could deafen someone to a jet launching beside them, all connected to a remote that allowed the silencing to be toggled on and off.

Earmuffs were then fitted with a bio-grade adhesive that lasted weeks before needing to be replaced, and upon installation, they had complete control over an entire human sense.

Six was an ideal specimen: one who could not complain or whine, one who could not ask for help. Without speech she could build little identity, only a shallow understanding of the world around her and her place in it. Isolated in static, contained within an approved lexicon: no, yes, bad, good, stop, start, up, down, left, right, more, less, is, was, then, now.

The system wasn’t without flaw, unable to tamp down the specimen’s instinctual desire to communicate.

So eager to learn was she that every new sound Six heard received a warped echo, a tentative attempt to understand. Automatic doors made a whoosh and so did she, someone clicked their pen and she’d do the same, the following huffs of frustration mimicked as well.

Perhaps the largest threat to Six’s verbal isolation was Four.

He’d been the most successful specimen created by the Four team, and lived in the crate neighboring hers for much longer than any of the others. They’d developed a method during years of late nights and long days in-between labs, practiced only in the most secret of moments.

When all the orderlies were gone and the others slept, Four would press the tips of her fingers to his throat and speak. Watching his mouth move, memorizing the vibrations of his voice, and then pressing fingers to her own throat and trying it for herself. Their soft whispers repeating into the night, the subtle back and forth of a pick inside a locked door.

Her first unsanctioned word took the longest, less trial and more error before Four’s efforts began to make any steady progress. Until finally, Six was able to croak out the word he’d been so desperate to teach her: ‘Lee-yawn.’ 

Years later, it would be that bright grin, round cheeks squishing into deep creases around his eyes, that she would think of when she missed Leon most. One untouchable moment.

Other words came next, her progress made slow by the constant stream of visitors in the hall; orderlies making rounds, researchers checking on their specimen, administration monitoring progress.

Sister, want, outside, see, sky, free, safe, away, each time she learned a new word he would shake their entwined fingers and give her that same smile.

Four’s secret lessons could only do so much with their limited learning time and a small vocabulary of his own.

If the orderlies saw, one or both of them would be taken through the No-Back doors, a threat that Six didn’t need words to understand. Every specimen taken through those doors was wheeled down the hall, orderlies banging on cages to get everyone’s attention. If you were Bad, you got a Lesson so that you’d be Good again.

The doors are for when you become Useless, a word that an intern had taught Six as both encouragement and threat.

Six had seen many Useless specimens roll by her, from the far side of the hall past Eight. Most of them she’d never seen before, beyond that first and last time.

When she was smaller there’d been an endless cycle of crates beside her, the Five project had discontinued before she arrived, and in their place were many short-lived Fours. On her other side there were Sevens, until a few weeks before Leon arrived, when the limp and blistered form of Last-Seven was rolled past her crate.

Six was taught the word Trash that day, and there were no more Sevens after him, the space to her left was filled with an Eight that bit at their own arms. Without verbal definition, Six understood that a Useless specimen went through those doors and somehow stopped being anything at all. 

Ever present was the idea that she was about to be made Trash, so much that she slept with one hand pressed to the wall and another to the floor, so she’d be awake when they came for her. An endless fear that she was deliberately unable to name. Her life was limited, structured to rob her of control, of even the very concept of it.

Crate Six was a fixed point that the world operated around; she didn’t come or go so much as she was brought, she didn’t do so much as she was instructed. All she had was long periods of waiting: for someone to fetch her from the crate, for the testing to begin, for it to end, for her next Meal, next Bath, next Lesson.

Chaos interspersed with the relative bliss of staring out through wire bars. 

It never once occurred to Six to wish for anything, all she knew was the way things were Now, and waiting for whatever was Next. Once they took Leon away, in the horrible way that they did, she understood wishing.

She wished that she could have him back, that she could have a name, that this waiting could finally end; even if that meant being Useless.

After Leon, there was nothing but the static that wrapped around her head. On her left Eight stopped clawing and thrashing, but kept spitting. Team Four had completed their work, and the comfort of Leon’s hand was replaced with Three, big enough that his spine and limbs pressed against the cage no matter how he laid. 

She’d tried, once, to ease him as he cried by running her fingers over the skin of his arm, but he writhed in what seemed like agony and there was no more trying.

Instead, she rested in a cocoon of apathy, letting things be the way that they were, not resisting when they made her sync or gave her the Bad medicine. Knees tucked to her chest, she buried her head down, keeping one hand on the floor by her feet and the other on the wall.

She grew bigger and more isolated, but never alone, and so at least not lonely.

There were years in that hallway, spent in a crate that she now understood had been made to hold dogs. Years spent outside after, scared and free, until the day she read her first road sign and decided to stay somewhere for more than one restless night.

“Welcome to Charlotte, North Carolina”

That was when the loneliness came, when she had finally learned to read, write, and speak. There were so many things balancing on her tongue, and no one that she could share them with. She could make friends, but there was a trench between her and all the people walking on city streets.

If she looked hard enough, Charlie imagined the trench might look like a long laboratory hallway. Cold, sterile, and existing in only her memory. 

Loneliness was in giving herself a name, and introducing herself to people that nodded politely, and didn’t understand how important having a name was.

Charlotte wanted to get a toothy smile, eyes squinted shut in happiness, wanted to introduce herself to one person more than anyone. But he was gone, and she wasn’t sure how to move on from the wanting.

After Karen’s visit, Charlotte felt crowded in her apartment, in her mind, so she dug out the Earmuffs that she’d reinvented, and sank into the relief of turning off the world when she wanted to.

A cup of tea and spending the night bent over some circuit boards was what she needed— to hell with the inevitable crick in her neck.

Igor had been the first thing that she made at her beloved workbench; the welded monstrosity of scrap metal that balanced across drawer units and wooden trestles. At first he’d been solely a digital companion, a program she’d built so that she’d feel less lonely as she traveled, someone that would listen to what she confided, the things she could never tell others. Then she moved into this place, her own perfect corner of Hell’s Kitchen, with just a few boxes of things and a mattress. 

Her refurbished laptop and meager spread of components soon built into a wishlist and plans. Late nights were spent hunched over the floor, schematics taped up across almost every flat surface in the place. Drawing, re-starting, scrapping that and re-starting again, all while she gathered the tools and parts that she’d need.

The last few days before he was completed were a sleepless blur in her memory, barely managing to hold on until the first blink of his OLED eyes. Even five years later her heart nearly burst with pride at the memory.

She made Igor so that she wouldn’t be lonely, to help her take care of herself when she’d never been taught how. Triage was what she built when her life was too constricting, when the world felt too cramped and evil to manage. When she missed Leon.

His mutation had been special, a gift to more than just himself. Charlotte could hoard all the money in the world in a blink, could destroy entire power grids on a whim, could do things irredeemably worse if she wanted. A career in villainy wasn’t on her horizon though, and not just because she’d be caught and exposed in a heartbeat. She tried not to even think of SHIELD, too afraid that they had some secret mind-scanning device looking for freaks to recruit. The Avengers were something to gawk at, to admire or fear. That wasn’t the life for her. 

Charlotte wanted to run errands and invite friends over for drinks and know that she could help people somehow, even if it was just one at a time. 

Leon could do that. Had done that, even in his short life. With just one touch he could take your pains away. Scrapes, cuts, and aches all dissolved at his urging. With all the bad in their childhood, there was at least the joy of their extraordinary natural talents. 

If he’d lived to escape, to build a life outside of the Workshop, she had no doubt that Leon would be brave enough to do what she couldn’t. He would’ve stood in front of the world and offered out his hand to help.

It was a thought that Charlie tortured herself with on long nights of cowering away from notice. Tonight it blared through her mind stronger than ever, with the gravity of just how badly her fears had led her astray.

Four people, dead, because you thought that you could help without leaving your little hiding spot.

Charlie’s life was one of finding broken pieces and cobbling them into something new, but Leon could fix people, make it like they had never been broken at all. 

So she built Triage. To make her mind stop repeating that one horrible thought and to bring a piece of Leon back into the world.

Triage was a labor of love, forcing her to grow and work more than she ever thought that she could. He needed advanced sensors, to be able to scan and diagnose various ailments. Then he needed the medical knowledge to be able to come up with solutions, which Charlie had to find. And he needed to be taught: how to speak, how to stand, how to help people. There was always some new problem that she had to solve, and she loved the feeling of overcoming each one. 

So, how do you build a robot that’s a first-aid kit, doctor, and compassionate caregiver, all in one self-sustaining and self-learning package?

Well, you work for years, spend all your free time learning what it needs, maybe using a unique skill of your own to gather the best resources available, making prototype after prototype, update after software update, and you never give up. Even if you get super close a few times. You drag yourself back to the drawing board and start again, because this is important. 

Maybe the most important thing that you could ever do. If not for others, then for yourself. 

It’s possible that you never finish, never succeed, but you love the work. You need it, something that you’ll only admit to yourself in the most honest of moments, staring into the mirror’s eyes while you brush your teeth. Soul open to your own scrutiny, you concede that this work is what keeps you from falling apart some days.

Triage, if finally completed, could save millions of lives, could change the landscape of healthcare forever. And if not, if you work on it every day until you die, it will have at least kept you alive and hopeful.

You’ll have had something to love and devote yourself to creating, so you don’t stop. It’s not the finishing that truly matters in a labor of love anyways, it’s the doing. 

So, Charlotte labored. Bent over her workbench most nights, read medical journals like they were the morning paper, studied health field biases and machine learning while waiting for the subway. Every day was decorated by scrap-paper notes crumpled and dotted with dried raindrops, the cap of a highlighter held between her teeth, pen smudged across the back of her hand.

Triage would be strong enough to enter warzones, compassionate to those who’d been mistreated by the system, gentle enough to press a bandaid over a scraped knee.

And if he wasn’t, then she would start again.

Tonight, she worked in her blanket of silence to upgrade some of Triage's personality and accessibility features. Since his 'hands' weren’t quite graceful enough to manage legible sign, she was working on a way to create a signing caption system for his visual display. So far she was almost done with ASL, and making progress into research on foreign signs.

Personality-wise, Triage was still a bit… blunt.

Her first priority when preparing Triage for field-testing had been patient confidentiality, ensuring he wouldn’t repeat or disclose anyone’s scan information without their express consent. This left him suitable for minor healthcare scenarios, but not yet able to work without supervision.

Down the hall the Hernandezes had allowed her and Triage to examine them, field testing in exchange for not having to shell out money at the clinic for small sprains and stomach bugs. They were patient with the learning process, but Triage almost blew the whole arrangement with an uncomfortably honest assessment of the survivability of their infant’s high fever. 

Essentially he was a toddler with a medical degree, liable to say just about anything. This trait was adorable to Charlie, but not an ideal quality for a healthcare professional.

Built to lift and carry a 350 lb. human with ease, Triage needed a strong bedside manner to counter the impact of his intimidating frame, and unhelpful fatality statistics were not the way to go. Therefore, he was being taught some ideas of social convention, little things first, so as to not overwhelm him.

The sun had long set by the time she finished her last line of soldering. Barely patient enough to let it cool properly, Charlie dusted the chip with compressed air and started to prepare Triage for his update. Igor rolled across the workbench, vacuuming dust and odd bits, collecting tools to be put back in their place.

Like always when her earmuffs were on, Igor’s screen ran a jumbotron-like scroll of what he wanted to say: Clean Up, Late For Dinner.

Charlotte turned away and towards the windows, where Triage was slumped against the couch cushions. Not one to be ignored, Igor scooted a foot to his right, placing himself in view of one of the security mirrors that allowed Charlie to see behind her without turning.

