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taexual · 4 years

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A for Affection / Johnny x Reader

Alcohol makes you fall under a love spell and Johnny’s younger members become the latest victims of your affection, leaving your boyfriend unsure if he should be jealous or concerned for their lives.

pairing: Johnny x Reader | feat. my sons, mark & jisung

warnings: drunk!MC, slight crack, some lowkey mature topics, and, most importantly, soft!Johnny 🥺

words: 3.9k

REQUEST: Can I request a scenario where Johnny picks his drunk girlfriend up and brings her back to the dorms, and Johnny has to try to save the dreamies from her squeezing their cheeks, hugging them tightly, and telling them how cute they are?

This ended up being heavily inspired by jeonghan’s “디노 누구 애기?”

It was only supposed to be a few cocktails with the girls on Friday night after a long week at work – or that’s what you and your co-workers had told yourselves – but, within several hours of the night-out at the bar downstairs from your office, the four of you were already giggling at everything, your most loyal friend – the bartender – appearing especially funny.

“I should probably call someone to pick you up,” he told you when he walked over to your group to ask if you needed anything only to have you all burst into a fit of excited giggles. “You don’t look like you can be trusted with a taxi driver.”

“No, no, listen,” one of your closest friends said, clearing her throat to make herself sound more official. “What you should do is tell us about the time you thought you were serving a-a—”

“You guys come here almost every Friday night,” the bartender groaned – interrupting your friend who was already wheezing – but he didn’t seem to be particularly annoyed, “and you bring that story up every time. I swear, I’m never telling you anything about myself again.”

“No!” you protested. “Please! Tell us exactly how you can mistake an intern at our company for the prime-minister of the whole nation.”

Your friends completely lost it at that point, nearly suffocating as violent waves of laughter overtook them. Even though the bartender had shared the story with you months ago when you first started coming here, and you’d already laughed about it just about a hundred times before, it never ceased to amuse the four of you when you were drunk.

“That’s it,” the bartender declared, grabbing the phone in your hand and pulling up Johnny’s phone number. You’d been in this situation a few times before so he knew who to call. “I’m calling your boyfriend.”

“No, don’t bother him,” you stopped laughing – so you could wipe a stray tear of joy from your cheek – and then exhaled dreamily, “he works so hard, just let him rest. I’ll wait for him here.”

“Well, he’s not coming if he doesn’t know where you are.”

“No, no, he’ll come,” you replied, placing your elbows on the bar top and then resting your head on your palms. “He’s going to find me sooner or later.”

The bartender stopped before pressing the call button and gave you a long look.

“You know, I only serve you drinks and nothing else here,” he said, always beyond impressed by the effect alcohol had on you, “but you would think I’d slipped some drugs in there, too.”

Your friend snorted. “Please. We work so hard, we deserve this.”

“I didn’t say you didn’t,” he clarified, “but maybe waiting for your Prince Charming to come get you is a sign that you’ve had enough for tonight.”

“No!” you tried to protest again but the whine that passed your lips was so half-hearted that the bartender didn’t even bother to move away from your extended hand – he assumed you were reaching for the phone in his hand, but you ended up grabbing his bow-tie instead – because he could tell you weren’t capable of doing much anymore. That’s why he thought it was time for you to go home.

“Johnny,” the bartender said into the phone when your boyfriend picked up.

You perked up at the sound of his name and released the poor bartender from your grip – he had underestimated your strength, after all, as you nearly choked him by pulling on his bow-tie – before sitting up straight.

“Is it Johnny?” you asked just to make sure. “Can you tell him I love him?”

“Yeah, uh, I’m from the bar downstairs,” the bartender spoke into the phone, ignoring you. “I’ve got your girl here, she’s—uh, well, she thinks she’s Cinderella.”

Even though it was nearing 2 AM, Johnny hadn’t been sleeping when he got the call from the bartender, so he recognized his voice right away. Granted, it’s only been a few times when you’d gotten so drunk you needed someone to come pick you up, but Johnny had learned that he was surprisingly adept at remembering people’s voices – especially when it came to people, responsible for keeping you safe until he reached you.

“Thanks for calling me,” Johnny told the bartender when he showed up to get you twenty minutes later. You seemed surprised to see him even though you were supposed to know he was coming since you were there to hear the phone call. “Let’s get you all home now, yeah?”

Johnny didn’t have to take all of your friends home – the bartender was kind enough to offer to call their partners, too – but he didn’t think it was right to leave them here when he was perfectly capable of taking care of all four of you. Or so he thought.

To be fair, you weren’t a problematic bunch, and the biggest hassle turned out to be getting all of you into his car. You were like a gaggle of kindergartners, amused by the most ordinary things – “look at how bright that girl’s lip gloss is! I’m going to ask her where she bought it!” – and Johnny ended up having to challenge his inner babysitter as he chased after the four of you until you finally arrived at the parking lot.

The ride to your friends’ houses would have been funny, honestly – how could it not be when your group followed every passing vehicle through the window of Johnny’s car like a group of excited retrievers – but Johnny was worried about you.

You didn’t have a great relationship with hangovers so, in order to make sure you weren’t out cold for the rest of the weekend, he knew he had to get you to down a bottle of water before going to bed, but you looked like you were already about to fall asleep in the passenger seat.

“So,” Johnny said loudly, successfully scaring you into waking up. “How many drinks have you had tonight?”

“A few,” you told him, showing him eight fingers on your hands.

“I’m going to assume that’s eight each,” he said more to himself than your girlfriends, but the four of you heard him and burst into a yet another fit of giggles. It was truly confounding how coordinated your laughter seemed to be – what one of you found amusing, the other three always did, too.

“It’s so nice of you to come,” you said then, looking at Johnny with such unrestrained affection in your eyes that he nearly forgot he was supposed to be watching the road. “I knew you’d find me.”

He smiled, playing along. “I always do.”

You grinned in content, trying to get more comfortable in your seat but the seating belt was restraining you.

Johnny already knew the signs of you looking for a position to sleep in, so, clearing his throat, he continued to look for ways to keep you awake for the rest of the ride.

“So,” he said again, not yet knowing what he was getting himself into, “tell me something funny that you did tonight.”

And, thus, your friends proceeded to replay their days in excruciating detail – the fact that they could remember this much while so drunk was a miracle in itself – while you snickered in support. Johnny, meanwhile, was far more focused on making sure you weren’t dozing off, and the only times he smiled was when he heard you laugh at something your friends had said, however completely unfunny it would have seemed to sober-you.

When, half an hour later, your friends finally wrapped up the tales about what they did today, Johnny had finally finished circling the neighborhood to drop them off safely at their houses. And, much to his surprise, you appeared to be far more awake than you’d been when he first got you into the car.

“I’m taking you back to my place, okay?” he asked but he wasn’t actually going to take no for an answer. “I don’t want you waking up alone tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow is far away,” you said with a dismissive wave of your hand, not realizing that it was, technically, tomorrow already. “I don’t want to go to sleep yet.”

“Good,” Johnny said. “We need you to sober up a little before you go to bed anyway.”

“I’m really not that drunk,” you said in a voice so serious that he would have honestly believed you if you didn’t screech the next second, “oh my God, look at that billboard with a dog wearing a sweater!”

He didn’t even realize there was a billboard at all – and then he was confused as to how you even noticed it in the dark – but then he found himself instinctively following your gaze to look out the window.

“Alright, that’s a cute dog,” he concurred.

“We should get a dog,” you announced then. “Two, maybe.”

Johnny loved the excitement in your voice.

“Yeah?” he encouraged. “You think we could take care of two dogs?”

“We could take care of a lot more than two,” you declared, the alcohol making you feel almost invincible, “maybe even three!”

Johnny was laughing now. “No, three dogs would definitely be too big of a challenge for us. Besides, I’ve already got you to take care of.”

You sighed, your expression grateful yet somehow sulky. “You’re so good to me.”

Drunk or not, you always managed to say just the thing to make his chest swell with love so consuming, he almost had to pull over to the side of the road to get himself back together again.

“I’m just taking you home,” he said, ever so humble.

“Take me home, Johnny,” you said, closing your eyes. The late-night drive through the city with your boyfriend was too blissful, too overwhelming. You were tired. “And then tomorrow we can get three dogs. Maybe four.”

He laughed again – and you smiled at the sound – but then stopped himself when he noticed your closed eyes.

“Come now, don’t fall asleep on me, love,” he said quickly. Slowly, you peered at him through your eyelashes. Johnny swallowed. “But also, uh, don’t look at me like that or we’ll crash into the nearest pole.”

You closed your eyes again, giggling. “Well, what do you want me to do then?”

“Talk to me,” he said. “Tell me how much you’ve missed me.”

“I saw you yesterday,” you said, still smiling.

“But yesterday was so long ago,” he whined, mimicking your voice with impressive accuracy, but you were too drunk to catch his good-natured teasing.

“That’s true,” you said, your eyelids so very heavy, “I always miss you. Hey!” you jumped up suddenly and Johnny flinched in surprise. “Is Jisung home?”

He gave you a confused look, unsure how you went from missing him to thinking about Jisung in the span of two seconds. “Uh, considering that it’s two in the morning, I sure hope he is.”

“Good,” you said with a satisfied smile. “I must see him.”

He knew how much Jisung – and the other youngest members of his group – reminded you of your own younger relatives and how much sisterly love you had for them, but he still couldn’t help the jealousy in his voice as he cocked an eyebrow. “You must?”

“Yes. I have to give him a hug while he is still a baby,” you said matter-of-factly. “They grow up too soon.”

“A bab—yeah, no,” Johnny shook his head, reaching to place one of his hands on your knee as he held the wheel of the car with his other one, “I may have had my doubts about this but it’s clear now – you’re completely wasted.”

“I’m not,” you disagreed stubbornly.

“In any case, it should be me you’re thinking of giving hugs to,” he said.

“I want to give you a lot more than a hug,” you said, “but you told me not to look at you or we’ll crash into a—”

God, was it suddenly hot in the car as Johnny interrupted you with a loud, “okay! On second thought, let’s not elaborate on what we’d like to do to each other, okay? You’re drunk and I’m trying to get you home safe.”

“So, let me give him a hug, then,” you whined. “I haven’t seen Jisung in ages, he could be even taller now. I must hug him before he gets taller. And then I must tell him to stop growing.”

One more “must” and Johnny knew he was going to start laughing but he didn’t want you to feel like he was mocking you, even if you probably wouldn’t have even realized it. Honestly, your affection towards his youngest members was cute – as long as you didn’t neglect your own boyfriend, of course – and Johnny knew they appreciated your love, too.

“Okay, you can give the baby a hug,” he gave in. “Unless the baby in question is asleep. What will we do then?”

“Then I’ll just have to hug you,” you decided and Johnny was on the verge of starting another argument about the apparent disappointment in your voice but he knew better as you moved your hand down your knee until it met his, and locked your fingers together.

Surprisingly, you made it Johnny’s dorm without falling asleep in the car. He had a feeling that the accomplishment of keeping you awake throughout the entire drive had to be given to that dog billboard you’d seen – you kept bringing it up throughout the ride.

After having helped you out of the car, Johnny guided you up the porch steps. Because there wasn’t enough space for the two of you to walk next to each other, he trailed a few steps behind you, ready to catch you if you lost your balance.

“Johnny,” you said suddenly as you stopped outside of the front door in the dark entryway of his house – the light bulb had broken last week but no one got around to change it yet – and then panicked when you didn’t feel your boyfriend anywhere near you, “Johnny? Johnny!”

“Yes, yes, I’m here, love,” he followed after you, his hands finding their way around your waist to help you support your weight.

“I love you,” you felt the need to say to him right then and there. “A lot, okay?”

He laughed. “Okay.”

“And I’m going to tell you the funniest story.”

“Is this the prime-minister story again?” Johnny asked as he unlocked the door with his free hand and helped you inside. “You’ve already told me twice in the car.”

“No, no, but listen,” you snickered, covering your mouth with your hand to make your laughter quieter now that you were inside of his dorm. “It was really an intern at our—”

“At your company. Yes, I know, love,” he said, still beyond amused by how easy it was to make you laugh when you were drunk. “I’m sure you’ll find this story about as funny as I do when you’re sober.”

“Hmm? But you’re not laughing,” you said as you tried to turn to look at him even though the dark hallway made his features indiscernible.

“Exactly,” he said softly.

Pouting, you turned away from him as the two of you moved towards the kitchen. “You’re no fun—Jisung! Hi! It’s me!”

Johnny thought you were seeing things for a moment but then he followed your gaze to a startled figure in the kitchen in front of you.

Jisung was standing there like a deer caught in the headlights. He couldn’t see you in the darkness of the hallway but when Johnny finally helped you enter the dimly lit living room, the youngest boy finally recognized you.

“Oh, hey,” he gave you a small wave. “Good to see you. How are you?”

“I’m perfect!” you replied, inexplicably excited to see him. Somehow in this excitement, you broke out of Johnny’s grip and reached for a very confused Jisung. “But why aren’t you in bed? You should be sleeping. Did we wake you up? I’m sorry.”

“N-no. I just got up for a glass of—”

“Ugh,” you sighed as you sat down on the armrest of the nearby sofa. “You’re so cute.”

“I’m—” taken aback by your words, Jisung looked over your shoulder at Johnny, who was chuckling and refusing to explain your weird state. “Thank you?”

“Come here,” you said – almost demanded, really – with extended hands. Jisung was still frozen as the older member gave him a shrug behind you. “Come on!”

“Uh—okay, sure,” Jisung gave in, putting the glass down before he walked closer to you until you pulled him into a hug, which wasn’t that unusual since you were always affectionate towards him and the rest of the youngest members alike, but you were clearly drunk now and he wasn’t sure how to act.

“Are you doing okay?” you asked Jisung as he hugged you back – awkwardly at first, but he eased into it eventually – never forgetting to make sure he wasn’t being mistreated, “are the older members nice to you? You can tell me if they’re not, I’ll kick their asses.”

“No, they’re okay,” Jisung chuckled against your shoulder. You always asked him this. “Thank you, though.”

“You’re welcome,” you said, hugging him tighter. “I have to look after you. So, tell me if something is wrong, okay?”

Despite your drunken state, Jisung was still touched by the gesture – although, objectively, he knew he could have gotten offended that you still saw him as a baby – and, when you finally released him from your hug, he gave you a grateful smile.

“We’re lucky to have you,” he told you with a glance over at Johnny – who seemed to be going through several different emotions at the same time as his eyebrows furrowed but his lips tried to stretch into a soft smile – and then took a careful step backwards so you wouldn’t try to suffocate him with your tight grip again. “I’ll see you in the morning, yeah?”

“Yes!” you nodded, excited. “I’m thinking of cooking breakfast. What would you like?”

Both Johnny and Jisung raised their eyebrows at this.

“Uh, cooking?” your boyfriend asked.

“Yes,” you told them, completely determined. “I have to make myself useful and take care of—oh my God, Mark, come here!”

Neither of you had seen the other boy come out of his bedroom – he was confused by the loud noises in the house – but your eagle eyes captured Mark’s sleepy features as soon as he walked into the light.

“Oh, hey, guys,” he said once he understood what the commotion was about, “I didn’t realize we had guests.”

“Yeah, she’s drunk and I didn’t want her to—” Johnny started to say but before he could finish his sentence, you were already leaping up from the sofa and squeezing Mark’s cheeks. “Yeah, she… that’s how she says hello when she’s drunk, apparently.”

“That’s not how she said hello to me,” Jisung objected, not particularly enjoying the way you tended to pinch his cheeks but also feeling rather neglected now that your attention was focused on Mark. Jisung had prided himself in being your designated “cute boy”.

“How did she say hello to you?” Mark asked – his hello sounding like a very baby-like hewwo as you pinched his cheeks, expressing your disappointment about how much weight he’s lost before cooing about how adorable he was in spite of that.

“Isn’t he?” you turned to glance at Johnny and then squeezed Mark’s cheeks harder. “He’s the cutest baby on earth.”

Mark wasn’t sure if he wanted to complain and, because he stayed quiet and endured your loving abuse, Johnny wasn’t sure if he should have interjected to save the younger boy, so he just watched the scene play out in silence.

You only released Mark’s face to make a very threatening promise to feed him so he’d stop starving himself.

“I promise I’m not starving myself,” he said, always forgetting how old he was when you were around. He still tried to get you to see him as an adult but he’d have been lying if he said he didn’t enjoy it when you looked after him.

“That’s not what it looks like. You look like you haven’t had any food in months,” you countered and then turned to look at Jisung. “You too. That’s it! I’m going to feed you from now on.”

The two boys looked at each other for a moment and Jisung shrugged his shoulders. “I wouldn’t mind that.”

Mark was just starting to look for ways to say that he’d have loved that too – he didn’t want to seem too eager – but Johnny saw the light come on in Donghyuck’s room and, in order to save another member from your endless affection, he cut in by grabbing your hand.

“I wouldn’t mind having you around every day, either,” he told you. “But let’s get you some water and then go to bed, okay?”

“Oh, but I haven’t said hi to—”

“You can say hi to the rest of the members tomorrow,” Johnny promised, knowing how important it was for you to let the younger boys know how absolutely adorable they were. “They’ll be delighted to see you.”

You sighed, pursing your lips – and looking as much of a baby as Jisung did in your eyes – but then nodding in defeat, after all.

“Oh, alright,” you said. “I’ll see you guys tomorrow. Go to bed now! Sleep well, okay?”

Both Mark and Jisung nodded obediently – the age gap between you and them was not that big and yet, with the way you were looking after them, one would have thought you were their very youthful aunt – and waved at you as Johnny guided you to his room.

You nearly fell asleep as soon as your head hit the soft pillows on Johnny’s bed and your boyfriend, who’d left you for just a second to walk back to the kitchen for a glass of water for you, was forced to gently shake you awake.

“You know,” he told you after you finally agreed to take a sip of the water he’d brought, “you call the other members babies, but the way you have me looking after you right now? That’s some baby behavior right there.”

You pushed the glass away from your lips. “I’m not a baby.”

He grinned, looking at you with eyes full of pleasant warmth. “You kind of are.”

You allowed him to take the glass from your hands once you finally finished the drink and then decided not to argue anymore, laying back down on the bed instead. Johnny watched you finally settle into a comfortable position – pulling your knees to your chest until you were cuddled into a ball – and he couldn’t seem to move from the position he was in.

Then, suddenly, he heard you whisper in a voice, laced heavily with sleep, “I love you. Thank you for taking care of me.”

Breathless, Johnny just nodded – even though he knew you couldn’t see him – and then smiled to himself as he changed his mind. You weren’t just a baby. You were his baby.

Minutes after making sure you were asleep, Johnny tip-toed out of the room to get fresh towels and a pack of aspirin for you. He had no doubt you’d need it in the morning.

“Johnny,” Mark – who would have normally refused to conform to the “cutest baby on earth” title that you’d drunkenly given him – said when he caught Johnny walking out of his room. “We love your girlfriend and you know we love you, but I swear to God—”

Johnny almost cringed, fearing like he was about to get scolded. “I know, I know. She’s had a long week and she gets even cuddlier than she normally is when she’s drunk. I’ll—”

“—if you don’t marry her eventually, one of us just might.”

“If I don’t—” Johnny’s eyes widened. That was not the ending he thought Mark was approaching with his sentence. “Wait, what?”

Mark gave him a warning look and then returned to his room, leaving an astonished Johnny in the hallway. He watched the door of the younger member’s room close before looking back towards his own room where he knew you were sleeping.

Then, exhaling slowly, Johnny embraced the fact that – no matter how many sleepy confessions of love you’d exchange with him – in the end, he was always going to have to share your love with his youngest members, too. And, now that he thought of it, he really didn’t mind that as long as it meant having you with him for the rest of his life.

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wftc141 · 4 years

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Blackwatch Chapter 7: Tainted Justice

04:50 AM, Local Time

Jakarta, Indonesia

August, 2018

Everything around him felt warm, his body embracing the hot smoke trapped inside with him. The darkness around him began to light up as his eyes slowly opened and found himself upside-down. Constable Fauzi Wijaya was surprised that he was still alive even after getting their patrol vehicle t-boned by a truck that caught them from the side after leaving from a secret meeting, pushing them off the dirt road. He doesn't know where they landed but he could feel the humid dirt's odour wafting towards him.

Looking around, Wijaya felt something warm streaming down his face and saw red slipping off his face. His legs were trapped below and the seatbelt was stuck. Wijaya then spat out blood and coughed, almost choking himself on it.

He glanced at his side where his partner Nonk was, only to find him with blood streaming down his face, eyes bloodshot red and body riddled with broken glass. He was in an unlucky spot. Wijaya knew he would be joining Nonk if he doesn't get out now. Reaching for the seatbelt with his aching arms, Wijaya tried to break the seatbelt off. The burning sensation of his fingers flowed as he tried to pull the seat belt off. Suddenly, the seat belt lock ripped off and Wijaya fell onto the surface, landing on the miniature glass shards. His sleeves ripped into the glass as Wijaya gritted his teeth to endure the pain.

Finally crawling himself out of the broken window, Wijaya gripped onto the ground tightly as he crawled over the puddle mixed with dirt and waste. Half of his vision was blocked out by the blood from his head. Wijaya did his best to ignore the unending pain as he crawled through the wreckage and the hidden glass among the ground while facing the darkness. His legs felt like paper. He couldn't move an inch of his foot. As Wijaya looked up slowly to at least see the moon, he froze.

In front of Wijaya and above the road, a figure walked down the ditch with the headlights of the truck illuminating behind him. Then Wijaya noticed a gun lying on the ground near him and desperately tried to reach for it, ignoring the steps closing in. His strained grunts echoed the eerie silence as the steps got louder. Heart pounding with the mindset of a tortured victim. Just as he reached it, Wijaya noticed black boots in front of him before a gloved hand reached down to yank the revolver off him. Looking up, Wijaya got a clearer look of the figure. Black mask and cap. It was the assailant, preparing to tie up loose ends. And there was no doubt it was the Four Arms' doing.

"Anda bajingan! (You bastards!)" Wijaya cursed as the assailant checked the gun. "Saya tahu kami seharusnya tidak mempercayai anda anjing jalanan sejak awal! (I knew we shouldn't have trusted you street dogs in the first place!)"

Suddenly, blood coughed out of his mouth as Wijaya helplessly tried to pull himself up with his bleeding arms. The masked assailant finished checking the revolver and looked back at Wijaya, eyes filled with little awareness of what he said.

「大丈夫。彼らは遅かれ早かれあなたに加わるでしょう。」

Wijaya stared at the masked assailant in silence. He wasn't speaking Indonesian.

"Jepang? (Japanese?)" He muttered.

Just as Wijaya said his words, the masked assailant aimed the gun in front of his eyes and everything went black to the loud crack of the gun.

24 Hours Earlier

Central Jakarta, Indonesia

Embassy of the United States

July, 2018

The elevator made its stop at the eighth floor of the Embassy. After the doors opened, Genji followed Lacroix and McCree out and down the hallway. They were all called in for a new operation a month later after their operation in Russia eliminating the remaining ISIS group. There, Genji had some time to train himself and chat with Angela and check up on her progress in practicing self-defence with her friend Fareeha from Helix Securities.

