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verdigrisprowl · 7 years

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Operation: SPRINGAROONIE. Part 4.

The gang infiltrates Debris. Due to the fact that it has, like, five people, and one of them’s in a coma, it’s pretty easy going. They successfully unhook Springer and bridge him to the Decepticon lab where they’re going to repair and upgrade him.

For full authenticity, listen to this.

Whirl 7:01 pm

Perhaps the first thing that Prowl will notice about debris is how dark it is. The station is characterized by yawning, empty spaces with very few smaller, more tightly-constructed corridors.

Prowl will be bridged into the cargo bay. It's a very large room, but it's also packed, somewhat untidily, with crates, old weapons, and the occasional piece of junk. It had the advantage of providing plenty of cover while still giving Prowl a suitably broad vantage point upon entry.

"You should be in the cargo room," Whirl said into their comm-link. "Easiest way to get to the living quarters from the bay is through the catwalks up top. It's dark up there, too. Let me know when you're up."

FakeProwl 7:16 pm

The second Prowl's through the bridge he pings Tarantulas to turn it off, and then changes his avatar's colors to camouflage—projecting the colors of the surroundings instead of his own. And then—after a quick skim to ensure no Wreckers are nearby—backs into a corner created by a crate and a wall.

«You should be able to see when I'm up.» He sizes up just enough to see over the top of the crate, and do a more thorough scan of the room to ensure it's empty. All clear.

FakeProwl 7:20 pm

He looks around for some kind of access to the catwalk—Primus, what an array of toys the Wreckers have in here. Several cannons suspended from the ceiling are larger than Prowl's entire body even at normal size, and there was a pile of two dozen missiles that Prowl is fairly certain are still illegal in most star systems. He doesn't even want to know what they've got stored in the crates in the warehouse-like shelving around the cargo bay. It's a veritable treasure trove of dubious weaponry. It makes Prowl itch to arrest something.

He fights it off. There's the ladder, focus on that. He slowly, cautiously edges around the crates along the perimeter of the room (far more slowly and cautiously than is necessary), and watches over his shoulder as he climbs to make sure no one's come in.

«All right. I'm up.»

Tarantulas 7:24 pm

Prowl's up, and the bridge he came through is long gone. Now Tarantulas is back to pacing, but always keeping an optic or two on the screens back in Soundwave's control room.

ItsyBitsySpyers 7:26 pm

Soundwave hasn't moved from his spot. All of his attention is fixed on the screen in front of him and the numbers spilling across it. He won't be moving until something requiring it happens. Too focused.

Whirl 7:40 pm

"Okay. You're gonna stay up here, mostly, but you'll need to go to ground when we get near the barracks. Follow the catwalk along to the opposite wall, and the first hatch you'll see is the maintenance tunnel to the next room. Go through it."

For the most part, he simply directed Prowl through various maintenance tunnels and stretches of catwalk to cross the larger spaces; Prowl would be getting a birds-eye view of the small portion of Debris he traveled through. The next open space he would cross would be the Wreckers' graveyard, and like the cargo room, the ceiling was swathed in shadow.

Whirl is mostly quiet, and just as focused as his companions. He does feel the barest sting of regret when they pass through the graveyard, though of course he says nothing.

"All right, time to get down. The door on the wall below you will take you to the barracks. Roadbuster's room is the one with the huge, diagonal gash on it. Can't miss it."

ItsyBitsySpyers 7:43 pm

Huge, diagonal gash? Odd way of marking a door. He'll have to wait until Prowl sees it to find out what Whirl means, he supposes.

FakeProwl 7:54 pm

Once he's in the maintenance tunnel, Prowl moves less slowly, confident that he's unlikely to be spotted here. He switches to his human avatar—metal feet on metal floors make more noise than flesh on metal—and carries his projector and sedative in his shirt so that they're still hidden under his camouflage.

Most of the base, he only glances over cursorily as he passes. But he pauses, just a moment, in the graveyard. He knows about the room—he's read about it—even if he's never seen it before. He glances at the dais, searching the graves on it; and then down, skimming over the graves of all the other Wreckers. He moves on without his HUD giving any indication that he found what he was looking for.

«I see it.» He drops off the catwalk in a way that would break a human's legs human but that cushions the projector and sedative from jostling, and stands right back up. He pushes the button to open the door, then hops to the side so he can peek around the edge as it opens.

FakeProwl 8:06 pm

Coast is clear. He edges in and looks for the... uh... «Half the doors have huge gashes on them. Diagonal and otherwise.» He turns to look at one molten hole as he passes. «That's a gash so huge it's not even a door anymore. Where's...?»

Ah. Well, there were plenty of gashes, but that was the most prototypical huge diagonal gash on the hall. «... This one?»

Whirl 8:09 pm

Boy, this brings back memories. ...well, that's not surprising, as it's only been a few years since Whirl has been here, but still. He just stares at the screen as Prowl looks about. Doesn't look as if the Wreckers have expanded their ranks at all, which isn't surprising...

Prowl's asking a question. Back to the present. "Yep, that's his room. He /probably/ didn't lock it. Panel up to the right of the door'll get you in." This message has been removed.

FakeProwl 8:18 pm

Prowl examines the gash. There's a tiny hole in the middle, where it's deepest. «I don't think I'm doing that.» He kneels down to peer through the hole. «If I open the door, the sound could alert him. I've got a better way in.»

Whirl 8:19 pm

"He's not a light sleeper, but if you got a better way, go for it, mech," Whirl says.

FakeProwl 8:20 pm

He removes his cargo from his shirt, goes back to the door that's just a gaping hole to set his projector just inside it, and returns to Roadbuster's door. He slides the sedative into the small hole through the door.

For a moment, his HUD feed goes black as his avatar turns off. When it turns back on, he's inside the room. He pulls in the sedative, hides it in his shirt again, and looks around. Now. Where's Roadbuster?

ItsyBitsySpyers 8:25 pm

Oh, now that was an impressive idea. Soundwave was, for once in recent millennia, actually taking notes on Prowl's actions for future use. Quietly, of course. The others didn't need to know what he had until he was using it.

Tarantulas 8:29 pm

A start, as Tarantulas sees the human fingers enter the visual field. «You're - using a human avatar? W-why?»

FakeProwl 8:30 pm

«Squishy feet make less sound.»