“I can’t read that, it’s backwards.”

The text was promptly mirrored, and she laughed a little, feeling the rumble of it in her chest.

“Okay, half an hour, let me just run diagnostics real quick.”

Igor’s eyes reappeared, flattened into two disapproving half-circles. Knowing that he’d start ramming into her ankles in exactly 31 minutes, Charlie leaned down over Triage to get started. 

It was a bit morbid feeling, something usually so full of life now cold dead-weight, and worse was the fact that processing was all kept in his head.

Cracking open the shell in order to tinker around inside always made her a little squeamish, like she was disrespecting her friend somehow. Still, there was no better alternative, he needed malleable sides for functionality, and a mostly hollow core to ensure that he wasn’t ridiculously heavy. She already struggled enough with him being almost a half-ton. 

Soldering in the right connections, she successfully replaced the former attempts at a personality chip and attached the diagnostics cable between Triage and her laptop.

The process would go faster if she synced, but after the news that she’d gotten this morning, she was a little hesitant. Instead of slipping out of her body and giving the systems a good look, she opted for the long way— allowing a program to run through it for her.

Ten painful and boring minutes later she was given a clear scan, he most likely wouldn’t suffer any malfunctions from the upgrade.

“See, Igor, I even finished early.”

The bot didn’t respond, instead climbing up to the side table and staring down at Triage with impassive glowing eyes, haloed by the lamp behind him. She honestly couldn’t tell if Igor was experiencing sibling rivalry or just couldn’t recognize that Triage was a robot just like him. Hopefully he’d grow out of it on his own, where do you even begin to program jealousy out of a robot?

Charlie initiated Triage’s boot-up sequence, then shut his casing and sat back on her heels to wait. His internal lighting warmed and began to glow through his reinforced vinyl ‘skin’, limbs rotating experimentally as he sat upright.

Digital eyes had just blinked to life when the ground began to shake, growing from a tremor to a rumble. There were only a few seconds for Charlie to wonder what was causing it before the wall beside her exploded.

Hope you enjoyed, let me know if you want to be added to the taglist, and feel free to shares any thoughts, it helps me to keep up motivation to work on this :)

[machobusta]

Rob Van Dam vs. Rene Dupree vs. John Cena vs. Booker T | Fatal four-way elimination match for the WWE United States Championship The Great American Bash June 27, 2004

[wrestlingfaves]

Royal Rumble Marathon: 1991

We’re rumbling into 1991.

Spoilers for past Rumbles,

For those too young to remember, this year’s Rumble took place during the Gulf War. Vince had the brilliant idea to take Sgt. Slaughter, one of the most patriotic wrestlers of the 1980s and star of the GI Joe cartoon and turn him into Hussein sympathizer. Stupid. Personally, I think wrestling should stay away from real-life events as the industry reduces them to racist caricatures and stereotypes. Real-life wars are tragedies, not entertainment. I watch wrestling for entertainment.

I’m only reviewing the Rumble, but the undercard is pretty good:

The Rockers vs the Orient Express

Sherri confronts the Ultimate Warrior. Re-watching the older pay per views can be a depressing experience when you realize how many stars have passed way too soon. All four participants in this segment (Mene Gene mediates, Randy Savage ambushes the Warrior) are deceased. The two commentators (Gorilla Monsoon, Roddy Piper) have passed. From the first match, Mr Fuji has passed. We’re a half hour into this program, and we’re at a fatality count of 7. On a more positive note, Sherri is one of the most talented women the sport has seen.

The Barbarian (managed by Bobby Heenan) vs the Big Boss Man (add two more to the casualty count)

Sgt Slaughter (managed by General Adnan) vs the Ultimate Warrior. Sherri (in a new outfit) and Savage interfere in the match and, honestly, are the best part of this match. Adnan has passed on, so the number of deceased performers is at 10.

Koko B Ware vs the Mountie (managed by Jimmy Hart). The Mountie always gets his man! And we finally have a match where no one has died!

Dusty & Dustin Rhodes vs Ted DiBase & Virgil (add two more to the passed on category, we’re now at a total of 12 performers that have left us too soon. Side note: Dusty’s WWE theme is one of my all-time favorites. DiBase’s theme is also a banger. Virgil finally turns on the Million-Dollar Man!

The entrants of the Rumble in order of appearance:

Bret Hart (2nd time the Hitman has been the #1 participant)

Dino Bravo (managed by Jimmy Hart)

Greg Valentine (managed by Jimmy Hart)

Paul Roma (managed by Slick)

“Texas Tornado” Kerry Von Erich (Kerry ran to the ring – I can see why people were unaware that he had a foot amputated).

Rick Martel

Tony Atlas (or Samba Simba as he was known at the time…such a bad stereotypical gimmick)

Bushwhacker Butch

Jake Roberts

Hercules (managed by Slick)

Tito Santana

Undertaker (managed by Brother Love)

Jimmy Snuka

Davey Boy Smith

Smash of Demolition

Hawk of the Legion of Doom

Shane Douglas (post-Dynamic Dudes but pre-Franchise)

No-Show (Supposed to be Randy Savage but he was too busy running from the Ultimate Warrior)

Animal of the Legion of Doom

Crush of Demolition

Hacksaw Jim Duggan

Earthquake (managed by Jimmy Hart)

Mister Perfect (managed by Bobby Heenan)

Hulk Hogan

Haku

Jim Neidhart

Bushwhacker Luke

Brian Knobbs of the Nasty Boys

The Warlord

Tugboat

Lots of fresh faces in the 1991 Rumble: Roma, Von Erich, Atlas, Undertaker, Davey Boy, Douglas, Crush of Demolition, the Legion of Doom, Brian Knobbs of the Nasty Boys.

Taker clearly isn’t “Taker” yet as he only eliminated one wrestler and was easily eliminated by the Legion of Doom.

Hogan won his second Rumble (boring).

I said the 1990 Rumble was the most depressing when it came to deceased wrestlers but 1991 surpassed it: only 9 participants of the Rumble have passed but if you include the non-wrestlers/wrestlers in the undercard the total number is 21. Looking forward to a Rumble where the deceased count is less than five.

Rating: 5 out of 10

[themculibrary]

Budapest (Clint & Natasha) Masterlist

Belize was First, but Budapest was Better (ao3) - bellinibeignet clint/natasha N/R, 8k

Summary: In which Clint hits his head, Natasha’s legs are weapons of mass distraction, and Tony Stark is just so fucking cool.

(What is there to say? It’s another story about what happened in Budapest.)

Blindsided (ao3) - mariusette clint/natasha T, 2k

Summary: Obviously, she'd lost it. Listening to the man who tried to kill her is already crazy enough, but actually tending to him after causing his somewhat fatal wound is downright bat-shit insane.

She sighs, again.

Fucking Budapest.

Budapest (ao3) - JunesPegasus N/R, 4k

Summary: Clint Barton aka Hawkeye is sent to eliminate a Russian assassin: Natasha Romanova. But he is soon enchanted by her seductive charme and things turn out way different than he planned.

Budapest (ao3) - MercuryWilliamson (MementoMoriPontifexMortis) clint/natasha E, 2k

Summary: It's Budapest and shower sex in a SHIELD safe house - well more like a SHIELD outhouse but it's enough for them - and Natasha learns what Clint's been hiding and she also learns more about herself.

Budapest (ao3) - ReginaNocis clint/natasha T, 2k

Summary: In which Clint and Natasha bring up Budapest increasingly often, but in completely random situations. It doesn't add up, and they're not explaining.

OR

Three times Clint and Natasha reference Budapest, and one time they explain why.

Budapest (ao3) - LokiOfSassgaard T, 1k

Summary: Every SHIELD agent has that one mission that all other missions are compared to. For Clint and Natasha, it was Budapest that set the bar.

Confirmed Mutual Admission (ao3) - AliceinChainmail clint/natasha E, 7k

Summary: You can take her out of Russia, but you can't take the Russian out of her. However...you can take her someplace safe.

Here We Go (ao3) - Caedmon clint/natasha N/R, 1k

Summary: Natasha finds Clint in Budapest and confronts him.

How Clint Barton saved the Black Widow (ao3) - CharonKatharsis G, 538

Summary: A short take on what might have happened in Budapest.

I Need You. I Trust You. I Love You. (ao3) - TeyrianTimelord clint/natasha T, 2k

Summary: Hawkeye and Black Widow remember Budapest very differently, but there is one part they both remember crystal clear:

The moment Clint and Natasha truly surrendered themselves to one another.

Love is for children (ao3) - solrosan clint/laura T, 6k

Summary: Natasha and Clint trust each other with their lives, but what will it take for them to trust each other with the rest?

Never Gonna Give You Up (ao3) - leiascully

Summary: Clint and Natasha remember Budapest very differently.

The House in Budapest (ao3) - Belle_Schuyler T, 483

Summary: Clint and Natasha meet for the first time, aka: what actually happened in Budapest.

The Octopus (ao3) - The_Peverells T, 4k

Summary: The Black Widow and Hawkeye first met in Budapest. It didn't go well.

To Remember (Differently) (ao3) - iamazonian clint/natasha G, 826

Summary: Hindsight is a useless superpower for the grieving, but Clint Barton would trade his unparalleled hawkeye vision if it means he'd never forget.

Two Truths and a Lie (ao3) - hannasus clint/natasha T, 11k

Summary: Clint and Natasha remember Budapest very differently.

What Happens Here Stays Here (ao3) - shadesfalcon clint/natasha T, 2k

Summary: "It’d taken Clint four days to find her. They hadn’t been gentle with her, really laying on the psychosis-inducing drugs. That, combined with the rough physical treatment, meant she’d lost all memory of the last month. Which, in turn, meant that she absolutely couldn’t remember what had happened in Budapest."

What Happens in Budapest…Comes Home to Roost (ao3) - MarbleGlove clint/laura T, 4k

Summary: Found family and unexpected allies, monsters that needed killing and recovering from brainwashing, … yeah, the New York alien invasion really did remind Natasha of Budapest.

[fakeosirian]

Almost a Stranger -- HoA Fabian/Patricia One-Shot

Post-S3, hurt/comfort, angst, lots of mess.

Fabian and Patricia have always been friends, despite how surprising people (themselves included) found it. Most days, they bicker, or they make plans to avert whatever crisis they're in this week, but the crises finally dried up, and bickering doesn't feel quite the same when the sentiments are ringing true more of then than not, these days.

At least they can be miserable together.

read on ao3 or here below the cut

Is it alright to be myself again? Can I finally be myself again? I don't need a reason to find I'm beginning to feel myself again I'm leaving the memory behind So I can finally be myself again Auf Wiedersehen, I'll see you later, some better day Cards on the table Vanity off to the side Always been able To get myself back to a stride Time's an eraser A reverie speaks for itself Sign your own waiver And you'll never be somebody else You'll never be somebody else Almost a stranger And even to those that I know I'm the remainder Of memories thrown to the cold Life is too painful When honesty comes at a price And lies are non-fatal Unless they're the four-letter kind Unless they're the four-letter kind

Fabian had been stuck in limbo for three straight weeks.

Ammut’s destruction did not cancel exams. That’d be an admission of guilt on Mr. Sweet’s part, and regardless, despite things feeling Decidedly Over around Anubis House, that didn’t apply to the school year. As he stared at his ceiling, there was still a month and change left, and while he wanted the Valedictorian spot, he didn’t want it badly enough to study early through the funk.

