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But will their plan succeed? There's so much left to do, and time is running out.", "description_bbcode_parsed": "Finally, the mystery unravels. But will their plan succeed? There's so much left to do, and time is running out.", "writing": "\"Tempus.\"\n\nJacent wore a curious expression, walking briskly alongside Kelvalde as they made their way down the damaged subway tunnel. \"What?\"\n\n\"You asked me my inkling's name; it's Tempus.\" He flashed a smile. \"You should feel lucky- you're one of very few people who gets to know that.\"\n\nThe red-haired boy chuckled. \"So why tell me?\"\n\nKelvalde considered it a moment. \"After enough time, you get to be a pretty good judge of character.\" He seemed amused by something. \"And I admit, I've always been a sucker for the cute ones.\"\n\nJace was a bit staggered- even with his proclivity for showing off his chest, he would never have pegged Kelvalde as being gay... would he? Ah, but that was the wrong way of thinking. His new acquaintance wasn't straight or gay- there was no such animal in this world, and he had to be careful not to treat the idea that men would like other men as a strange minority any more than he could be surprised at Nat and Cat. \"Um, thank you,\" he responded politely. It was insane how many social interactions could change given one little dynamic.\n\n\"It's tough being out of your time, isn't it?\" The husky laughed. \"Everything's upside down in ways you could never expect.\"\n\n\"Is it ever,\" Jacent admitted in a moment of weariness. \"In my time, I was considered a new age futurist, a bleeding-heart extremist. Now I feel like some kind of neanderthal who got beamed onto the Enterprise.\"\n\n\"Food's different...\"\n\n\"Those aroma packets are so weird. And meat plants??\"\n\n\"Sex is different...\"\n\n\"I thought OC was a popular game or something!\"\n\n\"You can't even go to the bathroom without having the future all up in your business.\"\n\n\"I was pretty stoutly opposed to that at first, but admittedly, you can't beat the cleanliness and convenience...\" He cocked a brow. \"Wait a minute, what would you know about any of that? You can't be any older than I am!\"\n\nKelvalde smiled at him opaquely. \"I have a lot of perspective... and a rich family history.\"\n\n -\n- -\n -\n\nErwin relished the chance to do what he did best in private. simply being told to work his mechanical magic preserved a sense of illusion about his expertise, as if he were some kind of magician. The downside to this, of course, was that mythology bred expectation... and he was stuck in reality.\n\n\"Hey, Erwin.\"\n\nHe looked back at the diminutive tiger boy they'd rescued. \"Oh, hey Aren.\"\n\nHe tilted his head inquisitively, looking at the mess of electrical contacts and trying to imagine what was being accomplished. \"Whatcha doin'?\"\n\nThe question reflexively annoyed him a little, but he had to admit that the kid couldn't break his concentration when he was only thinking in circles. \"I'm trying to find a way to remove the magnetoscopic variance projector from the control unit without removing the frame... mostly because I can't move the frame without power tools.\"\n\n\"Ohhh.\" Aren nodded. \"That [u]is[/u] hard.\"\n\nThe ferret gestured that he understood. \"Exactly. If I try to pull it out without removing the frame, the magnets will just rip it apart.\"\n\nA silence passed between them.\n\n\"... Have you tried the popsicle trick?\" the tiger asked.\n\nThis out-and-out baffled Erwin. \"What's that?\"\n\n\"Well, my friend and me were trying to get one of those out of his toy train, but the whole thing was welded together. So we took a piece of metal and put it in the, um, circle part there-\"\n\n\"Transformer recess.\"\n\n\"-Right! Then we just pulled it out, like a popsicle.\"\n\nThe ferret looked incredulously at him, then at the console and back again. \"Of course! The magnets inside have to focus on the scrap metal-\"\n\n\"-And let go of the frame, yep!\" Aren's tail flicked this way and that, happy to explain his technique.\n\nErwin grabbed a support rod he'd removed to get at the control panel, stuck it into the recess, and lo and behold, pulled the projector out, smooth as butter. He grinned mutually at the tiger boy. \"... Not bad, Aren... not bad at all. C'mon, let's go tell Natalie it's time to get out of here.\" \n\n -\n- -\n -\n\nAlliston Madriccie walked in endless circles around the makeshift fortress that was the Burger Dictator. She splashed in puddles under the drab grey sky, wishing that there were something more interesting going on than the odd shuffler or crawler that neared the place- easily deterred by big blasts of shattered ice. \"Mmnh. I wish I had my bandana. Didn't we make it up enough fighting that foxy cabin boy?\"\n\n\"She didn't take our hats as punishment, dummy,\" replied her raccoon friend, who patrolled invisibly alongside her. \"She took them so she could use our powers.\"\n\n\"Ohhhhh,\" she realized. \"Yeah, that be makin' more sense. Um. So... I can't believe Nat 'n her pals are for real life superheroes.\"\n\n\"Yeah... I know. We made fun of her for trying to live like a comic book character, but here she is.\"\n\nThe vixen formed a cluster of snowflakes in her palm, then blew them away to melt in the breeze. \"... Ever wonder if maybe... I dunno...\"\n\n\"... We've been on the wrong side?\" Coul finished.\n\n\"Yeah...\" Allie's ears drooped guiltily.\n\n\"I've been wondering that forever,\" he admitted, materializing. \"I mean... Nat plays the hero, straight up. Truth, justice, blahdeblah. Carrie just follows her lead. But Cedric... I don't know. I can't really call him evil. He's a jerk, sure, but... he taught me that sometimes you need to break rules.\" He sighed. \"I got in trouble all the time. All I wanted to do was go places I wasn't supposed to. I wanted to sneak in, find adventure! But there was always somebody waiting to tell me I was wrong. Cedge never did that. He's never been afraid of consequences. I really admired that.\"\n\n\"I know!\" Alliston agreed. \"I like Cedgie, he's always got a plan. But it's like he's two different people sometimes. When I got kicked off the cheerleading squad, I just hated everyone. I wanted everybody to know how [i]wrong[/i] it was, what happened to the whole squad... but everyone just blamed me for it. I hated it. He didn't, though- Cedgie was the only one who was nice to me that whole time.\"\n\nCoul sighed. \"Yeah. Sometimes he's actually warm... but other times, he's just so... his ambition just blocks everything else out. He gets so mad, he sounds crazy.\"\n\nThe fox girl considered it a moment. \"He said he only thought he was in control. D'ya think maybe...\"\n\n\"Maybe.\"\n\nA long silence ensued.\n\n\"Y'know. Maybe being in Natalie's crew wouldn't be so bad,\" admitted Allie.\n\nCoul shook his head and frowned at the pavement. \"... After all that's happened? We could never be in Natalie's crew.\"\n\n\"... A plea against the ocean of possibilities; 'never' is here in no time.