Genji alongside McCree and Lacroix were the only few people picked by their team leader for this mission for whatever reason. Once they reached the meeting room where their team leader was waiting, the group entered the room where they saw Gabriel standing by a board with some photos and files pinned onto it as well as a projector. Gabriel turned around and noticed the group.

"Welcome to Jakarta, team," he greeted. "Glad you guys could make it."

"I'm guessing this is something big since we're here." McCree said as the team sat at the large, round table.

"It is. As you could see on the board, these guys are the reason why Blackwatch has been summoned."

Gabriel then took out a pile of dossiers from a box and handed each of the team one. Once Genji received the dossier, he opened it up to see its contents and found some documents with photos of what appears to be police officers and their names and ranks beside it. Beside were some personal information and some notes on them. Genji noticed a staple on the top left corner.

"So we're just going after a bunch of dirty cops, huh?" McCree questioned. "Not that I have a problem with taking these scumbags down."

"Not just them. These people are under the pockets of a notorious street gang of Jakarta known as the Four Arms, led by Eyo Naki."

Genji flipped the document over and found the second document showing an old photo of a man in a military uniform with medals over his jacket standing behind the Indonesian flag. One of his eyes was pure white with a vertical scar slashed over the white eye. He looked up and saw the man's photo again on the projector with more info beside it.

"Former General in the Indonesian army in the 90s, he was arrested and scheduled to be executed after an investigation reported countless war crimes committed during his twenty years of service and reports of multiple deaths of his own soldiers who opposed his actions. However, the convoy escorting Naki the next day was ambushed and killed by those loyal to him. After that, he disappeared into thin air, never to be found. That's how he ended up as the most wanted man of Asia."

Gabriel then changed to a new slide showing a symbol of the Four Arms with some disturbing photos from the past. Most were either dead bodies, drugs or photos of gangsters posing.

"At some point, he started the Four Arms with what was left of his loyal army and began to rise to the ranks as one of the most deadliest organisations of Jakarta for the next ten years. Naki is an iron-fisted leader with no remorse for his past and present and he doesn't like to share. The Four Arms' criminal activities have left at least thousands of innocent people and criminals alike dead."

Another slide with more shocking context was shown but this time the pictures showed destroyed buildings with some news articles.

"Last week, several complexes across Jakarta were bombed, taking the lives of hundreds of innocent people but the police discontinued their investigation. Intel suggests that the complexes belonged to a rival gang and Naki and his gang bombed the buildings as a message."

Gabriel then picked up a cup from the table and drank from it.

"The police have arrested members of the Four Arms before but most of the time, they were released shortly due to 'lack of evidence' and often resulted in widespread protests from the public. This went on for the entirety during the Four Arms' rise."

McCree scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Lack of evidence, my ass."

Genji stared at the document showing the corrupt cops as Gabriel continued the brief. He showed nothing but disgust and contempt. These people must be shameless to be involved in these atrocities.

"That was until an insider provided intel that the Four Arms had Police Chief Yulis Katuuk and some of his units including the narcotics and patrol paid off to turn a blind eye on their operations as well as their willingness to assist in covering their crimes."

Genji looked up where the slide showed a photo of the police chief in uniform, standing by the flag with four stars. There were medals over his jacket just like the one with Naki. Medals for someone with little regard of justice.

"Sounds like this bastard's got some tricks on his sleeves to be able to get someone like the chief on their good side." McCree commented.

"I take it this is a kill order?" Lacroix guessed.

"That's right," Gabriel answered. "The government has had enough of their shit and wants them dead so they reached out to NATO for their help in dealing with this issue."

"So the Indonesian government's alright with taking out their own guys? Cos' I thought NATO and them have some issues of their own." McCree questioned.

"The government has put aside their differences and approved our operation on behalf of NATO. Other than that, we're on our own for this."

"Do we have a place to stay?" Lacroix asked.

"The CIA has already lent us a hideout for this mission since we're also here to sabotage their operations. Weapons and gear have been taken care of as well. Might as well head out right now and get prepping. Dismissed."

The team began to get up from their chairs and made their way out of the room. Genji closed the dossier and stood up in silence.

"Genji," Gabriel called, grabbing his attention. "A word?"

Genji stayed while Lacroix and McCree left the room. Genji approached Gabriel to see what he had to say.

"Don't think I'm sitting you out of this because I'm not," Gabriel said. "I think you're capable of handling this. You've done this dirty cop business before, wouldn't hurt to do it again."

"I'm fine, sir." Genji replied quickly.

Gabriel stared at him for a moment before nodding. He would assume he just wants to finish this operation and get this over with.

"Alright...just checking."

Genji left the room once Gabriel let him leave. As he made his way down the hallway, Genji felt the pictures of the chief and the corrupt cops flash before him. He remembered every detail and every difference in each one of those people. Of all people he hates the most, corrupt cops make it to the first place. The only reason these false protectors let the gangs run amok and allow innocent people to die is for some white powder and dirty money. Genji saw it with his own eyes in the Shimada Clan. These people exploit the system of justice for their own purposes and appease the scum of this land. They were destined to face the well-deserved justice and Genji was bound to make sure the corrupt cops here would learn their lesson like every corrupt cop he killed.

Present

5:43 AM, Local Time

August, 2018

After torching the truck used for the attack, Genji returned to their hideout near the canalised river which was an abandoned apartment used for Blackwatch's operations. Parking the motorbike near the gate, Genji entered the building and met up with Gabriel and McCree where they set up a makeshift operation board. The board was filled with photos and files on Katuuk and the Four Arms.

"How'd it go?" Gabriel asked.

"Fauzi Wijaya and Hanif Nonk have been eliminated." Genji answered.

"Good. Mark those two off the list."

"Now all that's left is the narcotics unit, Katuuk and the Four Arms," McCree said. "Hopefully this will convince the dirty cops that the Four Arms is turning on them which is gonna make things easier for us."

"I believe Widowmaker is still out handling the other narcotics officers, yes?" Genji asked.

"She is," Gabriel answered. "She won't be back until a few more hours."

10:00 AM, Local Time

Getting inside his car in the parking garage, Police Chief Yulis Katuuk finished his cigarette and took out his cellphone from the cup holder. He speeddialed Naki's number and held the phone up to his ear, waiting for him to answer. His fingers tapped on the edge of the seat impatiently. Finally, the beeps stopped.

"Saya sedang melakukan sesuatu yang penting, jadi lakukanlah dengan cepat. (I'm in the middle of something important so make it quick.)" Naki's voice hissed.

"Begitu penting bahwa Anda belum menonton berita atau repot-repot menjawab telepon saya? (So important that you haven't been watching the news or bothered to answer my fucking calls?)"

Naki scoffed. "

Apa itu? Seseorang meninggal? (What is it? Someone died?)"

"Ya, kamu tua bangka! (Yes, you old fart!)" Katuuk replied. "

Unit narkotika saya mati seperti bagaimana petugas patroli saya menghilang- (My narcotics unit is dead just like how my patrolmen disappeared-)"

"Dan mengapa aku harus peduli tentang antek-antekmu yang hilang? (And why should I give a shit about your missing lackeys?)"

"Karena mereka bersama kru narkoba Anda ketika semuanya dihancurkan! (Because they were with your drug crew when everything was destroyed!)"

Silence returned from the other end. Katuuk realized he wasn't supposed to blurt out the drug part.

"Apa maksudmu semuanya hancur? Apa yang terjadi dengan kru saya? (What do you mean everything was destroyed? What happened to my crew?)" Naki said in a tone that could frighten even the new General of the army.

"Gudang untuk produksi obat dihancurkan tadi malam, (The warehouses for the drug production got destroyed last night,)" Katuuk explained. "Kristal, ganja, semuanya habis terbakar. Sebagian besar orang saya di narkotika dan kru Anda terbunuh seluruhnya. Saya melakukan yang terbaik untuk memastikan penyelidikan tidak akan berjalan- (Crystal, cannabis, they were all taken by the fire. Most of my men in the narcotics and your crew were killed altogether. I did my best to make sure the investigation wouldn't go-)"

"Apakah Anda tahu siapa yang melakukannya? Apakah itu saingan yang bisnisnya saya bom? (Do you know who did it? Was it that rival whose businesses I bombed?)"

"Tidak, saya tidak percaya ini adalah pembalasan. Mereka tidak akan melakukan ini bahkan jika mereka mencobanya. Ini terasa seperti pekerjaan profesional. (No, I don't believe this is retaliation. They wouldn't pull this off even if they tried. This feels like a professional job.)"

"Lalu apa maksudmu, Katuuk? (Then what are you implying, Katuuk?)"

"Seseorang memperhatikan kita. Mereka pasti sudah tahu bahwa saya terlibat dalam bisnis Anda dan mereka mencoba menyingkirkan kita berdua. Dan saya rasa saya tahu siapa yang mengejar kita. (Somebody is onto us. They must've figured out that I'm involved in your business and they're trying to get rid of both of us. And I think I know who's after us.)"

"Betulkah? Katakan padaku. (Really? Tell me.)"

"Saya memiliki orang dalam di Kedutaan Besar AS dan kemarin, dia melaporkan bahwa unit khusus dari barat disewa oleh pemerintah untuk misi pembunuhan. Hanya itu yang dia dapat dari itu. (I have an insider in the US Embassy and yesterday, he reported that a special unit from the west was hired by the government for an assassination mission. That was all he got from that.)"

"Dan? (And?)"

Katuuk was certain Naki won't like his answer but the truth can stop them from stuffing Katuuk into an oil-filled barrel and setting him alight.

"Dari apa yang dia kumpulkan, tebakan terbaik saya adalah bahwa kita adalah target mereka. (From what he's gathered, my best guess is that we're their targets.)"

Silence. The incoming outburst was inevitable.

"Apakah Anda memberi tahu saya bahwa pemerintah saya menyewa sekelompok tentara barat untuk membunuh kami? Untuk membunuh saya dan menghancurkan apa yang telah saya bangun?! (Are you telling me that my government hired a group of western soldiers to kill us? To kill me and destroy what I've built?!)"

Katuuk let out a sigh and braced for impact.

"Iya. (Yes.)" he grimly said.

"Mereka bodoh, dengar aku ?! Bodoh! Saya tidak akan tahan untuk ini! Saya tidak membangun sebuah kerajaan hanya untuk membiarkan beberapa orang asing mengakhiri pekerjaan saya karena apa, pemerintah saya tidak setuju dengan metode saya! Aku akan menjadi Tuhan negara ini bahkan jika aku harus membuat setiap sistem tidak stabil! (They're fools, you hear me?! Fools! I won't stand for this! I did not build an empire just to let some outsider fucks end my life's work because what, my government disagreed with my methods! I will be this country's God even if I must have every system destabilized!)"

The voices were so loud Katuuk thought Naki's other end was breaking up. Shortly, Katuuk heard Naki exhale to calm himself.

"Saya ingin Anda segera menangani masalah ini, (I want you to deal with this issue immediately,)" Naki calmly ordered. "Kirim anak buahmu keluar untuk melacak orang luar itu dan bunuh mereka. Lakukan perburuan, bingkai, apa pun yang dapat Anda lakukan untuk menemukannya. Saya akan mengirim beberapa anak saya untuk membantu tim Anda menyelesaikan misi. (Send your men out to track those outsiders and kill them. Put out a manhunt, frame them, anything you can do to find them. I'll send some of my boys to help your team complete the mission.)"

Katuuk wasn't sure what he was thinking. Even a dirty chief like him has standards to follow. After all, he only took care of turning his police force away from Naki's activities and some minor operations.

"Anda pasti sudah gila jika Anda pikir saya bisa- (You must be out of your mind if you think I can just-)"

"Bahwa. Apakah perintah. Saya tidak peduli jika Anda harus melanggar kebijakan Anda atau kehilangan lebih banyak orang. Itu adalah prioritas. Atau Anda ingin saya memotong 90% dari pembayaran Anda? Karena aku bisa pergi lebih rendah jika kamu mau. (That. Is an order. I don't care if you have to breach your policies or lose more of your men. That is a priority. Or would you like me to cut 90% of your payment down? Cause I can go even lower if you want.)"

Katuuk's grip on the seat tightened as he sat in his own bundle of rage. His breathing intensified before he recollected himself.

"Tidak, aku akan menemukan tersangka. (No. I'll find the suspects.)"

"Baik, (Good,)" Naki said. "Jika saya mendengar mereka masih hidup pada sore hari, berdoalah agar saya tidak menelepon Anda. (If I hear they're still alive by afternoon, pray that I don't call you.)"

Once the call ended, Katuuk slowly lowered his phone, finding himself in the threshold of life and death. This time, he wasn't going to bribe his way out. Not with what money he has left. However, he did get information from his informant in the Embassy on the location of their hideout.

10:23 AM, Local Time

As the team waited for Lacroix who was still out, Gabriel's phone buzzed in his pocket and he pulled it out and after reading the ID, he answered it.

"Go ahead, 2." Gabriel said.

"We're blown. The police are on their way to the hideout. Get out of there now." Lacroix warned.

Without any hesitation, Gabriel hung up and turned to the team who were occupied with their own activities.

"Team, drop what you're doing and pack everything up right now!" He ordered as he reached for the gear.

McCree looked up from a document he was reading. "What's going on? Something happened?",

"We've been compromised. Destroy all the documents and anything that could leave a trace to us now!"

The team immediately got into it and packed everything they could manage. McCree stripped the board of all the photos and files, dumped them into a bin and doused it with gasoline before lighting it in flames. Everybody frantically and hastily searched for anything to burn to erase their existence in this building.

Arriving at the hideout, several police cruisers and a black car stopped at the side with no sirens and everybody got out. Police officers on Naki's payroll stormed the front door with the Four Arms gangsters following them, slightly better armed than the cops. Some of the cops stayed outside to keep guard. Once they entered, there was no sign of their targets. As the group searched the building, one of the police officers made a call through a burner phone that exclusively connects them to Chief Katuuk.

"Apakah mereka sudah mati? (Are they dead?)" the Chief asked.

"Tidak ada tanda-tanda dari mereka, tuan, (No sign of them, sir,)" the cop said. "Mereka pasti tahu kita mengejar mereka dan melarikan diri. (They must've figured out we were after them and fled.)"

"Pak! Saya menemukan sesuatu di bawah meja ini! (Sir! I found something under this table!)"

The cop turned around and noticed his fellow cop holding up a side of a tablecloth, looking underneath it. Keeping the chief on standby, the cop approached the table and looked underneath. Through the dark, they noticed several red dots flashing. The cop's eyes widened just as he realized what it was.

"Sial! Kami mendapat- (Sial! We got a-)"

As the team headed down a hidden stairwell, they heard a muffled rumble from above and dust crumbled from the ceiling. Gabriel was watching the CCTV footage from the phone before detonating the emergency C4 the CIA had snuck in for them. There was no chance of both the cops and the gangsters surviving the explosion, especially when it collapsed onto their heads.

After reaching the tunnel underneath the safe house, the team stuffed their gear into a grey Mercedes before entering the car. McCree ignited the engine and drove off through the dark tunnel.

"Well that was a goddamn cluster." McCree said.

"No shit," Gabriel replied. "They must've found out we're here and what we're doing somehow."

"Sounds like we might have a rat in the Embassy."

"We'll cross that bridge when we get there."

Shortly, McCree drove the team out of the tunnel, leading them to a wide canalised river which happened to be outside their hideout. McCree took a right and drove down the river. Genji perched up after hearing faint sirens from behind. He turned around and looked behind the window where he noticed two police cruisers driving on the street beside them from a distance.

"We picked up a tail." Genji said.

Gabriel glanced at his rear mirror and noticed the police cruisers chasing the team. The cruisers drove down the hill and onto the river, gaining some speed. Genji then noticed a police officer point his gun at their car and open fire. Genji ducked down as the shots hit the back of their car and the window.

"I'll handle it!" Genji called out, reaching for the bag carrying the weapons.

After grabbing an MCX and loading it with a full mag, Genji waited for the gunshots to stop. Once there was a brief pause from the police, he sat on the side window and opened fire. Genji fired at the cruiser at the left, hitting the front as both police cruisers began to swerve around erratically. Genji then aligned his shots to the window where the unsuspecting police officers were, riddling them with bullets as glass shards projected onto them and blood splattered from inside. The cruiser then began to slow down with smoke wafting from the front and swerve onto the corners of the hill, coming to a complete stop. One down, one to go.

Genji turned to his right and noticed the last police cruiser aligning itself with the team's car. Genji opened fire at the cruiser before the police officer could aim his gun. Then, he heard a click from his rifle. Genji quickly disposed of the empty mag and burrowed into the bag for a new one. Gunshots erupted from the side and pounded the doors.

"Anytime now, Genji!" Gabriel shouted.

"Good thing those crooks are lousy shots!" McCree called.

Genji finally found the full mag, loaded the rifle and pressed the bolt catch before aiming for the drivers. The shots hit both the driver and his partner inside. Genji watched as the cruiser swerved away from the team and crashed into a garbage pile, flipping over onto its top. Genji noticed one of the police officers' launch out of the window and fall onto the ground. The sirens died down as the cruiser slid away and shrunk from the team's view.

"Targets down. They won't be after us for now." Genji said, getting back inside the car.

"Alright," Gabriel said. "Hide the gun."

The drive led them back onto the road and into the streets. The embassy was close by so it wouldn't take long to arrive.

3:00 PM, Local Time

Katuuk's feet tapped on the gravel rapidly. As predicted, Naki has ordered him to meet him through a phone call. A meeting Katuuk can't decline. Which was how he ended up at an isolated cliffside in the hills overlooking Jakarta. Just in case, he brought along some of his police officers for protection.

Then, the Four Arms arrived with three black cars stopping in front of him. The doors opened and gangsters got out with most of them armed with rifles while the rest were unarmed. Then, the door of the car in the middle opened and stepping out of it was none other than Eyo Naki himself in the flesh. Despite him being much older than Katuuk, Naki's deadshot eye and his face shaped by the war can make a combination of the army and the entire police force fear him. Adjusting his sleeve of his coat over his pinstripe suit and turtleneck, he approached Katuuk with every loud and slow step filling the dread before taking his hat off.

"Saya memperingatkan Anda, bukan? (I warned you, didn't I?)" Naki growled. "Saya ingin orang luar itu mati sebelum sore, namun saya dengar mereka masih hidup. Ingin mengatakan sesuatu? (I wanted those outsiders dead before afternoon and yet I hear they're still alive. Got anything to say?)"

Katuuk took a deep breath. "Itu tidak bisa dihindari. Orang-orang ini berpengalaman. Mereka pasti tahu kita sudah mengetahui lokasinya. (It was inevitable. These people are experienced. They must've known we figured out their location.)"

"Dan Anda mengatakan bahwa Anda tidak bisa melakukan apa-apa lagi? (And you're saying that you can't do anything else?)"

"Saya katakan kita harus berhati-hati! Orang-orang ini tidak menyukai penjahat yang Anda hadapi. Mereka memiliki tenaga yang cukup untuk melebihi jumlah kita. (I'm saying we should be careful! These people aren't like those thugs you've dealt with. They have enough manpower to outnumber us.)"

"Menurutmu teroris barat itu membuatku takut? Saya telah membangun karir saya dengan darah dan keringat saya! Saya tidak akan membiarkan beberapa orang luar menghancurkan apa yang saya buat! Aku bodoh karena mengira kamu mampu menangani ini. Anda tidak lebih dari buang-buang waktu yang tidak kompeten. (You think those western terrorists scare me? I've built my career with my fucking blood and sweat! I'm not going to let some outsiders destroy what I've created! I was a fool to think you were capable of handling this. You're nothing more but an incompetent waste of time.)"

At this point, Katuuk has had enough.

"Saya lebih baik menjadi orang bodoh daripada bekerja untuk teroris seperti Anda! (I'd rather be a fool than work for a terrorist like you!)" he snapped.

Naki glanced at him with an eye that could pierce through his heart.

"Apa katamu? (What did you say?)"

"Saya muak dan lelah mengambil tanggung jawab atas semua hal yang telah Anda lakukan, (I'm sick and tired of taking responsibility for all the shit you've done,)" Katuuk continued. "Tahukah Anda berapa banyak petugas polisi yang kehilangan tugas sejak saya mulai bekerja untuk Anda? Apakah Anda tahu apa yang harus saya tangani hanya agar Anda tidak ditangkap? Tidak. Karena Anda seorang teroris. Anda hanya peduli untuk memuaskan ego Anda yang membengkak. Aku seharusnya menangkapmu saat aku punya kesempatan! (Do you know how many police officers I've lost on the line of duty ever since I started working for you? Do you know what I had to deal with just to keep you from getting arrested? No, you don't. Because you're a terrorist. You only care about satisfying your inflated ego. I should've had you arrested when I had the chance!)"

"Perhatikan lidah kotormu itu. Kamu pikir kamu siapa, ya? Ketahuilah tempatmu! (Watch that filthy tongue of yours. Who the fuck do you think you are, huh? Know your damn place!)"

"Anda tidak menakut-nakuti saya lagi, Naki. Anda ingin membunuh tentara barat itu, lakukan sendiri. Dilakukan. (You don't scare me anymore, Naki. You want to kill those western soldiers, do it yourself. We're done.)"

Katuuk then ordered his men to get moving as he turned away. As he headed towards his car, Naki drew out his pistol from his holster and fired two rounds to each of his legs. Katuuk let out a cry and fell towards the cruiser. The police officers sluggishly reacted to the sounds of gunshots and Naki's men raised their weapons. They gave the police officers bzero chance to fight back as the bullets shredded into them, clearing them out in seconds. The gunfire ceased and the men lowered their weapons, leaving Katuuk the last one alive.

Naki approached Katuuk who sat up against the cruiser, unable to feel his legs. Naki aimed his pistol at Katuuk's head and shot him dead without hesitation. His hand fell onto the ground lifelessly and his eyes strayed away as blood streamed from his forehead. Naki stared at his body as he holstered his pistol with no remorse like how he treated his victims. He spat at Katuuk's corpse before turning away to his men.

"Ayo kembali. Kami akan berburu. (Let's head back. We're going on a hunt.)"

7:30 PM, Local Time

Embassy of the United States

The team watched the TV by the board broadcasting mostly unimportant news while waiting for Amélie to report back. Shortly, the news then showed a new report of a murder. The camera focused on a crime scene at a cliffside with the police surrounding it where the reporter explained the bodies of Chief Katuuk and some of the other police officers were found. Judging by the way the news is portraying Katuuk and the police, the locals wouldn't be surprised about it since they've lost whatever was left of their faith.

"Seems like the Four Arms did us a favor dealing with those dirty cops," McCree said. "Makes our job a lot easier."

"Would've been better if I had taken him out." Genji said.

"I know, Genji. Naki's next so you'll get your chance." Gabriel told him.

The sounds of the door opening behind them caught the team's attention, seeing Amélie entering the room, carrying some documents. She was tasked in finding the person who ratted them out and it was no surprise she was skilled in finding them.

"Who was the rat?" Gabriel asked.

"A local analyst of the embassy," Amélie answered. "Katuuk sent him here. I managed to squeeze the information out of him before handing him off to the CIA. They'll be putting him in a blacksite since they believe he has been a mole for other Islamic terror cells."

"So what's our situation with the Four Arms?" McCree asked.

Amélie placed the documents onto the table, with a picture of a satellite shot of a row of houses.