Well. Another year, he might have. In truth, his lack of early bird vigor had little to do with the exams themselves and everything to do with the black hole in his memory he’d do anything to scrub out entirely. Just knowing it was there at all was more than enough – he was guilty to admit he’d eliminate even the negative space it cast behind it without a second thought, if given the chance.

Eddie growled at his laptop across the room. He must have nearly died again. (In the video game, Fabian reminded himself, when just thinking that made him reflexively nauseous.)

Unable to stand the mounting pressure any longer, Fabian shot up from his bed and strode across the room to the door. Eddie pulled one half of his headphones off his head and peered over the lid of his laptop.

“You good?”

“Yeah, just getting a glass of water.”

“Cool.” He went back to his game without missing a beat; Fabian let go of the breath that lodged itself deep in his torso.

The hall was dimly lit – it was past 10, but Victor had gotten…noticeably lax about curfew recently – and dead quiet. Fabian’s steps lightened out of habit, and he stopped short when he saw a light flickering past the cracked kitchen door.

He slid up to the door and peeked through; Patricia leaned against the island counter, one hand gripping it tightly enough to blanch her knuckles, and the other blanching its knuckles on the handle of a mug. She stared into a lit candle on the counter like it held the answers to all of life’s biggest questions, and if she looked away for even a moment, they’d evaporate completely.

He wasn’t meant to see this, that much was clear.

He’d frozen on the spot, not paying attention to the way his weight shifted onto the door; unlatched, the door put up no resistance against his body leaning forward, and while Fabian was still mid-panic deciding how to proceed, the door’s hinges whined once it hit that one spot in their rotation. Patricia startled, blowing out the candle. Fabian gritted his teeth and held back a curse.

“Who’s there?”

“Me. Sorry.” Fabian ducked out from behind the door, sheepish eyes jumping all around the room, anywhere but on hers. “Are you…?”

“I’m fine,” Patricia said, a bit too quickly. She glanced at the smoke spiraling upward from the smoldering candle and back at him. “Someone left that lit. Fire hazard.”

“Right.” He fought down the urge to call her out. Why lie about that? It’s just a candle. It’s…definitely just a candle. Nothing weird about candles. So, no reason to lie, but she did anyway. I probably look suspicious. She’s acting suspicious. I’m acting suspicious. Suspicious of what? Ugh. It’s Patricia – of course she’s being weird about a candle when it’s just a candle. How long has it been since someone’s said something? Oh God. She can see it in my face, can’t she?

“Going to share with the class?” Patricia’s grip on her mug jerked a bit. Her shoulders were tense; Fabian’s were too. He heaved a sigh – felt a lot more like shoveling dirt than breathing should – and walked past her to get a glass.

“Nothing.” She stared at him, wordless. “Nothing worth the breath to explain, at least. I just came to get some water. Didn’t mean to interrupt anything. Sorry.”

“You didn’t interrupt anything,” she insisted. Fabian pressed his lips together and nodded; it came out jerky, insincere despite his best efforts and intentions, and her face pinched up in disgust. “If you’ve got something to say, then just say it.”

“I really don’t.” She scoffed. Fabian closed the cabinet door, but his hand hovered over the faucet handle for a moment. He tried, but he couldn’t let it go. “Seriously, are you okay? You seem upset. Is something bothering you?”

“If you even have to ask,” she grumbled. “It’s nothing to get all worried about. Would be better if you didn’t, actually.”

“Patricia.”

“Fabian.”

He put the glass down next to the sink and stood directly in front of her.

“I’ll leave it alone if you ask me to, but –”

“Already did, so case closed.”

“But, there’s no reason to suffer through it by yourself on purpose.”

Patricia looked at the floor, kicking the tip of her slipper over it, back and forth, back and forth. Fabian opened his mouth, compelled to fill the silence but with no particular thoughts in mind; it hung open for a moment, and closed when he came up empty. He turned around and turned on the tap.

“I was trying to calm down. Not from anything in particular. Just relax, whatever that means,” Patricia said underneath the rushing water. Fabian turned it down slightly – but not off. He glanced over his shoulder briefly, too quick for eye contact, and put his glass under the stream. “I heard somewhere staring at a candle works. Total crap, in my opinion. Now I’m tense and I have a blind spot smack in the middle of my vision.”

“Can’t sleep?”

“Something like that.”

“Me neither.” Fabian huffed a laugh. “Doesn’t help that Eddie’s teaching some twelve-year-olds some colorful, new vocabulary over Call of Duty right now.”

“What, cause he’s losing?”

“You didn’t hear it from me.”

Patricia grinned behind her mug. Fabian decided not to question why, upon closer inspection, Patricia decided to drink black tea if she was ‘having trouble sleeping, or something.’ The longer he lingered, the clearer it became to him that their ‘somethings’ were the same.

That was the last thing he wanted to talk about. …And yet he was still in the kitchen, talking. A strike of fear flashed across his mind – acting against his feelings, or were they his feelings, or was there something else driving the car? – and he forced down a gulp of water.

Unsurprisingly, he choked, and Patricia slopped tea on the counter in her haste to get her mug out of her hands. He waved her off, red-faced and suppressing the last of the sputtering, and forced his ragged throat in line.

“Wrong pipe.”

“Right.”

She positively dripped skepticism; rich coming from her, Ms. I Can’t Be Seen With A Candle.

He sniffed – water had gotten all the way up his nose, because of course it had – and took less ambitious sips while Patricia made a half-hearted attempt at mopping up her spilled tea with a paper towel. Every second that ticked past, the silence got thicker. Fabian wanted to leave. But, he hadn’t yet, and he wasn’t making any moves to. There was something…unfinished about this.

That original ‘something.’

“I guess you could say I haven’t felt myself lately,” Patricia said, apropos of nothing (or something). Fabian half-choked again – his glass was at his lips and ready to tip – and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

“That’s one way of putting it.” He sighed. “You don’t remember anything either, do you?”

“No, nothing.” She rubbed her eyes with the heels of her hands. “Not that I really want to, but I keep looking around in here like I might, like it’s possible I’m just missing something, and I can’t not know about it if that’s something that’s possible.”

“I find it hard to try in the first place because the sinking dread of what I’m going to do about it if I did remember something gets in the way.”

“Well, nothing, right? It’s over. Done and dusted.”

“Joy won’t look me in the eye.”

Patricia froze.

“What do you mean?”

“Ever since I’ve…been back…she’s seemed off. Not around anyone else, and nothing like I could remember before.” Fabian grimaced. “People have told me things I’ve said, but no one’s mentioned anything I said to her. I just…don’t know, and it’d be so hard to explain. I wouldn’t believe me if I was her.”

“She hasn’t told me anything about that,” Patricia said, her voice small. “Are you sure you’re not…y’know.”

“No, I’m not imagining it,” Fabian grumbled. “I think Jerome’s noticed too.”

“Ah.” She took a slow sip from her mug. “Well, if it makes you feel any better, people only noticed you acting weird because you’re usually pretty nice. Me? Apparently, just an average couple weeks, as far as everyone else was concerned.”

“It…doesn’t,” Fabian said, wincing. “And you weren’t completely normal, anyway.”

“Oh, great. I was worried I hadn’t made enough of a mess.”

“It wasn’t your fault.” Patricia barked a laugh; it sounded painful. Fabian’s face grew hot. “You had no idea what they were doing in the Gatehouse! We didn’t even know what a sinner was yet.”

“Sorry, Officer, I didn’t realize Evil Things were happening in the Evil House. Won’t happen again.”

“Well, I did know, and I went anyway. Could always be worse.”

Patricia glared at him. He didn’t buckle; why would he? She couldn’t say anything worse about him than he’d already said himself. Bomb defused. She broke eye contact, muttering something unintelligible under her breath.

Before he caught up with himself, Fabian poked the bear.

“What?”

“Don’t talk like that around Eddie.” Fabian stared at her, missing several pieces of the puzzle. “Nevermind. Just don’t. Better yet, leave the entire topic alone.” She picked up her mug and pushed past Fabian to exit the kitchen.

“Patricia, wait.” She stopped, but she didn’t turn around. Her knuckles flexed where she gripped the door for dear life. “Do you…not talk about this at all? With anyone?”

“Why would I? Do you?”

“Fair point,” he said. “Um. Maybe we…should.”

She looked over her shoulder. Her eyes shone, glassy, under the low light of the kitchen.

“Why.”

“It’s…hard? When you don’t?”

She pressed her lips together. He ran through all of the other exits in the room that didn’t involve getting past her in his head. Two, by the way. Laundry room, window. Not looking good.

“Maybe.” She turned to the threshold again. “Thanks, Fabian. Sort of.”

“Er, you’re welcome. I guess.”

She disappeared down the hallway. Fabian lingered in the kitchen; he couldn’t leave, not while his heart raced and his blood sang in his ears.

*-*

That was before, but this is now: a summer trip to New York City, Patricia, Fabian, and Alfie on a plane, with instructions to meet Eddie and KT at the airport. (The directions to where they’d meet in the airport looked as clear as the alchemy recipes Victor left lying around in the cellar, so functionally directionless and with the implication of harsh consequences for failure.)

Fabian didn’t like to think too much about how he couldn’t make it out for Nina before. Alfie had offered to pay without hesitation, otherwise it likely wouldn’t have worked out this time, either, and making a comparison between the two situations seemed like an exercise in misery.

Three hours into a trans-Atlantic flight, and exercises in misery sound appealing for being exercises at all. He’s stuck in the middle seat, Alfie sleeping in the aisle seat, and he’d already finished the only book he’d taken out of his carry-on.

Patricia’s awake, though. They hadn’t talked much once the novelty wore off and Alfie passed out, but one glance at the book that wouldn’t un-finish itself and Fabian knew he’d have to break the awkwardness sooner or later.

She’d propped up her chin on her hand, staring out the window like something other than ocean would show up. He taps her on the shoulder, and she grunts her acknowledgement.

“Excited to see Eddie?”

“Huh?” Couple seconds to process. “Oh. Yeah, loads of excitement.”

“Sure sounds like it.”

“Oh, shove it. I’m exhausted, and I can’t sleep on planes,” she says. “Yes, I am excited to see Eddie. I bet you’re going to be missing Mara, then.”

Fabian’s breath catches.

“Mara?”

“Well, yeah.”

Yikes. He hadn’t told her, had he.

“That didn’t really…”

“Oh.”

“It’s pretty recent. You didn’t miss anything, or. You know.”

“No explanation necessary.” Does she look…relieved? “To tell the truth, it was weird anyway. Sorry if that’s mean.”

“It’s not. It…made sense, but.”

“Too much sense?”

“Too much sense.”

Patricia nods like she’s got a cigar hanging out of her mouth.

“Always thought she picked people who she had nothing in common with, but turns out that was her type all along. I suppose I owe her a ‘you told me so’ for all the times I told her otherwise.” Alfie stirs in the aisle, and Fabian waves his hand in a ‘volume down’ motion. She grimaces, but she’s clearly got more to say. “Was it…mutual?”

“Yeah,” Fabian says. “It…yeah. Two dates, and at the end of the second, we were both looking for the opening. No big deal. Guess I’d just gotten in the habit of starting something new at the end of the year.” The laugh isn’t completely forced. Patricia awkwardly pats him on the arm.

“Not all of us can have the surprise whirlwind romance of Joy and Jerome.”

“Oh, don’t sell yourself and Eddie short.”

He hadn’t even wanted to say it, not really, but he thought it’d be the right thing. Evidently, it wasn’t, because Patricia’s eyes widen and dart back to the window. She rattles off a stilted agreement a moment too late.