Tarantulas 8:30 pm

He's fighting the urge to ask for its specs - Prowl has never shown it to him before, and right now he can literally only see that hand, with what looks like - scarring on it? What? «You're /barefoot/? And there aren't any other organics you - well. I suppose this works, I'm just -»

Whirl 8:32 pm

Whirl looks away from the screen for the first time and clicks his claw at Tarantulas--the closest he can come to snapping his fingers. "Hey. Enough with the yakking. Focus."

ItsyBitsySpyers 8:32 pm

He finally moves, lifting his helm -just- a smidge at the sight of the scarring. Isn't that where--? So he kept it, then.

He can think about that later. They're busy.

Tarantulas 8:35 pm

Another start at the clicking, followed by a disgruntled hiss. «You can't multitask?»

FakeProwl 8:36 pm

Acknowledging ping. «Now isn't the time for multitasking.» He can answer questions about his avatar later.

Whirl 8:39 pm

Roadbuster is lying on his berth with his back to Prowl. Even in repose he's a veritable mountain of a mech, especially from Prowl's present perspective.

"Right," Whirl swivels his helm back to the screen. "I'd suggest the neck, but he's got a collar of armor that'd be tricky. Go for the back of the knee. Weak spot there."

ItsyBitsySpyers 8:41 pm

//Frenzy says to make sure ya hit the fuel line. Ain't gonna do no good drippin' into his gears or somethin' instead.//

Tarantulas 8:42 pm

A snort/scoff from Tarantulas. Wouldn't that be obvious? Prowl wouldn't be that ignorant, would he?

ItsyBitsySpyers 8:45 pm

Does Frenzy know how much medical knowledge Prowl has? No. Has he seen mechs with little to no field medicine knowledge do some bizarre scrap with the supplies? Yes. They watched someone take a welder to a rubber line, once. It went about as well as you'd expect.

FakeProwl 8:45 pm

Prowl crept up next to the berth, shifting so he was only just tall enough to see the back of Roadbuster's knee over the top of the berth. «Where's the fuel line?» His HUD highlighs a likely-looking probably-cable. «Here?» It looks round and flexible, it's got to be either a fuel line or a line of wires to nervecircuits. Probably. He's guessing.

Whirl 8:46 pm

Whirl very slowly extends his neck and peers at the screen. "This one's for you, Frenzy."

Tarantulas 8:49 pm

«No, it's -» Sorely disappointing, that's what it is. «To your left, two lines up. The slightly thicker one.»

FakeProwl 8:49 pm

He highlights the new line. Questioning ping?

Tarantulas 8:49 pm

Affirming ping.

ItsyBitsySpyers 8:50 pm

Soundwave's arm ripples and puffs, but Frenzy doesn't pop off. The Boss won't let him. Even if he does want to sock the bug in all five thousand optics for beating him to the punch. -Especially- because that.

Tarantulas 8:52 pm

Tarantulas has zero clue that Frenzy's miffed. Oops.

FakeProwl 8:58 pm

Right. He sets the sedative on Roadbuster's bed, and the HUD flickers again as he switches to his Cybertronian avatar. He doesn't know if it's any stronger than his human avatar, but it FEELS stronger, so he's going with it.

He increases to his regular size as he gingerly climbs onto the berth, picks up the sedative, and lines it up over the back of Roadbuster's knee—and leans all his weight on it, sinking it into the line.

His HUD immediately lights up with warnings, the visual equivalent of blaring red alarms—dozens of different images, ways Roadbuster's legs/arms/body/everything could move if he woke up and struck out at Prowl. superimposed over reality; warnings of potential danger in flashing exclamation points; a suddenly-appearing and quickly-growing list of actions to take in case of worst-case-scenarios—

Prowl hurriedly minimizes them all.

Roadbuster hasn't twitched.

Tarantulas 9:01 pm

Whoa whoa whoa. Tarantulas jumps at the flurry of alerts, but keeps himself from commenting this time.

Whirl 9:02 pm

For just a moment, Whirl's antenna twitches back, and his optic darts away from the screen. He knows what they're doing is necessary--well, probably necessary--but he can't shake that tiny spark of guilt that flares up, somewhere deep down.

He very quickly rallies, tamping everything back down where it belongs, and looks to Soundwave. "Okay. How long've we got, would you say?"

Tarantulas 9:02 pm

(How does Prowl DO it. How does he not get incessantly distracted by his own damn systems? Tarantulas is amazed.)

FakeProwl 9:04 pm

(How does Tarantulas know Prowl doesn't?)

Prowl scoots back on his knees, focusing on the fuel line, measuring all the millimeters he's off from the point he meant to hit. He's not retreating until he gets confirmation, direct or implied, that he did it right.

ItsyBitsySpyers 9:05 pm

[[It depends on how efficiently his systems burn through such materials. Best case scenario: three hours. Worst case: thirty minutes.]] Pause. [[That one would be Frenzy himself. He doubts Roadbuster can match it.]] [[Still. We should move on as quickly as possible.]] //If he ain't movin', he ain't gonna. Get outta there quick 'n get to Springer before somebody gets a bright idea 'n comes to talk to 'im.//

Whirl 9:07 pm

A brisk nod. "Right. Get back up on that catwalk, Prowl, and I'll lead you to Springer."

ItsyBitsySpyers 9:08 pm

//Oh, uh. 'N Frenzy says "Not bad."//

FakeProwl 9:09 pm

«Roadbuster is a lot bigger than Frenzy. That's got to count for something.»

"Not bad" was good enough for Prowl. He snatches up the empty sedative dispenser as he gets off the berth, stuffs it back in the door, disappears and reappears as a human, and scoops up the dispenser and the projector as he jogs past. Out of the barracks, he resizes long enough to grab and climb onto the catwalk. They're on a timer now; he's going to have to take a few more risks to move faster. «Lead the way.»

Whirl 9:17 pm

Prowl's trek through the catwalk is shorter this time, but using the maintenance tunnels instead of the floor-plan gives them a more direct route to the medical wing.

This area is a lot more compact than the ones they've gone through before. "Okay, from here on out, you're moving through hallways everyone else uses," Whirl warned.

There's only a scant few turns before Prowl comes to the door they're all looking for. There's nothing special about it. It's not marked in any way, except to indicate it's another hospital room. Whirl simply nods at the screen and says, "That's the one."