"The analyst gave us the address of Naki and his gang's hideout. They're at a townhouse in South Jakarta. He also told me that they're currently planning their next move. My best guess is that they're going to start a war against us."

After reading the documents and the map of the hideout, Gabriel got his hands off the table and faced his team.

"Well, if Naki's that pissed off, then who are we to decline his offer?" Gabriel stepped in. "If he wants a war, then we'll bring it to his front door. Get geared up, team. We move out in thirty mikes."

8:23 PM, Local Time

Twas the night before the chaos. Blackwatch has already made their arrival at the townhouse in South Jakarta where Naki and his men would be at. Turns out, they were near a town that was a hotspot for a night out. The townhouses itself resembled buildings from either the UK or the Netherlands. The team parked by the back alley between the townhouse and a bar. The sky was pitch black with some vague clouds hovering above but the townhouses were bright from the windows.

"Shadow 1 to Shadow 2, we're at the target's destination, over." Gabriel said.

"Copy, Shadow 1. Got visual on the hideout. No patrols. Possible hostiles inside the building." Amélie replied.

The sniper was positioned at a rooftop of a building across the townhouse where she would get a clear sight of Naki and his men.

"Copy, Shadow 2. We'll get the bastards. Out," Gabriel then reached for the door. "Alright, let's get this done."

The team got out, already fitted with plate carriers over their clothes, gear and balaclavas and their suppressed weapons and made their way to the alley. Genji paced after Gabriel, taking the lead as they walked down the alley to where the townhouse's backyard would be. He was particularly eager in taking Naki down, after losing his grasp on Katuuk. This time, nobody leaves this building alive.

Genji and the team arrived at the back gate leading to the townhouse's backyard. After a brief check of their surroundings, Gabriel led the team in after opening the partially closed gate. At the front was a glass door where they saw a group of Four Arms gangsters by a table, possibly setting up their weapons.

"Hostiles inside the building." McCree said.

The team moved quietly away from the door, blending in with the dark. Music was blaring from inside, making it easier for them to move without the gangsters hearing anything outside. They approached the wall beside it and stacked up.

"Shadow 1 to Shadow 2, we're breaching the building, out." Gabriel said.

"Bien reçu."

After getting off the comms, Gabriel turned to Genji.

"All yours, Genji. Bring in the heat."

Genji nodded and moved past Gabriel towards the door. McCree held out a grenade for the next hit. Getting his MCX ready, he reached the glass door and faced the gangsters still unaware of his presence. Just as one of them looked up and noticed Genji, he opened fire with full automatic rounds, dropping the gangsters in front of him as the glass shattered into pieces. The rest of the gangsters began to scramble while grabbing their weapons.

"Tossing frag!" McCree called out as he threw a grenade into the room.

Just as the team entered the room, an explosion erupted and debris flew outwards. The music began to die down, drowned out by the gunfire. Some blood spilled from the area. Genji took cover behind a kitchen as gunshots erupted from the front of the house. Gabriel and McCree took cover behind some tables. Most of the loud shots came from either a pistol or an SMG.

Genji moved out of cover and saw a gangster approaching him face on with a rifle. The full automatic rounds riddled into the gangster before he could react. As the body fell down, Genji dived and rolled towards a drawer table, taking cover from further gunfire before noticing a gangster hiding inside a room trying to fire through the narrow gap of the door. Genji shot his foot and the gangster let out cry and lost balance, leaving Genji an open view of multiple rounds to his body. Moving out of cover, Genji and the team took out the rest of the gangsters near a living room with a large pool table.

"Leading." Genji said as the team approached the stairs.

As they moved up the stairwell, Genji heard frantic footsteps and faint shouts from outside and above. He noticed a gangster appear from the left about to aim his gun. Genji fired first, taking him out with several shots to the head. His body then fell onto the stairs and tumbled down. Genji then noticed a pair of legs on the hallway of the next floor through the stair gap. Firing several rounds to the legs were enough to make the gangster collapse. Reaching the next floor, Genji finished off the downed gangster and headed towards the room to his left where he noticed a man running on the rooftops through an open window with two of his men following him. That has to be Naki.

"I got visual on the target! He's on the rooftops!" Genji reported.

"Shadow 2, HVT fleeing on the roof. Do you have a visual, over?" Gabriel asked.

"Negative, I have no visual on HVT," Widowmaker replied on comms. "But you got hostiles moving in to the front door. I'll hold them off as much as I can."

"I'll go after him." Genji suggested.

Gabriel nodded. "Go. McCree, with me!"

Genji headed into the room with the open window while both Gabriel and McCree stayed back to hold off oncoming gangsters. After climbing through the window, Genji moved towards a chimney and then suddenly, a gangster with a camo balaclava emerged from behind and swung a machete across him. Genji managed to dodge the hill swing and the attack after it. Then, he heard voices behind the masked gangster closing in.

Once the masked gangster swung his next hit, Genji let go of his rifle and grabbed onto his wrist before punching his throat. With the masked gangster unable to fight back with a broken windpipe, Genji held onto the base of the machete, stepped to the masked gangster's side and drove it into his stomach.

The blades protruded through his body with blood dripping from the tip. Pulling out his suppressed Glock, Genji noticed several other gangsters heading his way and used the masked gangster for cover as bullets hit the gangster's body, hardly going through to Genji. He managed to take out two gangsters before tossing the masked one aside and advancing further through the rooftop.

As Genji made his way over another rooftop connected to each townhouse in this area, he caught sight of two of Naki's men calling in reinforcements from the other houses to hold Genji off before continuing to escort Naki away. There were only a handful of them. Genji took cover behind a small garden as gunfire erupted after him. He leaned over to the left and took out one of the gangsters near a door before running dry. Getting back in cover, Genji ejected the empty mag and inserted a new one before hitting the bolt catch.

Turning to his right, Genji moved out of cover to find a gangster approaching his position amidst the gunfire. Genji shot his abdomen before aiming for his chest, taking him out in an instant. One of the gangsters behind him got distracted, leaving him open for Genji to take him out too.

He then noticed more from the other side, shooting at him. Taking cover once again, Genji took a flashbang from his battle belt and tossed it to the gangster's position. A loud bang erupted and sounds of pained cries followed up as gunfire ceased. Genji moved out of cover and took out the remaining disorientated gangsters before continuing his chase after Naki.

Reaching another rooftop of a different townhouse, he found Naki running into a door with his men helping close the door. Genji took aim and fired his rounds, taking both of them out. As he closed in on the door, his instincts flared up and Genji noticed one of the gangsters he shot grab onto his rifle. Genji kicked his leg, bringing him onto his knees and pulled out his Glock, firing several shots into his head until it ran dry. As the gangster fell away and his grip loosened, Genji swapped pistol mags and racked the slide before opening the door.

"Shadow 5, HVT entering a new building. Moving in with caution." Genji said as he entered a room with stairs down below.

Using his rifle, Genji went down the stairs with heightened sense, expecting an element of surprise. He made sure his steps on the wooden stairs didn't creak loud enough for anyone to hear. Genji found himself on a floor with several rooms. Every room he checked was empty. Suddenly, he heard something fall onto the ground downstairs.

Genji slowly went down the stairs and just as he stepped onto the floor below, he saw Naki at the kitchen and aimed his rifle. Naki ducked down behind the counter as Genji fired at him. The bullets shattered some of the glass and tiles behind the counter. Suddenly, he heard a click. His rifle was jammed. Genji glanced up and saw Naki now standing from the counter, drawing his pistol from a shoulder holster.

Genji quickly dropped his rifle and dove for the front counter as the shots zipped above him. Genji was able to get a good look of Naki and he looked much older than the photo with the grayed hair and distinct wrinkles, complemented with a black turtleneck and pinstripe pants like he was still reliving his 40s.

Genji pulled out his Glock and blindly fired back from the counter. The sounds of more glass shattered echoed across the room. Slipping to the side of the kitchen, Naki suddenly attacked him, slapping Genji's pistol out of sight. Genji managed to grab hold of Naki and pushed him against the fridge. He managed to pry the pistol off Naki's hand and toss it away from reach before getting kneed in the stomach and kicked back.

Looking back up, Genji noticed Naki take out a karambit and spun it as he got on his feet. For a man in his 70s, he was still able to hold off a punch. He somewhat reminded him of his father. Genji got into his fighting stance, not planning to pull any punches.

"Saya tidak akan membiarkan teroris mengakhiri warisan saya!" Naki growled hoarsely, charging at him with the knife.

Genji dodged Naki's rapid swings, including several lethal jabs. Genji managed to grab hold of Naki's arm, delivering an elbow to the forearm until Naki lost grip of his karambit before turning a heel and throwing him onto the counter surface. Turning around, Genji watched Naki slide off the table to the other side. Glancing down at the karambit, Genji swiped it off the floor as he moved towards Naki's position.

Naki threw a punch and Genji slipped below, getting behind the gang leader. Spinning around, he swung a hit to Naki's arm, leaving a cut. Naki was slow to react to Genji dodging his attack, further emphasizing his fading abilities through age. He wasn't going to survive this. Genji then let Naki throw another punch, pushed it away with his free hand and delivered a heavy cut to his forearm. At this rate, he wouldn't be able to use his vital amount of arm strength.

Genji stooped down and pierced the karambit through Naki's left ankle. This was enough to bring him to his one knee. As he let out a jarring cry, Genji felt Naki's hand force onto his face, with one of his fingers trying to reach his eye. Pulling the karambit out, Genji went for his other leg with a swift swipe. The cut managed to distract Naki enough for Genji to stab him in the stomach.

Twisting the karambit upwards, Genji forced Naki onto his feet while holding his arm. He noticed Naki can barely stand on his two feet anymore thanks to the cuts. Genji then turned the karambit to the left and drew a deep cut across Naki's body and stabbed his right arm after noticing his attempted hit. With the blade deep inside his arm, Genji pushed it towards the shoulder, leaving blood spilling onto the wooden floorboards. Finally, Genji has his sights on Naki's throat. He suffered enough. This is his final blow.

Genji thrusted the blade into his throat, deep into the skin and inside. He heard the sound of knees falling onto the ground. The movement stopped and Genji panted as he listened to Naki's gargling. Genji's eyes caught Naki's as he stared into the last eye slowly losing colour as Genji's deadshot gaze further pierced into his head. He then slightly leaned towards Naki.

"May God forgive you." Genji whispered before pulling the karambit out.

He stared forward as the thud accompanied the silence. After some time, Genji looked back at Naki's body soaked and drowned in a puddle of dark velvet red blood. The blood paid for the atrocities but he wouldn't expect it to be returned with grace. After all, people like Naki are beyond redemption.

"Shadow 5, status, over!" Gabriel's voice buzzed from Genji's comms.

Genji responded, tapping the comms. "HVT is KIA, over."

"Copy, Shadow 5. Target house is secure and all hostiles are KIA. Time to disappear."

Genji got off the comms and glanced back at the body, noticing the blood on his gloves and plate carrier. He silently bid farewell and placed the karambit on the counter before heading back on the rooftops and eventually meeting up with the team, surrounded by a load of bodies from the inside to the outside.

The Next Day

12:30 PM, Local Time

Rome, Italy

Embassy of the United States

The day after their mission in Jakarta, Gabriel and Amélie have been called in to meet with Salvatore at the Embassy for something important. Ever since the death of Naki and Katuuk, most international news channels have been reporting on this incident overnight. The discovery of both the missing war criminal and the sheer amounts of bodies left behind at the townhouse was enough to attract international attention, although they acknowledged they were part of the Four Arms which has apparently been crippled due to Naki's death.

Jakarta Police has also been on damage control after leaks exposed Katuuk and his followers' corruption. Some other officials have also been arrested after evidence pointed fingers at them while most were unaware of Katuuk's corruption, especially the commissioner. Being unaware is even harder to control when the public has already lost their faith.

After entering the hallway to the room where Salvatore would be, Gabriel and Amélie found the door open and allowed themselves in. As Gabriel entered the room, he turned to where Salvatore was sitting at and noticed something that caught him by surprise. Salvatore wasn't alone this time. There was another man sitting with him, wearing the same uniform as Salvatore's. His hat was placed by the corner of the table. Faded blonde hair and a familiar face. Of all times, Gabriel would've never expected his old friend from the Delta Force to be here, in this Embassy.

"Jack?" Gabriel muttered.

The colonel stood up, approaching him with a stretched hand. "Been a long time, Gabe."

Gabriel said nothing. He was still comprehending the situation and the possibilities of his presence. Gabriel raised his hand and shook Jack's just to not keep him hanging.

"It sure has."

Jack Morrison was a colonel back at Delta, as well as Gabriel's team leader. He learnt a lot from him, something he took into consideration when becoming a leader of his own covert team for NATO. They weren't just acquaintances in the military. Their friendship skyrocketed after meeting each other back at the army. Gabriel hadn't seen Jack ever since his enlistment for Blackwatch. Something between them began to change forward on.

"What's happening?" Amélie asked.

Jack and Gabriel glanced at Salvatore. Noticing the eyes on him, he sighed as he stood up from his chair and adjusted his collar.

"Well, I'm officially retiring," Salvatore answered. "Nothing bad about it. Just believe this soldier should turn in. Colonel Morrison will be handling future Blackwatch operations. Since you two know each other, I believe you'll get along real well."

"Trust me," Jack said before turning to Gabriel with a smirk. "We will."

The two continued to stare at each other, no words exchanged. Amélie glanced at them, noticing a sense of tension. She would be wrong to think they would still offer a warm welcome. Gabriel never talked about Morrison before. From what she knows, Amélie could only predict not just a change of direction now that Morrison is taking over but a divide between the two leaders. A divide that could shape Blackwatch's purpose.

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fangirlfiction · 5 years

Text

Born to Run

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x reader

Word Count: 2.5k

Summary: Part 3 of the Born To series. The FBI catches up with you, with the help from some old friends. Loyalties are revealed, along with some shocking news.

Warnings: Some fighting, mentions of death and destruction.

A/N: There’s a lot going on in this chapter and a lot of things get revealed! We’re nearing the end of this mini series, because the last part is going up next week! I’m still accepting taglist requests if you are interested (just send me an ask), and as always, I’d love to hear what you think! i love you :)

last part here // series masterlist

As you stare at Bucky in shock, reinforcements arrive. FBI agents are quick to knock you to your knees, before they aggressively cuff you, both hands and feet. You don’t react as the cuffs are pulled too tight, because your eyes never leave Bucky, and his don’t leave yours until someone approaches from behind you. His eyes lift to meet theirs, as their voice asks, “Got her?”

Bucky nods, and your brows furrow at the sound of the familiar voice, trying to search through your head for who it could be. They make it easy on you by stepping around you to stand at Bucky’s side, facing you, and you fight the urge to let your jaw drop. Natasha Romanoff stands in front of you, pretty red hair pulled back into a braid, expression on her face completely neutral. She gives you a single nod, and addresses you. “Red Widow.”

You are pulled to your feet and half led, half dragged to a reinforced SWAT truck. The agents lead you inside and start handcuffing you to a reinforced seat in the back of the van. You finally start to recover from your shock of seeing the pair, causing you to fight against the chains. “All of this for a measly break in? Seems excessive.”

The agent to your left freezes and his expression grows angry. “Break in? Guess we can add that to your growing list of crimes.”

You freeze again. “Growing list of-” You cut yourself off and look at the man, “What are you talking about?”

You can hear the anger in his voice when he bites back at you, “Looks like you’re going to pretend you didn’t set the bomb that killed your boyfriend and dozens of others.” His voice grows angrier, “Including children.”

He squeezes the cuffs tighter as he continues to chain you up. “I didn’t set that bomb! Someone is trying to set me up!”

The man stands and smacks you across the face, “Not another word.”

His partner stands and steps between you and the angry agent. “Mike, stop.”

“I’m not gonna sit here and listen to this when we know what she’s done and what she’s capable of.”

“I didn’t-”

Mike lunges at you and you cut yourself off. The other agent holds him back, and pushes him closer to the door. “Man, you’re too close to this. You gotta go.”

They exit the van and you hear the agent say, “Keep an eye on her for a second? I gotta find someone else to sit in there with me.”

A second later, Natasha steps into the van. “Guess you got Mike pretty riled up.”

You shrug.

“Why did you do it?”

Anger flashes across your face. “Do you really think I would? Don’t you know me better than that?”

“I did, past tense. And I know what you’re capable of.”

You roll your eyes. “You can tell yourself whatever you want, but I didn’t do it.”

Before she can answer, the kind agent from before and a new guy enter the van, followed by two other agents. The kind agent turns to Mike’s replacement, “Sanders, will you double check her restraints? I wanna make sure we locked her up tight.”

Sanders eyes you warily, and makes no move towards you. Just as the agent is about to repeat himself, Natasha speaks up. “I’ll do it.”

Sanders looks relieved, and the agent nods in thanks as she enters into the separated area that you’re chained up in. She lifts the chains and checks the strength and security of the restraints around your sides, before moving behind you to check your hands that are cuffed at your back. As she tugs on the handcuffs around your wrists, you feel her press something into your palm. As she stands, you roll it across your palm and slip it between your fingers, quickly realizing that it’s a bobby pin. You hide your surprise and keep your expression neutral as you watch her leave your separated room, and take a set near the door, across from two agents. Sanders and the kind agent step into your area, and lock the door behind them, and the agents on the other side slide a secondary lock into place. You suppress a smirk at the challenge, as the two agents take a seat, one on either side of you.

Someone appears at the entrance to the back of the van, and peeks inside. “Ready?”

“All secure.”

He nods and closes the door, latching it in place. Moments later, the van lurches and begins moving. You sit motionless in the chair, save for the miniscule movements of you picking the lock on your handcuffs. You only need one hand and one leg free to take out the two guards beside you, so you work on freeing your right arm and leg. As soon as your hand is free, you grab the cuff in your left hand to keep it from clattering against the chains. Then you shift slightly, and grab the lock of the chain that is wrapped around your right leg. When Natasha was checking your chains, she shifted the lock closer to you, making your escape much easier. You quickly pick the lock and slide it free of the chain, being careful to not make any noise. When you finish, you look up at Natasha, who gives a small nod. You return it with a nearly imperceptible nod of your own.

Using her cue, you turn to the kind agent, knowing he’s the bigger threat. “Any way you could shift the chain near my ribs? Feels like it’s cutting into me.”

“I can’t.”

“Please? Your friend Mike got a little aggressive with the restraints and it’s killing me.”

The mention of Mike does the trick, and he sighs. “No funny business.”

You give him your most innocent smile. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”

He stands and moves closer, before stopping right in front of you. He leans down and reaches for the chains near your ribs, and you mutter out a quiet. “I’m sorry about this.”

Before he can react, you slam your head into his, knocking him unconscious. He slides to the floor, and Sanders lets out a yelp beside you. It takes him a second, but he seems to remember his training, and he lunges for you. Fear has made him slow, and you slide out a foot and trip him as he draws closer. As he falls, you pull out your now free arm, and catch him, wrapping it around his neck and knocking him out. When his eyes flutter closed and he goes limp, you push him off you before quickly freeing your other arm and leg. You then use the chains and handcuffs to secure the two agents together, and then you secure them to the chair. You reach into the agent’s pocket and pull out the key, and as you near the door, you see Natasha waiting for you, two agents at her feet. As you unlock the door, she smirks. “Took you long enough.”

“Hey, I had a lot more obstacles than you.”

You both stand there looking at each other, before she abruptly pulls you into a hug. You freeze at first, not used to the affection from the former assassin, before you melt into her arms and hug her back. After a moment, you both pull away, and she nods. “You’re not out of the woods yet.”

She turns and sticks something to the back door of the van, before turning and motioning for you to get back. “Fire in the hole.”

She presses a button and the device on the door beeps before exploding, and the back door to the van blows open. You both step to the now open doors, and look out. It is nearing dusk, and the sky is beginning to darken, bit by bit. You are shocked to find that the trees are passing much slower than you expected. You turn to Natasha with a confused look on your face, and she seems to pick up on your silent question instantly.

“The bomb took out a pretty major street, so all the traffic has been redirected to the highway. It’s a mess. They were worried about stopping and going, and it was much easier for them to clear a direct path to headquarters using neighborhoods and side streets.” You nod, and she gives you a sly smile. “But that makes this next part that much easier for us.”

She looks down at a screen that is attached around her wrist, before looking back at you. “There’s a turn up ahead. When they slow, we jump. We’re gonna run west for about half a mile, and that’ll bring us to a watershed drain. Then we’ll go from there.”

You say nothing, and you both wait for a moment, before the van starts to slow. Natasha looks at you, “Ready?”

“Always.”

And then she leaps from the van, with you right behind her. You roll as you hit the ground, right across the short stretch of road and into a grassy ditch. You stand and immediately take off running, hot on Natasha’s heels. You spare a glance behind you at the convoy of FBI vehicles, but none of them have seemed to notice anything out of the ordinary. You turn back and keep running, silently, until you finally reach the drain. You both move the drain lid to the side before climbing down inside, and returning the lid to its place. When you are safely inside, Natasha turns to you. “Okay, it’s safe to talk for a while. We’re just gonna follow this to the harbor, and then we’ll take a boat to a safehouse.”

“Why didn’t they notice use escaping? There were at least 4 other cars behind that van.”

Natasha replies as if it’s obvious, “Widows. And Bucky, of course.”

Complete bewilderment crosses your face. “Widows? Why would widows be here?”

She turns back to look at you, her confusion now matching your own. “Do you really not know?”

“Know what?”

She stops and turns to face you fully. “We’re being hunted.”

“By who? Why?”

She practically spits the name, “Gynacon.” You shake your head, still confused, and she launches into an explanation. “The owners of the Red Room, and the Black Widow program, acted independently for a while. But when they heard about Bucky and the super soldiers that Hydra was keen on creating, they decided to enter a partnership. We all have the serum, whether we remember it or not. Hydra provided the serum, and the Red Room provided Hydra with Widows.”

“I remember.”

She continues, “When Hydra fell, and you and Bucky escaped, you two weren’t the only former assassins to gain your freedom. Most of the other Widows made it out, too, while a few others remained in the Red Room’s care. Eventually, they terminated the Widow program, and started looking for someone to clean up their mess. Hydra was getting a lot of heat for their hand in history, but our involvement in history remained unknown to the world. That’s when Gynacon entered the picture. They bought out the Red Room and the remains of the Widows, and then they started a witch hunt. They’ve been hunting us down for years, picking us off one by one.”

You press your hand to your mouth, feeling sick, and with a quiet voice, ask, “Who’s left?”

“Us, and the three widows that were in that convoy. Anya, Sasha, and Katerina.” You sink to the ground, shocked. Hundreds of Widows, reduced down to five. “We all went our separate ways after freedom, rarely kept in touch. The distance kept us from realizing we were being picked off until it was too late.”

Realization strikes you suddenly. “The bomb.”

She nods, “It was on the bike. You’re lucky Bucky found out in time.”

Your brows furrow as you look up at her. “Bucky? What are you talking about?”

“You didn’t think we lost sight of you, did you? As soon as you left, we looked for you. Luckily, you made it pretty easy on us with your rise to fame in the dirtbike world. But we always kept up with you after that.”

“After I quit, you mean?”

“Yes. We heard about the shooting. It was almost impossible to keep Bucky away when he found out. But then he found out about Danny, and he was hurt. Threw himself into finding the men that attacked you. Took care of them. It was only later that we realized they were part of Gynacon. We kept them off your tail for years, always tossing them fake leads and such, but they eventually caught up with you. I think that’s why they opted for such a...gruesome attack on you. You were the one that got away.”