That isn’t wishful thinking, is it? It shouldn’t be. Worse than making ‘too much’ sense, it made none at all.

Despite no wishes being made, the monkey’s paw curls anyway. The first day of the trip goes great (navigating the airport aside); the second day, Patricia and Eddie spend the latter half of the afternoon arguing behind a bedroom door while Alfie, KT, and Fabian do their best to drown it out with the TV. It’s not working.

Alfie just cranks the volume up a couple notches when they start shouting again, and KT turns it down when they get quiet. Fabian would get involved in the tug-of-war over the remote if he wasn’t so invested in spending every single ounce of willpower he had to not make sense of the snippets he caught anyway. Morbid curiosity is already a real enough concept to him, but he hadn’t yet considered that it also applied to situations without someone trying to kill you directly. You can absolutely die of anticipation, all on your own, with a heartrate fast enough.

Eventually, whatever show they were hardly paying attention to in the first place didn’t cut it anymore, and KT suggests that the three of them go around the corner for some snacks. Of course, that’s when Patricia and Eddie throw open the door.

“I’m going with you,” Eddie says, no room for argument as he grabs his wallet and keys out of the bowl next to the front door. He strode past so quickly Fabian couldn’t even see his face; his voice was bent out of shape, hoarse and evaporated. KT, Alfie, and Fabian share a look; Fabian takes a step back towards Patricia, and the other three leave without a moment’s hesitation. The door slam echoes throughout the Miller’s apartment, and in the void of sound it leaves behind, Fabian wonders if he’s made an enormous mistake.

(Why this would be a mistake, he didn’t know, but it nags.)

Fabian whips around to face Patricia. Her cheeks are splotchy and red, her breathing shaky, and Fabian remembers how deeply unequipped he is for this. Something must have shown on his face; her breath catches, her eyes get glassy, and it’s all over.

“Come here,” Fabian says, or something tells him to say, because he’s acting entirely on instinct when he erases the distance between them and takes her up in a hug. She’s stiff as a board in his arms, but she isn’t throwing him off (like he knows she is completely capable of and willing to do), so he’s at least avoiding the big mistakes.

He guides her to the couch; she hiccups into the side of his shoulder, and he can feel the twin wet patches there stick to his skin. They’re forced to break up for a moment when they sit down.

“I’m sorry,” Fabian starts to say, but he only gets halfway through the second word before she fully breaks down into sobs. That’s when it clicks for him – he knows these sobs.

“I only –”

“I know. When you’re angry.”

“Very angry,” she corrects between heaves.

It had been years since the last time, so long he’d nearly forgotten, but he still knew what to do. He puts an arm around her shoulders and buttons up his mouth; she lets it all out. There’s words in there between the tears and gasps, nothing that’d make it easier to understand, and nothing he dares to press.

Who knows how much later, Patricia’s mostly stopped crying, still muttering under her breath here and there and wiping tears off her cheek with Fabian’s upper arm, and Fabian’s phone buzzes. It’s a text from Alfie asking if they’re clear to come back.

“What’s up?”

Fabian fumbles to respond to the text – not yet, need a bit more time – and attempts a lie by omission to the question – just Alfie – but she sees right through it. He puts his phone back in his pocket (where she’ll have to wrestle him for it if she really wants to – he doesn’t examine that thought too much).

“They’re going to be taking a bit longer with the snacks.”

“What, because I’m crying?” He sighs – he’s supposed to be avoiding getting into it with her while she’s still upset – but before she can get either angry or angry with herself for being angry, he shifts the topic:

“What do you need right now?” Her mouth drops open in surprise, and not a moment later, less in surprise and more out of offense. “Do you want them to come back?” Her jaw shuts with a click. “Talk about it, then? Or do something else entirely? We could go on a walk for ourselves.” The straws he’s grasping at break apart in his hands, but it’s enough to get her laughing.

“Wandering around NYC without a guide would be insane – that doesn’t sound like a Fabian plan at all! Who are you and what have you done with him?”

Oh, that’s what was so funny. Haha. Oh.

She looks horrified once it sinks in for her, too, but he just…laughs. Very hard, to the point he can’t stop laughing, actually; it’s nervous and jarring, but it’s infectious, and she tentatively starts laughing, too, enough to finally interrupt her crying, until his chest catches on a laugh-turned-hiccup. He’s crying, he realizes. He wasn’t laughing at all. He’s just crying.

Now it’s her turn to fumble her way through an apology (and he knows why she’s compelled to since she’s not subtle – she can needle him and call him a geek but only because he doesn’t…break when she does).

“No, it’s okay – I’m sorry, I’m supposed to be comforting you,” he says, voice thick with tears, which she just shakes her head at, no words. He gets ahold of himself as quickly as he lost it. “Seriously, no apology necessary. I know you get it.” She still doesn’t have the words, but she nods.

They sit like that for a while; Fabian’s not sure how long, the best marker of time available the erratic rhythm of their heartbeats interrupting each other over and over. His picks up whenever he thinks about it too hard. Maybe he was wishing it into existence, but sometimes, he could have sworn hers would do the same.

Without preamble, she explains:

“We’ve been having issues because Eddie’s mad I can’t forgive myself for what happened. Whatever that’s supposed to mean in this context – I think he’s being daft. There’s way more to it than that, if that were even it. I mean, if it were that simple, wouldn’t I have just done it already?” Fabian understands both sides of this argument a little too well to stick his neck out, so he presses his lips together tightly and waits for her to continue. “It’s pretty easy for him to feel that way in his position. His biggest sin was trusting the wrong people.”

“Nina always felt guilty when things went wrong,” Fabian chips in.

“Exactly. Something about being in charge makes people all weird. It’s so selfish. Has anyone ever properly been in charge of anyone else around here? We’re all just doing stuff and half-talking about it and hoping it works out. It’s so hard to look yourself in the face and recognize what went wrong is entirely your own fault, but it’s the only way you get better, right? It’s insulting for someone to step in and blame themselves and take that away from you.”

Fabian is taken aback because it feels wrong, just as selfish in a way, but something buried deep inside him agrees strongly enough to scare him a little. He’s never had that feeling validated before. He thinks it probably shouldn’t be, reflexively, but that in and of itself exposes the deep river of self-doubt running below all of that. Alfie got sinnered too, they’ve talked about it, but he’s been able to cope by still trusting his core intentions to be good. Patricia is the only other person who understands. He can trust her more than anyone else, in a twisted sort of way, and if she trusts him…

Does she? They make very significant eye contact. Of course she trusts him. This is Patricia – she doesn’t cry in front of anyone if she can help it. Except him, apparently. It’s not like he’s keeping her here by force. (He couldn’t even if he wanted to.)

Suddenly, he’s very, very, very aware of the fact that they’re alone for as long as they want to be (within reason) and there’s a dangerous current arcing between them. Judging by the look on her face, she’s well aware of it, and just as flummoxed as him.

But…just as interested. They’ve been physically close ever since she broke down crying, but their faces were not this close five minutes ago. This is bad. This is very, very bad.

“Eddie!” he squeaks. She whips around to look at the door – he clarifies:

“No, they’re not here, they’re still gone, I just. Well. We’re…”

“We’re what, doofus?” Now he’s irritated.

“We’re about to kiss?” She opens and closes her mouth a couple times (and stares at his) but she can’t dispute it. He continues: “You’re still dating Eddie.”

Patricia deflates into him – cue the flush simmering away on his face roaring into a towering inferno – and mumbles into his chest.

“Am I?”

(He’s positively mortified how quickly that got him excited. Forget mortified – disgusted.)

“…Isn’t this exactly what got Jerome in trouble?”

“Are you seriously comparing me to Jerome Clarke right now? While cuddling me?”

He’s too flustered for words; she sits up, but she’s still holding on to him, now eye level. He can see the justifications flying around between her ears, so clearly that he pinpoints the moment she picks one and sticks to it.

“It’s not like it’d be the worst bad decision we’ve ever made.”

“That’s a pretty low bar to clear.”

“Exactly. Why beat yourself up for this when you’re too busy tackling the big fish?”

“…I don’t think that’s how that works.”

“Why can’t it be?”

Fabian sighs.

“Patricia.”

“Fabian.”

She’s not going to let up; she forced his hand.

“Patricia, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I really, genuinely want—” Chokes a bit. “To kiss you. Right now. I needed to say it out loud to make sure you know I mean it, but mostly because I’m having a hard time believing this is real.”

“Same here.” Her wobbly little smile looks like victory; unfortunately, victory over which battle hits him like a brick to the chest, and it’s much harder to want to reach out and take it after that. “What? Is everything okay?”

Fabian shakes his head. He waits for her to fight him, agree, do anything, really, but the ball’s still stuck to his side of the court. He struggles to find a way to say it that doesn’t feel so…accusatory.

“Do we really want to taint…this…with that? You're still...”

She sighs, looks at his lips again, and looks away with a shake of her head.

“I hate that you’re a good person.”

“Hey, I could say the same about you. That was the last of my resistance I was using there – if you’d fought me at all, well.”

“Don’t tempt me.”

“Sorry! Sorry. Ugh.” They stop talking, but they don’t stop holding each other. The gears in Fabian’s head turn in time with his stomach. “Don’t break up with Eddie for it.”

Patricia gets up, puts him at arm’s length, but still holding onto him.

“Where the hell did you get that idea from?” He blanches – did he overstep? Had he missed something? Or is he really that self-centered? She whacks him in the arm. “And stop overthinking it! Seriously, why are you worried about that?”

Fabian hems and haws a bit. Despite the involuntary rush of adrenaline – cued just in time to match the way his mind went completely blank on the topic despite the clear logic he used to make that statement in the first place being there just a second ago – he’s shocked to find that she’s not angry. She sounds shocked, a bit upset, but not necessarily with him. He takes a couple steadying breaths as she looks on with concern ratcheting upwards.

“You and Eddie are having a hard time right now, and for good reason, but it’s not unfixable whatsoever. You have a strong relationship. I don’t mean to insinuate anything, only that I don’t want you giving up on that prematurely for…whatever this is, or rather could be.”

Patricia frowns, brow furrowed to the nose and storm clouds rolling in.

“Don’t worry about what me and Eddie are doing. I know exactly what I’m doing.” Even though he feels like he’s the one in the wrong here, he can’t help but get his hackles up involuntarily at that obvious falsehood. She groans and waves her hand. “Oh, you know what I mean. It’s a mess, but it’s my mess. Our mess, me and Eddie’s, I mean. If it ends, it ends because of us, and there’s plenty of us to go around already.”

“Okay,” Fabian says, desperately grasping for that trust he had in her earlier. He finds it more easily than he was expecting, lying right behind her eyes and in the thin, crooked, half-broken smile she puts together from scratch for him.

“But.” He tenses up. “The two of us have been through a lot together. I’ve known you for basically forever.”

“Not all of forever has been pleasant,” he can’t help but offer. She snorts.

“That’s sort of what I mean. Don’t discount what this could be because of what it might have been before.”

That…huh. It struck a chord with him, but…

“Does…does that mean anything at all?”

“Oh, shut up. Don’t make this bit of forever unpleasant, too.” They both laugh, and things feel as close to comfortably normal as they could, what with the pervasive feeling that This Isn’t Happening For Real still hanging over the room present. Or her hand on his shoulder, still. Mostly the hand.

“This bit?” He can’t help himself – it’s so easy to give in to the urge to be cheeky around her.

“Yeah, this…whatever we’re doing. How we’re being better friends because we hate ourselves but we could be also…” she trails off, nose crinkling as she tries on an entire store’s worth of ill-fitting phrasings. “What did I say about not making this unpleasant?”