It's unlocked, and inside is Springer, right where Whirl left him. The room itself is rather dim, illuminated only by the various screens displaying his vitals.

Tarantulas 9:22 pm

The closer Prowl gets to Springer, the slower Tarantulas's pacing gets. The tension's starting to get to him a little. Springer - he's - he's so close...

FakeProwl 9:40 pm

He sends Whirl an acknowledging ping for the warning. But even when Prowl switches from catwalks to hallways, he barely slows down, only near-stopping at the corners to peek around the edges before continuing on.

The only time he stops—for just a moment—is when Whirl tells him this is the door. And then he walks up, pushes the button to open the door, and enters.

In all the time since Garrus-9—in all the time that Prowl spent going back and forth with the medics and Wreckers over Springer's care—Prowl never once visited Springer himself. Never had the time, what with... what with everything. Never had an excuse that sounded reasonable. This is the first time he's seen him.

He looks too neat. His body is too new. It's never been used. It almost looks fake, like a statue. They left his nose broken, though. Heh. Must've put it in his medical file...

... He's not here to stare at Springer. His gaze jerks away, to one of his monitor screens. «Right. What—what's next?»

ItsyBitsySpyers 9:46 pm

This, above everything else, is what Soundwave has been waiting to see. He's been wanting to watch how long Prowl stares at Springer the first time he gets up close, to see if Springer really does mean nothing or if Prowl is hiding a creator's concern behind it all.

He keeps his conclusion to himself.

[[You need to hide our bridge. You must activate the false wall file he gave you to cover the initial sign of our approach.]] He nods to Whirl. Most, if not all of the descriptions have turned out to be accurate. [[He will take over from there. When he is ready, he will call the others through.]]

Whirl 9:50 pm

Whirl flicks his helm away for the screen and stares at Soundwave for a moment. He stares at him, inscrutable, for a moment before he nods and steps away from the screen.

Tarantulas 9:55 pm

Tarantulas is secretly thankful for Prowl's staring - that means he can stare too. Oh, Springer... This is the reason Tarantulas hasn't visited Springer since crossing into this universe - he just gets too damn emotional whenever he sees him. It takes a paw to his chest and a few quiet ventilations to get himself under control.

Why. This isn't even HIS Springer, HIS Ostaros. But maybe it's Tarantulas's failures back in his home universe that're making this all the more poignant.

FakeProwl 9:57 pm

«Got it.» He looks around for cameras; the ones he can see seem to be pointed toward Springer. Even so, he shuts the door behind him. No need to raise suspicions if someone walks by.

He walks to the back of the room, and projects the false wall where it will blend into the real wall. «Ready.»

ItsyBitsySpyers 10:11 pm

Soundwave waits a second or two to make sure it holds - it does - and turns on his heel, walking out of the room and toward a newly-opening bridge.

400 mile limitations get a little bit funny when walking through a rip in space and time. Nothing happens while he steps through the first half of the tunnel, but as soon as he crosses into the second half, everything in Springer's room disappears beneath an imitative bubble. It's not perfect - Buzzsaw could have done better if he'd seen the place in person instead of through pictures and descriptions - but it should hide them from any prying optics for a -short- while. Long enough for Soundwave to tap into the security systems, steal footage of the room before they entered, doctor it, and feed it back in as current input, at least.

Frenzy and Rumble quickly unfold and jump down to help him attach strange little devices to the monitoring equipment. Tarantulas and Whirl will be in here any moment, and they can't have anything screaming

ItsyBitsySpyers 10:13 pm

about a missing vital sign or detached cable - especially when nothing looks out of place to an outside observer.

It'll take them a couple of hurried minutes. Tarantulas and Whirl will get their pings as soon as they're done.

FakeProwl 10:16 pm

As soon as Soundwave passes through, Prowl drops the false wall and hurries to... well, hover uselessly behind him, he supposes. In case he's needed for anything. Doesn't look like he will be, though.

He sets down the projector and dispenser so he can switch back to his real avatar—hopefully for the last time—and slide them back into his holsters.

Whirl 10:18 pm

Whirl steps through as soon as he gets his signal and wordlessly gets to work, shuffling away from Tarantulas so they're not tripping all over each other.

He doesn't use his fine manipulators, because he doesn't need to, yet; he's surprisingly dexterous even with his claws--maybe even surprisingly so--and doesn't have any real trouble doing his part at this point.

ItsyBitsySpyers 10:19 pm

Ah, ah. No useless hovering right now. Prowl gets a feeler claw filled with more of the little cylinders Rumble and Frenzy are sticking on, as well as instructions to go help them out. The less he's doing himself, the better he can focus on keeping the bubble up.

Tarantulas 10:24 pm

A moment's hesitation after the ping, but Tarantulas follows after Whirl with a nervous skip in his step.

Then it's off to work extracting Springer from all his machines. A few pieces of equipment get snatched out of Tarantulas's subspace here and there, one of which gets attached to Springer's chest directly over his spark.

(Tarantulas is so /close/ to him. Springer, he's - he's right there. And so peaceful, unlike the last time Tarantulas saw him... No, don't think about it. Don't.)

FakeProwl 10:27 pm

Prowl holds out his cupped hands to take the cylinders, watches Rumble and Frenzy a moment to make sure he understands how to attach them, and then quickly gets to work adding them to the machines.

ItsyBitsySpyers 10:36 pm

Soundwave nods to himself, pleased to see Tarantulas and Whirl both working on Springer instead of bickering with each other or expressing mistrust about what they're doing. He really didn't want to have to cover more than the bare minimum of audio as well. This is good.

He pings Chimera with the signal for the beginning of the next stage when there are only a few connections left. Another bridge soon opens, this time to the laboratory site mentioned during their last meeting.

(txt): Move ahead, inspect. All will follow when clear.

Tarantulas 10:42 pm

No, Tarantulas is too caught up in his own head to bicker with Whirl. He's keeping an optic on Whirl's work, but he hasn't seen any missteps yet, so they're all in the clear.

«Just a moment and we'll have Springer prepped to go as well - no reason to tarry.»

Whirl 10:43 pm

Whirl glances up, once, but remains uncharacteristically silent, and lowers his head to his work once more.

FakeProwl 10:44 pm

A nod, and Prowl heads through the bridge.