“But what does Bucky have to do with this?”

She gives you a small smile, “We decided to gather and warn whatever Widows were left. Bucky didn’t want you to have to sacrifice your new life, the one you spent so much time building, so he insisted that we leave you be. Instead, he swore to keep a close eye on you, and intervene when possible. It was Bucky who discovered the guy in the suit was Gynacon. He heard about the race, and started to worry. Tracked down your storage unit, and inspected the bike up and down, but couldn’t find anything wrong. Still, he worried. So, he pretended to be one of your coworkers and called Danny, got him to bring the bike to you in the race. He thought you were safe, until that guy pulled a gun.”

“Wait, Bucky was at the race?”

“Yes, and he was seconds away from sniping the guy when you escaped. We didn’t know Danny was going to take the new bike though. We would have stopped you had we known that. When we realized, we took off after you. We saw the explosion, saw your trailer fly into the sky. We thought…” She swallows a lump in her throat and keeps going, “Bucky found you first. He tried to wake you up, but then other people starting showing up and we knew we had to go. We were only gone for a few minutes when we got the call from the FBI about the bomb and the suspect. We nearly choked when we heard it was you. But that’s when we called the other Widows, and decided to assist the FBI with the investigation.”

You stand silently, taking everything in, before you and Natasha start walking again. “What about Bucky?” Seconds later, you clumsily add, “And the others?”

She turns to look at you, giving you a small grin, before turning back to the front. “They’ll meet us at the safehouse. Bucky thinks he has a lead on the location of Gynacon, so we can put a stop to this once and for all.”

You nod in response, and the rest of the trip is spent in comfortable silence. After the boat ride, Natasha leads you to a safe house, and you crash the moment she declares it safe, exhaustion taking over your body.

part 4 here!

#bucky barnes fanfiction #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes x reader angst #bucky x reader #bucky x you #born to series

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alexboehm55144 · 4 years

Text

Alex Final Wars 2: Dark Alex, Chapter 23 - Devastation

Hello! How is everyone doing? Its summer, at least here in the northern hemisphere. So enjoy the warmth and sun of this time of year, but don't forget to social distance! If you're free and need some reading material, then good news for you! Because I have an action packed chapter right here thats waiting to be read! Once again I would like to thank JKnight97 for beta reading this!

00000000000

Heroes had been dispatched to Japan, where persistent Chinese efforts had managed to breach US and Japanese defenses, and now People’s Liberation Army forces were flooding into Tokyo. Although it was the most heavily defended part of Japan, it was also the most valuable target, hence the reason the Chinese concentrated much of their military might on the city. Japan was a key US ally at a location close to China, and that was a problem for the PLA. The Chinese needed to deal with it so that they could strengthen their own position. The most recent attack had broken through into the city far more quickly than expected, and US military personnel were baffled as to why this attack was so different from earlier assaults.

Even before the Typhoon reached Japan, everyone could tell that Retsuko and Haida were upset. Tokyo was their home city, and just the thought of the destruction being wreaked upon the city was almost enough to bring them to tears. Toothdee had told the couple they could have the day off, and everyone was trying to console them somehow. Jack and Skye promised they wouldn’t rest till the Chinese were routed from Tokyo, while Judy had tried making a blueberry and carrot pie to cheer them up. However, it was difficult as Nick kept eating the blueberries.

Heroes gathered on the bridge as Toothdee guided the ship through a bank of clouds towards their destination. When the vessel exited the cloud bank near Tokyo, everyone could see the scale of the devastation. Columns of smoke stretched upwards into the night sky, blocking out the stars. The orange glow of massive fires illuminated tall buildings, and anti-aircraft guns fired upwards, trying to down enemy aircraft.

Sighs spread through the assembled warriors as they looked at the horrible scene in front of them. This was the city they had rested in just a short time ago, after the Korean campaign. Many members of Heroes would consider this one of the most depressing and soul crushing sights they had ever seen over the course of this war. Although combat was their life, it still hurt to see homes burning and the country’s capital drowning in smoke.

On the bridge, the couple watched as their home town was slowly being destroyed by the invaders. The red panda was crying and covering her face. Haida knelt beside her and put his paws on Retsuko’s shoulder. She turned and buried her face in the fur of her hyena, the situation being too much to bear. Things only deteriorated further as a radio call from a US marine in the city came in.

“This is Private Norton of the US marine corps; we have a confirmed sighting of dark heroes! Repeat, confirmed sighting of dark- HUGH!”

The call was quickly cut off and those listening heard what sounded like a chainsaw. They instantly assumed it was Dark Alex’s weapon, cutting through the US soldier. This explained why the Chinese assault had been so successful, and it would make the Heroes’ response all the more difficult. Their counterparts appeared to revel in conflict, and it seemed like the desire to fight was what drove them.

Holding back the horrible thoughts about such destruction and the presence of dark heroes, captain Boehm tried to rouse his friends into a fighting spirit. He always tried to be positive, even in dire circumstances.

“I know it hurts to think about what’s happening in that city, but remember, preventing further disasters like this is why we do what we do.”

It hurt to see the innocent Retsuko brought to tears. It hurt to see the entire team looking downtrodden.

“We beat them in Zootopia, we can beat them in Tokyo! Let’s inflict on those Chinese forces, what they inflicted on this city! Tenfold!”

The captain saw a few small smiles, but the aura of depression could still clearly be felt. As the Typhoon landed in an empty container storage area near the city docks, Toothdee took this opportunity to check on Kion and assign everyone’s orders.

“Kion, do you feel like you're ready to get back in the fray? It’s okay if you don’t.”

“I’m fine, besides I want to help.”

“Very well. Jack, Skye, go out and see what you can find out about Chinese movements. Laval, Eris, link up with the US forward operating base. Nick, Judy, you're with me guarding the Typhoon. Alex, JayJay, assault the main Chinese positions with the US Marines. Kion, Jasiri, search for any civilian stragglers and evacuate them.”

Everyone only responded with simple nods and left the bridge to gear up. As they left, many heroes gave Haida and Retsuko a hug or a pat on the back as they passed by. Today, Heroes would be fighting for their friend’s homeland.

000

The teams left the Typhoon and went their separate ways into the burning city. There wasn’t much in the way of chatter. The destruction wreaked on Tokyo had left a somber mood. Jack and Skye found their way down into the Tokyo subway system. Using a map on file, they began moving behind enemy lines.

“It’s like Zootopia all over again.” Skye said “It never gets any easier.”

“I know,” Jack responded. “But, this is what we’ve trained for. We can do this!”

Skye appreciated her partner’s enthusiasm, and gave him a playful nudge as they continued down the subway tunnel. All of a sudden Jack stopped in his tracks, and Skye bumped into him a few seconds later.

“What?” The arctic fox asked.

“Chinese soldiers.”

Flashlights appeared at the end of the tunnel and the two could hear soldiers speaking in a foreign language.

The pair frantically looked for somewhere to hide, and quickly dove under a bench nearby. They huddled closely to each other in order to stay concealed, but it wasn’t anything they were not used to.

From where Jack and Skye were concealed, they could see a trio of boot pairs passing by the bench. Once the soldiers had passed, the pair exited cover and snuck up behind two of the unsuspecting soldiers. Silenced weapons finished off the three unfortunate soldiers, and the pair continued.

Jack radioed Toothdee and informed her that the Chinese were using the subway to move around the city. Toothdee said she would alert US forces. As the two went deeper into Chinese territory, the tunnel got darker due to the ongoing power failure. Jack moved to turn on the flashlight on his weapon, but Skye stopped him, saying that the light might alert any more Chinese soldiers they came across.

“But, I can’t see.” Jack protested.

“Here, I’ll guide you. Watch out for the third rail.”

The fox took Jack’s paw and started leading him through the darkened section, with both mammals enjoying the touch of the other. Once they left the pitch black section of the subway, the pair continued to hold hands, not out of necessity, but simply out of love.

However, once Jack and Skye came to a subway exit, they let go of each other’s paws and prepared themselves for whatever was next. Peeking up onto the surface, they spotted a Chinese armored personnel carrier and infantry. The two then sprinted into a nearby building so they could get to higher ground. Finding their way up to the third floor, the elevated position revealed a lot more of the Chinese assault force. There were dozens of soldiers and a large number of vehicles, both armored and unarmored.

Skye turned on the camera on her uniform and got a few good shots of the enemy force. Jack rooted around the building and found out that it belonged to a company called Chararyman Trading. Now they had the position of a lot of Chinese forces, as well as their numbers.

“I think we have all we need.” Skye said, “let’s get out of here and move on to somewhere else.”

Suddenly the pair heard yelling coming from nearby, and turning to the door of the room they were in, they saw a PLA soldier. Jack gunned the soldier down, but not before his opponent managed to get a shot off. This alerted other Chinese soldiers who began to enter the building.

Thinking quickly, the two sprinted to the other side of the floor and reached a window through which they could see the roof of the next-door building one story below. Skye shot out the window with her firearm and then readied a crossbow she had on her back. The crossbow was designed to fire zip lines, with the weapon itself capable of being affixed to the ground to make an anchor for one end of the line. Taking aim, Skye discharged the weapon and the arrow embedded itself in the roof of the other building. She then affixed the crossbow to the ground. With the line now stabilized, Jack tossed a grenade at the advancing Chinese soldiers to buy them some time to escape. The pair used their weapons as trolleys to zipline across to the other roof, before pulling out the arrow and preventing Chinese soldiers from following them the same way.

“Toothdee, we could use a bit of help here.” Skye said into her radio just as the Chinese soldiers on the Chararyman Trading building opened fire, forcing her and Jack to duck for cover.

“Kion and Jasiri are nearby, I’ll send them to help.”

Jack and Skye managed to get down via the fire escape on the side of the building, and began running down the street to avoid any Chinese forces. An enemy off-road vehicle began to pursue the two mammals, who ducked into an alleyway to avoid being run over. The vehicle stopped and the soldiers got out and pursued the team on foot.

Jack and Skye turned around to engage, when suddenly Kion and Jasiri were at their side, weapons at the ready.

“Someone order a rescue?” Kion said, blocking enemy bullets with his sword. The other three heroes laid down gunfire, killing some enemy soldiers and forcing the others to retreat.

“Thanks for the assist.” Jack said “we owe you two.”

“Don’t mention it, all in a day's work for two Heroes.” Jasiri said. “I hear you two got some good information.”

“The location of dozens of Chinese soldiers and vehicles. I think with this we can kick them out of the city.”

“Excellent job!”

“All in a day's work for two agents of the ZIA!”

000

While Jack and Skye had gone behind enemy lines to ascertain information about the Chinese forces, Alex and JayJay were meeting the enemy head on in combat. They were in charge of clearing a specific sector of the city, while US marines cleared adjacent sectors. The plan was for all forces to converge on the Chinese line. Currently the human and wolf pair were walking down a street, keeping watch for Chinese soldiers.

“All this destruction.” Alex said, “it’s like Zootopia and Guam all over again.”

The wolf went over and patted her ally on the back in case he was feeling depressed.

“Hey, remember what you told me. We can’t let ourselves feel down, we have to keep going to prevent further devastation.”

“True, it’s definitely motivating. It pushes you to do your best to prevent more damage.” The Captain looked up at the smoke filled sky. “Even though there’s a lot of enemy forces out there.”

“With you by my side, I feel like I can get through anything!”

Alex playfully pushed her and the pair laughed, before JayJay’s keen wolf eyes noticed a glint in a nearby window.

“Get down! Sniper!”

JayJay pushed Alex out of the way and jumped back as a bullet struck the street next to them. The pair took cover in an alleyway, and formulated a course of action.

“What’s the plan?” JayJay asked.

Alex noticed a flyer on the wall, which he ripped off and held outside of cover. A bullet went through the paper, confirming the sniper had a good shot on them if they got out of cover.

“You stay here and keep them distracted, I’ll sneak around.”

The wolf nodded and fired blindly around the corner of the building, while Alex headed down the alley towards the building where the sniper was. The Captain saw shots coming out of a window, and quickly climbed up to the window using a fire escape. Alex timed his climbing with the gunfire, so the sniper wouldn’t hear the fire escape creaking.

Alex crept closer to the window, and in a split second, looked in the window and fired his pistol, killing the sniper.

The captain whistled and let JayJay know the coast was clear, before returning to street level.

“I expected more enemy soldiers.” JayJay said.

“I know, it’s quiet, too quiet.”

JayJay held up a finger, prompting Alex to be silent. She closed her eyes, sniffed the air, and remained silent for a few seconds.

“I can smell and hear a vehicle, but it’s hard to tell with all this smoke.”

“Well, that's good to know. Let me know if you detect anything else.”

“Will do.”

The pair continued down the street, and soon they came across a Chinese ZBD-09 light armored vehicle sitting in the street, along with some infantry.

“You were right!” Alex whispered, the pair sneaking up to the vehicle. Alex took a spent shell casing and threw it, distracting the Chinese soldiers and prompting them to move out of the way of the Heroes. JayJay knocked on the hatch on top of the vehicle. When a Chinese soldier opened it up, the wolf quickly punched him, knocking him out, and dragged him out of the vehicle so that she and Alex could climb inside. They immediately neutralized the enemy driver and companion before they could even draw their firearms..

“Can you drive?” Captain Boehm asked, moving the downed soldiers out of the way and back up through the top hatch.

“I mean.... it’s just like a car, right?” JayJay said nervously as she felt the controls.

Alex shut the top hatch and got in the gunner’s seat. “Then, let’s get moving.”

The wolf put the pedal to the metal and the vehicle lurched forward, nearly running over two Chinese soldiers. Alex used the turret to open fire on any enemy troopers he saw, making sure he took down every one.

The vehicle crashed through several stopped cars, hitting a Chinese soldier. Other soldiers in the vicinity opened fire, including some armed with rocket launchers.

JayJay messed with the controls inside the vehicle and fired the main gun, eliminating the pair of PLA infantrymen. Alex targeted any trooper with a rocket launcher, making them a priority due to the danger they posed. Most infantry ran for cover as the captain opened fire on them, taking down one hostile after another.

After all the infantry had been neutralized, another ZBD-09 entered the fray, engaging the heroes with its weapons. The wolf at the controls stepped on the gas and spun their vehicle around the enemy vehicle.

“JayJay...” captain Boehm said, unaware of what she was planning.

JayJay sent their armored vehicle crashing right into the side of the enemy vehicle, pushing it into a construction site. The wolf then backed up out of the site and the duo then fired at the building’s support structures with their weapons.

The concrete and steel buckled and came crashing down, crushing the enemy vehicle. As the dust settled, the pair could see part of the enemy ZBD peeking out from under the pile of rubble, crushed like a tin can.

“You think we got them?” JayJay asked.

“It never hurts to be careful.”

The pair fired at the immobilized vehicle, causing it to burst into flames. There was no way the crew could have survived.

“I think we got them.” Alex said, giving JayJay a thumbs up, before they moved onwards. The pair had to disembark the vehicle at a certain point and move through an alleyway into a market. Although the air was still heavy with smoke, JayJay’s keen wolf nose picked up something, and it wasn’t market food.

“I smell something familiar.” the wolf said “and yet... different...”

The area was illuminated by bright red neon lights and the glow of fires in the city. Smoke still obscured visibility. Two figures ominously appeared at the other end of the market, and the Heroes readied their weapons. As the unknown combatants drew closer, their identities were revealed. It was Dark Alex and Dark JayJay, smirks on their faces as they were obviously thinking about how doomed the Heroes were.

“Well, well, well,” Dark Alex said. “Here to stop the Chinese invasion?”

“We were, but you will be a good substitute.” Alex said, getting out his sword.

“Ha! Prepare to be disappointed. You will surely be a worthy opponent, I enjoy fighting the best!”

Dark Alex drew his blade, and the chainsaw inside hummed as the glowing red blades rotated around the sword.

The two wolves prepared themselves for paw to paw combat, each warrior staring down their counterpart.

The pair of swordsmen charged forward and clashed blades, as JayJay and her counterpart engaged each other.

Alex and his adversary got in a sword lock, causing the chainsaw on Dark Alex’s sword to stop, as it was blocked by Captain Boehm’s blade.

“This is your end!” the dark warrior yelled.

“Last time I checked, Heroes killed four of your members!”

Meanwhile the pair of wolves battled, each of them landing melee strikes on the other, but blocking each other’s attacks. Both warriors had heightened levels of agility and endurance, making their fight fast paced.

Dark Alex fired his grappling hook, but the Captain managed to dodge out of the way. Alex grabbed the line of the grappling hook as it passed and pulled, knocking his enemy off balance, before delivering a powerful punch to his opponent’s chin. The dark warrior yelled in anger and took a few steps back to collect himself.

JayJay’s dark counterpart performed a drop kick on her enemy, hitting the wolf square in the chest. The young Hero was sent staggering away while she regained her senses.

Dark Alex was now closer to JayJay, and Alex was now closer to Dark JayJay. Each warrior decided to attack the enemy nearest to them, switching up the partners in the fight.

The dark wolf stared down Captain Boehm. “You know you're kinda cute.” She said, chuckling to herself.

“No thanks, I’m taken by that wolf over there.” Alex said, gesturing to the other Hero in the battle.

Dark JayJay ran forward and attacked with a series of kicks, but Alex blocked them with his sword.

Every sword swipe the Captain attempted was merely dodged by the wolf. Dark JayJay used her agility to dodge Alex’s sword swings, with JayJay using the same tactics against her enemy.

Dark Alex tried to bring his sword down onto JayJay, but she evaded the strike and landed a few good hits. The dark warrior retaliated with a shoulder charge that put the hero on the defensive.

Alex managed to land some good kicks and jabs on the dark wolf, as he was able to predict most of her attacks, blocking them accordingly. The Captain then used the wolf’s own force against her, evading an attack, spinning around her, and kicking her in the back.

Dark Alex tried another shoulder charge, but this time JayJay was ready and easily jumped out of the way.

With some good timing, both dark warriors were sent slamming into one another, dazing them. The pair of Heroes used this opportunity to get in a few good strikes. Dark Alex and Dark JayJay regained their senses and once again prepared to resume combat.

“Come on then!” Captain Boehm said, his blade hungering for combat.

“Let’s see what you’ve got!” JayJay yelled.

The intense fight began anew, with each fighter squaring off against their counterpart. Swords and fists clashed together, and the marketplace was filled with the sounds of combat and yelling.

The duo of swordsmen got into a blade lock, their weapons pushing together, sending sparks flying. But the dark Captain knew how to get the upper hand.

“You fight so hard for your country. Such ferocity.”

“All to stop you and the Chinese. They started this war, and now we’ll finish it!”

“You think China started this war? Hasn’t the US always been good at starting pointless wars? What you’ve been told is lies, it was your nation that fired the first shot.”

While the Heroes leader was distracted, absorbing this information, the other swordsman took the opportunity to push his enemy back, sending him staggering.

As the two pairs fought, they soon became aware of a loud sound coming closer and closer. Artillery fire began raining down closer and closer to the marketplace. A nearby building was struck by incoming shells, causing debris to start falling down on the market.

The Heroes ran for cover towards the market, while the villains ran for cover in the opposite direction. Alex and JayJay took shelter in an alcove on the side of a building, while their counterparts disappeared into the smoke. The Captain instinctively shielded the wolf with his own body, as artillery and debris crashed down nearby. The earth shook and JayJay yelled in fear as dust and smoke filled the alcove. But as quickly as it had come, the bombardment ceased, and the world was silent once again.

“Are you ok?!” Both heroes asked each other, before quickly assuring the other that they were alright. They raced out of the alcove and peered through the marketplace, their vision heavily impaired by the particles suspended in the air.

“Do you see them?” The wolf asked.

“I can’t see anything.” Captain Boehm said, activating his flashlight and moving through the dust.

As the particulates started to settle, the Heroes reached the other end of the market, but they still hadn’t come across their counterparts.

“Aww, they ran off? I was just getting started!” JayJay said.

“Oh don’t worry, this war isn’t over yet. I have a feeling that we will see them again.”

000

A few hours had passed, and the sun was steadily rising. Darkness still covered the city despite the sun having risen above the horizon, due to the many fires that raged throughout the area.

Haida and Retsuko were sitting out on the deck of the Typhoon, watching their home city enveloped by destruction. But, at least for now, there were more US troops in the city than Chinese. Haida had been holding onto something he wanted to say, and until now he was just unable to find the correct moment to speak. The hyena knew he couldn’t let the silence linger between him and his red panda any longer, and he gathered up the courage to talk.

“Reports coming in say the Chinese have been pushed back, for now.”

Retsuko still remained quiet, just looking at her feet.

The silence returned, both mammals too upset about the state of their home city. But now, it was Retsuko’s turn to say a few words.

“Our city.... our home.... ”

Hearing Retsuko speak felt like the only thing that gave Haida joy in this trying time.

“I know.... I know it hurts.”

The red panda squeezed her mate’s paw, prompting Haida to wrap her in a hug.

“Just to see Tokyo burning like this...” Haida said. “I hoped this city would emerge unscathed.”

“Places we know, places we’ve been, all gone.”

The hyena nodded, and patted his red panda on the back.

“At least.... I still have you Haida.”

“We can make this right Retsuko, we can help fix this...”

“I know,” the red panda said, more determined than ever to carry out her job aboard the Typhoon, “we will make sure this never happens again.” Although she wasn’t doing the fighting, she knew her work was a big part of the war against the Chinese.

Haida pulled back and looked Retsuko in her eyes, which looked so beautiful, even with the fires from the city nearby reflecting off them.

The space between the two grew smaller and smaller, the burning city moved out of sight and out of mind. The only feelings the pair had being a gentle breeze, a rapid beat in their chests, and the soft touch of the other’s lips.

They had both vowed to do whatever they could to stop the Chinese from causing further destruction to Japan. Although their home city had suffered, they still had the most important thing to them: each other.

00000000000

Hope everyone enjoyed this chapter! Stay safe and wear a mask!

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componentplanet · 4 years

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2020 Subaru Legacy Tech Dive: EyeSight, DriverFocus, Starlink Shine

Subaru Legacy Touring XT 2020 (April)

The 2020 Subaru Legacy is a near-perfect car if you’re looking for solid transportation and extensive safety technology across all trim lines. Every Legacy has all-wheel-drive, and enough driver-assist technology to be virtually self-driving on highways while protecting pedestrians in town (called Subaru EyeSight), track and alert inattentive drivers (DriverFocus), and call for help in an accident (Subaru Starlink).

The new, 2020 seventh-generation Legacy also has front cupholders deep enough to not spill a 32-ounce Big Gulp, were the car capable of a 4-second 0-60 run (it’s more like 7 to 9 seconds, depending on the engine). The engine’s “boxer” technology, similar to what Porsche uses, lowers the car’s center of gravity. The front and back rows are spacious and the trunk is enormous. Highway mileage is in the upper thirties.

So what’s not to like? Not much. This Subie won’t move the excitement needle quite like Mazda or Honda does among midsize sedans. It’s not as dazzling as the 2020 Hyundai Sonata. There’s less ground clearance than the similar Subaru Outback crossover. The new infotainment system and navigation had a few quirks, the kind a firmware upgrade typically cures, and stop-start twisted the steering wheel and my thumb a couple of times (more below).