This time, when he cries from laughing too hard, there’s no pain in it whatsoever.

Eddie, Alfie, and KT return shortly after. Eddie still seems bothered, but less than he did when he left, and Patricia’s able to keep her cool just fine when he walks in the door. The only slip that gives her away is the quick glance back at Fabian when Eddie finally vacates the threshold of the door and puts their convenience store haul down on the coffee table. It was so quick that only Fabian would notice, but the gnawing anxiety in his gut wouldn’t stop reminding him that his own over-focus on Patricia would be the far more obvious thing for an outsider to notice there. That’s the only reason he saw her glance in the first place.

It's easy enough for them to pretend that everything is some semblance of normal for the rest of the trip. When they’re in a group, whatever activity they’re up to and the five-person banter are far too distracting for minds and eyes to wander. In a group, Fabian can’t tell if that subtle bit of distance between Patricia and Eddie is all in his head or not, and the less people there are, the distance between everyone invariably gets larger. Consideration for personal space, maybe. Maybe.

The trouble comes when the group whittles down to just Fabian and Patricia again, so they do their best to limit how often that happens. Fabian ranks it among the hardest things he’s ever done where the consequences don’t involve someone dying.

By the time they’re on the plane home, he’s so exhausted from tamping his feelings down that he doesn’t have the energy to feel them in the first place. He sleeps most of the time, unlike last time, and is only awake at the same time as Patricia (the one who claims to not be able to sleep on planes) once. They spend most of it in silence, Alfie’s snoring matching their stuttering heartbeats, and dare not refer to That Night.

Fabian would hold Patricia to her word – to not hurt Eddie on his behalf – no matter how much it hurt the two of them in turn. For now, he’s left with a lightness in his heart, and an ugly churning in his stomach.

[droptoeholdyourhorses]

An idea that's been kicking around in my head the past couple of weeks is trying to work out which former WWE Champion has faced the most other former WWE Champions. To date, there have been 54 recognised WWE Champions and out of those 54, one must have faced more of the remaining 53 than anyone else.

On paper, it's simple enough. Use a site like Cagematch or ProFightDB. Cross reference every WWE Champion with every other WWE Champion. See who has the highest tally at the end. However, there are some points I am getting caught up on as to what counts and what doesn't count.

Multi-man matches such as triple threat, fatal four ways, Royal Rumbles etc.

It feels like these shouldn't count, especially Rumbles but there does appear to be the odd case here and there. For example, Triple H and Rey Mysterio. The two have never had a one on one match together but in 2006, they did start that year's Royal Rumble. Both lasted over an hour, and in the final three, Rey eliminated Hunter before going on to eliminate Randy Orton to win the whole thing. Later in March of the same year, HHH and Rey were on opposite sides of a handicap match on Saturday Night's Main Event. Still, for sake of argument, it feels better to stick to singles matches overall.

2. House show matches.

Triple H vs. Jinder Mahal took place at an India house show in December 2017 in their only one-on-one match together. Both men are former WWE Champions so it should seemingly count but it does feel odd to count a Triple H match not many people will have seen, yet not count his interactions with Rey which many more will have seen.

3. Matches pre-WWE title reigns.

This one feels like it's splitting hairs admittedly. The most recent first-time WWE Champion is Big E defeating Bobby Lashley in September 2021. It would feel rather pedantic to say only matches after that count for Big E and matches before it don't.

4. Non WWE-matches between two WWE Champions.

I don't think there would be many cases of this either but let's take Rob Van Dam vs. AJ Styles as an example. They never faced off in WWE but they did have numerous matches against each other in TNA in 2010. It feels like those should count.

Will anything come of this? Eh, maybe, but I wanted to at least get the initial idea out of my head.

[wellnesstrength]

WHAT is Tooth Abscess???

An abscessed tooth is a pus-filled pocket brought on by a bacterial infection. Different locations surrounding the tooth may develop an abscess for various reasons. An abscess known as periapical (per-e-AP-ih-kul) develops at the tip of the root. A periodontal abscess, pronounced "per-e-o-DON-tul," develops in the gums next to a tooth root. This article contains details on periapical abscesses.

A dental cavity that is left untreated, an injury, or previous dental work are the most common causes of periapical tooth abscesses. At the tip of the root, the infection that results from the irritation and swelling (inflammation) might lead to an abscess.

A tooth abscess is treated by dentists by draining it and eliminating the infection. Your tooth might be saveable with a root canal procedure. But occasionally, it can be necessary to remove the tooth. Untreated dental abscesses can develop into serious, even fatal, problems.

The following are indications and symptoms of a tooth abscess:

***extreme, ongoing tooth pain that radiates to your jawline, neck, or ear ***Discomfort or pain at both hot and cold temperatures ***When eating or biting, there may be pain or discomfort. ***Fever ***Face, cheek, or neck swelling that could make it difficult to breathe or swallow ***Painful, enlarged lymph nodes in your neck or under your jaw. ***Bad taste in your mouth ***If the abscess ruptures, there will be a sudden rush of salty, foul-tasting, foul-smelling fluid in your mouth, along with pain alleviation. Whenever to visit a doctor

If you experience any indications that you may have an abscessed tooth, contact your dentist right once.

Causes

Bacteria that enter the dental pulp cause a periapical tooth abscess. The tooth's interior, or pulp, is where the blood vessels, nerves, and connective tissue are located.

Bacteria spread all the way to the tooth's root after entering through a dental cavity or a chip or fracture in the tooth. At the root's tip, the bacterial infection may result in swelling and inflammation.

Risk elements

These elements could make you more likely to get a tooth abscess:

bad dental practices and maintenance. Your risk of developing dental issues can increase if you don't take good care of your teeth and gums, such as by brushing and flossing your teeth twice a day. There could be issues with tooth decay, gum disease, tooth abscess, and other oral and dental issues. a high-sugar diet. Frequent use of sugary foods and beverages, such as sweets and sodas, can cause tooth decay and even result in an abscess. mouth arid Your risk of developing tooth decay can rise if you have a dry mouth. A common cause of dry mouth is an adverse drug reaction or aging-related conditions.

Complications

Without care, a tooth abscess won't heal. You might believe that the issue has been resolved if the abscess ruptures because of how much better the pain is, but you still need dental care.

If the abscess doesn't drain, the infection may spread to your jaw and to other areas of your head and neck. If the tooth is positioned near the maxillary sinus ⸺ two huge areas behind your eyes and behind your cheeks ⸺ you can also develop a hole between the tooth abscess and the sinus. The sinus cavity may get infected as a result of this. Sepsis, a potentially fatal infection that spreads throughout your body, could even occur.

Prevention

To stop a dental abscess, you must avoid tooth deterioration. Maintaining good oral hygiene will help you avoid tooth decay.

Fluoridated water should be consumed. Use a fluoride toothpaste and brush your teeth for two minutes at least twice every day. Every day, floss between your teeth with dental floss or a water flosser. Every three to four months, or anytime the bristles start to fray, change your toothbrush. Eat wholesome foods and avoid between-meal snacks and sugary drinks. For frequent checkups and expert cleanings, visit your dentist. To provide an additional layer of defense against tooth decay, think about using an antiseptic or a fluoride mouthwash.

#Support for more articles Friends

[arifhosen129]

Why is it not allowed for a woman to have multiple marriages or multiple husbands in Islam?

(scientific explanation)

A Jewish embryologist (who was also a religious scholar) openly stated that there is no other religion in the world that is purer and purer than the Muslim woman.

The whole incident happened when Robert, a Jewish professional, an embryologist associated with the Albert Einstein Institute, announced his conversion to Islam. The only reason for which was the knowledge of the verses regarding the order of Iddat for divorced women mentioned in the Qur'an and the mystery and wisdom behind setting a limit of three months for Iddat.

Allah Ta'ala has asked a divorced woman to keep a gap of three months before remarrying. He said in the Holy Quran,

وَٱلْمُطَلَّقَٰتُ يَتَرَبَّصْنَ بِأَنفُسِهِنَّ ثَلَٰثَةَ قُرُوٓءٍۚ

That is, 'divorced women will wait up to three months'. (Surah Al-Baqarah, 228)

This verse paved the way for the discovery of DNA by a modern science and found that the protein in one man's semen is 62% different from another man's.

And a woman's body is like a computer. When a man has intercourse with her, the woman's body absorbs all the bacteria and keeps it in her body. Therefore, if a woman marries another man or has intercourse with several men at the same time after divorce, her body accumulates different types of DNA that produce dangerous proteins and cause serious diseases.

Studies show that 32% to 35% of protein is lost from a woman's body after her first period, and 67 to 72% of her DNA is destroyed after her second period. And after the third menstruation up to 99.9% of the protein is eliminated. The uterus is then completely cleared of the previous DNA and ready to accept the new DNA without any side effects.

A courtesan copulates with many men, causing bacteria from different men to enter her uterus and accumulate different types of DNA in her, causing her to contract fatal diseases.

In the case of a widowed woman, the provision of Shariah is that her Iddat is longer than that of a divorced woman i.e. 4 months and 10 days. This is because the former DNA is not eliminated quickly from her body due to grief and anxiety, it takes longer than before, and for this the women's Iddah is fixed at four months and ten days. Allah says in the Holy Quran:

وَٱلَّذِينَ يُتَوَفَّوْنَ مِنكُمْ وَيَذَرُونَ أَزْوَٰجًا يَتَرَبَّصْنَ بِأَنفُسِهِنَّ أَرْبَعَةَ أَشْهُرٍ وَعَشْرًاۖ

That is, 'Those of you who die leaving wives shall abstain from them for four months and ten days.' (Surah Al-Baqarah, 234)

Faced with this fact, an expert doctor conducted research at two different locations in the United States.

One. Only one husband's DNA was found in the fetuses of the women in the neighborhood where Muslims of African descent lived. Two. In other neighborhoods where Native American women live, DNA from more than two or three men has been found in their fetuses.

Then when the specialist doctor examined his own wife's embryo, he discovered the shocking fact that his wife had three different DNA. Which means his wife was cheating on him and only one of his three children was his own, the rest were from other men.

The doctor is then convinced that Islam is the only religion that guarantees the safety of women and the harmony of society. And be sure that only Muslim women are the cleanest, purest and most chaste in the world.

#Copied

[braindead-virtually-tv]

WrestleMania Nights 1 & 2 Match Cards

April 1st & 2nd So-Fi Stadium, Inglewood, California

Have your say in the "Who will win" Polls!

NIGHT 1

Singles Match for the WWE United States Champion Austin Theory (c) v John Cena

The story so far (via Wikipedia) 

Since April 2022, Austin Theory and John Cena had been teasing a match against each other over social media. The two briefly came face-to-face during Cena's 20-year anniversary celebration on the June 27, 2022, episode of Raw, where Theory mocked Cena and called him out of touch. In February 2023, during the Elimination Chamber post-event press conference after Theory had retained the United States Championship at the event, Theory was annoyed that everyone was asking about Cena instead of his own accomplishments. After it was announced that Cena would be making his return on the March 6 episode of Raw, Theory stated that he would be giving him a warm welcome back. Theory confronted Cena on that episode and claimed that Cena was an inspiration to him and then challenged Cena to face him at WrestleMania 39 for the United States Championship, however, Cena declined as he felt Theory was not ready. After some coaxing from Theory, Cena allowed his hometown of Boston to decide, and they cheered to see the match, which prompted Cena to accept the challenge. On March 24, it was confirmed that the match would open Night 1.