On the other side, as expected, is the Decepticon lab. Also as expected, it's dark. Nothing but the space bridge illuminates the room, but it's enough to confirm that the lab definitely isn't in use, and probably hasn't been for a while. He switches from camo to his regular paint job and turns on his headlights.

«All clear. There's a medical berth at 2 o'clock from the space bridge; carry Springer there and watch your step, there's some boxes near the berth's base.» He moves to the far side of the berth himself, to stay out of the others' way.

Tarantulas 10:52 pm

As soon as Tarantulas is assured Springer's disconnected and roughly stabilized, he steps back from Springer, transforms into spider mode, and sizes up a bit. «Ready when you are, Whirl.» And now he's sidling up to Springer's berth as close as he can get, crouching down on all eight legs for a smooth transition.

Whirl 10:56 pm

"Don't drop him, now." Whirl walks back and forth a moment, sizing Springer up. He starts with the torso, bracing one leg up against the side of the bed and scoots him carefully with his claws.

And then he scoots his lower half. Upper half. Lower half. Veeery careful. And then, plop, you've got a Springer on your back.

Tarantulas 10:59 pm

«As IF.» The derision in his words is almost tangible.

And now Tarantulas is on his way, his steps silent, steady, and painstakingly-careful. He's not wasting any time being slow though - he's through the bridge and over to the berth in a matter of seconds, not minutes.

Whirl 11:00 pm

Whirl will hover at his side, watching closely and ready to intercede as he needs.

ItsyBitsySpyers 11:16 pm

Soundwave waits until they're both into the bridge to stretch his feelers out, brushing them against or wrapping them around every machine Prowl and the twins modified. Control of the bubble passes to Ravage and both birds while Soundwave busies himself with mimicking vital signs and making sure the new camera footage is ready to go.

Rumble and Frenzy hurry to collect all of the devices they put up at the start, shoving them into subspace and marking them off on their mental maps. Not a single one can be left behind.

(They were going to, originally. Maybe with some form of self-destruct function to cover his tracks. But good medical equipment is rare enough as it is, and Primus knows the Wreckers won't stop until he's dead if they recover enough material to tie him to the scene.) Rumble hisses a //Done!// and drags Frenzy off by the arm, urging him to hurry in case something goes wrong.

Soundwave counts to ten to give them time, snaps his feelers loose and back into his chest with the speed of a tape measure, and - transforming - shoots through the bridge.

Machines beep and warble and screech in a medical panic. None of them are there to hear it, and none of them will be there when the Wreckers arrive.

Tarantulas 11:20 pm

No, this crew will be preoccupied with their very own Wrecker, one who's getting swiftly (but still carefully) transferred onto the medical berth Prowl had directed them to. Good. Perfect. This'd work just fine for the moment.

FakeProwl 11:22 pm

Prowl almost steps forward to help transfer Springer over—but then steps back again, just staying out of their way. He serves them best as a light for their work.

Whirl 11:22 pm

Whirl will help wrestle Springer into place and get him settled. "Well. So far we've somehow managed to avoid a COMPLETE fiasco." He looks up between his co-conspirators. "Let's see how long we can keep this up."

FakeProwl 11:25 pm

There's Springer secured. Prowl looks over at the bridge as Soundwave passes through; laserfire doesn't follow him as the bridge closes, so everything must have gone well.

"So we have. That's phase one completed." He looks down at Springer. "On to phase two."

#chat #slenderwave #chronosmith #araneamechanica #createdxgreat #operation springer

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thatcrazyfanfictionwriter · 7 years

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Secret of the Sewers: Stars and Scars

Hisako hadn't known what to expect when she had been pulled from that dumpster. A good part of her had believed that she would never wake up again, or that she would have been discovered and recaptured from those she had escaped from. Never had she expected to be rescued from her fate, and definitely not by the five creatures who had dubbed themselves her caregivers.

For a good month, she remained wary of them, the seed of distrust too deep-rooted in her heart to allow even a small sliver of hope to breach it. She kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, for the tests, machines and torture to begin. But it never did. Instead, none of them even thought about touching her. Sure the purple one, Donatello as he called himself, would come and clean her wounds and change her bandages, but only after explaining what he planned to do and swearing up and down he would not purposely cause her harm. He even apologized profusely for even the smallest wince or whimper she let out.

It was all so jarring for Hisako, having grown used to being treated as little more than an object. For the first time in her life, what she wanted and her well-being actually mattered. In fact, even though she could feel their curiosity, their desire to know more about her origin and her powers, nobody asked her. When she had questioned them about this lack of interrogations, the rat Splinter had just given her a calm smile.

"Your past and your powers are indeed intriguing to us." he had admitted. "But, it is clear you are not ready to discuss them. When you feel the time is right, we will be ready to listen, but until then, we will not push."

It was these kind words that gave Hisako the strength to finally start interacting with her caregivers. It had all started with Michelangelo, who had made it a habit of watching TV with her in the living room. Granted, she was still on the mattress they'd set up in the center, and he remained on the couch so wouldn't feel crowded. This time was different though. Hisako looked at the couch with a determined expression, gritting her teeth and preparing herself. She started crawling towards the couch, both her arms and her legs shaking from the strain the actions put on her. She made it to the couch cushions, but then found a small flaw in her plan.

She completely lacked the strength to pull herself onto the couch.

She was seconds from crying when a pair of hands came down, hooking underneath her armpits and pulling her onto the couch. She turned sharply to see Michelangelo smiling at her as he helped her get comfortable, even helping her re-wrap herself in her blanket. Once he finished, he returned to his spot, acting as if nothing happened. She snuggled into her blanket, then looked over at the orange turtle.

"Thank you Mik- Michel..." she tried.

"Mikey." the orange turtle interrupted. "You can call me Mikey."

Hisako looked over at Mikey, then back at the TV, the hint of a small smile playing on her face.

...

After this initial encounter with Mikey, Hisako found it easier to interact with her caregivers. She would find herself actually trying to contribute to their meal conversations, even if her voice was still too weak for her taste, and trying to move so she could watch the four turtles train. After a while, it just became second nature for the turtles to pick her up and bring her to wherever they were so she could be part of whatever they were doing.

Even with this inclusion into the strange dynamic of the subterranean home, Hisako still felt a nagging sensation tugging at her chest. She found herself staring at the opening leading into the cozy little home, her desire for freedom still prominent in her mind. During one of moments, the turtles and Splinter all observed her, knowing all too well what that look meant.