The Nappa leather cockpit of the 2020 Subaru legacy.

The Car for Inattentive Drivers?

You say you’re a good driver; I say I’m a good driver. Yet surveys find the majority of Americans self-describe themselves as above-average drivers, which is statistically impossible. And yet, we also know people close to us whose driving skills or cognition worry us: teenagers and others in their first few years of driving, aging parents, a spouse or partner who’s had a couple of fender-benders that were the fault of “the other guy,” and people who text or create on-the-fly playlists even when they know it’s unsafe.

Subaru is a leader among automakers in making virtually all its safety technology standard across every one of the six trim lines, or model variants, of this new 2020 car. Buy any Legacy Base, Premium, Sport, Limited, Limited XT, or Touring XT and you get:

A dual front-facing camera system, Subaru EyeSight, to keep you in your driving lane, warn of / brake for possible forward collisions, detect and brake for pedestrians at speeds up to 20 mph.

Full-range adaptive cruise control as part of EyeSight.

An active driving assistance system that controls speed and lane centering, pacing any car in front of you, also part of EyeSight.

LED low and high-beam headlamps with automatic high-beam control.

All-wheel-drive for extra grip in snow or rain, or on gravel roads.

Any Legacy other than the base model has safety telematics (called Subaru Starlink) standard. Blind-spot warning is available, optional on two trim lines and standard on three; it also includes rear cross-traffic alert and automatic braking while backing up. An excellent eye-tracking driver distraction system, DriverFocus, is standard on the top two trim lines and optional on a third.

One feature not offered is a surround-view camera array that primarily improves tight-spaces parking, but it also protects you (if you watch the screen) from running into kids’ tricycles or kids on tricycles. Rear auto-braking provides that protection.

With the 260-hp turbo engine (top two trim lines only), you’ll hit 60 in 6-7 seconds. Add 2 seconds for the 182 hp engine on other Legacies.

Legacy on the Road: Mostly Smooth Sailing

I drove the top-of-the-line 2020 Subaru Legacy Touring XT, about $37,000 including shipping, with warm brown Nappa leather, moonroof, an 11-inch portrait-orientation center stack LCD, vented front seats, heated fronts and rears, onboard navigation, and immense amounts of back-seat legroom and trunk room.

Subaru lie-flat boxer engine: two cylinders go left, two cylinders go right.

With the new, 2.4-liter turbo engine of 260 hp and continuously variable transmission on the Limited and Touring XTs, it was quick, hitting 60 mph in 6-7 seconds. Highway miles went by quickly. Under foot-down acceleration, there wasn’t much noise from the CVT transmission; some testers have noted it on the non-turbo Legacy that has to be pushed harder to get up to highway speeds.

Most four-cylinder-engine cars have an inline design. Most Subarus including the Legacy have horizontally opposed, flat or boxer engines. They are effectively V engines where the angle is 180 degrees, not the 60 or 90 degrees of V6 or V8 engines. The engine is more compact, has less inherent vibration, gives the car a lower center of gravity, and allows for a lower hood and better driver sightlines. Against that, the engine requires two cylinder heads. Porsche also uses flat-six engines in the 911, Cayman, Spyder, and Boxster. The term boxer alludes not to the small crate it fits in, but rather the in-out motion of the two adjacent pistons that looks like a boxer’s fists.

Where most automakers use a combination of radar and a camera for driver assists, Subaru’s Eyesight system uses stereoscopic cameras. It’s standard on the 2020 Legacy, Forester, Outback, and Ascent; and available on the Impreza, Crosstrek, and WRX.

Pedestrian Detection Saves Another Jaywalker

Highway driving was enjoyable with the driver assists, a nicely sound-insulated cabin, very good Harman Kardon premium audio, Wi-Fi on Starlink telematics cars, and USB jacks for four people. In town, the driver assists work well; a jaywalker who popped out mid-block was picked up and the car came to a quick (sudden) stop. But spirited back-roads driving was not as much fun as some other cars in its class, notably the Mazda6 and Honda Accord. The 2020 Subaru Legacy is based on the same new platform as the 2020 Subaru Outback crossover-almost-wagon. But the Legacy’s ground clearance is 5.9 inches to 8.7 inches for the Outback. So the Legacy is fine in the rain, snow, and on gravel roads, but not the first choice in Subarus if the road to your country cabin is deeply rutted.

Subaru has rudimentary self-driving capabilities utilizing EyeSight, although Subaru doesn’t consider it to be formal self-drive tech and has no Eye-something shorthand name such as, say, EyeDrive. (BMW might not be amused.) Once activated, it centers you on a highway and proceeds at a pre-set speed, slowing for cars in front of you. It combines Subaru’s Advanced Adaptive Cruise Control feature with Lane Centering. As with other vehicles, activation is a multi-step process.

DriverFocus, on upper trim lines, combines a camera and infrared illuminator. It watches to see if the driver’s eyes are on the road ahead.

DriverFocus: Big Brother Is on Your Side

Take your eyes off the road, and the DriverFocus eye-tracker tells you to pay attention.

Subaru DriverFocus, an eyebrow module at the top of the center stack, contains a camera and IR illuminator to track where the driver is looking, and rats you out after 10-15 seconds of not looking ahead. GM’s highly regarded Super Cruise self-driving technology uses eye-tracking also.

Some driver-attention monitors count the micro-movements a driver continually makes as he or she drives.

I had two concerns with my test car: I was startled a couple of times by the gas-saving stop-start system. Occasionally as the engine came to a stop at a traffic light, the steering wheel on my test car abruptly turned a couple of inches and twice caught my thumb that was loosely holding the wheel next to the spoke. After the second time, I decided to keep my thumbs off the thumb grips once this car stopped at a light.

The infotainment system had trouble parsing some spoken commands, wanted to drive me to the intersecting street with the same name plus “Extension” at the end, and occasionally would not connect an iPhone using two different Apple cables or with Bluetooth. On sunny days, the LCD was sometimes hard to read and the brushed chrome-look trim strip around the center display reflected the sun’s glare.

The Subaru Legacy instrument panel. The center multi-information looks busy. (It is.) But it also gives the driver lots of information at a glance. If this feels like TMI, you can flip to simpler views.

EyeSight Is Improved, Still Unique

Subaru says EyeSight has been improved and I sensed that both in the ability to pick up a car ahead from a greater distance and to be less affected in the rain. In some ways, EyeSight in snowy conditions may be better than radar in that windshield wipers clear the paths in front of the two cameras. If snow blocks the radar sensor, you have to get out and scrape it off with a brush or your gloved hand, assuming the driver knows where the sensor is located in the grille. Also, snow and rain reduce the effectiveness of radar to some degree.

Subaru Legacy Touring XT, the top trim line.

Safety Features Abound

Even if you are a statistically good driver, a car such as the Legacy improves your odds of staying safe. It also improves pedestrians’ odds: A 2019 Insurance Institute for Highway Safety study found Eyesight-equipped Subarus reduce pedestrian-injury claims by 35 percent. IIHS also found Subarus with second-generation Eyesight did better than first-generation systems dating to 2010. IIHS said it found no significant self-selection bias, meaning the idea that safety-conscious good drivers might seek out safe-seeming Subarus and Volvos. Separately, IIHS found Subarus with EyeSight had up fewer rear-end collisions and passenger injuries.

How solid is Subaru on driver assists and safety technology? Here’s a rundown:

2020 Subaru Legacy Key Safety Technology, Driver Assists

Trim lines: Entry Middle Top Lane departure warning Std Std Std Lane-keeping assist Std Std Std Lane centering assist Std Std Std Blind-spot warning — $ / Std Std Adaptive cruise control Std Std Std Forward collision warning Std Std Std Auto emergency braking Std Std Std Pedestrian detection/braking Std Std Std Safety telematics (Starlink) — Std Std Driver-assist package (EyeSight) Std Std Std Driver monitoring (DriverFocus) — — / $ / Std Std Active driving assistance Std Std Std The table shows features as standard (Std), optional ($) or not available (–) on entry (Legacy base), middle (Premium, Sport, Limited, Limited XT) and top (Touring XT) trim lines.

Should You Buy?

The 2020 Subaru Legacy is a solid midsize car for people who don’t need a status symbol. The Legacy wins a lot of awards but not all of them. Consumer Reports has it as the best midsize sedan and one of only 10 CR Top Picks among 300 models for 2020. In contrast, Car and Driver put the Legacy eighth behind the Honda Accord, Hyundai Sonata, and the Mazda Mazda6, among others. Guess which publication favors safety features and comfortable ride versus spirited handling? The Legacy is also a 2020 IIHS Top Safety Pick+, which means good ratings in crash tests, advanced or superior ratings in available front crash prevention, and (the plus part) acceptable or good headlamps standard.

We like the Legacy a lot, even if within Subaru this is an outlier, a sedan in a company known for outdoorsy crossovers and SUVs: Crosstrek, Forester, Outback, Ascent. The Ascent had arguably been the best midsize SUV until the Kia Telluride / Hyundai Palisade came along last year. The Legacy had been unique in offering all-wheel-drive, but the Nissan Altima and Toyota Camry added it for 2020.

The steering wheel has big buttons and rockers, all legibly labeled. If only all cars were this clear with switchgear.

Subaru is a relatively reliable brand. The car is eminently practical. From the side, though, it’s hard to distinguish from a half-dozen other brands. Fuel economy is good, an EPA combined rating of 23 mpg for the turbo models, 29 mpg for the non-turbo. Real-world mileage should be several mpg higher, and with judicious driving, the non-turbo could approach 40 on the highway.

If you’re shopping Subaru for max safety, we’d suggest: Move past the Legacy base ($23,645 with freight) because you can’t get blind-spot warning / rear-cross-traffic alert or safety telematics, and past the Legacy Premium ($25,895) because you can get BSW / RCTA, but not reverse automatic braking (RAB). Blind-spot warning matters: Not all young drivers know to check side mirrors and look over their shoulders; older drivers may know, but may not have the dexterity to turn their heads sideways.

Every Legacy has dual front USB jacks (above) and, except for the base model (below), two more jacks in the back. Note how every jack and switch is nicely and legibly lettered.

The Legacy Sport ($27,845) lets you get BSW-RCTA-RAB in a $2,245 options package, along with a power moonroof and onboard navigation, for $30,090 total. Or for $30,645, you can get the Legacy Limited that includes BSW-RCTA-RAB, and the one options package, $2,045, gives you the moonroof again, a heated steering wheel, and DriverFocus. The top two trim lines, the Limited XT ($35,095) and Touring XT ($36,795), give you nice and nicer leather, DriverFocus, and the moonroof. So the sweet spot may be the Legacy Sport plus the options package, or the Legacy Limited, at about $30K each. Cross-brand shoppers comparing front-drive-only midsize competitors should attribute about $1,500 of Subaru’s price to AWD.

The Subaru Legacy should be at the top of your consideration set along with the Hyundai Sonata, the ExtremeTech 2020 Car of the Year. If you want a sporty car, look to the Mazda6, the Honda Accord, or – this is not a joke – the segment best-seller Toyota Camry with the TRD Sport, as in Toyota Racing Division.

Now read:

2020 Hyundai Sonata Review: Car of the Year? (It’s That Good)

Honda Accord Review: Way Better, and Honda Even Fixed Display Audio

2020 Subaru Forester Review: The Safety-First, Can’t-Go-Wrong-Buying-One Compact SUV

from ExtremeTechExtremeTech https://www.extremetech.com/extreme/309080-2020-subaru-legacy-review from Blogger http://componentplanet.blogspot.com/2020/04/2020-subaru-legacy-tech-dive-eyesight.html

#2020 Subaru Legacy Tech Dive: EyeSight #DriverFocus #Starlink Shine

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thecoroutfitters · 5 years

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Written by R. Ann Parris on The Prepper Journal.

Many aspects of the Modern Minuteman toolbox apply to preparedness in general, however personal and small-scale or widespread and earth shaking our pet disasters may be. As with overall preparedness, our exact situation and our expectations of disaster scenarios affects what we prioritize for our finite time and attention.

Last time, I concentrated on an “early/now” frame for prioritizing a handful of commonly recommended skills. This time, I’m actually taking the “at all” perspective, be it amped-up community watches, riot control, or some NWO-EROL situation we’re gearing up to oppose.

As always, opposing opinions are welcome. The more perspectives available, the better everyone is able to make their own decisions.

Gauge Community Climate

Absolutely and emphatically, yes.

Heaven help me, I recently found myself agreeing with Nancy Pelosi. A group of students approached her in her office to express their displeasure in her lack of support for an AOC environmental bill. Her reply was essentially that stupid to waste time on something with absolutely zero chance of passing.

That was a fair enough point on its own, and speaks directly to taking the pulse of a population.

Even more so was a nugget that made fewer news sites in the following days: The belief that trying to push too-extreme an agenda – however much she personally might agree with it – was worse than doing nothing at all. It would only further ruffle feathers, making things harder to achieve the next time around.

I’m no more fan of politicians than the next, but the ability to accurately predict and read the masses is something that we do need to be aware of if we have any interest whatsoever in being a citizen soldier.

What the community will stand and what they won’t is the bedrock of insurgency and resistance movements.

What they will and won’t stand in good times, versus crux moments and tragedy, historically makes or breaks those movements, as well as the hold over a community by a commanding force – whether that’s a large, visible government with policing agents and military, or the behind-the-scenes types large and small.

It applies to anticipating and either preventing or responding to something like a riot or demonstration, as well as guerrilla actions against occupations and undermining strongholds of loyalists for either/any faction.

Large scale, long-term or single-event short-term, we have to be able to gauge the mood of the mob and the climate of our communities, and our reactions have to come from a complete tool set – not just picking today’s hammer.

If we can’t, our chances of success are downright nil.

Denial & Disruption

Most emphatically, yes.

Riot control on sidewalks or countering the jackboot takeover, we want to be able to deny our enemy intel and assets, and disrupt their way of doing business (and ability to relax).

That can take all sorts of forms – and has, throughout history.

Interdiction and harassment take so many forms, it really rates its own set of articles even to nutshell the tactics and techniques employed by insurgency and resistance in guerrilla operations, community and large-force counters to guerilla operations, and even law enforcement and IT deterrents large and small, and internal policing by law enforcement and militaries and even lowly little small-business operations, as well as force-on-force operations from pre-tech eras to modern times.

On the larger scales, it involves all sorts of supply and travel disruptions, misinformation/counter-intel, harassing fire, false flags, etc.

Many of those can also be applied on the smallest of scales – even interpersonal conflict and self-defense situations – employing different techniques to the same theories, or adapting techniques to fit conditions.

Again, though, we really want to mind the effects on and reactions of our internal and closest-ties allies (family, coworkers, partners), the near neighbors, and the community at large, as well as our opposition and the reactions of their varying rings of influence.

Wilderness & Military Camp Setup

Yes, absolutely – anywhere.

Site development and placement of elements – modern or long past – have a lot of aspects that apply to preparedness in general, even “just” getting through a hurricane and “just” setting up our homes for everyday functional efficiency and security.

The same aspects keep them relevant to a modern minuteman intending to defend storefronts or residential communities from riots as well as the prepper who anticipates infantry-like service defending freedom.

Positioning for ready communication, rapid responses, protection of key elements, LOS, external observation points, latrines/sanitation, deployment outside the wire and-or green zones, individual safety and incoming-fire cover, fire safety, supply distribution, and awareness of known effective ranges by position and armament all factor in.

They apply equally to both the able-bodied foot soldier and to the physically limited watchman or rear-echelon non-combatant, whatever the situation, however big or small the location.

*Think that one through, and consider our daily nothing-wrong lifestyles – It really does resonate everywhere, from where our smoke detectors and fire extinguishers are, to aggravations or eases when we grocery shop, bathe dogs, do laundry, file and maintain paperwork, coordinate with family and coworkers, get to and from our chores and recreations, etc. We don’t have to be totally paranoid or OCD to start seeing typical trends in non-prepper, non-minuteman sources for safety/protection and efficiency.

Camo & Concealment

Meh.

Really, it’s situationally dependent.

For most of the scenarios we can list off, from protecting our corner of Baltimore or Koreatown to taking our turn as the insurgents – or countering them, or splinter cells of a larger force – unless you’re a sniper operating from the woods, mostly, “meh” leaning “well, nah”.

Flip side: Oh hell yeah, because camo and concealment isn’t always green and tan splotches of paint or fabric.

Camo and concealment is a suit or slacks and a briefcase in a courthouse, yoga pants and a light bag at the park, a “normal” passenger vehicle instead of an off-road rock-climbing mudder or Humvee on the average street, high-vis vests with dirty pants on a road crew with their bucket or tool box/bag, and scuffed up boots on a farm hand.

That camo and concealment extends to mixing up travel patterns to avoid breaking foliage and creating “deer trails”, being able to slip out of a location without observation, and presenting the appearance of following habitual movements and activities while deviating from the norm.

It’s also developing the control to watch our mouths and non-verbals rather than fight every battle that comes our way and picking every hill as our hill to die on. (Return to Nancy Pelosi above to make that an even uglier pill to swallow.)

And, yeah, in a few situations, it’s being able to become a rock on the hill or another tuft of brush, but unless we’re evading birds or sniper hunters, mostly breaking up our outlines isn’t too hard and doesn’t always require paint or cammies.

Hand-to-Hand Combat

Yes and no.

Don’t get me wrong. Self-defense capabilities are great to have, period. It’s not like this world has ever been totally safe, or like it’s getting any crazier.

However you want to apply it, keep in mind how often we see 2-5 cops or foreign militias trying to wrestle a bad guy into cuffs or move them after arrest, and weigh how much training and daily practice they get, versus our ability to invest time and money into training.

Our expectations of the bad guy we’ll be encountering, and how we’re deploying also factor in pretty hugely.

If we’re countering a significant force, whether it’s widespread jackboots and organized invaders or forces that have the benefit of protective gear, our chances of success are much lower.

Similarly, our chances against servicemen from one of the nations that focus significant continuing training time on some pretty gnarly martial arts, knife work, and batons … not so hot.

There are exploits for hand-to-hand combat even against somebody wearing body armor groin to neck, face shields and helmets, and knee pads. We just have to be realistic about whether we’re going to personally stand a chance with our available investment capabilities, or if we want to focus instead on something else.

Learn some basics that fit your physical condition for everyday encounters, but don’t break the bank on this one.

Instead, for minuteman purposes develop awareness, de-escalation, and evasion skills as well as Gray Man presentation.

Also work reflex drills, ankle-knee lateral and start-stop strength (or chair skills), and balance exercises – especially for people who are limited in some way by age, injury, or genetic luck of the draw.

Urban or rural, footing can be iffy. The better able we are to compensate for shifting terrain, curbs, bumps, and slips, and the better able we are to change direction on a dime, the better chance we stand of staying in the fight, whatever the scenario we imagine.

Modern Minuteman Skillsets

Most likely, the term “Modern Minuteman” brings a certain image to our heads. And, most likely, any 2-20 of us would describe very different images – particularly as the most likely and most common potential for a modern minuteman to deploy.

Because we have very different situations and needs, with very different scenarios in mind and very different capabilities due to our physical shape and local environment, the skills we are most likely to need are going to vary.

Some, though, are pretty universal. We can sometimes assign a value across the board, regardless of situation or scenario.

With any luck, somebody disagrees with these, or the matrix I apply at large, and presents points for discussion.

If not and until then, go find somebody who thinks “bah, PC community-pulse nonsense” or “moron, every soldier should fight with sticks”. Weigh the argument presented for those situations, and decide what does actually make sense for you. It’s only having multiple perspectives that really lets us prioritize, whether we’re picking out groceries or putting together our minuteman to-do list.

Be sure to check out The Prepper Journal Store and follow The Prepper Journal on Facebook!

The post Modern Minuteman – Yes-No-Maybe Skillsets Vol. 2 appeared first on The Prepper Journal.

from The Prepper Journal Don't forget to visit the store and pick up some gear at The COR Outfitters. How prepared are you for emergencies? #SurvivalFirestarter #SurvivalBugOutBackpack #PrepperSurvivalPack #SHTFGear #SHTFBag

#SHTF #TEOTWAWKI #MARTIALLAW #BUGOUT #PREPPERBAG #USAF #USSOCOM #ARMY #NAVY #SurvivalFirestarter #Sur

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howtohero · 5 years

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#206 Rural Superheroes

When most of picture superheroes they picture brooding men and women with capes draped around their shoulders and standing on buildings doing their best gargoyle impressions. Or you see them swinging and slinging around crowded streets using buildings as anchors. Or you see them hunched in a sewer eating pizza with their sewer-gator sidekicks after a long day of fighting crime. You definitely don’t imagine them standing next to a big pile of hay and holding a pitchfork and wearing overalls. (Guys I’m talking a huge pile of hay. Like the kind that looks like it’d be amazing to be dropped out of an airplane onto.) If you’ve never imagined a superhero stopping some disgraced middle school guidance counselor from rewriting reality and then going back home to milk the cows and tend to the corn then you’re just part of the problem. You need to reevaluate your personal biases. That’s right people, you heard it hear first! Superheroes can be countryfolk! And that’s a fact!

For some reason, lots of people think that the only reason any superhero would be in a rural area was if they were like, I don’t know, hiding their secret family on a secret farm. But that’s simply not true! In fact, that’s a terrible idea! Rural areas are not a safer place for your family to be, you know what kind of crimes go down in rural areas? Really weird ones. I’m talking like cow-related crimes. (Once the evil Cowcatcher built a giant cow robot to roam about rural Kansas just mooing really really loudly and scaring the stuffing out of everyone! That was a heck of a Thursday!) That’s just not normal! Don’t set up a secret farm to keep your family safe, just have a normal secret identity like everyone else and your family will be fine.

So if you live in a rural area and have been looking around at all the insane cow-crimes that happen in your neighborhood and felt that you had no choice except to throw your hands up, shake your head, and exclaim “Aw shucks, if only there could be superheroes in rural areas!” Then you’re in luck! There can be superheroes in rural areas! I’m serious, we had our interns check the laws and there’s nothing saying that it can’t be done! (Except for the laws about vigilantism and stuff but they’ve got those laws in the cities too and nobody seems to care!).

If you’re going to be a rural superhero though, you need to know that you’re going to have to operate a little bit differently than an urban crime fighter, but that doesn’t make you any less super! (What makes rural heroes less super is the fact that their are just less toxic-waste corporations in Middleofnowheresville, USA than there are in Heartoftheactionsville, USA.) For starters, you’re going to have an entirely different wardrobe in the country. Instead of grays and blacks you’re going to want to go with beautiful verdant greens and some mud-like gritty browns. If you’re going to be prowling around vast empty fields patrolling for cow-tippers and and goat-suckers, you’re going to want to look like a field. Glue bits of grass onto your costume, tape a live pig to your back, roll around in some manure. If you’re going to protect the farm you need to become the farm.