Singles Match Seth "Freakin" Rollins v Logan Paul

The story so far (via Wikipedia)

At the Royal Rumble, Logan Paul, who had been out with an injury since Crown Jewel in November 2022, made a surprise return as an entrant in the men's Royal Rumble match and eliminated Seth "Freakin" Rollins. Following this, Rollins began bad mouthing Paul in interviews, stating that he did not want Paul to be in WWE. At Elimination Chamber during the titular match, Paul snuck into the Chamber and attacked Rollins, costing him the United States Championship.[44] Paul accepted Rollins' invitation to appear on the March 6 episode of Raw, where Rollins wanted to fight only for Paul to decline and state that he would not fight for free and hinted that they could fight at WrestleMania 39. WrestleMania host The Miz then claimed that he could make the match official, and it was later confirmed. On his Impaulsive podcast, Paul stated that the match would be happening on Night 1.

Singles Match for the WWE Women's Smackdown Championship Charlotte Flair (c) v Rhea Ripley

The story so far (via Wikipedia)

At the Royal Rumble, Raw's Rhea Ripley won the women's Royal Rumble match to earn a women's championship match of her choice at WrestleMania 39. On the following episode of Raw, she chose to challenge Charlotte Flair for the SmackDown Women's Championship, setting up a WrestleMania rematch between the two from WrestleMania 36 in 2020, where Flair had won that year's Royal Rumble and had chosen and defeated Ripley for the NXT Women's Championship. This subsequently marks the first women's WrestleMania rematch to happen at a WrestleMania.

Six-Woman Tag Team Match Trish Stratus, Lita & Becky Lynch v Damage CTRL (Bayley, Dakota Kai & Iyo Sky)

Men's WrestleMania Fatal Four-Way Tag Team Showcase Braun Strowman & Ricochet v The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford) v The Alpha Academy (Chad Gable & Otis) v The Viking Raiders (Erik & Ivar)

The story so far (via Wikipedia)

On the March 17 episode of SmackDown, it was announced that at WrestleMania 39, there would be two WrestleMania Showcase matches, which would be fatal four-way tag team matches, with one each for the men and women. Qualifying matches for the women's Showcase began that night. Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez qualified first by defeating Tegan Nox and Emma. The following week, Natalya and Shotzi qualified by defeating Xia Li and Lacey Evans, and after the match, Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler were added, bypassing a qualifier match. No qualifying matches were held for the men's Showcase as all four teams were announced on March 20: Braun Strowman and Ricochet, The Viking Raiders (Erik and Ivar), The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford), and Alpha Academy (Chad Gable and Otis).

Tag Team Match for the WWE Undisputed Tag Team Titles The Usos (Jey & Jimmy Uso) (c) v Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn

The story so far (via Wikipedia)

Since late 2020, Kevin Owens had an off and on feud with The Bloodline. At Survivor Series WarGames in November 2022, Owens was on the opposing team in a WarGames match against The Bloodline, which included Owens' best friend, Sami Zayn, who joined The Bloodline as an honorary member in mid-2022. The Bloodline was victorious at Survivor Series thanks to Zayn betraying Owens. After Bloodline leader Roman Reigns defeated Owens at the 2023 Royal Rumble, Bloodline members The Usos (Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso) and Solo Sikoa attacked Owens, while Zayn watched on in uncertainty. Reigns ordered Zayn to attack Owens with a steel chair, but Zayn turned on Reigns and attacked him instead. Zayn apologized to Jey, who he had become close with, only for Jimmy, Sikoa, and Reigns to attack Zayn as an emotionally distraught Jey left the ring as the rest of The Bloodline continued the assault. This led to a match between Reigns and Zayn at Elimination Chamber where Reigns won, but after the match, Owens prevented The Bloodline (except Jey) from further attacking Zayn. On the following Raw, Zayn said that despite their rough history, he and Owens should work together to take down The Bloodline. Owens said that he only assisted Zayn so that Zayn's family would not have to see him get destroyed like Owens did in front of his own family at the Royal Rumble and he told Zayn he would continue fighting alone. Over the next weeks, Zayn tried to convince The Usos that Reigns was manipulating them. Jimmy maintained his loyalty to his family, while Jey's uncertainty continued until the March 6 episode of Raw where he seemingly sided with Zayn, but then turned on him, because Zayn was not family. The following week, Reigns' WrestleMania opponent Cody Rhodes attempted to help resolve issues between Owens and Zayn, but Owens refused; however, later that night, Owens came to Zayn's aid, who got ambushed by The Usos, and Owens and Zayn embraced. On the March 20 episode of Raw, The Usos accepted Owens and Zayn's challenge for a match at WrestleMania 39 for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship.

Singles Match Rey Mysterio v Dominik Mysterio

The story so far (via Wikipedia) 

Rey Mysterio would also have his own issues with The Judgment Day, which only heightened when his own son Dominik turned on him to join Judgment Day at Clash at the Castle in September 2022.[63] Rey refused to fight his own son and was about to quit WWE, but he was convinced to stay, and he was traded to the SmackDown brand to avoid Judgment Day on Raw. However, their paths would cross again at the Royal Rumble. Rey was supposed to compete in the men's Royal Rumble match, but he never came out when his entrance music played. Dominik then entered, carrying Rey's mask, implying that he attacked his dad to prevent him from entering. With Judgment Day's Rhea Ripley winning the women's Royal Rumble and choosing to challenge for the SmackDown Women's Championship, the group began appearing on SmackDown, thus Dominik began tormenting his dad again. On the March 10 episode, after it was announced that Rey would be the first inductee into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2023, The Judgment Day interrupted and Dominik said his dad did not deserve the recognition. The following week, an emotional Rey said he wanted Dominik by his side for his Hall of Fame induction, but Dominik instead tried goading Rey into a match at WrestleMania 39. Rey, however, affirmed his position that he would not fight his son. On the March 24 episode, the Mysterio family were in attendance for Rey's match, which he lost thanks to interference from Dominik. Afterwards, Dominik disrespected his mother and sister, forcing Rey to intervene and hit Dominik. Rey then stated that Dominik forced him to do so and accepted his challenge for a match at WrestleMania 39.

NIGHT 2

Single's Match for the WWE Undisputed Universal Championship Roman Reigns (c) v Cody Rhodes

The story so far (via Wikipedia)

At WrestleMania 38, Cody Rhodes made a surprise return to WWE after having been away from the company for six years—during his time away, he established himself on the independent circuit and helped found another promotion, All Elite Wrestling, in January 2019. At the same event, Roman Reigns became the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion by retaining his Universal Championship and winning the WWE Championship. On the Raw after WrestleMania, Rhodes stated that he returned to win the WWE Championship, not only for himself, but also for his late father, Dusty, who never won the title.In June, Rhodes suffered a pectoral injury, which sidelined him for several months. At the 2023 Royal Rumble, Rhodes returned and won the men's Royal Rumble match to earn a match against Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at WrestleMania 39. While Rhodes simply wanted to win the championship to bring honor to his family, Reigns, by way of his special counsel Paul Heyman, made it personal, with Heyman stating that Dusty's last words to him were that although Cody was his favorite son, Reigns, who Dusty trained, was the son he always wanted. On the March 3 episode of SmackDown, Rhodes confronted Reigns face-to-face for the first time. Rhodes claimed that throughout his career, he had always overcome the odds and would do it again at WrestleMania. Reigns reinforced what Heyman had said, and then told Rhodes that at WrestleMania, if there was anything that Dusty did not teach his own son, Reigns would.

Single's Match for the WWE Raw Women's Championship Bianca Belair (c) v Asuka

The story so far (via Wikipedia)

Due to the women’s Royal Rumble match winner choosing the SmackDown Women's Championship, an Elimination Chamber match was scheduled for the eponymous event to determine Bianca Belair's challenger for the Raw Women's Championship at WrestleMania 39. The match was won by Asuka.

Singles Match Brock Lesnar v Omos

The story so far (via Wikipedia)

On the February 20 episode of Raw, Omos and his manager MVP addressed the match between Brock Lesnar and Bobby Lashley from Elimination Chamber. MVP called Lesnar a coward and claimed that Lesnar intentionally disqualified himself because Lesnar knew he could not break Lashley's Hurt Lock submission. MVP then invited Lesnar to Raw the following week to accept Omos' challenge for a match at WrestleMania 39. That episode, after MVP sold him on the match, Lesnar accepted.

Triple Threat for the WWE Intercontinental Championship Gunther (c) v Drew McIntyre v Sheamus

The story so far (via Wikipedia)

On the March 3 episode of SmackDown, a fatal five-way match between Drew McIntyre, LA Knight, Sheamus, Kofi Kingston, and Karrion Kross was announced for the following week, where the winner would face Gunther for the Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania 39. On March 9, it was announced that due to an injury, Kingston's New Day tag team partner Xavier Woods would replace him in the match. A double pinfall occurred in the match, with McIntyre and Sheamus named co-winners. It was then announced that the two would face each other the following week to determine the definitive number one contender, however, that match ended in a no-contest after Imperium (Gunther, Ludwig Kaiser, and Giovanni Vinci) attacked both men. WWE official Adam Pearce then decided that Gunther would defend the championship against both McIntyre and Sheamus in a triple threat match at WrestleMania 39.

The story so far (via Wikipedia)

At SummerSlam in July 2022, Bayley made her return from injury alongside Dakota Kai and Iyo Sky after Becky Lynch's match. Lynch would take time off due to an attack from Bayley, Kai, and Sky and the three dubbed themselves as Damage CTRL. Lynch made her return in November, and led her team in defeating Damage CTRL's team in a WarGames match at Survivor Series WarGames. Over the next few weeks, Damage CTRL continued targeting Lynch and on the February 6, 2023, episode of Raw, during a Steel Cage match between Lynch and Bayley, WWE Hall of Famer Lita returned and prevented Kai and Sky from interfering in the match, allowing Lynch to defeat Bayley. Lynch and Lita then defeated Kai and Sky on the February 27 episode to win the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship, thanks to returning fellow Hall of Famer, Trish Stratus, who prevented Bayley from interfering. The following week, Stratus, who had retired at SummerSlam in 2019, stated that she was coming out of retirement so that she, Lynch, and Lita could challenge Damage CTRL to a six-woman tag team match at WrestleMania 39 and Damage CTRL accepted.

Hell in a Cell Match Edge v Finn Balor

The story so far (via Wikipedia)

At WrestleMania 38, Edge won his match thanks to a distraction from Damian Priest. The two then formed a faction named The Judgment Day. Over the next couple of months, Rhea Ripley and Finn Bálor would also be added to the group. In June, however, Bálor, Priest, and Ripley turned on Edge, kicking him out of the group. In September, The Judgment Day recruited Dominik Mysterio. Edge continued his feud with The Judgment Day over the next few months, and he and his wife Beth Phoenix teamed up to defeat Bálor and Ripley at Elimination Chamber. On the following episode of Raw, Edge, who felt his feud with The Judgment Day was over, lost his United States Championship match after interference from Bálor. The following week, Bálor said their feud was not done and challenged Edge to a match at WrestleMania 39. On the following week's episode, Edge interfered in Bálor's match, causing him to lose, and Edge challenged Bálor to meet him alone on the next episode.[55] There, the two agreed to a Hell in a Cell match at WrestleMania 39, and Edge said he wanted to face Bálor's "Demon" persona.