\"\n\nThe two youths turned, spotting Samantha's father, puffing his pipe near the exit of the restaurant.\n\n\"Barnabus Holmestock said that,\" he appended. \"In answer to a colleague who said they'd never be able to run a train across the sea. Time saw him out; he very much had the right of it.\"\n\n\"... But what does that mean?\" puzzled Coul.\n\n\"Arr, we be kinda dumb,\" admitted Alliston, smiling apologetically.\n\nDr. Masterson made a sound that might have been a laugh, to someone with sharp enough ears. \"It means that my daughter's friend is many things... but 'unforgiving' has never been one of them. She sees past flaws and masks, susses out what people truly are at their core.\"\n\n\"Which is why her pack is so weird,\" intuited the vixen.\n\n\"Indeed. I can't think of one of her good friends that didn't start out with a misunderstanding. Ask her about it sometime.\"\n\nCoul nodded reluctantly. \"Alright. I just don't think- Dr. Masterson, watch out!\"\n\n\"Eh??\" The older gentleman found himself accosted by a cyclopean horror that had rounded the corner to get the drop on them. He was pushed out of the way by Coul, who took an errant strike to the arm, grunting in pain.\n\n\"Oh, no ya don't!\" Alliston formed a heavy ice anchor, swinging it baseball-style into the shuffler's face and bowling it over... directly onto an ice sled she'd made moments earlier. \"Have a nice trip, matey!\" She kicked the sled, sending it careening off into the distance with its punch-drunk cargo in tow. She cheered victoriously, looking to Coul, who helped up Samantha's father with his good arm. \n\n\"Well, that was odd,\" Vincent noted.\n\n\"What was?\" asked the raccoon, accepting a soothing icy hand from his friend on the bruise.\n\nThe bat dusted himself off. \"For a moment there, you two looked suspiciously heroic.\"\n\nCoul and Allie blushed at each other. Maybe so...\n\n -\n- -\n -\n\nThis day was getting to be more exhausting than the one previous. Samantha didn't know what was worse- the frightful attacks, or all the walking.\n\n\"I think Gropey likes you, Sam!\" Max exclaimed, talking about the slime on his shoulder that had been staring at her for the past five minutes. \n\n\"Scratch that, I do know what's worse.\" The bat girl rolled her eyes and shuddered. \"Max, of all the things to do when we're constantly in danger, you take on a monster as a pet??\"\n\n\"They're not monsters, though, they're aliens,\" Erwin observed.\n\nSam tilted her head. \"What's the difference?\"\n\nThe ferret adjusted his glasses for emphasis, as was his habit. \"If you think about it, they're just like us. People and animals from other worlds, getting taken over by Osoth. We see things like, um, Gropey... and we think they're awful monsters. But they're victims just like we are. The stomper, shufflers, crawlers, even the big dragon thing from the train... all just being transported here and used by Osoth to help her do to this planet what she did to theirs.\"\n\nThe bat girl's ears wilted. \"... I never thought of it that way. Now I feel sort of bad for us beating on them.\"\n\n\"Don't,\" Carrie refuted stoutly. \"We're backed against a corner with no other options. Besides, we're not killing 'em, even after they took your leg. As far as I'm concerned, we're in the right.\"\n\n\"True,\" Natalie agreed, a bit more cautiously than her counterpart. \"As long as we don't go around killing things, I think we're okay.\"\n\nHaving been quiet up until this point, Aren piped up with a big, supportive smile. \"You're the best, Natalie; I know you'd never do the wrong thing.\"\n\nThe wolf looked down at him, returning his smile... hoping he was right.\n\n\"Oh, hey!\" The tiger called out. \"That's him!\"\n\n\"Who? What?\" Nat gazed to where he was pointing, down the tunnel, and spotted two figures standing at the central hub for the subway gates.\n\n\"Kelvalde!\" Aren grinned and waved, speeding up his pace and spurring the rest to follow. \"Hey, Kelvalde!\"\n\n\"Oh, and Jacent, too. Guess who was right?\" Cat smirked as they all strode over.\n\n\"Hey there, tiger!\" Kelvalde crouched down and hugged the little rascal, looking him over. \"You okay?\"\n\nHe nodded enthusiastically. \"I'm fine! N- uh, Echelon rescued me.\"\n\n\"Echelon, huh?\" Kelvalde stood to face the girl with an easy smile that spoke of worldly experience. \"You've got a lot of guts to stand up to Osoth.\"\n\n\"What do you mean?\" Nat asked curiously.\n\nThe husky took a deep breath, as if deciding something after much thought. \"I guess it's inevitable now, isn't it.\" He stepped toward a pile of incapacitated shufflers, now obviously his handiwork. \"To really help you understand would be a long story. You sure you're up for it?\"\n\n\"Well,\" Erwin mentioned, \"I do kind of have to rip the projectors out of these trains so Osoth can't use them to get to Anchorsway. The rest of the trans are all right here in the hub; why doesn't everyone just wait here while I do my stuff? I can conference you on my PET.\"\n\nKelvalde nodded. \"Ah... Tenny, why don't you put in some earpads and play a video game?\" The little tiger nodded, understanding when he was being asked not to listen to something not meant for his ears. \"Then have a seat, kids... while I tell you a little bit about Inked history.\"\n\n~(_)~\n\n\"Once upon a time, the race known as the Inked were peaceful and prosperous. They lived in harmony with their hosts, each using their advantages to grow stronger, more learned, and more able to expand their horizons. They had a leader then, too: Queen Arifice, from whom all other inklings sprang forth. She was infinite in patience and kindness, living in conjunction with the host race's own queen for so long that they became one person. Immortal, yet impervious to the wear of time on her soul and the weight of rule on her head, she led fairly and with humility.\n\n\"But perfection could never last in the face of envy. Osoth, then just a nameless subject, felt that Arifice squandered her incredible power. Osoth wished to bond with fearsome creatures that lurked in the darker reaches of space, not stay tied to the harmless, comfortable people that their kind had grown so close to. \n\n\"And so, after thousands of years guiding her people-inked and inkling both- through generations of prosperity, Queen Arifice was rewarded for her efforts not with a celebration of all she had accomplished, but a knife in the back. Osoth, in her treachery, slew the peaceful Queen, and consumed her monstrously. In so doing, she took not just the beloved ruler's life, but her power to create other inklings... and thus, to control them.\n\n\"Unused to fighting for too many generations to even remember how, the people were unable to avenge their fallen queen. Those who surrendered to Osoth were immediately set to work against their fellows, and those who resisted... were killed and consumed by this terrible new ruler, then remade into new servants for her to command.