"She must be thinking about the surface." Leo mused, giving Hisako a sideways glance.

"Considering the shell she's been through, I'm surprised she hasn't tried to make for the door." Raph remarked, crossing his arms.

"Maybe she's afraid of what we'd do if she tried." Donny suggested. "I'll admit we've made progress with her over the past couple of weeks, but she's far from fully trusting us."

Splinter stroked his chin, contemplating the words of his sons.

"You may be right Donatello." He admitted, giving Hisako a sideways glance. "Perhaps a venture to the surface would help to ease her troubled mind, and help the reality of her position finally sink in."

"Yes!" Mikey cheered, punching the air. "We're going topside!"

Raph whacked Mikey hard, cutting off his cheers and giving him a glare.

"Keep your voice down, idiot." he hissed. "We're all right here."

"We can take her to the dump." Leo suggested. "Donny's been wanting to look for supplies anyhow."

"Once Hisako is fully healed, I'm hoping to begin some physical therapy to help her atrophied muscles." Donny explained. "Having the proper equipment would definitely help my efforts."

"Then go my sons, but be careful." Splinter told them all. "Hisako's mind is still fragile, and her body is weak. She may not be ready for your usual rambunctiousness."

"We'll be careful Sensei." Leo promised.

"See that you are." Splinter replied.

…

The lid of the manhole opened slowly as a large green hand pushed it out of the way. Two purple bandanna-covered eyes rose from the grate and looked around carefully.

"Coast is clear" Donatello said,

"Then move your shell!" Mikey said, as he pushed Donatello up.

Donatello climbed up grabbing Mikey's arm. He tugged Mikey, who was then followed up by Leo, who had Hisako on his back. Donny had used several straps to help secure her to Leo's shell, though she still clung to Leo's carapace as if afraid she'd fall off. Leo glanced back at her, giving her small smile.

"You doing alright Hisako?" he asked.

She gave a small nod, looking around the alley they'd entered. She was brimming with curiosity and wonder, eyeing everything as if it was the first time she was seeing it. Leo felt a twinge of relief enter his heart, having expected her to be terrified out of her find. Thankfully, she seemed much calmer than he could have ever hoped for. Maybe all the weeks she'd been with them had been more effective on her psyche than they'd originally believed.

While Leo kept an eye on Hisako, Raph finally emerged from the tunnel, giving a stretch.

"Ah, fresh air." he declared, rotating his shoulders. "Well, as fresh as NYC air can get."

"How's she doing?" Donny questioned.

"Better than any of us could have hoped." Leo replied, adjusting the straps holding Hisako. "Seems your hunch was right."

"Well, let’s see how well she handles the rooftop view." Mikey suggested, grinning. "It's a clear night after all."

"Great idea Mikey." Leo complimented, gesturing towards a fire escape. "Time to head up."

The others looked at each other and then to Hisako, who gave a nod in agreement as her curiosity fought back and latent fears still plaguing her. In a blur of green, the four turtles darted for the fire escape, clambering up to the top at record speeds. Michelangelo reached the top first with his arms raised high.

"And the crowd goes wild as Michelangelo crosses the finish line" He shouted, making peace signs as Leo, Donny, and then Raphael clambered to the top.

"Shut up, Mikey!" Leo loudly whispered, "You wanna wake up all of New York?"

More like everyone from here to Jersey." Raph quipped.

"You're just mad because I'm the greatest ninja of all time." Mikey taunted, sticking out his tongue.

Raph whacked Mikey on the back of the head, accidentally making the orange turtle bite his tongue. As he yelped in pain and rubbed his head, Leo glanced back at Hisako, smiling at the expression on her face. If she was in awe before, her mind had been completely blown by the scene before her

The lights of New York gave the tall structures along the skyline an almost ethereal feel to them, the gentle glimmer of headlights and tail signals from the streets below like shimmering rivers of red and white that could be seen for miles. The large silhouette of buildings seemed to go on forever, outlined by the dim color of the horizon that could be seen in the distance. As her gaze was drawn skyward, Hisako let out a gasp, witnessing a spectacle beyond her wildest imagination.

Above her, millions of tiny specks covered the sky. The vibrant colors of space shined down upon her, stars and space which seemed to extend for eternity. The heavens were alight with new lights and colors that Hisako had never seen before. Her eyes grew wider with excitement as she reached up in some innocent attempt to touch one.

"Wow." She whispered in bewildered wonderment, "This is amazing."

All four happily smiled, quietly high-threeing that their impromptu plan seemed to be working.

"Up for taking the scenic route, guys?" Leo asked.

"You don't even gotta ask." Raphael replied.

The four began to walk gently over the skyline, hopping from rooftop to rooftop as they quietly made their way over New York. After a good hour or two, they reached the large dimly lit sign which read 'New York Federal Waste Site' in white letters on the large green plate.

"Whelp, here we are." Mikey announced. "The fount of all our treasured belongings!"

Hisako was too enraptured by the sky to even register the orange turtle's declaration. Leo noticed this and chuckled.

"I'll stay with Hisako so she can keep enjoying the sky." he declared, loosening the straps and sliding Hisako into his arms. "You guys see what you can do about Donny's grocery list."

"You got it bro." Raph and Mikey sounded off, in unison leaping towards a rather large pile of garbage.

"You guys don't even know what I need!" Donny shouted as he chased after them.

"Long metal pipes to build a pair of balance bars!" Mikey listed off

"A pair of crutches you can easily repair and adjust!" Raph added.

"And enough scrap metal and cushioning to create a pair of braces for later down the line!" They both declared before busting out into laughter.

Donny turned a bit red, running his fingers through his hair.

"I guess you do know what I need." he muttered in an embarrassed tone.

Leo chuckled at his brother’s antics as he slid to the ground, leaning against the wall of the operation booth as he pulled Hisako into his lap. She leaned against him, using his plastron as a pillow as continued observing the sky. Looking up at the eternity of stars that stretched out before her, she gazed in wonderment as she began to trace some with her fingers. After several minutes of this, Leonardo glanced down at her, his curiosity piqued.

"What are you doing, Hisako?" he asked.

"The stars are like those connect the dot drawings Donny gave me." she explained, continuing her tracing. "That one looks like Master Splinter."

Leo glanced up, trying to find the stars she was pointing at. It didn't take long to find them, and he smirked at the fun little game she'd created.