Living in a rural area also drastically changes the options for both superhero hideouts and supervillain lairs. While urban heroes might find their superhero adventures taking place in corporate offices with mysterious secret floors or abandoned subway tunnels that have become home to an evil rat hive mind, for rural heroes it’s gonna be all barns all the time. Barns make for rather spacious superhero hideouts, there’s plenty of room for any gear or computers you might need for crime stopping and conducting illegal investigations, you can convert any stables into holding cells or trophy cases, and if any civilians wander on by all you need to do is cover everything with a layer of hay and no one will be the wiser! Rural supervillains are also very likely to use barns as their lairs, their’s will just be littered with disemboweled animals and fake cobwebs from the halloween popup store because they have a taste for the creepier things in life. While a barn might not be as glamorous as a time-displaced spaceship or a high-tech cave, they are competent and cost-effective hideouts and are good enough for any countryside-crusader. The only think you have to look out for is Jhonny McBarnburner whose entire thing is burning barns and would probably be more than happy to set a superhero’s barn on fire. That’s like a double-whammy, and such opportunities are rare in Jhonny McBarnburner’s life. Honestly, you should’ve been there when he first discovered that some barns were actually secret superhero hideouts. It was actually kind of adorable. His whole entire face lit up, it was as though he’d finally be validated for his extremely niche modus operandi after all these years. So honestly, I say you capitalize on his newfound enthusiasm for barn burning and frame uninhabited barns for being superhero hideouts. This can be as simple as just putting a sign in the ground that says “superhero hideout” in front of random abandoned barns. That should throw him off your scent for a while.

Getting around rural areas is very different from getting around crowded cities. There’s not a lot of people around so you’re not likely to run into a lot of traffic, but at the same time, populated areas are very far from each other. Even the distance between individual houses is much larger than the distance between any manmade structures in a big city. There are also a lot less superheroes per capita. All of this means you’re going to be responsible for protecting a very large open area. Which means you’re going to need a very specific kind of super-vehicle. You need something that’s fast, something bright so people will see it on poorly lit country roads, something that’s doused in cow-repellant or whatever to keep animals out of your way. It needs to have off-road capabilities, because if there’s a crime being committed in the middle of a farm or on top of a mountain, you don’t want to have to ditch your vehicle and jog to the crime. That’s a great way for crimes to happen. You really should not put so much faith in your jogging abilities. You can’t jog up a mountain, but you can drive an obscene vehicle up one. That’s what makes it obscene. You also might as well drive something fuel efficient, something that runs off of vegetable oil or something, there’s plenty of it around.

Rural superheroes are also often, believe it or not, the first heroes on Earth to encounter alien invaders. Aliens just love alerting mankind to their presence through carving crop-circles and stealing cows. Depending on the species this can be anything from a harmless prank to a signed declaration of war. (Often the cow thing is because to most alien species, cows appear to be the most intelligent species on Earth. I mean, they live in their food, that’s just smart.) So you need to be prepared to single-handedly fight off an invading force at a moment’s notice. So I hope you’ve got some corn-powered laser blasters at your disposal, because you’re gonna need them sooner rather than later.

When it comes to crime fighting partners, you may find yourself in short supply. Heroes like Old MacDonald-Man or Crop-Top describe the loneliness as the most difficult part of rural crime fighting. In big cities you can’t walk more than five feet before bumping into someone who spends their nights wearing spandex and laying the smackdown on evil puzzle enthusiasts or finger-puppeteers. But in the country you’re likely to never run into another superhero in your neighborhood. That’s why you need to take on an animal sidekick. Fortunately, rural communities are a great place to find some domesticated animals that would be down to come fight crimes with you. In order to determine which farm animals would be the best crime fighting partners we actually took a husbandry course. (Ok, you got us, Dr. Brainwave got engaged and we all chipped in and paid for him to go to a husbandry course so he could learn how to be a good husband and the rest of us went for emotional support but it turns out none of knew what husbandry was and we were not in the right place but we learned a lot and had fun and it turned out that Dr. Brainwave’s engagement was fake and part of some villainous scheme to poison the concept of weddings or something so it didn’t matter anyway.) During this course we learned a lot about the breeding of crops and animals and we have scientifically determined that the best possible animal sidekick for a rural superhero is a goat on roller blades. Now, I know what you’re thinking, “Are you idiots joking? You guys go on and on and on and on about how roosters are the best animal sidekicks and now you’re going to come at me and say that goats are the best animal sidekick for a rural superhero? Are you kidding me? Is this a joke?” First of all, yeah, everything we say is a joke. This is a comedy blog. And second of all, hey tone back the attitude why don’t you? Gosh you’re being real hostile about this. Roosters are the ideal superhero sidekick for urban or space-faring superheroes. But they’re useless for rural superheroes. Roosters are great for waking you up? Rural-superheroes already wake up with the sun to tend to their crops, don’t need a rooster. Roosters can fly? No crimes are committed in the skyline of a rural community. There is no skyline. Anybody can scramble to the roof of the local post office or pitchfork wholesaler, don’t need a rooster. Roosters can attack your enemies with their sharp beaks and talons? Uh, hello, pitchfork wholesaler? There’s no shortage of sharp farming tools that rural superheroes can use in lieu of a beak or talons, don’t need a rooster. A goat on roller blades on the other hand, can thoroughly mess a criminal up. Imagine all the rage and power of a common goat, but with the speed of roller blades? You rural criminals may as well just pack it in, you’re not getting away with anything with Thunderbolt Cannonberg, goat superhero, on the scene.

Crime is everywhere, even in the idyllic countryside. So don’t be afraid to be the change you’d like to see in your community and start fighting back against the chupacabra or Terrence, the kid who steals pigs. If you follow these tips, and take a moment to appreciate the beauty of the land and sky around you every once in a while, you should have a wonderful and productive career as a sylvan superhero.

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icedanceupstarts · 6 years

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2019 Russian Nationals Recap

A less than perfectly timely rundown of the Things and Stuff that happened last week! Here's a playlist if you want to reminisce, although you'll have to imagine Shpilevaya/Smirnov's tango for yourself.

Continuing their rise from the ashes, Sinitsina/Katsalapov put together possibly their two strongest performances yet to claim their first national title. What was really striking about these two here was the confidence. They skated like champions out there, marrying precision and technique with a great performance that no one else could quite match. We've said before that this might be our favorite tango of the season, but they also skated their free dance with such passion that we briefly forgot how dull we generally find it. It's a really remarkable transformation for these two, and sets them up very well for Europeans. It's especially meaningful considering how their previous Nationals went. That kind of experience can be hard to shake, but it didn't seem to affect them at all, not technically and not in performance. Our favorite part of their free dance is that last minute where they cut loose and skate with such abandon. The fact that it works so well speaks to their passion and commitment because their choreographic step sequence in particular could border on comical in the wrong hands, but seems to make perfect sense when they perform it. We're very interested to see where they go from here. In the past, we would have had concerns about them crumbling under the pressure of being Russian #1, but they're a new team this season, one that grows in confidence with ever victory.

Stepanova/Bukin delivered another set of solid performances, but it wasn't enough for gold. When they began really clawing their way up the ranks last season, they skated with such fearless attack that the judges couldn't help but give them the marks. This season they've seemed aware that the Russian #1 spot could easily be theirs and we've felt they've been increasingly skating like they're trying not to lose. They are skating good performances - they haven't exactly been headcasing their way through the season or anything - but they have been lacking the command they need to beat Sinitsina/Katsalapov. They've also made a number of seemingly minor mistakes that make them take big GOE hits, such as her stumble on the step sequence in the free, or the minor twizzle mishap in the rhythm dance. They were still pretty good, but “pretty good” just wasn't good enough here. They should be encouraged though-- it's still close in PCS, and they are capable of defeating Sinitsina/Katsalapov and achieving their third Euros medal in a few weeks. Now that they're the underdogs, we hope to see that fire and attack come back in full force. These two never give up without a fight, and don't expect them to now.

Well we did tell you that Evdokimova/Bazin have a way of climbing higher in the standings than expected, but even so we didn't anticipate just how open the door would be. We still have some qualms about their tango and hip hop rhythm dance(surprisingly not the only Michael Jackson cover of the day), but they skated it very well and they have one of the best cantilever lifts in the business. They skated both programs with so much confidence, and their free dance built to a really strong finish. We love that dramatic choreographic lift that capitalizes on the steady build of the second half and finishes the program with a bang.

There's been plenty of talk about how Russian junior teams don't last, and Evdokimova/Bazin are the perfect example of what can come to you if you stick things out, immediate medals or not. When you look at all the former top junior teams that won junior world and JGPF medals but fizzled out after one lackluster senior season, and you see how these two have steadily improved their position after only qualifying for one Junior Worlds where they finished 10th, it's hard not to shake your head at the waste. It's especially inspiring given that Evdokimova/Bazin were the only contending team to qualify to senior Nationals who don't train in Moscow. Neither they nor their coaching team have the prestige and pedigree you would generally expect from a national medalist team and yet they're here anyway, defying expectations and exposing holes in commonly accepted narratives. We wish them the best at their very first Euros, and hope they make the most of the opportunity!

Popova/Mozgov won hearts if not an actual medal with their signature drama. They had the audience on their side, particularly in the rhythm dance, with attack and performance up to the rafters behind the cheap seats. They changed their lift in the rhythm dance, either to avoid mistakes and/or to try to achieve better GOE. We really love these two and their drama and innovation in the elements. Unfortunately they've always been a touch on the wild side which sealed their fate here. A lot of it came down to their twizzles in the free dance which, while big and fast, drifted so far apart they were barely in the same time zone. And in general, Evdokimova/Bazin were just a little crisper on everything. It's very similar to what decided things between Sinitsina/Katsalapov and Stepanova/Bukin. We're really seeing that while performance quality and some more eye catching elements can keep things close, sharper execution and more precise and placed movements can carry it on GOE without any clear mistakes. They have made significant progress on this however, and we see a general improvement in their skating quality and partnering as time goes on. They're headed to Universiade where they'll want to prove themselves versus their teammates and come out on top of the second tier, and if they continue refining their skating they way they have they have a great shot.

Skoptcova/Aleshin were the first of our senior nationals debutants! We really wish they hadn't gotten a late start due to her injury, as they're clearly just hitting their stride now, but making the National Team with a top five placement is more than good enough for a first senior season. Their lifts have stabilized over the course of the season, better allowing us to appreciate the strengths of their programs. There's a real elegance to these two, and while they're too young for it to really show yet, you can see the seeds of their future stateliness if they stick together, which this Nationals has really proven that they should. They've improved so much in the span of a couple months, and we're really proud of how they've risen to the challenge even with the late start to the season. We hope they make the most of their trip to Universiade and bring home a medal to cap off their first senior season.

It's been a tough year for Shpilevaya/Smirnov, so they should be extra proud of their extremely solid senior nationals debut. They’ve never been the most technical team and making their senior debut on the Tango Romantica after missing an entire competitive season due to injury and not getting great assignments this fall has been a challenging task. Their performances here were not flawless, such as her twizzle mishap in the free that kept them from passing Skoptcova/Aleshin, and their slip in their ending choreographic lift that actually ended up more impressive than if they had planned it. That kind of quick thinking and ability to sell their errors will be a major asset to them going forward. We really are proud of these two. They haven't had an easy road, nor will they moving forward, but they have made the most out of an unfair hand and keep moving forward and improving. We hope that we see more of them for years to come because they just have so many standout qualities that would be missed. Their showmanship, her flexibility and his strength, their soft, agile glide, and their twizzles(when they hit them) are just some of the things that make them so special.

It's tough to know what to say for Zagorski/Guerreiro, who were the most disappointed of all the teams here. While they have had better days technically in the rhythm dance, they were still solid enough and they delivered a fiery performance that offset issues striving for levels. And then there was the free, where it seems every other day has been better than that. We're not wholly sure when his bootlace slipped, but they looked uncomfortable from the start. We heard that Tiffany aggravated her injury and she seemed off the whole way through, constantly on the edge of the disaster in a way that was honestly worse than if they had just given in and splatted and then collected themselves. They should take solace in the fact that theirs was not the only boot related catastrophe, but we're really gutted for them. They're a great team and we like their programs this season, and we had really hoped to see them at Euros. Still, all is not lost for these two, as hard as it may seem right now. They should look to their new National Champions for inspiration, who didn't even finish Nationals last year and also missed the National Team funding and yet came roaring back this season. We hope they take the time off to truly heal and push hard for next season. They have so many great qualities and we really want to see them fight in the future.

We always struggle with what to say about Morozov/Bagin, and it hasn't gotten easier with their scores progressing faster than their skating has. And a PCS margin compared with other teams at this event that still has us scratching our heads. Their programs are unobjectionable, and normally we'd have no problem with a young, new team choosing solid, unremarkable vehicles to give themselves time to develop and show off their other qualities. But when one of the judges decides that this merits them being fourth in the free dance ahead of much stronger teams with more difficult and memorable programs, especially when Morozov/Bagin weren't even clean, it's a struggle to stay positive and encouraging in the face of that, shall we say… avant garde approach to scoring. Regardless of our opinions on the matter, they should be happy with their performances and scores, and be fired up for next season. There are at least two more great junior teams moving up next season, but history shows that these two stand a great chance of getting plenty of competitive opportunities regardless of the strength of the field.

#ice dance #2019 russian nationals #season: 2018 2019 #recap

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wftc141 · 4 years

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Voltron: Global Military Intelligence and Counter-Terrorism Unit-Chapter 12: Martyr

2000 Hours

Goiânia, Brazil

The streets of St Central were quiet and empty with nothing but street lights illuminating the road. The Voltron team used this quiet time to race their way past the street shops to the presidents' secret meeting area. Armed and loaded, they brought along some breaching equipment just in case. The SUV they were in reached a short overpass above a freeway in mere seconds before crossing over.

"Lions, this is Zero. The meeting has been hit and security personnel are taking small-arms fire. Local police and military have been notified, over."

"Wait, wasn't they supposed to start tomorrow?" Hunk said as he drove the SUV.

"Seems like the presidents have started their meeting early." Pidge deduced.

"Any casualties?" Keith asked.

"Possible security. Not sure about the presidents but you have to get there fast before it's too late." Allura said.

"Any news on Shiro?"

"Black Lion is alright. He's making his way to the meeting too as we speak."

"Copy, we're five mikes from the destination. Out."

The call ended and everybody fell back in silence as the team drove down the streets.

"We're probably too late." Hunk uneasily said.

"Let's not think about it, yeah?" Lance replied. "We can get there in time and smoke these cabróns. This is where it ends for them."

"Lance's right." Said Keith. "This is the end of the line for the Galra."

Arriving at the street where the safe house is located, the team drove down the dark, narrow road with parked vehicles before noticing some dark vehicles parked near a building. Once they reached the area, they noticed a brightly lit building with the security gate blown open and a breached entrance.

"They're here." Hunk muttered.

"That's bad news but we still gotta complete the mission." Keith said as the SUV came to a stop.

The team got out and geared up with their weaponry and equipment from the SUV.

"Red Lion to Zero. We're on foot and proceeding to the safe house, out." Keith reported as the team approached the gate.

"Should we wait for Shiro?" Pidge asked.

"No time. Presidents would be dead by the time he arrives. Let's move."

With Keith taking point, the team went past the gate and into the entrance leading to the front door which was broken down. There was no sign of Galra soldiers but they could hear gunshots from inside.

"Red Lion to Zero, we're going internal." Keith muttered.

They made their way past the reception and security checkpoint which was already scattered with bodies of security guards. Blood footprints and stains were everywhere throughout. The sight of the bodies were no different from their previous encounters, in fact they saw worse.

Making their way up the emergency staircase, they reached the upper floor with the door left open. Entering the next floor, the team found themselves in a hallway with several offices inside some of the rooms. More blood and bodies filled up the count. Reaching the corner of one of the hallways, Keith noticed two Galra foot soldiers down at the hallway, the same ones from the attack on their hideout with their distinctive all-black uniforms and its purple and red highlights and masks. Keith aimed his rifle and opened fire, taking out the one at the right. The other soldier noticed his partner fall and turned around but Keith put him down before he could react.

The group reached another corner leading to an open area with a staircase leading to the second floor where the main meeting room was. Then, they saw two gunmen on the floor above them who turned around to notice them just in time. One of them was carrying a PK machine gun.

"Take cover!" Pidge yelled, pulling Keith away from the gunfire.

The bullets barraged against them, holding them back as the Galra's firepower suppressed them. The team heard more footsteps as the gunfire ceased. There was more gunmen approaching their position.

"MG gunner on the top floor! How many others are there?" Pidge called out through the gunfire.

"Dunno! Around eight of 'em!" Lance called.

Keith was quick to think of an idea on how to handle the Galra soldiers holding them off. He reached for his comms.

"Green, Yellow, keep that fucker distracted. Blue and I will flank around and take them out."

"Copy." Pidge replied.

Keith got up and headed over to the other side with Lance in tow. The two found a door leading to an emergency stairwell. As they made their way up to the designated floor, Keith heard a door open above and saw a Galra soldier who just noticed him. Keith aimed fast and took him out first. Suddenly, another Galra soldier entered and was about to open fire before getting shot first. Keith glanced at Lance who just took him out for him.

"Thank me later." Lance said as he headed for the door.

The two managed to arrive at the floor where the MG gunner would be. Keith turned a corner and found the MG gunner and his partner on the railing, firing at Pidge and Hunk's position. They were both completely distracted, leaving them open from behind. Keith shot at the MG gunner while Lance aimed for the other soldier.

With them taken out, Keith and Lance used the floor to their advantage with the Galra soldiers below just noticing the ceased gunfire. Keith used the PK and fired upon the remaining Galra soldiers, wiping most of them out instantly with Lance taking care of the rest. Once the gunfire ceased and the soldiers were confirmed dead, Keith reached for his comms.

"Area is clear. Regroup on me."

Pidgin and Hunk came out of cover and made their way up to where Keith and Lance were before heading towards the main meeting room. As they stacked up beside the door, the team heard muffled noises from inside. There's clearly hostages inside and it is likely the presidents are among them, as well as the remaining Galra forces. They were about to consider breaching until Hunk stopped them.

"Wait," Hunk whispered, grabbing the team's attention. "I got an idea."

The last of the Galra were barricaded inside the meeting room with their hostages, including the presidents, as their shield. There was no chance of them leaving alive and it would be a sin to surrender. They waited for the Voltron team to breach so they would eliminate the hostages. The Galra soldiers were already prepared to fight back with their very last breath. However, there was no activity from the front door.

Some time has passed and nothing has happened. One of the soldiers ordered his comrade to check the door. As the Galra soldier approached the door, a sudden blast erupted from the side, catching everybody off-guard. Dust clouded in as the Galra fell over from the explosion. Before they could react, the Voltron team entered through the hole and finished off the rest of the Galra soldiers. One of them tried to aim for the Brazilian President, only to be cut off by Keith with several shots to the body. The sounds of muffled cries followed as the dust settled.

"¡Calmarse! ¡Calmarse! ¡Nosotros estamos con el gobierno!" Lance shouted.

The team began to secure the hostages with Hunk checking for any bombs fitted in their vests. After checking, Hunk turned around.

"No vests!" He called.

"All clear!" Pidge said.

With the crisis settled, the team exchanged approving glances and nodded. The job was a success. They stopped a potential catastrophe. The team finished freeing the hostages and gathered them out to a safer place. Keith reached for his comms.

"Red Lion to Zero, area is secure. All hostiles are KIA. Three-Rulers are alive and intact. Multiple friendlies are wounded and KIA, over."

"Copy, Red Lion." Allura replied on comms. "Friendly forces are enroute to the safe house. Any news on Kingfish?"

Keith hesitated at first but he hadn't seen Sendak anywhere in the safehouse so it was safe to bet he didn't take part.

"Negative, Zero. Kingfish is nowhere in sight."

Sendak watched through his binoculars as local police forces and the military arrived at the scene, now that the gunfire has ceased. He knew this was Voltron's doing and they succeeded. He let out a deep sigh in the midst of the cold breeze. Sendak anticipated the failure. He knew what Voltron was capable of and he let it happen. He'll deal with the punishment later. Then he heard slight footsteps from behind and the sounds of a weapon raising.

"Step away from the gun."

Sendak glanced at the pistol that was on the surface on the balcony which was already in his reach. He chuckled in amusement, recognising the voice.

"I had a feeling you would escape, Shirogane. You really are an untamed animal. I guess I've finally failed."

"You're damn right about that."

Sendak put the binoculars on the surface near the gun and stepped away before turning around to face Shiro who was aiming his pistol at him with his rifle slung in front of him. He slowly raised his hands.

"You might as well kill me now, Commander." Sendak said.

Shiro said nothing as he trained his gun on his head.

"Go on," Sendak demanded, approaching him. "Pull the trigger. I've failed the Galra Empire and I deserve to die. There's no reason for me to live and I know you want to do it. It's the only way you can avenge your fallen."

Shiro then saw flashes of his team fighting for their survival including Sven. His index finger was already slowly pushing the trigger and his grip shook as Shiro's rage began to emerge.

"We're lions, Shirogane. Lions who will do absolutely anything for our country, even if we have to shed some innocent blood."

Sendak was already up at his face by the time he was done. He grabbed the barrel and pressed it against his crown tightly. His annoying smirk still plastered across his mug.

"Go ahead. Do it right now. Avenge your brothers. That's what you wanted, right? Do it!"

Shiro still hesitated to make a decision. He thought of all the terrible things that Sendak has done. It would be best for him to just kill him right now. Sven died in Shiro's arms as he watched him suffer. He could end this right now and it'll be all over. However, nothing good can be gained from killing someone. Shiro took a deep breath.

"I do want to kill you. I wanna kill you so bad for what you've done. I wanna kill you for my team...and my brother. I wanna kill you so fucking bad right here, right now. But I know better."

Shiro holstered his gun away and held Sendak tightly, rounding him up and tying his hands with zip ties.

"I won't give you the chance to be the Galra's martyr." Shiro said before turning to glare at Sendak. "And you're right. I am a lion but a lion doesn't eat his own pack."

Sendak simply smirked before facing forward as Shiro escorted him out of the rooftop.

2450 Hours

Some time has passed after returning to base. The hostages and the presidents have been allocated to the military for special treatment. Allura has been on the phone for a while, talking to her superiors. The Voltron team waited anxiously, concerned about their fate since they just broke the rules. Although they wouldn't be surprised if the superiors were just as corrupt as Sanda.

Shortly, Allura finished her call and turned to her team where they stood up and approached her.

"Well? What happens now?" Keith asked.

"I'm ordered to headquarters for a full debrief along with Commander Shirogane and Lieutenant Smythe. The rest of you have done well for stopping the Galra. After we hand over Sendak to the CIA and bury the fallen, you'll all be allowed three months off-duty. You guys earned it for the hard work."

The team took the news well. They were expecting worse but they can accept this, especially after their grueling battle with Sendak and the Galra. Hunk took the chance to walk away from the team to a private spot. He got out his phone and dialed a number. Shortly, the beeps stopped.

"Shay Bainivalu, Vice News."

"Hi, um, this is Momoa from NATO," Hunk said. "Is this a bad time?"

"Hunk? N-No, not really, I was just finishing my shower. What's up?"

"Yeah, I want you to hear this from me first. We actually got them. We managed to stop the Galra before they could accomplish their goal."

"Really? Oh that's fantastic! I would say it was an impossible task but I always had a feeling you guys would pull it off. Congrats!"

"Thanks. We couldn't have done this without your help. Credit goes to you too. Oh, and there's something else I wanna ask you."

"Shoot."

"Well…"

Elsewhere, Lance caught up with Keith who was walking off and elbowed his arm, grabbing his attention.