\n\n\"But even in total victory, this new leader of the Inked was wracked with paranoia. She questioned the loyalty of all who had come from the old kingdom, and slew their hosts. Those remaining few were forced to bond with base creatures of little to no intelligence, and made to prove themselves time and again. Of course, being bonded with these monsters drove those few surviving inklings of Arifice absolutely insane. Now they are the most terrifying of her servants- General Laibon, Gatemaker Parthal, and Dreamless Urgai.\"\n\n~(_)~\n\n\"We've fought them!\" Carrie blurted out, interrupting him.\n\n\"Have you now?\" Kelvalde cocked a brow.\n\n\"Well, the first two, anyway,\" she admitted. \"I don't think we met that last one, but we kicked Parthal and Laibon's big jelly asses! They're done!\" Cat smirked proudly.\n\n\"Really!\" Kelvalde smiled. \"You were able to separate them from their hosts and banish them to Canvas?\"\n\n\"... Um, actually just the first part,\" Max corrected. \"They sorta just slime into the ground and stuff. Kinda like Gropey does!\" He stroked the eternally staring goo ball that rested contentedly on his big, round head.\n\nKelvalde took a deep breath and tried not to look disappointed. \"Well, I'm sorry to say that while impressive, your victories were, unfortunately, hollow.\"\n\n\"Wait, what??\" Natalie sputtered. \"You're kidding! How??\"\n\nHe chuckled. \"How about letting me finish?\"\n\n\"Please,\" Jacent implored patiently despite his piercing, analytical gaze. \"Go on.\"\n\n ~(_)~ \n\n\"Without a host, as you probably know, inklings tear apart in this three-dimensional world. Known as 'the bleed,' this effect is what makes us so desperate to stay bonded with someone. Even inking over our hosts can have some bleeding, but nothing like just being completely unbonded in this world. Over time, one can learn to control the rate at which they bleed, but it takes time. Ordinary inklings are quite vulnerable, whereas elites tend to be quite a bit tougher. Neither hold a candle to elder inklings like Laibon and Parthal, however, who can use control over their form to become amorphous living weapons.\n\n\"Knowing this, you might ask why we don't simply stay in our home world, where our bodies aren't pulled on by the forces of reality. It's a valid question, one that Osoth posed and answered herself: there wasn't any good reason not to. She ordered all inklings without hosts to stay on Canvas and await her hour of need.\n\n\"When the time came, however, Osoth found not the sharp-witted soldiers she left, but happy, clueless little children. It became obvious too late that while Canvas rejuvenated an inkling's body, its simple, soothing plane of existence sapped the mind of its residents to a state of childlike simplicity. \n\n\"Thus began Osoth's reign of terror. She conquered planet after planet, world after unsuspecting world, claiming its residents as mindless shells for her soldiers. Those like animals were easy to break, but inklings become more like their hosts the longer they stay bonded, and while loyal, bestial soldiers were unable to follow complicated orders. \n\n\"Intelligent species existed, but to her dismay, could resist bonding through force of will. She tried dominating them time and again, but her increasingly harsh tactics only gave them more resolve and killed far too many. She ended up with only a handful left alive each time, giving them to her top soldiers as grisly gifts while leaving the majority of her people to the scraps.\n\n\"Soon she learned the value of fear. Fear could break people before they had a chance to fight back, and allow her far more spoils than normal... and it doesn't seem that she's apt to change tactics anytime soon.\"\n\n ~(_)~\n\n \"Wow...\" Natalie marveled. \"So the only way to really defeat Osoth is to separate them and lock her away on Canvas.\"\n\n\"Easier said than done, I should say,\" Sam noted with a hint of exasperation. \"I'm still hung up on the betrayal of Queen Arifice... she sounded so wonderful.\"\n\nKelvalde nodded. \"Believe me, we all miss her.\"\n\nJacent cleared his throat from his position of leaning against a support pillar, arms folded. \"You keep referring to yourself as if you were one of the inklings. And I notice that you haven't explained your role in all this.\"\n\n\"Ah.\" Kelvalde smirked at the red-haired boy. \"Sharp as ever. My inkling, Tempus, boasts powers of longevity. What this means is that however old you think I am is going to be a severe underestimate. In reality, I've been around for a long, long time, and I'm far from the first human to bond with Tempus; he's been handed down in my family from generation to generation, blending his experiences with my ancestors' and my own. I'm a person all my own, but sometimes it's still hard to feel like separate entities.\"\n\nSam became incredibly curious. \"So, does Tempus-... um, do you... remember serving under Queen Arifice?\"\n\nThe husky shook his head. \"Sadly, no. I was created as a prized agent of infiltration for each intelligent planet- a sleeper agent that Osoth could pull out of her sleeve at a moment's notice. I got [i]quite[/i] tired of her insane, cranky ass, so while seemingly on assignment, I decided to head for Earth and hide amongst humans. I've been enjoying the heck out of it, too- this culture is incredible!\" \n\nCarrie folded her arms. \"Yeah, well, the jig's up- she's here. Whatcha gonna do now?\"\n\n\"Fight with us, Kelvalde!\" Jacent implored him inspiringly. \"Put your skills as a warrior to good use. Awaken your inner dragon!\"\n\n\"You've awakened my inner dragon just fine,\" the canine grinned, much to Jacent's dismay.\n\n\"Come on, Kelvalde, you should totally join 'em!\" Lil' Tenny chimed in.\n\n\"Hey, what happened to video games?\" He cocked a brow at the tiger boy, who just gave him a cheeky grin and a shrug. Kelvalde thought heavily about it, seeing only one eventuality and not liking it. \"Of all the planets she had to come and stomp on...\" He sighed and smiled up at them with a small note of exasperation. \"Alright. I'm in.\"\n\n\"Great!\" Nat grinned. \"Natalie Grayswift.\" She extended a hand. \"And this is Sam, Max, Carrie, the nerdy one is Erwin, and you know Jacent.\"\n\n\"Glad to meet all of you.\" He bowed politely to them, but shook Natalie's hand regardless. \"I do have one caveat for you- I may be a decent fighter, but I have a feeling your gorgeous redhead was going easy on me. I'd make a lousy front liner, but I'll help in my own way.\"\n\nCat shifted her weight from one foot to another. \"Which is?\"\n\n\"Materials! Information! [i]Ingenuity[/i].\" He stressed that last part especially. \"I've already increased your knowledge of the enemy by multiples- imagine what I can do with a little time. Here, I'll seed my PET name to you, so we can stay in contact.\"\n\n\"You said you have materials,\" Erwin noted, emerging from the final train, laboriously lugging a duffel bag full of variance projectors. \"I'm trying to build a signal blocker; though there's no guarantee it will work, we plan to use it to turn a building into a safe haven from Osoth's influence.