"Nice one." he complimented before pointing to another cluster of stars. "I think a see a fire breathing dragon over here."

"That one there is a giant frog." Hisako declared, pointing at some more.

"And that one is an elephant!" Leo chimed in.

Leo found many other starry animals, spreading his arms out as wide as he could and pointing each one out. With each discovery, Hisako seemed to grow more and more relaxed. A rare smile played on her face as the two continued their game, unaware of their surroundings or the time that passed.

Their laughter and game quickly ended when a loud bang was heard in the distance. Leonardo instinctively ducked into the observation booth, dragging Hisako in with him as Mikey, Raphael, and Donny dove to safety as well. The bang, which turned out to be backfire from an old convertible, blasted again as the car rolled into the dump. Its old, balding white-wall tires rode across the rough gravel paths that crisscrossed the junkyard, sending tons of rock flying in its wake.

The deep red automobile made a turn before coming to a stop on the edge of a T in the road. The driver stepped out, a dark-skinned man wearing a dark red t-shirt with the word 'COME GIT SOME' emblazoned upon it, a black trucker style hat sitting upon his head. He grabbed the loose belt of his pants, pulling them up as he walked to the back door of the convertible and grabbed the smooth faux silver door handle on it, yanking open the door.

Stepping from the car was a man dressed the completely opposite of the driver. Fine jet black dress shoes laced with white laces, long black slacks which met to the clean cut Armani-styled business jacket. An almost burgundy dress shirt with a white tie around his collared neck and thick Aviators over his eyes despite the darkness of the evening. His hair was cut neatly, almost business-like with a small shadow of a beard. He rolled his sleeve up, looking at the gold watch wrapped around his wrist. His mouth pursed, clearly angry.

"Yo man, ain't they s'pose to be meeting us?" The driver spoke with a thick gangster drawl.

The man put his sleeve down, glaring at his driver.

"Ten minutes." He responded sharply, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it up "If they aren't here, we pull out and were never here. I don't want to stay in this filth any longer than I have to."

Leo stared down at the two men, then the scanned the darkness trying to find even the slightest sign of his brothers. While he looked, Hisako began to hyperventilate, clutching herself tightly as her crippling fear returned in droves. Leo pulled her close, holding her tightly in an attempt to silently reassure her that she was safe, even if he himself wasn't quite sure of the validity of that unspoken statement.

Where are the guys? He thought to himself.

Hisako glanced up at him, then hesitantly reached for the back of his neck. She paused, then took a deep breath and tapped the base of his skull. The skin where she touched began to tingle a bit. He scratched at it, then was thrown away when Hisako's voice suddenly echoed through his mind.

I think I can connect us to them, if you want.

After getting over the initial shock of what was going on, Leo regained his composure and attempted to reply back.

Do it, but don't strain yourself.

Hisako closed her eyes, trying to branch out the connection. Thankfully, after spending so long with the turtles, picking their thoughts out was much easier than she'd originally thought. Within a span of a few minutes, Leo could hear the rampant thoughts of his three brothers flowing through him.

Guys! He mentally shouted.

The turtles' thoughts all went silent as they registered what was going on. Of course, Mikey spoke up first.

Dude! I can hear you in my head!

Hisako's probably behind this. Donny surmised. You're more powerful than I originally thought.

Hisako didn't reply. Instead, she clutched her head, her eyes screwed shut as she tried so hard to keep calm and maintain the connection.

So loud...

The turtles all mentally apologized, making a genuine effort to keep their 'voices' down. Suddenly, the thought processes were interrupted by a low hum in the distance followed, by the sound of what felt like a steady beating drum. The five of them turned towards the suited man, who turned towards the oncoming noise in contempt.

"It's about damn time." the man in the suit snapped, dropping the spent cigarette and grinding it under his foot.

In the distance, a set of seven headlights began to drive down the rough gravel road. The suited man lit another cigarette, letting out a puff of smoke as he waited. The lights began to close in, revealing a set of five motorcycles following a large van. The entire fleet was imposing in nature, completely dwarfing the convertible, which now seemed little more than a child's toy. The van was colored black with paintwork and decals showing a distinctive purple Japanese dragon, its tail wrapped around in a coil with its main body, arms, and face aiming towards the front, a jet of fire erupting from its mouth.

The driver stepped out of the truck, roughly a seven foot tall man with long blonde hair tied back in a single stranded ponytail on the back of his neck. His entire body was made of huge muscles that put even the Hulk to shame. He walked forward, flanked by the five motorcycle riders who all wore the exact same riding gear and full faced helmets, slamming the door to the van and adjusting his long black trench coat. The suited man approached them as the dark-skinned driver followed.

The whole meeting was drowned out by the sounds emitting from the still running van. However, Donatello was close enough to them that he could focus on what they were saying, relaying the conversation back to his siblings mentally.

"So," The red dressed man started, barely even glancing at his over-sized companion as he scanned the area. "Do you have what you promised me?"

"Did you bring the money?" The man in the trench coat replied, his voice so deep that he almost didn't sound human.

What's going on? Mikey asked, watching them men with morbid curiosity.

Leo quickly analyzed the situation, not liking where things were going.

It looks like some sort of transaction is going down. Like in those old mob movies you're always watching on TV."

If that's the case, then something tells me that we're not gonna like the contents of that van. Donny mused.

Shush! Raph mentally hissed. They're doing something.

The man in the suit snapped his fingers, signaling to his driver. The punk went to the back of the convertible, opening the trunk and pulling out a plain black briefcase. He slammed the lid shut, then rejoined his boss. He then opened the briefcase, revealing several rows on stacked one hundred dollar bills filling the case. The trench coat man reached for the case, only for the punk to snatch it shut seconds before the behemoth could touch it.

"First show us the goods." the suited man demanded, taking another puff of his cigarette. "Then we'll talk price."

The trench coated man let out a low, feral growl that seemed to emanate from deep inside his massive frame. The sound sent shivers down the spines of the five onlookers, all of them sensing something deep inside the man that just wasn't normal.

What is with that guy? Raph questioned. Just watching this guy makes me want to crawl into my shell.

The trench coated man raised a fist and for a moment, the five of them thought he might try to hit the suited man. However, he simply banged on the rear doors of the van. Two of his men silently pulled the doors open. Inside the van, there were several large boxes stacked on top of each other. A third guy came over, pulling one of the boxes open to reveal a large row of weaponry that seemed to have been pulled straight from a science fiction film.