Women's WrestleMania Fatal Four-Way Tag Team Showcase Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez v Natayla & Shotzi v Shayna Baszler & Ronda Rousey v Sonya Deville & Chelsea Green

The story so far (via Wikipedia)

On the March 17 episode of SmackDown, it was announced that at WrestleMania 39, there would be two WrestleMania Showcase matches, which would be fatal four-way tag team matches, with one each for the men and women. Qualifying matches for the women's Showcase began that night. Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez qualified first by defeating Tegan Nox and Emma. The following week, Natalya and Shotzi qualified by defeating Xia Li and Lacey Evans, and after the match, Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler were added, bypassing a qualifier match. No qualifying matches were held for the men's Showcase as all four teams were announced on March 20: Braun Strowman and Ricochet, The Viking Raiders (Erik and Ivar), The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford), and Alpha Academy (Chad Gable and Otis).

Men's WrestleMania Fatal Four-Way Tag Team Showcase Braun Strowman & Ricochet v The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford) v The Alpha Academy (Chad Gable & Otis) v The Viking Raiders (Erik & Ivar)

The story so far (via Wikipedia)

On the March 17 episode of SmackDown, it was announced that at WrestleMania 39, there would be two WrestleMania Showcase matches, which would be fatal four-way tag team matches, with one each for the men and women. Qualifying matches for the women's Showcase began that night. Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez qualified first by defeating Tegan Nox and Emma. The following week, Natalya and Shotzi qualified by defeating Xia Li and Lacey Evans, and after the match, Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler were added, bypassing a qualifier match. No qualifying matches were held for the men's Showcase as all four teams were announced on March 20: Braun Strowman and Ricochet, The Viking Raiders (Erik and Ivar), The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford), and Alpha Academy (Chad Gable and Otis).

Tag Team Match for the WWE Undisputed Tag Team Titles The Usos (Jey & Jimmy Uso) (c) v Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn

The story so far (via Wikipedia)

Since late 2020, Kevin Owens had an off and on feud with The Bloodline. At Survivor Series WarGames in November 2022, Owens was on the opposing team in a WarGames match against The Bloodline, which included Owens' best friend, Sami Zayn, who joined The Bloodline as an honorary member in mid-2022. The Bloodline was victorious at Survivor Series thanks to Zayn betraying Owens. After Bloodline leader Roman Reigns defeated Owens at the 2023 Royal Rumble, Bloodline members The Usos (Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso) and Solo Sikoa attacked Owens, while Zayn watched on in uncertainty. Reigns ordered Zayn to attack Owens with a steel chair, but Zayn turned on Reigns and attacked him instead. Zayn apologized to Jey, who he had become close with, only for Jimmy, Sikoa, and Reigns to attack Zayn as an emotionally distraught Jey left the ring as the rest of The Bloodline continued the assault. This led to a match between Reigns and Zayn at Elimination Chamber where Reigns won, but after the match, Owens prevented The Bloodline (except Jey) from further attacking Zayn. On the following Raw, Zayn said that despite their rough history, he and Owens should work together to take down The Bloodline. Owens said that he only assisted Zayn so that Zayn's family would not have to see him get destroyed like Owens did in front of his own family at the Royal Rumble and he told Zayn he would continue fighting alone. Over the next weeks, Zayn tried to convince The Usos that Reigns was manipulating them. Jimmy maintained his loyalty to his family, while Jey's uncertainty continued until the March 6 episode of Raw where he seemingly sided with Zayn, but then turned on him, because Zayn was not family. The following week, Reigns' WrestleMania opponent Cody Rhodes attempted to help resolve issues between Owens and Zayn, but Owens refused; however, later that night, Owens came to Zayn's aid, who got ambushed by The Usos, and Owens and Zayn embraced. On the March 20 episode of Raw, The Usos accepted Owens and Zayn's challenge for a match at WrestleMania 39 for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship.

Singles Match Rey Mysterio v Dominik Mysterio

The story so far (via Wikipedia) 

Rey Mysterio would also have his own issues with The Judgment Day, which only heightened when his own son Dominik turned on him to join Judgment Day at Clash at the Castle in September 2022.[63] Rey refused to fight his own son and was about to quit WWE, but he was convinced to stay, and he was traded to the SmackDown brand to avoid Judgment Day on Raw. However, their paths would cross again at the Royal Rumble. Rey was supposed to compete in the men's Royal Rumble match, but he never came out when his entrance music played. Dominik then entered, carrying Rey's mask, implying that he attacked his dad to prevent him from entering. With Judgment Day's Rhea Ripley winning the women's Royal Rumble and choosing to challenge for the SmackDown Women's Championship, the group began appearing on SmackDown, thus Dominik began tormenting his dad again. On the March 10 episode, after it was announced that Rey would be the first inductee into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2023, The Judgment Day interrupted and Dominik said his dad did not deserve the recognition. The following week, an emotional Rey said he wanted Dominik by his side for his Hall of Fame induction, but Dominik instead tried goading Rey into a match at WrestleMania 39. Rey, however, affirmed his position that he would not fight his son. On the March 24 episode, the Mysterio family were in attendance for Rey's match, which he lost thanks to interference from Dominik. Afterwards, Dominik disrespected his mother and sister, forcing Rey to intervene and hit Dominik. Rey then stated that Dominik forced him to do so and accepted his challenge for a match at WrestleMania 39.

[genesis-of-the-between]

Two months ago, in the city of Stonewick, a tragedy occurred.

An unknown villain, perhaps hoping to make a name for themselves, committed one of the worst crimes in city history. Two important events were being held that night, a gala held in the John S. Ruthard Museum of Art and the University of Stonewick’s school dance. Both events fell victim to the criminal’s scheme. Under the cover of night, toxic gas was released into the buildings. Though no one died, many were hospitalized due to having breathed in too much of the gas.

Everyone caught up in the incidents had their lives changed forever. But for four specific people, a series of pure coincidences caused their lives to be connected in unexpected ways.

Radley Holt. A 28-year-old man who worked as a business assistant by day and a hitman-for-hire by night. On a mission to eliminate an employer’s rival, he followed her to the museum gala—and consequently placed himself in the perfect position to breathe in the toxic fumes.

Cadence Bellance. A promising young starlet, poised for a luxurious career in acting. The 23-year-old was unaware of just how far her rivals were willing to go to get the role she had just scored, and if not for the gassing, she might have fallen victim to a certain hitman’s bullet.

Kage Carrion. A college sophomore notorious for his bad attitude and dubious morals. At only age 21, his life was turned upside down when the university was gassed. He never thought he would get involved in something so crazy, but here he was.

Elvia Noctol. A poor girl who wasn’t even supposed to be there. She was only 17, too young to be at college. It was a good example and wrong place, wrong time—one that might have proven fatal. She survived the gassing by pure luck.

Despite these four being complete strangers, they had three things in common: they were exposed to the gas, they had Type O blood, and they ate a certain brand of vitamin gummy within twelve hours before the attacks. Under these conditions, something no one expected happened: each of them grew wings.

Northern cardinal. Blue mockingbird. Black vulture. Yellow canary. These four strangers were now connected through an experience no one else could sympathize with. They all knew they were responsible for what they did with their newfound powers, so the decision to make the most of them was easy.

They say birds of a feather flock together. It’s time that saying is put to the test.

[machobusta]

Rob Van Dam vs. Rene Dupree vs. John Cena vs. Booker T | Fatal four-way elimination match for the WWE United States Championship The Great American Bash June 27, 2004

[newstfionline]

Wednesday, November 30, 2022

Employers Rethink Need for College Degrees (WSJ) The tight labor market is prompting more employers to eliminate one of the biggest requirements for many higher-paying jobs: a college degree. Companies such as Google, Delta Air Lines and International Business Machines have reduced educational requirements for certain positions and shifted hiring to focus more on skills and experience. Maryland this year cut college-degree requirements for many state jobs—leading to a surge in hiring—and incoming Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro campaigned on a similar initiative. U.S. job postings requiring at least a bachelor’s degree were 41% in November, down from 46% at the start of 2019 ahead of the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the Burning Glass Institute. The shift comes as demand for workers remains high and unemployment is low. Job postings far outpace the number of unemployed people looking for work—10.7 million openings in September compared with 5.8 million unemployed—creating unusually stiff competition for workers.

Fentanyl’s scourge plainly visible on streets of Los Angeles (AP) In a filthy alley behind a Los Angeles doughnut shop, Ryan Smith convulsed in the grips of a fentanyl high—lurching from moments of slumber to bouts of violent shivering on a warm summer day. The highly addictive and potentially lethal drug has become a scourge across America and is taking a toll on the growing number of people living on the streets of Los Angeles. Nearly 2,000 homeless people died in the city from April 2020 to March 2021, a 56% increase from the previous year, according to a report released by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. Overdose was the leading cause of death, killing more than 700. Because the drug is 50 times more potent than heroin, even a small dose can be fatal. It has quickly become the deadliest drug in the nation, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration. Two-thirds of the 107,000 overdose deaths in 2021 were attributed to synthetic opioids like fentanyl, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

Antiwar Activists Who Flee Russia Find Detention, Not Freedom, in the U.S. (NYT) When Russia pushed into Ukraine early this year, Mariia Shemiatina and Boris Shevchuk, who had married and become practicing physicians, posted videos of the bloodshed and antiwar messages on social media. “I call on Russians to see the truth, to not believe the lies of the Russian media,” Ms. Shemiatina, 29, wrote on Instagram. Her posts were deleted by the authorities again and again, she said—until her accounts were blocked. The police called her family in search of the couple, who had gone into hiding. Certain that they were on the brink of being conscripted to serve as medics on the front lines, or imprisoned for their political activity, the couple decided to flee. They managed to make it to Mexico in mid-April. Two weeks later, they drove to a U.S. port of entry, handed over their passports and requested asylum, expecting their first taste of true freedom. Instead, their hands were cuffed, their feet shackled and they were flown to remote immigration detention centers in rural Louisiana. It would be six months before they would see each other again. “I thought when we left Russia that our suffering would be over,” Mr. Shevchuk, 28, said in an interview from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Pine Prairie, La. “I feel helpless.” As Vladimir Putin cracks down on dissidents and arrests draft dodgers, growing numbers of Russians are making their way across the U.S. southern border. But contrary to their expectations of asylum and freedom, many of them are being put into immigration detention centers that resemble prisons.

News groups ask for Assange case to be dropped (NYT) The New York Times and four leading European news organizations called on the U.S. Justice Department to drop charges against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, warning in an open letter that the case could criminalize U.S. journalists’ work exposing government secrets and potential wrongdoing.

As Haiti Unravels, U.S. Officials Push to Send in an Armed Foreign Force (NYT) The assassination of Haiti’s president last year set off a new wave of terror across the Caribbean nation. But conditions in the country have plunged to horrifying new lows in recent months, as gangs carried out such extreme violence that the carnage has been compared to civil war. Now, fearing that the humanitarian crisis engulfing Haiti could spur mass migration to the United States and elsewhere, some top Biden administration officials are pushing to send a multinational armed force to the country, several current and former officials say, after the Haitian government made an appeal for such an intervention last month. But the United States doesn’t want its own troops included in that force, even though officials fear that the tumult in Haiti will send an even bigger wave of migrants to American shores. Already, the number of Haitian migrants intercepted by the U.S. Coast Guard has increased more than fourfold since last year, with many setting sail in overcrowded boats known to capsize in rough waters. But the Biden administration is encountering resistance to rallying a multinational force, including from American military leaders who do not want to be drawn into a mission that would require a significant amount of time and resources, the U.S. officials said.