\"\n\n\"Brilliant!\" Kelvalde commended him after a moment of thought. \"I'd never considered it, but with today's tech... how far along are you?\" he asked, fascinated.\n\nErwin set the bag of components next to the husky. \"I have the magnetoscopic variance projector... well, ten of them, really. You wouldn't happen to have a five-cycle power coupling or anisotropic brainwave catalyst lying around, would you?\"\n\nHe chuckled. \"Um, no. I [u]do[/u] own a newly-renovated apartment building in Locksmouth, however. If it's still standing, you can use that as your safe haven.\"\n\n\"That's great, Kelvalde!\" Natalie agreed enthusiastically. \"Don't worry, we'll find those other two parts elsewhere.\"\n\n\"Great!\" The husky shouldered Erwin's duffel bag. \"I'll lighten your load and take these back to the old place, lock them up in a safe place. I'll take Lil' Tenny with me, as well.\"\n\n\"Are you sure?\" Nat queried pensively. \"It's pretty brutal out there.\"\n\nHe smirked and unpocketed an electronic key. \"Well I'm not walking it, if that's what you're thinking! I left a PeTra parked outside before I left. I'd offer you a ride, but it's a two-seater.\"\n\n\"Don't worry, Kelvalde,\" Jacent assuaged him. \"We do not shrink from danger.\"\n\nKelvalde grinned. \"I know I don't shrink from Danger.\"\n\n\"Stop that!\" Jace winced helplessly.\n\n\"Bye Natalie, bye Carrie,\" Lil' Tenny waved to them both happily. \"If anyone was gonna save us from aliens... I'm glad it's you guys.\"\n\nThey waved, smiled, and watched the two leave the gloom of the abandoned Subtran Station. Carrie chuckled. \"Cute kid. Did he stare at your boobs non-stop, too?\"\n\nNatalie gave her a look as if she didn't understand, coming up from staring directly at her breasts. \"Sorry, were you saying something?\"\n\n -\n- -\n -\n\n\"So, where to next, Erwin?\"\n\nThat was the question, wasn't it? As the occasional lazy raindrop plinked onto the screen of his PET, the ferret checked and re-checked his figures while Jacent made sure his flamboyant bicycle was still operational, and Max played with his gelatinous new pet. \"I... dunno yet, let me check my diagram for a minute.\"\n\n\"Take your time, Erwin,\" Natalie assured him, crouching to observe Gropey making cute little splashes in a puddle he was placed in; he seemed to really like the rain. \"We have to plan our moves carefully, or we'll have wasted way more time than rushing in would save us.\"\n\n\"Y'know Natalie, you're a really good leader,\" Max observed. \"You make great decisions, like going to fix the weather station, trusting Echelon, building this doohickey instead of going blindly after your mom... you're great at this!\"\n\nNat smirked, humbled a bit. \"Aw, Max. Thanks, buddy. I really apprec-\" She blinked at the empty puddle. \"Where's Gropey?\" The wolf girl stood up and looked around. \"Oh, geez, what happened?? He was here just a second ago...\"\n\n\"Oh, goodness!\" \n\nMax and Carrie tried to stifle their snickering as Sam simply looked on, aghast. Natalie blinked, utterly confused. \"Guys, what's so funny? Gropey's missing!\"\n\n\"He's... not missing, Natalie,\" Jacent confessed, blushing. \"You may wish to look behind you.\"\n\nNatalie turned around left and right, seeing nothing, before twisting to look over her shoulder. There sat Gropey, staring up at her in all his expressionless simplicity, latched onto her bulbous left butt cheek. \"Ah?! What're you doing there??\"\n\nMax and Carrie watched with growing hysterics, laughing loudly and taking several moments to collect themselves... only to burst back into laughter upon seeing Natalie's attempts to remove the grappled grabber, bent forward and pulling on the stretchy blob with zero dignity and even less effectiveness. Even Jacent, Erwin and Sam couldn't help giggling at the sight. Finally, the iguana pulled himself together enough to rub the creature's side soothingly, gently removing him with one final ~pop~. \"Whew... Gropey likes latching onto big, round things. I think they're s'posed to hang onto their parent until they're bigger. That's prolly why he likes being on my head.\" He comforted the little thing before placing it on his crown.\n\n\"I'm sorry, Sugarbutt, but that was gold,\" Carrie struggled to stop laughing, wiping a tear from her eye.\n\nNat rolled her eyes with a smirk. \"Alright, alright, so Gropey's a comedian, now, too.\" She playfully glared at the tiny monster. \"You got a destination for us yet, Erwin?\" She noticed him staring at his PET in shock. \"... Erwin?\"\n\n\"... Yes. My next destination is the Museum for Collossal Idiots; I'm gonna be the latest exhibit.\" The ferret rubbed his face in frustration as he read the message from Kelvalde again.\n\n[Renaissance_Man: Didn't want to rain on your parade in front of everyone, but I hope you meant four-cycle power coupling; they never designed five cycle because they'd already moved onto loop interlocks. Hope that's not a problem!]\n\nCarrie looked around to see if anyone else understood. Satisfied that they didn't, she shrugged. \"I don't get it, geek sauce, what's the problem?\"\n\n\"Power-cycling was something they invented to deal with the natural variance in power supply- something they later sidestepped by a system that just changed the way power traveled along conduits. But in this case I need that five-cycle coupling to-\" he stopped himself. \"Right, sorry. Okay, I thought a part existed, but it doesn't. Without that technology, we're kind of [i]hosed[/i] and I can't make the machine.\"\n\n\"Fuck! Really??\" Carrie groused. \"You said you could do it [i]just[/i] today! Now you can't??\" Erwin, for his part, shrunk away from her.\n\n\"Easy, pussy,\" Sam reminded her. \"We're asking a lot of him.\"\n\n\"Yeah, well, I'm just saying this would've been nice to know [u]before[/u] we risked our necks on this trek into the subway.\"\n\n\"No argument there,\" Nat agreed diplomatically, stuffing her hands into her hoodie pockets. \"But arguing isn't going to fix our problem. Erwin wouldn't make a mistake like this if he could help it.\"\n\n\"Especially when I came up with the whole thing so I could-\" he stopped short of 'save Kei,' but it was on his pensive breath.\n\nCarrie gave a long, drawn-out sigh. \"Sorry book wiz, I'm just... it's been a long day.\" She saw the ferret's nod of acceptance and gazed out at the rainy night sky.\n\n\"It has been,\" Sam agreed. \"We should return to our parents first and foremost- a plan can be made come morning.\"\n\nErwin closed his PET and nodded. \"It's the only sensible course of action right now.\"\n\n\"Alright then,\" Natalie confirmed, slapping her hips and hovering, the neon light of her sneakers reflecting off of the wet pavement. \"To the-\"\n\n\"Oh, um, one thing!\" Sam interrupted. \"Before we go, would it be alright to change seating arrangements, as it were? The, um, bicycle seems much safer.\" \n\nNatalie looked to Jacent, who shrugged, and returned his sentiment. \"Um, sure, why not?