"Not bad for a Ranger grunt." Lance said.

Keith chuckled before bumping Lance's arm. "You're not so bad yourself for a jarhead."

"How long do you think you'll last sticking around with me?"

"More than you would."

This time, Lance laughed it off. As the two continued their banter, Pidge watched from a distance. It took them a whole month for them to become comfortable with each other. A smile grew from her face, proud of the progress from them.

"They're actually friends now." Shiro said.

Pidge glanced at the team leader, who appeared beside her, watching Keith and Lance as well.

"Seems like it. Hopefully this will keep up for the next few months." Pidge replied.

The two stared at the boys in silence for a brief period.

"If you don't mind me asking," Shiro said. Pidge looked at him. "How's Matt?"

Shiro knew Matthew Holt back in the military. They used to be on good terms. Shiro hasn't seen him during his service in the SEALs.

"Actually, I haven't seen him since I joined the army," Pidge replied, looking down. "I lost every contact from my parents because they didn't like the idea of me joining the military. They wanted me to be a horticulturist instead of studying in college."

Shiro chuckled before collecting himself.

"Your brother did tell me he wanted you to be a horticulturist. But I get what you mean. My father wanted me and my brother to work for NASA rather than fight proxy wars. Then again, we are what we are because we want to fight for our country and help our allies abroad from terror. That's why we chose being soldiers over a career that won't do much to help others."

Pidge said nothing but she understood Shiro's point.

02/15/2018

0010 Hours

Even though it was midnight, Jem wasn't asleep. He still had the light on. Just then, he heard footsteps from outside and a knock on the door.

"Come in." Jem called.

The door opened and Coran and Stacy entered the room, both seemingly haven't gotten some sleep yet.

"Oh, hey guys. What's going on?" He said.

"Sorry for dropping by this late, Jem but we wanted to bring you the good news." Coran said.

"Oh, that-it's no big deal. Wasn't feeling tired yet. What's up?"

"Voltron has captured Sendak four hours ago after rescuing the presidents from Galra forces during their meeting. He's currently in custody right now." Stacy said.

"Really? Okay, that's good to hear."

Coran nodded. "So how're you doing, right now?"

"Oh I'm recovering pretty damn well. The meds worked wonders and the doctors said I'll be discharged in the morning once they finish up on the paperwork."

"Great. We'll pick you up then. Get some rest for now. You'll need it."

"Same thing could be said to you guys. I feel like you're treating me like a dad, sir."

Coran and Stacy chuckled as they left the room.

"That's nice to hear," Coran said. "We'll be leaving now. Goodnight."

Stacy was the last to say goodnight before leaving with Coran. At some point in time, Jem fell asleep afterwards.

0800 Hours

The team arrived at a private airfield far from the city with a cuffed Sendak, who is set to be handed in to the CIA and transferred to a blacksite. Once they arrived, there was already a plane ready for the CIA. Shiro got out and took Sendak with him, approaching the paramilitary officers of the SAD division.

"We will meet again, Shirogane," Sendak said. "Mark my words. This rivalry will not end until one of us is dead."

"I look forward to it, Sendak," Shiro replied as one of the officers grabbed the terrorist. "I'll be waiting for you."

"I know you will. It will only be between us...neither your allies nor the Galra will stop our battle."

Sendak returned one last smirk before being placed into the watched the plane ride off with nothing left to offer for Sendak. One part of him wished he could just shoot him on the spot and avenge his fallen team. The other, however, felt tired to continue. He just wants to stop. No more killing, no more fighting wars and no more pulling off the same mistakes that got his team killed.

Shiro had been fighting since he was 18, switching from the Marines to the SEALs and Voltron. He fought so long he forgot the last time he found peace. Hawaii was his only escape from the horrors of war. Maybe it's time for Shiro to take a break from the mindless killings and find the peace he lost.

02/28/2018

1200 Hours

Hawaii

Shiro took another swig of his beer as he basked in the sun under the shade. The view from the beach was beautiful. He could see the ocean lushly flow as people play on the shoreline. The beach was mostly filled with a crowd with the umbrellas, towels and such making up most of the beach. Shiro placed himself close to the water and away from the big crowd so he could enjoy the view in peace without interruptions. Letting out a sigh, Shiro finished his beer before reaching for the cooler. As his hands clasped onto a new bottle, Shiro noticed a shadow emerging on the sands.

"I can see why you enjoy Hawaii so much."

Shiro looked up. Standing near him was Allura, sporting a straw hat and wearing a navy blue one piece with a beach skirt. Shiro noticed the middle of her swimsuit was divided, exposing her cleavage. Allura's hand was on her hip as she approached Shiro. He wasn't sure how she found him but he didn't mind her presence.

"The view is beautiful." Allura said as she sat beside Shiro under the shade.

"Sure is," He replied. "Always wanted to have my final moments here. I would like my funeral held here and my ashes spread across the ocean."

Allura hummed. Shiro popped his beer open and took a swig before reminding Allura about the beer, though she wasn't thirsty. The two stared out at the ocean for a brief moment.

"So how'd you find me?" Shiro asked.

"Coran was a bit concerned for your wellbeing so he sent me here to make sure you didn't do anything stupid."

'Flattered to hear."

"I'm also going to be staying with you."

Shiro glanced at Allura, surprised. "Really?"

"Yeah. Already got my things packed at that shack of yours. Coran wanted me to keep watch over you for some time until we finish our vacation. Don't want anything bad happening while you're in Hawaii."

"Is that just your way of saying you guys miss me?"

Allura chuckled. "I actually said the same thing to him. He won't admit it."

Shiro let out a laugh. It was nice to hear his teammates care. The two eventually calmed down and went back in silence.

"How long has it been?" Allura asked.

"Hm?" Shiro looked at her.

"How long have you been in touch with home?"

Shiro's smile faded, remembering his call with his parents a few weeks back.

"I've never been home since I told my parents what happened to Sven. My dad doesn't consider me family anymore. Can't say I blame them."

Allura didn't say anything. Shiro let out a sigh and took another swig of his beer while sulking at the sea. He still carried the guilt, yet people remind him he's not in the wrong. Shiro wasn't sure how to comprehend both sides.

"It'll take some time but I know they won't keep blaming you forever." Allura said.

"Yeah…" Shiro muttered.

At some point, Shiro didn't feel like continuing his beer.

"Are you sure you want to stay in Voltron?" Allura asked.

Shiro took some consideration into it. He already joined Voltron for a few weeks and he always had an opportunity to leave. But deep down, as much as it hurts to stay in Voltron and deal with the losses, it was a risk Shiro would rather take than bury himself in guilt. Taking a deep breath, Shiro turned to Allura and smirked.

"I'm positive."

4 notes · View notes

vividracing · 3 years

Photo

New Post has been published on https://www.vividracing.com/blog/ford-invades-easter-jeep-safari-in-moab-with-five-concept-broncos/

Ford Invades Easter Jeep Safari in Moab with Five Concept Broncos

When the all-new Ford Bronco debuted, waves were sent throughout the automotive world as many predicted that the revived model would come for the beloved Jeep Wrangler. Most of us, however, did not anticipate just how bold of a move the brand would make to establish its spot and even wage war on the Wrangler in the off-road community. That being said, Ford pulled out all the stops this week when it crashed the Easter Jeep Safari in Moab, Utah. The Blue Oval sent a fleet of off-road Ford Bronco concepts to the event which is traditionally the place where Jeep unveils its latest concept trucks.

View All Ford Bronco Parts Here

We should note that the Easter Jeep Safari event is run by a local group called the Red Rock 4-Wheelers and not the automaker itself. It ran from Saturday, March 27, and will end on Sunday, April 4. The week-long fest mainly consists of day-long trail rides departing from Moab in Utah where participants provide their own four-wheel-drive vehicle and embark on adventures planned and led by the oldest 4WD club in Moab.

The event’s website itself states that “There are no restrictions as to what type make or model of vehicle is used even though the name – dating back to the mid-60s uses the term “Jeep”. Even so, it’s safe to say that Ford was hot on the heels of Jeep when it chose to unveil its five off-road concepts and a plethora of accessories for the Bronco and Bronco Sport in Moab. Call it joining in on the party or party crashing, but this was a smart move no less and certainly got the attention of its intended audience and more!

When Ford unveiled its Bronco and Bronco concepts in the summer of 2020, it was fairly evident that the brand would place a large focus on accessories for the trucks. After all, The Blue Oval offers over 200 factory-backed add-ons for the standard model and over 100 for the Sport trim right from launch. The five concept models headed to Moab, Utah will showcase a subsequent rollout of parts as Ford has teamed with aftermarket experts ARB 4×4 Accessories, RTR Vehicles, and 4 Wheel Parts to build them. Let’s take a closer look at these off-road beasts and their goodies so you can get an idea of how you can customize the Bronco.

Bronco Badlands By RTR Vehicles

The first Bronco is based on the four-door Badlands trim and can be easily identified by the silver and neon green exterior adorned with topography-themed livery. All customizations on this Bronco were done by RTR Vehicles, a long-time tuner and Ford accessories partner. RTR was founded by pro drifter and Formula D racer Vaughn Gittin Jr.

Custom RTR rock sliders and rear bumper

RTR 3D-printed grille with simulated accent lights

RTR Tech-6 wheels wrapped in 35-inch Nitto Ridge Grappler tires

A roof-mounted Project X lightbar

Custom RTR graphics throughout

12-volt Type S Blizzard Box fridge/freezer

“Ford absolutely knocked it out of the park with its all-new Bronco SUVs, so we’re pouring our passion into blending our unique experience with Ford Performance and King of the Hammers racing to create our best possible turnkey vehicle packages and performance off-road parts,” said Gittin Jr., RTR president. “RTR products are designed to turn heads and engineered to take off-road enthusiasts to their favorite destinations and beyond.”

Bronco Badlands By ARB 4×4 Accessories

The next Bronco Badlands edition comes courtesy of ARB 4×4 Accessories, Australia’s largest manufacturer of 4×4 parts. This model boasts a number of high-performance parts designed by ARB specifically for the Ford Bronco two- and four-door variants. And, with a big “ARB” logo pasted to its doors, this concept is a hard one to miss.

Airbag-compliant front and rear bumpers

Heavy-duty rock sliders

Differential cover

ARB twin compressor and jack

Zero refrigerator and freezer

“These accessories represent years of design and engineering collaboration with the Ford team to build parts driven by the Bronco SUV off-road heritage and styling,” said Doug Pettis, president, ARB USA. “This design represents a practical yet capable vehicle that improves performance and enhances comfort off-road.”

Bronco Black Diamond by 4 Wheel Parts

The 4 Wheel Parts Bronco started its life out as a Black Diamond Series model. The U.S. off-road equipment retailer treated it to some heavy-duty suspension and accessories like a roof rack, awning, overhead tent, and camping gear. Apparently, 4 Wheel Parts is also responsible for the lone Bronco Sport in this pack, which wears a rooftop tent along with a new spare tire carrier and its very own off-road-centric wheel and tire package.

Modular front bumper

Skid plates

Winch platform

37-inch BFGoodrich mud-terrain tires

17-inch Method alloy wheels

Heavy-duty suspension parts

Roof rack and light mounts

Smittybilt overhead tent and camping gear

Refrigerator and air system

“To date, we’ve already added more than 30 new 4 Wheel Parts brand products that take advantage of the Bronco modular design,” said Kathryn Reinhardt, senior marketing manager, 4 Wheel Parts. “We expect that list to grow as we aim to give our customers innovative products for every type of off-road lifestyle.”

Bronco Outer Banks with Sasquatch Package

The fifth and final Bronco is based on the four-door Outer Banks model with Sasquatch Package. This truck boasts a handful of high-tech luxury features with rugged off-road Ford-licensed accessories. This includes JAC Products rock rails, fender flares by Air Design, Trail Armor rocker panel covers by Lund, a 40-inch curved LED lightbar by Rigid on top, and a retractable full-roof soft-top by Bestop, and Bronco-branded luggage. A matte black hood wrap and Covercraft windshield sunscreen are added to reduce glare.

The interior features accessories that optimize space and allow for secure storage thanks to a DC Safety rear cargo organizer with a first-aid kit, Tufty MOLLE straps and security drawer below, and a Console Vault center console. All of this comes in addition to the features offered by the Sasquatch Package which can be found below.

1.2-inch Suspension Lift-Kit

Higher-Mounted Fender Flares

35-inch Mud-Terrain Tires

17-inch Beadlock-Compatible Wheels

Dana Front and Rear Locking Axles

Electromechanical Transfer Case

Heavy-Duty Position-Sensitive Bilstein Shocks

4.7:1 Final Drive Ratio

Two-inch Wider Track

Seven-speed manual gearbox

#bronco #concept cars #Easter Jeep Safari #Ford #Jeep #Wrangler

0 notes

memynissanandi · 4 years

Photo

Used Nissan Navara Road Test

Social media, and the internet in general, was completely taken with Mercedes-Benz’s X-Class following its global reveal in SA earlier in July 2017. The original German auto brand has promised that its double-cab bakkie will revolutionise the segment.

The specifications are impressive but we don’t much of how it drives, having merely been offered a passenger ride. What we do know, is that its chassis is the same one Nissan engineered for its second-generation, now used Nissan Navara for sale – and that is a bakkie we have spent a fair bit more time with.

2017 Navara Release

It was a tryingly long-time waiting, for the 2017 Navara. South African Nissan bakkie fans, amongst the most loyal, had to endure a near one-year lag to the delivery of their Navaras – after other RHD markets, such as the UK and Australia, had already received their bakkies.

An evolution inside and out

Was it worth the wait? I possess a shamefully underdeveloped sense of design and appreciation of anything apparently aesthetic – if it doesn’t have a racing number on it, I summarily ignore. The original Navara was a terrifically handsome bakkie, celebrated for its simple details and bold proportions. This new one is a touch rounder and if you forgive the faux-1980s ‘4x4’ sticker kit on each flank, behind the rear wheel arches and tailgate side shut line – it’s an attractive bakkie.

Inside it mirrors what VW was first to cleverly achieve with Amarok: if you want something approaching passenger car comfort, it helps to source switchgear and most of the cabin bits from a passenger car or SUV, instead of workhorse vehicles – which bakkies have always traditionally been.

This is what has made a difference for Amarok and in new Navara, there are X-Trail and Qashqai components all over the cabin, rendering all the ergonomic benefits you’d expect.

Those awful grey hard touch cabin plastics of the previous D40 Navara has been replaced with quality surfacing; and beyond the softer touch materials there’s all manner of infotainment synching and superior hip comfort for second-row passengers too. Seven years ago, you’d rather source a sleeping bag and some pillows, illegally stowing away in the loadbin, instead of having to travel in the second-row seating of a double-cab. These new ones, such as Navara? They’re arguably better for four-up travel.

So, it looks pretty and is a much better place to be inside, but what of new Navara’s fundamental bakkie attributes? Does it cruise gravel roads with aplomb? Can it go up and over stuff? Will you continuously risk dings each time you venture into an underground parking lot?

Gravel travel is a South African reality, which exists in speed and scale – unlike anywhere else. European and Japanese product planning people have always underestimated just how much gravel South Africans drive on – and how quickly. With Navara somebody was properly briefed – finally – and its chassis design heralds a massive breakthrough in high-speed stability courtesy of coils-sprung rear suspension.

Although it is not the first double-cab bakkie in South Africa to feature coil springs at all four wheels (Land Rover’s Defender 130 has had those for years), it is now the only one on sale – well at least until X-Class launches here next year.

You don’t require a mechanical engineering degree to realise why coils are better: if they’re the default rear-suspension design for all Dakar rally raid off-road racing bakkies, imagine what they can do for you for your family car double-can experience.

Coils require less terrain input to compress, meaning small bump absorption is superior – and if you drive a lot of gravel, you’ll know that those small corrugations are often the worst, overwhelming a leaf-sprung rear suspension, and initiating the onset of instability. With Navara, there is just a fantastically planted feel from the rear – it’s always tracking what the front wheels are doing and responding in collaboration, instead of the disjointed feeling you often have with leaf-sprung rear, struggling to cope.

Sophisticated suspension, robust ability

Beyond the ride quality and handling confidence, which is decidedly more SUV than traditional bakkie, Navara hasn’t compromised Navara’s workhorse ability. It can carry nearly 1t (961kg to be precise) and tow 3.5t, whilst there’s a proper low-range (geared to 1:44.6) and electronically lockable rear differential for absolute traction security when you have something really challenging in your way.

With 229mm of ground clearance and brilliantly calibrated four-wheel traction control, Navara 2.3D is credibly capable off-road. The only issue is that you can’t engage the rear differential lock in high-range, it only works in crawler gear mode – understandable for the most part, but if you are trying to scale a massive Namibian dune, it’s worth having the ability to run a locked rear axle in high-range, approaching three-figure climbing speeds.

The chassis is a remarkably accomplished design and after spending time driving Navara across a diversity of terrain, it’s abundantly clear why Mercedes partnered with Nissan.

If you wish to table comparison, Navara settles very much in the middle of feature and output comparisons with its rivals. Option for the top-spec 2.3D LE auto you’ll benefit from an excellent drivetrain. It might be only 2.3-litres in capacity but the four-cylinder turbodiesel is good for 140kW and 450Nm, and those output numbers are converted to momentum by a very tidily configured seven-speed automatic transmission.

Achieving sub-10l/100km diesel consumption is entirely possible and with a direct-drive fifth gear, there’s no panicked hunting by the Navara��s drivetrain electronics when you’re wanting to overtake. True, Amarok has by far the best transmission of all double-cab bakkies, with its ZF eight-speed auto, but Navara’s seven-speeder is a close second – far superior to Hilux or Ranger’s six-speed autos. Then there’s the issue of agility. Despite its size, there’s a nimbleness to Navara’s handling, it never feels titanic in town or on the trail and that’s due some ingenious wheel packaging which yields a turning circle of only 12.4m – smaller (and therefore better) than either Ranger or Amarok.

Crossover-like cabin. Great off-road and gravel travel ability. Entirely liveable as a town-vehicle and considering its performance, never tragically heavy on fuel. Nissan has tested the patience of its immensely faithful D23/40 Navara owners, who have been clamouring to replace their double-cabs with a new model for way too long.

Those who have not switched allegiance to one of the rival double-cabs will have their patience richly rewarded with the new bakkie. Whether the X-Class chassis association buoys second-hand Navara prices in the fullness of time, that’s interesting marketing and value dynamic we can only speculate on.

Specs

2017 Nissan Navara 2.3D LE 4x4 AT DC

Engine: 2.3-litre four-cylinder turbodiesel

Power: 140kW @ 3750rpm

Torque: 450Nm @ 1500rpm

Drivetrain: seven-speed auto, low-range transfer case, rear differential lock

Weight: 1881kg

Wheels: 255/60/R18

Article source: https://www.wheels24.co.za/OffRoad_and_4x4/Bakkie_and_SUV/road-test-2017-nissan-navara-23d-le-4x4-at-dc-20170725

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goldira01 · 5 years

Link

Story Highlights:

This is a critical moment. Technology meets innovation meets industrials. We call it America 2.0.

And this week will be a game-changer.

3D-printed motorcycles. Virtual reality “Cybershoes.” Alexa-enabled “smart cars.”

These are just three of the next-tech innovations showcased this week at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.

Every January, the top innovators in technology unveil their latest wares at CES — the world’s largest and most influential tech event.

In all, over 170,000 people from more than 45 countries are expected to attend this year’s event. And nearly 20,000 new technology products from 4,500 exhibitors will debut.

As a registered attendee for CES 2020, my email inbox is filled to the brim with behind-the-scenes insights of what new technological innovations and products consumers can expect to see in 2020.

So, for this week’s Bold Profits Daily, I thought I’d give you a taste of what new tech is in store for you in 2020 — and the best way to invest in these top tech reveals.

They all capitalize on the mega tech trends that are creating what Paul Mampilly describes as America 2.0— a new, millennial-driven industrial revolution that is changing the way we live, work and play.

We’re already well on our way, so there’s no time to waste. Let’s jump right into the three biggest technology reveals of 2020.

Tech Play No. 1 — Cybershoes

Cybershoes are taking virtual reality (VR) and video gaming to the next level.

When you think of VR, you probably see the headsets that go over your eyes … but this week at CES 2020, it’s time to make way for Cybershoes.

Cybershoes are an affordable, innovative virtual reality accessory that allow users to physically walk or run through VR video games.

The company states: “With the Cybershoes at your feet, all of your moments are controlled by your own physical movement, so you can walk alongside giants through snow-covered canyons, ramble through battlefields set alight with dragon fire, or charge into abandoned cities to eradicate the mutant hordes as if you were actually there.”

But VR video games are just the beginning for Cybershoes.

Cybershoes can be used by engineers and builders for VR construction previews. They can also help physical therapists train for physical rehab.

Tech Play No. 2 — Rivian and Alexa, a Perfect Match?

U.S. electric vehicle (EV) maker Rivian just announced it’s partnering with Amazon’s Alexa to make its electric adventure vehicles that much more connected.

Rivian’s electric adventure vehicles are set to debut at the end of this year.

These EVs are built to not only be sustainable, but also rugged, adventurous and fast.

Capable of both off-road and on-road driving, the Rivian R1T pickup truck and R1S SUV are projected to have a driving range of 400-plus miles on a single charge, tow up to 11,000 pounds, have up to 750 horsepower and accelerate from zero to 60 in three seconds.

In this new partnership, Rivian car owners will be able to speak to Alexa and ask the cloud-based voice service to control the vehicle’s windows, open and close the trunk, adjust the HVAC system and much more.

Overall, Rivian owners will also be able to “check on their gear remotely by accessing the vehicle’s bed camera from screen-based devices like Echo Showand Fire TV. The integration also allows Rivian to provide new ‘car-to-home’ and ‘home-to-car’ skills unique to its vehicles.”

Amazon appears to be quite smitten with Rivian. As announced in September 2019, the e-commence giant will be ordering 100,000 electric delivery vehicles from Rivian, the largest order everof electric delivery vehicles.

Tech Play No. 3 — 3D-Printed Motorcycles

Next up, get ready for 3D-printed motorcycles.

As I mentioned in this Monday’s Market Talk, Dynamism, a leader in tech and 3D-printing solutions for more than 20 years, will debut its most exciting 3D printers yet at CES 2020.

Its first printer, the Desktop Metal Fiber, prints products that are two times stronger than steel but that weigh less than aluminum.

This printer brings automated fiber placement technology, once reserved for multimillion-dollar machines, to a desktop format at an affordable price. This makes 3D printing more mainstream than ever before.

Its second printer can print a fully 3D-printed motorcycle and is touted as the potential future of additive manufacturing in automotive.

The bike is called the Nera eBike and is printed on Dynamism’s BigRep 3D printer.

Per the company, “over the past few years, additive manufacturing has continued to test the bounds of what can be 3D printed.”

The Nera eBike seen in the above photo was printed in 15 parts on BigRep 3D printers and includes airless tires, rims, shocks, steering and more.

The 2 Best Ways to Profit From the High-Tech Innovations of 2020

CES is revealing the biggest tech innovations of the year.

But that’s still only the beginning.

As you may know, Paul Mampilly is forecasting 2020 to be the year of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. It will usher in America 2.0, an era of technological innovation, especially in 3D printing.

And as you can see, these tech breakthroughs are proving him correct.