Coal in Poland (Bloomberg) About 37 percent of homes in Poland are heated by coal, with the country accounting for 77 percent of all households in the European Union using coal for heat. Sanctions against Russia have choked off the supply of that coal to Poland, and concerns about energy security in the upcoming winter have some Poles turning to an unlikely source of coal: their own backyards. In parts of the country, coal is as little as a meter underground, and mining was still a viable career in parts of the country until the turn of the century. A four-man team can dig out a ton of coal in an hour and clear 1,000 zloty ($220) for a half-day of work, about 60 percent of the average weekly wage.

The Western weapons shortage (NYT) When the Soviet Union collapsed three decades ago, European nations drastically reduced their armories, thinking that a land war in Europe would never happen again. They were wrong. The war is now chewing up those modest stockpiles of weapons as Europeans, along with the U.S., race to arm Ukraine. Russia and Ukraine are also burning through weaponry and ammunition at their own staggering paces. In Afghanistan, NATO forces might have fired 300 artillery rounds a day and had no real worries about air defense. But Ukraine can fire thousands of rounds daily and remains desperate for air defense against Russian missiles and Iranian-made drones. “A day in Ukraine is a month or more in Afghanistan,” one defense expert said. Last summer in the Donbas region, the Ukrainians were firing 6,000 to 7,000 artillery rounds each day, a senior NATO official said. The Russians were firing 40,000 to 50,000 rounds per day. By comparison, the U.S. produces 15,000 rounds each month. The West is scrambling to find increasingly scarce Soviet-era equipment and ammunition that Ukraine can use now and is sending strong signals to defense industries that longer-term contracts are in the offing. The Russians, too, are having resupply problems of their own. Moscow is also trying to ramp up military production and is reportedly seeking to buy missiles from North Korea and more cheap drones from Iran.

Europe accuses US of profiting from war (Politico) Nine months after invading Ukraine, Vladimir Putin is beginning to fracture the West. Top European officials are furious with Joe Biden’s administration and now accuse the Americans of making a fortune from the war, while EU countries suffer. “The fact is, if you look at it soberly, the country that is most profiting from this war is the U.S. because they are selling more gas and at higher prices, and because they are selling more weapons,” one senior official told POLITICO. The explosive comments—backed in public and private by officials, diplomats and ministers elsewhere—follow mounting anger in Europe over American subsidies that threaten to wreck European industry. “We are really at a historic juncture,” the senior EU official said, arguing that the double hit of trade disruption from U.S. subsidies and high energy prices risks turning public opinion against both the war effort and the transatlantic alliance. “America needs to realize that public opinion is shifting in many EU countries.” Another top official, the EU’s chief diplomat Josep Borrell, called on Washington to respond to European concerns. “Americans—our friends—take decisions which have an economic impact on us,” he said in an interview with POLITICO.

For Afghans who fought against the Taliban, life is fraught under their rule (NPR) When Mohammad Hashim enlisted in the Afghan National Army, he never imagined his career would land him in an apple orchard. Just a couple of years ago, the former army officer was in charge of setting up military checkpoints in Helmand Province, where some of the fiercest fighting between Taliban insurgents and Afghan forces took place. Now, he picks apples for a living. “There’s no work for those of us who served in the military,” says Hashim. When the Afghan republic collapsed last year, so too did its U.S.-backed military. Overnight, tens of thousands of Afghan soldiers lost their jobs and suddenly found themselves living under the thumb of those they spent two decades fighting. Ever since, life has radically changed for them. Those who once drove tanks now drive taxis. The soldiers who once stood in formation now stand in line for food aid. Some former soldiers who served during the old republic tell NPR they live in fear of being detained and disappeared.

China’s protests: Blank paper becomes the symbol of rare demonstrations (BBC) As dusk fell on Shanghai on Sunday evening, some of those who gathered at a vigil to remember the victims of a fire that catalysed the demonstrations came clutching sheets of paper. So did protesters in other cities. The trend has its roots in the 2020 Hong Kong demonstrations, where locals held blank pieces of paper to protest against the city’s draconian new national security laws. Activists held the blank paper aloft after authorities banned slogans and phrases associated with the mass protest movement of 2019 that saw the city grind to a halt and officials violently clamp down on demonstrators. Johnny, a 26-year old demonstrator in Beijing, told the Reuters news agency that the paper had come to “represent everything we want to say but cannot say”. Kerry Allen, the BBC’s China media analyst, observed that Chinese censorship officials have gone into overdrive on the country’s social media platforms. “Tens of millions of posts have been filtered from search results,” she said. Meanwhile, paper maker Shanghai M&G Stationary was forced to deny rumours that it had taken all A4 paper off shelves for national security reasons.

3 Weeks After Hack, This Country’s Government Is Still Off-line (NYT) The government of the Pacific Island nation of Vanuatu has essentially been off-line for three weeks because of a cyberattack, leaving people struggling to get access to services and forcing some civil servants to use pen and paper to conduct business. The government’s network, official sites and online services were “compromised” on Nov. 6, officials told local news media a few days later. Since then, the government has been closed-mouthed about the attack and its attempts to restore the system, leading to criticism from some. One news outlet called the hack “our worst kept secret.” The attack—which took place the day after a new government, led by Prime Minister Alatoi Ishmael Kalsakau, was sworn in—has caused significant inconveniences for many of Vanuatu’s 320,000 residents, who live on dozens of islands. “Everything runs on email here, so the email outages are causing a lot of issues,” said Glen Craig, the managing partner of Pacific Advisory, a consulting firm that works with businesses and governments in the Pacific, including Vanuatu’s government. “If you’ve got things in process like building permits or residency applications or work permits—all those services have been held up.”

[toomanyf4ndoms7]

Missing MK11 Koncepts: Tremor.

Bio:

Discovery. Having left the black dragon to embark on a journey of discovery, Tremor found a powerful artefact: the heart of an elemental. It bonded with him, and awakened his innermost power. He is now on a journey to understand what this new strength means, and to eliminate all who stand in his way.

Gear:

Mask: (Select animation: The camera pans up to his face.) Designs include classic cloth, a few hoods and masks, his MKX metal mask, a few made of rocks, and a maskless one.

Boulder: (Select animation: Tremor scoops up a boulder from the ground and tosses it.) Designs include a spiked boulder with a smiley face painted on.

Elemental heart: (Select animation: The camera zooms in on Tremor’s chest) Designs include various forms of earth. A crystal with leaking energy, an obsidian stone with magma.

Skins:

Elemental Awakened: A new design with rock formations all around his body, like he is made of the earth itself. Stone surrounds the elemental heart.

Aftershock: His MKX default.

Young stone: A modified ninja outfit with a torn centrepiece to expose the heart.

Wandering Rock: A shirtless design, exposing his entire upper body.

Universal moves:

(Some moves have different properties depending on what form he’s in)

Earthquake: Tremor emits a pulse on the ground, can be directed. Amplify for the pulse to knock the opponent down.

Rock throw: Tremor summons a spiked rock and tosses across the screen as a projectile.

Metallic form: The projectile will destroy opponent projectiles, leading to a krushing blow.

Rock punch: Tremor encases his fist in stone and punches the opponent. Amplify for a launching uppercut.

Magma form: The uppercut launches higher and does a short damage over time.

Rock wall: Tremor stomps the ground and creates a wall of stone that destroys projectiles. Amplifying to have him force it towards the opponent.

Crystal form: The wall reflects projectiles.

Kustom moves:

(Most of Tremor’s moves are divided from his variations in MKX with a few new twists.

Crystalline: Tremor turns his body into crystal rather than rock. While in this state, he gains new moves. Can switch back to stone form at anytime.

Emerald Shatter: Tremor creates a crystal in his palm and shatters it with his fist. Can reflect projectiles and do decent damage on its own.

Sapphire spike: Tremor punches the ground, making a crystal spike burst from the floor. Amplify for a second spike to launch.

Metallic: While in this state, he gains new moves. Can switch back to stone form at anytime.

Golden parry: Tremor flexes as his chest turns solid gold. If the opponent hits him during this, they hurt their hand and are open for follow up attacks.

Magma: While in this state, he gains new moves. Can switch back to stone form at anytime.

Hot shoulder: Tremor shoulder charges the opponent as he slides on magma. Amplify to either launch or slam the opponent down.

Raining fire: Tremor raises his hand and a mound of molten rock rises from the ground and drops either close, far, or very far.

Fatal Blow:

Let’s Rock: Tremor summons a field of small but sharp crystal shards from the ground, which assault the opponent from behind. The opponent looks around for further attacks before a pebble strikes the back of their head and a large boulder sends them flying across the field when they turn around (SLO MO 1) They land against a golden statue of themselves, which performs a double handed axe slam that slams the opponent to the ground. (SLO MO 2) Tremor grabs the opponent by the neck, forms a stone fist, and punches the opponent in the face at full force (SLO MO 3)

Fatalities:

Stone cold: Tremor makes a ground pulse to knock the opponent on their back. Four stalagmites burst from the ground, impaling the opponent’s hands and legs to keep them held down. Tremor slowly walks over to then, makes a boulder in his hands, and smashes their head with it.

Tossing rocks: Tremor uses his powers to encase the opponent’s feet in gold. Tremor scoops a boulder up from the ground and tosses it at the opponent’s face, splattering it.

Friendship:

Guilty pleasure: Tremor walks away and sits down in front of a TV. The Ninja Mime opening credits play as he opens a bag of popcorn.

Intro animations:

From the earth: A pile of boulders form themselves in the shape of a man before Tremor bursts from them.

Ready for action: Side shot of Tremor making a stone fist before the camera moves to his head.

Impolite: A diamond replica of the opponent’s head is crushed underfoot, panning up to reveal Tremor with his arms crossed.

Rude awakening: Tremor is meditating before his eyes shoot open, glowing with elemental power.

Outro animations:

Inner peace: Tremor chuckles before walking away. The camera fades to Tremor meditating atop a mountain.

Shattered: Tremor creates a diamond in his palm before crushing it with a single hand.

Lava rain: Tremor rains magma down from the sky, which becomes slow motion as it hits his body.

Stone-Cold: Tremor makes two stone pillars before flexing his arms.

Intro dialogue:

Vs Kano:

Tremor: I’m not rejoining the clan.

Kano: Come on, think of the good times.

Tremor: The best is yet to come.

Kano: What’s all this about?

Tremor: I won’t be your attack dog any longer.

Kano: Time to put you down.

Vs Cetrion:

Tremor: Why face me, Elder God?

Cetrion: You are not the only one to control the earth.

Tremor: You control, but I command.

Cetrion: Your power should not be used selfishly.

Tremor: It is my decision.

Cetrion: Such a simple mind.

Ending:

“I have changed much since joining the black dragon. Once a mere assassin who could shake the earth, I have now become an avatar of the earth.”

(Shot of Tremor in the past as a ninja facing off against Jax and the SF, which transitions to Tremor’s present form as he stands triumphant over Kronika.)

“Kronika fell before my strength, and her hourglass became mine to wield.”

(Kronika’s essence washes over Tremor, changing his clothes to reflect as such.)

“This elemental heart belonged to an earth god. A protector of earthrealm.”

(Shot of Tremor looking into the past, where he sees the Earth God from MK mythologies.)

“Ever since I was imbued with its power, I have felt a change in my mind. This power is too much to use on selfish desires, it must be used for good.”

(Tremor’s hand goes up to the heart, as though feeling something.)

“While I am no hero, I will stay here to guard the hourglass. No being will manipulate time to their whims.”

“And if anyone dares to think otherwise, I welcome the opportunity to bring them back to earth.”

(Shot of Tremor meditating as stone constructs guard him and the hourglass.)

Mid fight quotes:

“Let’s rock.”

Character specific:

Vs Black Dragon:

“How did I work with you?”

Vs Kabal:

“Fast, but frail.”