\"\n\n\"Hooray!\" She cheered in her subdued, polite fashion before sitting on the bike seat and wrapping her arms around Jacent... complete with probably more contented sighing than was necessary. \n\nNatalie cracked her knuckles. \"Well, Green Guy? Ready to ride?\"\n\n\"Like the breaking winds!\" Max zipped a contentious Gropey into his backpack before climbing onto Natalie's back. \n\nShe laughed and shook her head. \"To the Burger Dictator!\"\n\n -\n- -\n -\n\n[08/08/2541\n\nYou know, journal, you were a lot easier to update before all this... [i]stuff[/i] started happening. Empress Osoth attacking, meeting Cap'n Comet in the flesh, fixing the weather station, meeting new friends, new enemies... in three days, more has happened to my friends and I than I would've ever dreamed was possible. \n\nWe went out as a team today, on our first mission. And, it was a success! We got the part that we needed for Erwin's invention, and we met Kelvalde, a mysterious guy who told us the history of the Inked. He seems on the level to me, but it's hard to say who is and isn't trustworthy given the circumstances. I think everybody's just glad to be inside, and relatively safe.]\n\nNatalie switched off her PET and observed her friends all talking with their parents- some present, others over holochat. Sam taking refuge in her folks' quiet support as she gabbed on about the day's events, Carrie letting her father brush her hair as she boasted about her feats, Max excitedly gushing about his new pet... even Erwin was awkwardly explaining the significance of the machine parts and why it was essential they collect the others. His mother fretted for his safety, while his father tried her best to stand behind her wife's worries while simultaneously congratulating him on his bravery and selflessness. Apparently she'd been waiting a long time for this turn in her son, and wasn't about to let him go without telling him how proud she was.\n\nShe looked around, but didn't find the sixth, most recent member of their group. On a hunch, she borrowed an umbrella from Samantha's mother with a please-and-thank-you, and headed outside. A full circuit of the restaurant yielded nothing, yet one more possibility poked at the edge of her mind. Natalie focused on the gloves on her arms and leapt up with a boost, landing with a momentary sense of floating via the umbrella she toted.\n\nThere he was, standing sentry, unmoving, fiery hair blowing in the breeze.\n\n\"Thought I'd find you up here.\" She smirked. \"What is it with superheroes and rooftops?\"\n\nHe didn't turn around. \"Easier to see danger coming.\" The boy stood stone-still in the light downpour. \"So, why are [i]you[/i] out here?\"\n\nNatalie shrugged. \"It's kinda become 'family time' in there. Just...\" She looked down at the street. \"Kinda... awkward, I dunno...\"\n\n\"Considering your mother's situation,\" he intuited. \"It must be very difficult for you, despite your supportive circle of friends.\"\n\nShe frowned. \"Sorry...\"\n\nThis time, he did turn to her, his face a lot softer than his voice had sounded. \"It wasn't sarcasm. I meant that.\"\n\n\"... Oh.\" The girl nodded. \"I guess it's just hard to complain. I mean, my mom's in trouble, and I'm worried sick about her. But now that I think about it, everyone you ever [i]knew[/i] is... well...\" She struggled awkwardly. \"Gone.\"\n\nHe looked away. \"I said my goodbyes.\"\n\n\"That was one of my favorite issues,\" she confided, smiling wanly. \"Sad, but...\" The words caught in her throat. Her eyes widened as she realized something very dark. \"Oh, no. The... the disease! You're still sick, aren't you??\"\n\nJacent sighed. \"Natalie, I-\"\n\n\"That's the whole reason you were frozen! I can't believe I forgot, how could I have just... [i]ignored[/i] that this whole time?!\"\n\n\"Natalie-\"\n\nThe girl was on the verge of tears. \"No wonder you're so eager to make friends, you're on borrowed time and I'm making you spend it solving my problems! If you crash through the dome, you should be able to get to a hospital in Harbington-\"\n\n\"[i]Natalie![/i]\" He broke her out of her runaway rambling. \"There [i]is[/i] no disease.\"\n\n\"... What?\"\n\n\"I was never sick,\" he admitted.\n\n\"But... that speech you made-\"\n\n\"-Was a lie. A lie I was told to tell, by the government. I was given a choice, you see: either live life as a fugitive, hunted down my every waking moment... or help put up the illusion of sickness, and let them freeze me until some undetermined point in the future.\"\n\nNatalie could only stare in confusion and a strange sense of vicarious hurt. \"That's [i]horrible[/i]. But... why?\"\n\nHe shook his head. \"After I defeated-\" he stopped. \"... After I killed Dr. Nhilus that day, bringing his satellite station down into the sea, the people's good will died with him. I was no longer the underdog, keeping people safe from much bigger threats against all odds- I was the most powerful person alive. I was a threat.\"\n\nNat knit her brows, uncomprehending. \"But you've only ever helped people.\" She looked up at him as if to plead his case. \"You're the most selfless, kind, amazing person, I don't...\" Natalie shook her head, incredibly upset at this. \"I don't understand.\"\n\n\"I think you do,\" he contended. \"They were afraid of my power. Much like I was at one time... much like you are, now.\"\n\nThe wolf girl winced. \"You noticed that, huh...?\"\n\nJacent sat along the edge of the roof. \"I couldn't miss it. Hearing you recount your battle with Cedric, it seemed reasonable to be a bit disturbed. With Kei, I respected the complications around it. But today, in the tunnels? That was no accident. I recognized the same face on you that I had when I lost control.\"\n\n\"... What??\" Natalie countered with disbelief. \"You've always made it a point to hold back, and never use too much force.\"\n\nHe nodded. \"Mm. Do you remember...\" He felt strange, asking her to remember things she couldn't possibly, via his comic book biography. \"... Roland Nesgut?\"\n\n\"Um!\" She snapped her fingers. \"Right! That was a really early issue, back when it was still Kid Comet. He was the Dress Doll Killer.\"\n\n\"What happened in that... issue?\"\n\n\"Well.\" Natalie worked a bit to recall. \"You waited under a phone booth, chased him through the subway, then tackled him and turned him in to the police.\"\n\n\"And?\"\n\n\"... And what?\" She shrugged. \"That was the end of the issue.\"\n\n\"Then they left out the part where I broke his back.\"\n\nShe held her breath, taken aback. \"... What??\"\n\nJacent's expression went blank. \"Completely severed the spinal cord. He never walked again. I was ten when that happened.\"\n\nNatalie was beginning to realize how much she could be ignorant to, given a few edits or a creative whim on the part of those who'd chronicled Cap's life. \"Wow, I... never would have guessed. But then, he [i]was[/i] a serial killer; if anybody earned it-\"\n\n\"Maybe he did deserve it. But I only meant to tackle him. Knock him down.