So here are two unbelievable ways to profit in this revolution, our top tech reveals:

Line yourself up at the forefront of America 2.0.The evidence of this economic upgrade continues to pile up. Check out Paul’s forecast for it here, including his No. 1 stock pick for 2020.

Play the innovations featured at CES 2020 by investing in the ARK Innovation exchange-traded fund (NYSE: ARKK). ARKK invests in disruptive innovations such as industrial innovation in energy, automation and manufacturing (‘‘Industrial Innovation’’) that will all give you a broader exposure to America 2.0.

Until next time,

Amber Lancaster

Director of Investment Research, Banyan Hill Publishing

#Timor Invest

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opticien2-0 · 5 years

Text

GUEST ANALYSIS What does the future of delivery look like?

Chris Haighton is head of outbound logistics at Shop Direct, which runs Very.co.uk and Littlewoods

Customer expectations around cost, speed and precision of delivery have evolved as digital retail has become more established, with greater emphasis on visibility and control. Retailers need to rise to this challenge and think creatively about every stage of their logistics operations to ensure the best customer experience.

In-flight tracking systems, allowing customers to follow the van containing their parcel in real time, are becoming more commonplace. They usually require moving between the retailer and carrier websites, creating a disjointed customer experience, so the next step is integration with retailers’ own sites. We worked with Yodel to develop Xperience, a tracking service within Very.co.uk and Littlewoods.com that means customers only visit one site throughout the purchasing and delivery journey. This simplified the process and reduced customer service contact about delivery.

Speed remains important, but delivery precision has become top priority for many customers. They want to choose an exact date and time for delivery and have the ability to rearrange or divert the parcel to a neighbour or Collect+ location up to the moment of drop off. Giving customers this level of control has benefits for both logistics providers and the environment. In central London, the Ultra Low Emission Zone encourages retailers to consolidate deliveries through third party centres outside the zone, focus deliveries on collection points or find other innovative ways of reducing road miles.

With congestion charges likely to be introduced in other cities, we’ll see more of this and, in turn, customers will get used to precise delivery scheduling and growing cost differentials between free choice of delivery day and time or a slot which is most convenient for the carrier. Carriers will increasingly advertise fixed daily or weekly schedules, both to customers’ homes and large workplaces, resulting in more efficient use of vehicles, fewer road miles and lower CO2 emissions.

Logistics vehicles will evolve, with electric, autonomous and semi-autonomous trucks becoming the norm. ‘Platooning’, where one truck with a driver is followed by several other driverless vehicles, is being tested all over the world. Consumers have become comfortable with delivery to lockers, and this technology would integrate well with autonomous vehicles. Rather than travel to a locker in a fixed location for parcel collection, autonomous vehicles containing lockers could be used for home delivery.

As global warming opens up new routes through the Arctic Ocean, UK ports could play a greater role in logistics. Better vessel design and smarter use of capacity will be key, along with the creation of more deep sea ports – capable of holding large international shipping vessels – of which there are currently very few in the UK. Ports in the North of England and on the east coast of Scotland in particular could see increased trade.

More retailers will consider rail as an alternative to trucks for long journeys, albeit Government investment to improve the rail network is needed to make this viable. The rail freight terminal at East Midlands Gateway, where our new distribution centre will open in 2020, was an important factor in our choice of location. The terminal, combined with the site’s location at the centre of the UK’s population, will help us save around 1 million road miles every year.

Same-day delivery has been talked about widely and most retailers will eventually offer this option. Closer proximity to our carrier partners and customers was another deciding factor in the location of our distribution centre, meaning we can extend next-day delivery cut-off from 7pm to 10pm. We’ll later increase this to midnight and consider same-day delivery in the longer term. That said, higher costs associated with same-day delivery mean that many retailers will inevitably charge a premium for the service. As most customers are price-sensitive, it’s unlikely to account for the majority of online orders any time soon.

Some non-fashion retailers are moving towards a returns model already used in the fashion industry, in which customers generate specific details of their return online rather than include a standard returns label within the delivery parcel. Pre-registration of returns gives greater visibility of stock coming back and means retailers can prepare products for sale again more quickly. It also means they can divert stock to locations other than their own distribution centres, such as directly back to suppliers. We expect much greater take-up of this model from fashion retailers too, as it becomes more widespread in the online retail industry as a whole.

In such a competitive marketplace, offering the best delivery and returns experience can help a retailer to stand out. Businesses that think today about how to future-proof their logistics operations for tomorrow will be well-placed to do just that.

Chris Haighton is head of outbound logistics at Shop Direct, which operates Very.co.uk and Littlewoods.com

Main image: Fotolia

Author image courtesy of Shop Direct

from InternetRetailing https://ift.tt/35Yn9cE via IFTTT

#Retail 2.0

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lazyfox411 · 7 years

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A fic to celebrate one of the most important days of the year

Y’all know what day it is...our favorite blue paladin’s birthday!!!! so to celebrate this (should be) international holiday, here is the first chapter to a fic, starring Lance as a journalist, and Keith as a police officer, also featuring shay and the rest of team voltron (except pidge who will be introduced in a later chapter don't worry guys I didn't forget about her). tagging @hastalalaterkeith7152 for letting me bounce ideas off you and also practically forcing me to write this :) length for this chapter is about 3780 words. please guys tell me what you think of this. would you like to see more chapters?

Chapter 1: Late

Routine was a pivotal function of life. It provided structure, organization, and better time management, which were all qualities of successful people. That was why Lance McClain began nearly every day in the same fashion. Wake up, make coffee, drink coffee, read the newspaper, shower, brush teeth, get dressed, go to work. Simple. Very difficult to screw up. Yet somehow, this particular morning had so easily gone to mush.

“I’m late, I’m late, I'm late,” Lance stumbled through his apartment like a drunk, coffee mug in one hand, car keys in the other, and toothbrush hanging from his mouth. He hastily stuffed the keys in his pocket and vigorously finished scrubbing his teeth clean.

“Late, late, late, late. So late. So so so late.” The word had taken on a whole new meaning when he'd awoken to find he'd slept through his alarm. Life at the office was already hard enough without Allura lecturing him for being tardy.

One glance at his watch told Lance that reading the paper would have to wait. He grabbed the roll of print from outside his doorway and lobbed it towards his desk. It wasn’t like he didn’t already know what was in there; working as a journalist for the Altean Times, the city’s largest newspaper company, gave him access to news stories before they were even published. Reading the paper was more of a hobby than anything else, an easy activity to fill the empty time slice of his morning routine.

Still juggling keys, coffee, and now his backpack, Lance rushed down the stairs of his apartment complex, leaving a bemused doorman in the dust as he made a beeline for his car.

The only time he strayed from his morning routine was to pay an occasional visit to the Yellow Lion Café, owned by his best friend, Hunk. Since Lance only got paid for his articles when the newspaper selected them for publishing—which, admittedly, wasn’t as often as he'd like—his job at the Altean Times didn’t always rake in the dough. So, Hunk had offered him part-time shifts at the café to ensure he could pay the bills and afford to eat more than Kraft Dinner and stale donuts from the office cafeteria. Hunk was more than happy to have an extra pair of hands working the register, and Lance was more than happy for the employee discount. But there was no time to stop at the Yellow Lion today.

There wasn’t much traffic once he hit the freeway, and Lance couldn’t have been more thankful. All he needed was for some little old lady going 80 kilometers an hour to slow him down. Then again, Lance’s own car, practically falling apart at the seams, was usually pushing its limits at the speed limit of 100. But this was okay. No traffic. No stops to make. On the way to work. Maybe he wouldn’t be as late as he thought. Or maybe not.

“Shit,” Lance muttered. Behind him, cruising down the road, a set of red and blue lights had just turned on. He pulled over and waited. Why had he been stopped? He didn’t have time for this, not to mention cops scared him half to death. They were nice enough, to him at least, but still. They were intimidating.

When the officer finally stepped out of the car, Lance nearly choked on his own breath. All hopes of charming his way out of the situation were immediately bulldozed. This wasn’t just any cop, this was Officer Kogane, revered and feared by the entire city for his stoic demeanor and ruthless attitude towards criminals. Officer Kogane, who’d broken up countless bar fights, busted robberies, led manhunts, raced down streets in breakneck car chases, and liked his coffee jet black like his hair. Lance would know; Kogane was at the Yellow Lion almost every morning with his partner, Officer Shirogane. Lance tried not to think about how much he'd tried to avoid taking Kogane’s order, claiming he had to fix the coffee machine and sending Hunk to the counter. He would have much preferred Officer Shirogane pull him over. Kogane was downright scary.

Lance rolled down the window and tapped a finger against the steering wheel, over and over again, as Kogane made his way to the car.

“Good morning,” Kogane said, absentmindedly scribbling something down on a notepad. “Do you now why I pulled you over?”

Lance had expected the police officer’s voice to take on a gruff and surly tone, angry at Lance for whatever he'd done wrong. But instead, it was friendly, or at the very least, polite.

Lance swallowed hard. “Um…not really, no,” he replied.

“Are you aware of how fast you were driving?”

“Uh, no. No, sir.”

“I picked up 120.”

“Oh,” was all Lance could manage. He looked down at the speedometer, the little needle at zero now that the car was parked. He hadn’t noticed he'd been speeding. He hadn’t thought his wreck of a car was capable of speeding.

“I’m going to need to see your license, registration, and proof of insurance.”

“Sure, no problem,” Lance said, trying to act as nonchalant as Kogane was, pretending he wasn’t panicking because oh no now he was going to have some sort of police record and he'd never been in trouble with the cops his whole life and he didn’t even want to think of the ticket he was going to get. He could barely afford rent, how on earth was he going to pay a speeding fine?

“Alright, I'm going to run these through the system, it’ll just take a minute,” Kogane assured, striding back to his squad car. Dozens of other vehicles whizzed by, free to go about their day. And here was Lance, stuck on the side of the road, late for work.

I don’t have a minute, Lance thought sourly, I'm already late.

The officer returned wearing a slightly puzzled expression. “Lance McClain,” he said, carefully inspecting Lance’s driver’s license. “Hm. Have we met before?”

“I work at the Yellow Lion Café, in town,” Lance said quickly. “I think I’ve seen you there a few times.” He didn’t mention anything about the Altean Times. He couldn’t. Because there was one other place Kogane might recognize him from, and it was the most embarrassing experience of his life. A press conference, when he'd still been a journalism student. His very first time interviewing somebody, for real. And he just had to go up to Officer Keith Kogane and ask him for his opinion. And then proceed to stumble over every single word, butcher his questions, drop his notebook, then his pen, and to top it all off, have his voice completely fail him and stand there like an idiot, mouth agape.

Kogane just nodded, and Lance couldn’t have been more relieved. As long as he didn’t remember that interview, then Lance would be fine. But haunting memories were still creeping up on Lance, and he found himself speaking in a rush, “Listen, I really didn’t mean to be speeding, it’s just I'm late for work, and it’s been a hectic morning, and I really can’t afford a ticket right now, and—”

“This thing really passed inspection?” Kogane interrupted, taking in the full view of Lance’s poor car.

“Uh, yeah,” Lance said, surprised. “Barely,” he added, because frankly, you wouldn’t be able to tell otherwise. The rust spots and chips in the blue paint, coupled with a plethora of dents and scratches, gave it the appearance of a scruffy stray cat, but in car form. Add that to the peeling rubber around the windows, unhealthy engine noises, and the fact that thick strips of duct tape were currently the only thing holding his headlights in place…well, Lance himself was surprised that the car wasn’t breaking down every five minutes.

“Well, Lance,” Officer Kogane turned away from the pitiful sight of the car, “I'm going to let you off with a warning. But only because you make the best coffee I’ve ever tasted.”

Lance let out a shaky sigh of relief. “Thank you.”

“Just be careful.”

“Yes sir.”

“Lance, where have you been?” Coran exclaimed when Lance finally arrived in their shared office.

“Don’t ask,” Lance groaned. “Is Allura mad at me yet?”

“Actually, I don’t think she’ll be in until this afternoon,” Coran said, twirling a finger through his luxurious mustache. “She’s in a meeting across town.”

“Good. Hey, what are you working on?” Lance asked, peering over Coran’s shoulder to see his computer screen.

“It’s an article of Shay’s. Allura selected it to be published next week.”

“Coran! How could you?” Lance feigned indignance. “You know Shay is, like, my mortal enemy in the world of reporting!”

“Lance, just because everyone likes her articles more than yours doesn’t mean she’s your ‘mortal enemy’.”

“Coran!” Lance was actually slightly offended this time. “Hurtful!”

“I’m sorry, my boy. Just trying to razz you! Don’t worry, your writing is excellent. I think you're just having trouble coming up with content that Allura wants to publish.”

“Well Shay certainly isn’t,” Lance grumbled. He liked Shay, he really did. She was nice, and polite, and Lance would bet money that she and Hunk had a thing for each other, but somehow, she always seemed to find a story before he did, take better pictures, and ask better questions. And Allura would choose her articles over Lance’s any day. Shay just had to be so perfect.

“I'm sorry, Lance,” Coran repeated. “If I could, I would publish every word you write, but you know I'm just your editor.”

“And Shay’s,” Lance muttered.

Coran sighed. “I’m everyone’s editor. I don’t choose what I work on. Allura has the final say.”

“Why does she make us call her Allura?” Lance vented, sitting in his desk chair and spinning it around. “I mean, what kind of corporate boss gets her employees to call her by her first name? Does she think it makes her more approachable? Because it doesn’t. It’s the opposite. It’s like calling your mom by her real name…except the other way around. You just don’t do it!”

“Now, Lance, don’t get your undies in a bunch. You’ll get your time to shine, I know it.”

“Thanks, Coran. You know, when I first met you I thought you were just some kooky old guy. But now I realize you're the best kooky old guy on the planet,” Lance smirked.

“Hurtful!”

When noon rolled around, Lance didn't bother taking his lunch break, instead setting up his laptop to go over some more of his material. It was just after Coran had returned from his own break that the phone on Lance’s desk began its shrill, telltale ring. Lance winced. There was only one person who called him on his desk phone.

“Hey, Allura,” he said, pressing the receiver to his ear.

“Lance,” Allura’s sharp voice rattled through his head, and Lance prepared himself for a stern scolding, “I want to see you in my office before you clock out today.”

“Uh, okay. Sure.” That hadn’t been what he was expecting. Maybe the lecture about being on time would take place in her office.

“That is all.”

The rest of the day was uneventful, as usual. Coran had to shake him from a nap once or twice, apparently sleeping in had only made him more tired. Before he packed up his things, Lance made the treacherous journey to Allura’s office on the top floor, overlooking the city. It was an envious view. Lance’s office window on the west side of the building merely overlooked a side street and was covered in pigeon droppings. He'd never seen Shay’s office, but he assumed it offered much better scenery than his.

Lance rapped his knuckles softly against the already open door. “You wanted to see me, Allura?”

“Ah, yes, McClain. Come in.”

Lance shuffled into the room and sat in the shiny, upholstered chair Allura pointed to. He folded his hands and sat as straight as humanly possible. Good posture meant a good impression, according to Allura.

“How are you?” Allura asked, flipping distractedly through a thick manila folder. She didn’t meet Lance’s eyes.

The question caught him off guard. “Good,” he squeaked, then did his best to speak up. “Good, thank you.” This wasn’t exactly the truth, but telling your uptight boss you were uncomfortable because she ran her office like a military base and you were dreading her speech on being late because you’d been pulled over by the cops and you would really appreciate a raise and also maybe a nicer office—it just didn’t seem like the best idea.

“That’s lovely,” Allura replied. The lack of emotion in her voice had Lance unnerved, tapping his foot against the floor.

Lance cleared his throat and summoned every ounce of politeness in his body. “I'm sure you didn’t invite me up here to chat about my day,” he said pointedly.

“You are correct,” Allura said, pulling a paper from the folder and placing it on the desk in front of Lance. “Would you care to explain to me exactly what this is?”

Lance leaned over the paper, recognizing it almost immediately. It was his writing, several neat paragraphs that formed an article about the hardships faced by a Syrian refugee who’d made a life for herself here in the city. Despite the language barrier and financial struggles, she’d opened a flower shop on the outskirts of the city and was now doing well. Lance had been captivated by her story, and both Hunk and Coran had proofread it and given it a big thumbs-up. He'd even handed it to Allura a week before the deadline. So why was she frowning at him, practically glaring, as she waited for an answer? Was she messing with him? Was he finally going to hear the news that one of his articles was to be published?

“That’s,” Lance gulped, “my latest article.”

Allura huffed. “Well, yes, I'm aware of that. I suppose the better inquiry would be why did you choose to submit this particular piece?”

“Well,” Lance said, running off in his mind all the reasons that Hunk and Coran had deemed it worthy, “it’s a heartwarming, down to earth story. It shows the struggles of someone that others can relate to, it’s inspiring, a real-life experience that people would be interested to learn from. Plus, it’s a great way to encourage more people to visit the flower shop.”

Allura frowned. “I see. Unfortunately, Lance, the Altean Times is not a compilation of feel-good stories. We pride ourselves on current, ground-breaking news, pressing stories that bring focus to widespread issues. And frankly, the content you're putting forward isn’t meeting these standards. Your writing is of excellent quality; your style to be rivaled only by Shay, and I love your perspective, but if you continue failing to produce the sort of content we’re looking for…I'm afraid I’ll need to take action. And as far as business for the flower shop goes, if Mrs.,” Allura squinted to read the foreign name, “Hemsani wants publicity from us she can pay to place an advertisement in our paper. We are not a charity.”

“So…what are you saying?”

“I’m saying that there are other journalists out there, Lance. And if you can’t bring me a good story, I'm sure one of them can.”

So this was it. The end of the line. No more being second best to Shay, because now he wouldn’t place at all. This was his last chance. Allura would fire him if he didn’t come up with a newsworthy story. Lance would have much preferred the lecture on being late.

“I understand,” Lance said shakily.

“Good.” Allura snapped the folder shut. “That will be all. You may take that with you, if you like.” She nodded to Lance’s article on the desk.

He grabbed the piece of paper and pushed his chair back. “Thank you,” he managed before leaving the room.

He had to stop himself from breaking into a jog down the hallway. He wanted out. He needed out. Nearly everyone had left for the day, leaving the entire building in a tense, pent up silence.

Lance found himself in his office, roughly grabbing his bag and keys and then stalking back out. He jabbed a thumb into the elevator button, waiting anxiously for the doors to open with a far too cheery ding. Halfway down the elevator ride, he realized the damn article was still clenched in his trembling fist. He clawed his fingers around it, again and again, eating it up with his nails. The elevator lurched to a stop and opened to reveal an almost vacant lobby.

It really was a decent article. Well planned and well written, informative and reflective. But not good enough. Lance uncrumpled it. He stared at the paper, wrinkled now, his words, his work, essentially worthless. With one swift motion, he tore it in half, and let the two pieces flutter into the nearest waste bin.

If you want to drive, you need to calm down, Lance told himself as he weaved his way through the parking lot and got into his car. He stuck the keys in the ignition and set his head on his hands, wrapped tight around the wheel. Deep breaths.

Somehow, he didn’t end up driving home, instead pulling into the familiar parking lot of the Yellow Lion Café. The air inside was warm and aromatic, filled with the scent of Hunk’s freshly baked cinnamon rolls. A few people were scattered among the plush sofas and small tables, sharing drinks and quiet laughter.

“Hey, Lance!” Hunk greeted him from behind the counter with a friendly wave.

“Hi, Hunk.” Lance took a seat and flicked at a few crumbs on the counter, which Hunk promptly wiped up.

“Lance, is everything okay? You look…upset,” Hunk chose the words carefully.

Lance sighed. “Yeah, I'm okay. Work today was just a little…rough.”

Before he'd even finished, Hunk had set a cinnamon roll in front of him and begun to pour him a glass of milk.

Lance shook his head. “It looks delicious, buddy, but I really can’t. I think it’s in my best interest to save as much money as possible for now.”

“Free of charge. Don’t you dare refuse it.”

There was simply no arguing with Hunk when it came to food. Lance accepted the cinnamon roll, realizing he'd skipped lunch without a second thought, and now he really was hungry. Maybe that was the reason he was still shaking.

“Do you wanna talk about it?” Hunk asked gently.

Lance shook his head no. “I wanna eat.”

“Okay.” Hunk took off his apron and sat across from Lance. He didn’t say anything. He didn’t need to. Just knowing he was there was the best comfort Lance could ask for.

Even though he wasn’t scheduled to work today, Lance spent the next few hours helping out around the coffee shop. It was a good distraction, and he enjoyed helping the customers. He also appreciated the leftover cinnamon rolls Hunk gave him before locking up.

“Goodnight, Hunk,” Lance said through a mouthful of pastry.

“Goodnight, Lance. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Lance was left in the dark as Hunk drove off. The dim streetlight barely lit up his own pathetic car, and it did nothing to illuminate his mood. There was a chance he could lose his job. After all the money, all the effort and work it had taken to get here, he had pretty much blown it.

There was no radio in Lance’s car, at least not one that worked, so he was glad to be able to put on some music when he got to his apartment, the volume meticulously adjusted so as not to upset his landlord in the apartment above him. She had ears like an elephant, and Lance didn’t want her to hate him any more than she already did.

With the music faded into the background, Lance munched on a cinnamon roll at his desk, flipping through that morning’s paper. There was nothing new here, nothing he hadn't already seen. One of Shay’s articles had been published, and even after analyzing every little detail, he still couldn’t see what set her work apart from everyone else’s.

He was so engrossed in his reading that the sound of his phone ringing made him jump. He looked at the screen. Incoming call…from Mom. Lance groaned. Talking was about the last thing he felt like doing right now. But he thought about how his mom somehow always managed to make him feel better. He thought about the sound of her voice, warm and sweet, like fresh honey. And he picked up the phone.

“Hey, Mamá.”

“Lance, cariño, how are you? I've missed you so much.”

“I'm good,” Lance said with as much enthusiasm as he could muster. “I missed you, too.”

“I really just wanted to talk to you, if you're not busy. Its been a while. How’s life in the big city?”

“Great! Really, um…great, yeah. Lots of, erm, sights. And people,” Lance said distractedly, still scanning Shay’s article.

“Lance, honey, is everything alright? You sound sad.” His mothers voice was so caring. All she wanted to do was help. All she ever wanted to do was help.

Lance sighed, thinking of the less than ideal meeting he'd had with Allura. “Mamá, can I tell you something?”

“Of course.”

“It’s about work, I—” Lance froze, fingers hovering over the newspaper, cinnamon rolls threatening to make a reappearance. Because for the first time, there was something new here.

“I just wanted to say thank you,” Lance said in a rush, “you know, for helping me get the money to move up here and go to college and whatnot. But I gotta go now, actually. Love you, Mom. Bye.” He hung up the phone and slid it as far away as possible.

He pressed his face closer to the words, scrubbing at his eyes, but there was no denying what was printed there.

Now seeking new journalist to cover mainstream media and press. Full time position. Includes shared office space on the west side of main building. Contact Allura for additional information. Allura’s number was printed directly underneath, along with her signature. Lance sucked in a breath. There were a very limited number of journalists at the Altean Times, and very few reasons for any of them to be replaced. Except one. This advertisement matched Lance’s job description perfectly. He was too late. With this ad, Allura may as well have already fired him.

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