The trench coated man bent down and grabbed one of the weapons, a deep chrome weapon with a rectangular-shaped barrel painted black with a hand-grip covered in yellow and black striped tape. The stock was collapsible, and very bare with no real magazine, other than a small box that looked like it could barely fit one bullet. The trench coated man then reached onto the inside of the lid and grabbed onto a magazine, which was made of plastic, and slammed it into the gun.

"This is expensive piece of military hardware," the trench coated man said, his voice deep and almost animalistic cruel sounding. "HA-22 Coil gun, fused with electromagnets within the barrel and powered by lithium core within the gun that allows the bullet to be fired at nearly the speed of sound if not faster. This gun is currently worth millions on the black market."

The man in the red suit looked at the trench coated man suspiciously as he grabbed the gun. He placed it hand on it, attempting to get a good feel of the gun. He then aimed it towards a dismantled and pulled the trigger. The gun fired and within less than a second, the car's side exploded with the force of a grenade before flipping onto a pile of scrap metal. The red suit man smiled, looking at the gun with a greedy look in his eye.

"The Roses would greatly appreciate these weapons, Mr. Hun." He said coldly. "Unfortunately, I don't think you'll be getting your money this evening."

The trench coated man, who was apparently named Hun, raised a thin eyebrow, that single motion sending shivers down Hisako's spine. He then crossed his arms, every one of his large muscles relaxing.

Uh-oh. Donny muttered. I recognize that stance. Predators use it before they plan to attack.

Hisako was beginning to shake violently, small flashes of various red images flitting across the connection. Leo pulled his sister closer, trying to calm her down. They needed to get out of there, but they couldn't escape without being seen, so they would just have to wait until this exchange was over.

"I highly recommend that you rethink your previous statement." Hun warned, malice lacing his already menacing voice.

"I have thought about it," The red suited man said musingly as he aimed the gun at Hun. "But, you see, I can't in good conscious part with such a large sum of money. On the other hand, I see it as a great disadvantage on my part for you to have these weapons and not the Roses. And we can't have that can we?"

The sound of the coils humming in the barrel began to grow as the tip started to glow red hot. The Red Suited Man smiled as his finger danced on the trigger.

"Goodbye-"

"No!"

The scream left Hisako's mouth before she could stop herself. Almost immediately, Leo covered her mouth, pulling them deeper into the control room and under the main console. Unfortunately, the damage had already been done. Hun, the red suited man, his driver, and all five of the motorcycle riders all turned towards the sound of her scream.

"Who da fuck was dat?" the driver asked.

"It appears that we have an eavesdropper." the red suited man replied. "How unfortunate… for them."

The Red Suited Man quickly turned and aimed the gun at the direction where he'd heard the cry. His driver quickly pulled out a pistol, aiming his gun at the motorheads as a few more men began to emerge from the car, all of them armed.

Hun's eyes narrowed, turning to the motorheads and gesturing towards the van with his head. The motorheads nodded and got behind the van, draw their own guns in order to defend themselves.

Guys, we need to bail, now! Leo ordered.

How? Raph demanded. You and Hisako are pinned, and frankly, you can't fight and carry her at the same time!

I'm thinking! Leo screamed.

By now, the red suited man was drawing closer and closer to Leo and Hisako. They both closed their eyes, waiting to be discovered. However, before they were found, someone knocked over a small pile of garbage. It caused the red suited man to pause, turning towards the sound.

"Another one?" he muttered.

Using the momentary distraction, Leo took Hisako and leapt for the door, dunking behind the nearest pile of garbage for cover. Unfortunately, they were discovered, and when they made another run, the attackers were ready for them. The suited man turned and aimed the gun towards the two fleeing siblings, looking down the scope as he fired. The gun glowed bright red, but rather than fire anything, the gun exploded in the man's grip, showing him with shrapnel. He let out a shout of pain, stumbling back as Leo and Hisako moved to a safer position.

"What the hell?!" The man exclaimed. "Those guns were sabotaged!"

Hun just smirked, then picked up a large Gatling gun that had been resting in the trunk of the van. It was much bigger than anything that the man in the suit, or the turtles had ever seen before, and yet Hun lifted it like it was made of cardboard. The behemoth aimed it at the red suited man, giving him a cruel grin.

"Goodbye." he said before depressing the fire button.

In a sudden cacophony of sound, the gun fired rapidly, shredding the suited man to pieces with a seemingly endless spray of bullets. He didn't stop until the man fell, so obviously dead, then he turned his attention towards the man's driver. Once more, Hun opened fire, mauling down the man and riddling the convertible with bullets. One lucky shot managed to pierce the gas tank, sending the entire vehicle up in flames.

From their hiding spot, Leo clutched Hisako tightly, his tough carapace thankfully hard enough to protect the two of them from the few stray bullets that managed to pierce the trash pile. He could feel a few burning wounds on his arms and legs from where his shell didn't cover, but he couldn't afford to acknowledge them yet. Not with the hysterical girl currently curled in his lap. She was screaming into Leo's plastron, tears streaming down her face as an endless broadcast of red image began to cascade over the dump.

All around the motorheads and the turtles, images of eight foot tall humanoid red shapes began to appear. Their eyes and mouths glowing white as they pointed and laughed at random people. Suddenly the whole area became surrounded in a ring of almost purplish reddish fire. Hun looked around, his motorheads attempted to swing at them, but their weapons only flashed through them. Hun even tried to mow them down, but the bullets did nothing to the approaching nightmares.

"What is the meaning of this?" Hun shouted as his gun ran out of bullets.

As if to answer his question, a hideous taunting laughter filled everyone's minds. Blanketing their thoughts in fog, making it impossible to think rationally.

"Stop this, or I will kill you!" Hun replied, stumbling towards the van for a chance to reload.

Guys, are you all okay?! Leo sent out, praying that none of them had been mauled in Hun's desperate attempts to rid the dump of Hisako's images.

For now. Donny replied, his thoughts jittery and nervous. But if this keeps up, we're going to be turned into turtle chunks!

We need to get out of here. Leo declared. Before Hun manages to reload or they recover from Hisako's images.

We can't just leave! Raph countered. These are criminals and murderers! We need to make sure they don't hurt anyone again.