\" Jacent stared at her intensely. \"A ten year-old boy versus a grown man who was several victims into a killing spree, terrifying the world... and I crushed him, with some rollerskates and a shoulder-check. He screamed as the police took him; called me a monster.\"\n\nNatalie winced, unsure what to say.\n\n\"It was that moment when I realized the terror I could so easily become. My power wasn't a scalpel or a needle, but a hammer that crushed everything beneath it. And the harder I had to swing it, the less control I could assert.\"\n\nNat began to realize what he meant. \"... Is that why you started fighting with toys?\"\n\n\"Indeed.\" He flourished two plastic yo-yos he'd replaced his lost metal ones with. \"I was given a hammer, so, I picked up some chisels with which to carve out my destiny. With this added tool, I was then able to learn the true range of what I had been given... and perfect my control over it.\"\n\n\"Ohhh...\" Her eyes shone with comprehension. \"I get it, you put a restraint on yourself so you could judge your power without putting people in danger.\" A smile grew on her face. \"That's just like you. Now I know why you're always holding back.\"\n\nHe nodded to her happily. \"Yes, you understand.\"\n\nShe shrugged, folding up the umbrella and letting the raindrops hit her slate grey fur. \"... But what do I do? I don't think toys are gonna help me in this case.\"\n\n\"Indeed not,\" Jacent agreed, placing his hands on her shoulders. \"That is why I must teach you.\"\n\n\"R-Really??\" She blinked. \n\nJacent nodded, taking a defensive stance. \"Boost-punch me.\"\n\nNatalie nodded, focusing on Jacent's powerset, feeling that familiar sense of kinetic potential wash over her. She looked up at Jacent, fearful that she would panic and choke for worry of his safety... but she didn't. It clicked in her mind instantly as to why not, too. She'd imagined ending Cedric many a time, Kei was small and meek despite his inkling, and the giga-grabber had its tendrils ripped off of it in front of her eyes. But Cap? Cap'n Comet, towering over her with taut muscles, fearless, burning gas-flame green eyes and a serious, inscrutable face that had stared down foes fit to rip society apart at the seams?\n\nTo be honest, she was feeling a little [i]small[/i] in this context. \"Okay! Um, here...\" Her fist wound back, ready to strike. \"I...\" Her muscles tensed, pushing into motion, accelerating with incredible velocity! \"GO!!\" \n\n~smack~\n\nNo cracking, no splatter, no scream of pain? Nat opened one eye, then the other, realizing that her fist was in Jacent's palm, not halfway through his chest. He'd just... caught it. \"... Damn,\" she remarked with no small amount of surprise.\n\nHe smiled. \"See? Just fine. Again, harder.\"\n\n~smack!~\n\n\"Harder.\"\n\n~SMACK~\n\n\"Harder!\"\n\nNatalie began raining blows on Jacent in rapid succession, throwing more and more force behind them each time... and each time, he'd oppose her with even more force, slamming harmlessly against his open palms. His unerring blocks allowed her total freedom, trying her best to punch past his defenses. She had his moves and his magic, but she didn't have his experience.\n\nIt dawned on her momentarily that she was being pushed back. They'd started with Jacent's back to the metaphorical wall, but not only was her barrage not fazing him- he was walking insistently forward! \"What...?\"\n\n\"Push back!\" he instructed simply, not stopping for a moment.\n\nProvoked, she poured it on. Instinctively using Jacent's telekinetic acceleration powers both to punch and withdraw her opposing fist in the same motion, Natalie felt a rush of adrenaline course through her body. Sweat glistened on her forehead even in the cool night's rain. Jacent had stopped advancing, focused completely on Nat's boosted blows. They came so hard and so fast, the wolf girl felt shockwaves of air and moisture blowing past her face with every impact- something she'd seen in movies, but never thought was possible in real life. Thrilled, she decided to mix it up. \"Eat this!\"\n\nShe'd gone for an uppercut, but Jacent knew the move for its poor reach and simply leaned back. \"No thanks! Try this instead!\" He omitted a block and simply grabbed her wrist, turning and hip-checking her. The girl flipped unexpectedly over his shoulder, on a course to be slammed into the roof if not for Jace keeping a loose grip on her arm. She landed on her feet, disoriented.\n\nAnd laughed.\n\nNatalie laughed as she hadn't in days. She hadn't realized the weight of responsibility had been crushing her so badly, hadn't seen just how deeply it affected her to be such a powerful individual. But now? Able to throw anything she had at an opponent that she didn't have to worry about hurting, or hurting her? Catharsis fluttered in her limbs, sending shivers of pure relief down her whole body as she punched, kicked, grabbed and flailed at Jacent, unable to break his perfect, practiced guard. Her laughing devolved into tired, delirious giggling, and her attacks became unorganized to the point of being laughable all by themselves, this spurring more laughter. \n\nJacent recognized this and began collecting her limbs as she threw them at him, tucking them under an arm or locking one behind her back or any number of ways he had to do so. Her attempts ultimately culminated in her lying on the rooftop, a boot gently holding her belly down as he held her arms and legs. She gave a cry of surprise as he spun around and expertly slung her over his shoulder, holding her by the legs. Perhaps it was the exhilaration that emboldened him, or maybe it was a sense of cavalier humor bolting through him... but either way, Jacent reached up and swatted Natalie playfully on her bubblegum rump, which elicited squealing, giggling and jiggling from the girl. \"Put me down!\" she insisted despite her laughter.\n\nStill blushing from his previous act, he obliged her... and in turn, she hugged him. The embrace was warm and lasted for as long as it took to bring comfort to the tired, relieved canine. Finally, Natalie pulled away just enough to look up at him again. \"... If... I get scared and angry, or I just need help... can we do this again?\"\n\nHe smiled genuinely and nodded. \"Anytime you like.\"\n\nShe returned his smile, standing beside him with her arm across his back as they looked over the expanse of Locksmouth. \"And if we win, and everything goes back to normal, will you live in my town? Attend school with me?\"\n\nHe chuckled at this, amused and enchanted at the prospect of something so banal. \"I... yes. I will.\"\n\nShe smirked. \"Aaand will you try OC with me?\"\n\nHe looked at her with a disbelief, but she wasn't teasing him or trying to be tricky- she wasn't that kind of person, and he knew it. He sighed. \"I promise to... to try it.\" He raised a finger. \"But you have to [i]win[/i], to really triumph!\"\n\nNatalie grinned, walked up to the edge of the roof, and looked back at him. \"... Better start thinking of school clothes.\"\n\n -\n- -\n -", "writing_bbcode_parsed": ""Tempus."

Jacent wore a curious expression, walking briskly alongside Kelvalde as they made their way down the damaged subway tunnel. "What?"

"You asked me my inkling's name; it's Tempus." He flashed a smile. "You should feel lucky- you're one of very few people who gets to know that."

The red-haired boy chuckled. "So why tell me?"

Kelvalde considered it a moment. "After enough time, you get to be a pretty good judge of character." He seemed amused by something. "And I admit, I've always been a sucker for the cute ones."

Jace was a bit staggered- even with his proclivity for showing off his chest, he would never have pegged Kelvalde as being gay... would he? Ah, but that was the wrong way of thinking. His new acquaintance wasn't straight or gay- there was no such animal in this world, and he had to be careful not to treat the idea that men would like other men as a strange minority any more than he could be surprised at Nat and Cat. "Um, thank you," he responded politely. It was insane how many social interactions could change given one little dynamic.

"It's tough being out of your time, isn't it?" The husky laughed. "Everything's upside down in ways you could never expect."

"Is it ever," Jacent admitted in a moment of weariness. "In my time, I was considered a new age futurist, a bleeding-heart extremist. Now I feel like some kind of neanderthal who got beamed onto the Enterprise."

"Food's different..."

"Those aroma packets are so weird. And meat plants??"

"Sex is different..."

"I thought OC was a popular game or something!"

"You can't even go to the bathroom without having the future all up in your business."

"I was pretty stoutly opposed to that at first, but admittedly, you can't beat the cleanliness and convenience..." He cocked a brow. "Wait a minute, what would you know about any of that? You can't be any older than I am!"