Hun managed to reach the van, grabbing a fresh ammo box.

"Oh no ya don't!" Raph shouted out loud.

Before he could begin reloading, Raph's sai embedded itself into the feeding belt. Hun froze, then turned just in time for the red turtle's foot to collide with his face.

Raph what are you doing?! Leo snapped.

Knocking some sense into these punks.

Raph then pulled his sai from out of the ammo belt, twirling it in his hand and he pulled its twin from his belt.

"Come on Bigfoot!" he taunted. "Show me Whatcha got!"

We better help him before he gets himself killed! Donny suggested.

"Finally!" Mikey said aloud, pulling out his nunchaku as he rose from his hiding spot. "Cowabunga!"

From two different areas of the dump, both Donny and Mikey emerged to cover their hot headed brother. Donatello was the first to reach the motorheads, planting his staff into the ground and kicking him to the ground. Another motorhead saw this and went to aid his fallen comrade. However, that's when Mikey jumped right in front of him.

"Surprise, dude." Mikey said before whacking him with his Nunchucks. "Yeah!"

One of the motorheads jumped onto one of the parked bikes, revving the engine to try and run the orange turtle. Mikey simply flipped out of the way, landing on the back of the cycle and kicking him free of his seat. This accidentally twisted the handle, sending the bike, the motorhead, and Mikey flying off of a junk pile. Mikey let go at the last second, rebounding off the pile and landing right in front of the fourth motorhead as he tried to make a hasty escape.

"Now where do you think you're going?" He asked as he spun his nunchaku, whacking the poor sap hard enough to shatter his helmet's visor.

The fifth and final motorhead ran to his bike, hoping to get away with his life. He pumped the ignition, only getting the failing grunts of the engine spinning but not turning over. He looked down to see a thin metal kunai knife piercing through the gas tank, the fuel dribbling into a small puddle beneath the bike. He grasped the handle of the weapon, pulling it free. He suddenly felt a gentle tapping on his shoulder. He turned around, and received a Bo staff to the face.

"That's mine." Donny declared, catching the knife as it fell.

As his compatriots fell around him, Hun was still dealing with the Red Images around him, as well as the red turtle that kept him on his toes. He lifted his fist attempting to punch at Raph, but the turtle easily ducked out of the way, delivering a punch of his own. Hun stumbled back, right into one of the shadowy creatures around him. He expected to run into the monstrous form, but instead he merely phased through it. His eyes widened slightly as he growled an inhuman sound.

"These aren't real." He murmured.

Raph cursed, jumping at Hun at an attempt to keep the behemoth from truly figuring out the secret of the Red images. Unfortunately, the monstrous man just swung his arm, clothes-lining the turtle and sending him to the ground hard. As Raph coughed and tried to regain his breath, Hun looked around, hoping to find the source of the images. Instead, all he saw was a pair of figures huddled near the observation booth. He grinned cruelly as he approached.

Leo heard the man approaching his hiding spot and tried to move. Unfortunately, the burning wounds on his legs instantly protested against such actions, forcing him back to the ground as Hun loomed over the two of them.

"I don't know how you're doing this, but this ends now." He declared, lifting a foot to bring it down on the two.

Leo barely rolled out of the way in time, Hun's foot missing him by scant inches. The behemoth snarled, then tried again, getting angrier with each failed attempt. Finally, Hun ceased trying to stomp and just grabbed at Leo, his meaty fingers entangling in the turtle's hair and yanking him to his feet. Leo dropped Hisako, his hands instinctively going to try and free his hair from Hun's grasp. Hisako landed hard on the ground, looking up at Hun and screaming louder.

"Get away from him!"

She grabbed Hun's leg, unsure of what to do but just praying that he would drop Leo. The second her skin touched his, it was as if his brain was being overloaded. His eyes beginning to spin so quickly they appeared blank as his memories flashed around him. People's voices flooded his mind, at a million words a second, scenes flooded his mind as if he was living his life ten times at once. He looked around and the world seemed to move so quickly it was still. He released Leo, who wasted no time in punching the man across the face and sending him falling to the ground unconscious.

"Leo!" Hisako cried, reaching for the blue turtle.

Leo quickly grabbed her, pulling her close and hugging her tightly.

"It's okay Hisako, I'm right here." he assured her.

With the motorheads down, the brothers began to make their way to Leo and Hisako, who was finally starting to calm down once again. Donny dropped to his knees next to Leo, looking over the wounds with an analytical eye as Raph gently took Hisako.

"You got lucky Leo." He declared. "You just got a couple grazes."

"Tell that to my legs." Leo replied, wincing hard. "I couldn't stand."

"You'll need a day or two to heal, but you'll be fine." Donny assured him, reaching into his ever present lab coat and pulling out a roll of bandages.

As the purple turtle saw to the medical needs of his brother, the quietness of the night was interrupted by the sound of distance police sirens. Mikey looked towards the bridge as flashing red and blue lights began to make their way towards their location.

"We need to get out of here!" Mikey exclaimed, "Po-Po closing in fast!"

"Medical attention will have to wait Don." Leo declared. "The last thing we need is to end up on the Channel 6 News."

"You're in no position to run Leo, and we can't run and drag you at the same time." Donny reminded him, quickly tying off the last of the bandages.

"What do we do?" Hisako asked nervously.

Mikey turned towards the currently unoccupied vehicles still sitting.

"Why run when you can ride?" Mikey questioned, snagging Hisako and running for the van. "Grab Leo and let's go!"

Both Donny and Raph grabbed Leo by an arm, pulling him between them and half dragging, half carrying him to the van. Mikey had already deposited Hisako into the passenger seat, buckling her in before throwing the rear door open for his brothers. They quickly sat Leo down in the back, pushing out the remaining weaponry to make room. Mikey climbed in as well, then offered a hand up for Raph.

"C'mon dude!" he exclaimed. "Get in."

Raph glanced at one of the motorcycles, then smirked, grabbing one of the motorheads and relieving him of his helmet.

"No way am I passing up a free motorcycle." he declared, gunning the engine.

"Suit yourself." Mikey replied, slamming the doors shut.

"Donny, get us out of here." Leo ordered.

Donny scampered into the driver's seat, buckling quickly before slamming his foot on the gas, peeling out of the junkyard seconds before the cops arrived.

#Hisako #TMNT #Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #Secret of the Sewers #fanfiction

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