Kelvalde smiled at him opaquely. "I have a lot of perspective... and a rich family history."

 -
- -
 -

Erwin relished the chance to do what he did best in private. simply being told to work his mechanical magic preserved a sense of illusion about his  expertise, as if he were some kind of magician. The downside to this, of course, was that mythology bred expectation... and he was stuck in reality.

"Hey, Erwin."

He looked back at the diminutive tiger boy they'd rescued. "Oh, hey Aren."

He tilted his head inquisitively, looking at the mess of electrical contacts and trying to imagine what was being accomplished. "Whatcha doin'?"

The question reflexively annoyed him a little, but he had to admit that the kid couldn't break his concentration when he was only thinking in circles. "I'm trying to find a way to remove the magnetoscopic variance projector from the control unit without removing the frame... mostly because I can't move the frame without power tools."

"Ohhh." Aren nodded. "That is hard."

The ferret gestured that he understood. "Exactly. If I try to pull it out without removing the frame, the magnets will just rip it apart."

A silence passed between them.

"... Have you tried the popsicle trick?" the tiger asked.

This out-and-out baffled Erwin. "What's that?"

"Well, my friend and me were trying to get one of those out of his toy train, but the whole thing was welded together. So we took a piece of metal and put it in the, um, circle part there-"

"Transformer recess."

"-Right! Then we just pulled it out, like a popsicle."

The ferret looked incredulously at him, then at the console and back again. "Of course! The magnets inside have to focus on the scrap metal-"

"-And let go of the frame, yep!" Aren's tail flicked this way and that, happy to explain his technique.

Erwin grabbed a support rod he'd removed to get at the control panel, stuck it into the recess, and lo and behold, pulled the projector out, smooth as butter. He grinned mutually at the tiger boy. "... Not bad, Aren... not bad at all. C'mon, let's go tell Natalie it's time to get out of here."

 -
- -
 -

Alliston Madriccie walked in endless circles around the makeshift fortress that was the Burger Dictator. She splashed in puddles under the drab grey sky, wishing that there were something more interesting going on than the odd shuffler or crawler that neared the place- easily deterred by big blasts of shattered ice. "Mmnh. I wish I had my bandana. Didn't we make it up enough fighting that foxy cabin boy?"

"She didn't take our hats as punishment, dummy," replied her raccoon friend, who patrolled invisibly alongside her. "She took them so she could use our powers."

"Ohhhhh," she realized. "Yeah, that be makin' more sense. Um. So... I can't believe Nat 'n her pals are for real life superheroes."

"Yeah... I know. We made fun of her for trying to live like a comic book character, but here she is."

The vixen formed a cluster of snowflakes in her palm, then blew them away to melt in the breeze. "... Ever wonder if maybe... I dunno..."

"... We've been on the wrong side?" Coul finished.

"Yeah..." Allie's ears drooped guiltily.

"I've been wondering that forever," he admitted, materializing. "I mean... Nat plays the hero, straight up. Truth, justice, blahdeblah. Carrie just follows her lead. But Cedric... I don't know. I can't really call him evil. He's a jerk, sure, but... he taught me that sometimes you need to break rules." He sighed. "I got in trouble all the time. All I wanted to do was go places I wasn't supposed to. I wanted to sneak in, find adventure! But there was always somebody waiting to tell me I was wrong. Cedge never did that. He's never been afraid of consequences. I really admired that."

"I know!" Alliston agreed. "I like Cedgie, he's always got a plan. But it's like he's two different people sometimes. When I got kicked off the cheerleading squad, I just hated everyone. I wanted everybody to know how wrong it was, what happened to the whole squad... but everyone just blamed me for it. I hated it. He didn't, though- Cedgie was the only one who was nice to me that whole time."

Coul sighed. "Yeah. Sometimes he's actually warm... but other times, he's just so... his ambition just blocks everything else out. He gets so mad, he sounds crazy."

The fox girl considered it a moment. "He said he only thought he was in control. D'ya think maybe..."

"Maybe."

A long silence ensued.

"Y'know. Maybe being in Natalie's crew wouldn't be so bad," admitted Allie.

Coul shook his head and frowned at the pavement. "... After all that's happened? We could never be in Natalie's crew."

"... A plea against the ocean of possibilities; 'never' is here in no time."

The two youths turned, spotting Samantha's father, puffing his pipe near the exit of the restaurant.

"Barnabus Holmestock said that," he appended. "In answer to a colleague who said they'd never be able to run a train across the sea. Time saw him out; he very much had the right of it."

"... But what does that mean?" puzzled Coul.

"Arr, we be kinda dumb," admitted Alliston, smiling apologetically.

Dr. Masterson made a sound that might have been a laugh, to someone with sharp enough ears. "It means that my daughter's friend is many things... but 'unforgiving' has never been one of them. She sees past flaws and masks, susses out what people truly are at their core."

"Which is why her pack is so weird," intuited the vixen.

"Indeed. I can't think of one of her good friends that didn't start out with a misunderstanding. Ask her about it sometime."

Coul nodded reluctantly. "Alright. I just don't think- Dr. Masterson, watch out!"

"Eh??" The older gentleman found himself accosted by a cyclopean horror that had rounded the corner to get the drop on them. He was pushed out of the way by Coul, who took an errant strike to the arm, grunting in pain.

"Oh, no ya don't!" Alliston formed a heavy ice anchor, swinging it baseball-style into the shuffler's face and bowling it over... directly onto an ice sled she'd made moments earlier. "Have a nice trip, matey!" She kicked the sled, sending it careening off into the distance with its punch-drunk cargo in tow. She cheered victoriously, looking to Coul, who helped up Samantha's father with his good arm.

"Well, that was odd," Vincent noted.

"What was?" asked the raccoon, accepting a soothing icy hand from his friend on the bruise.

The bat dusted himself off. "For a moment there, you two looked suspiciously heroic."

Coul and Allie blushed at each other. Maybe so...

 -
- -
 -

This day was getting to be more exhausting than the one previous. Samantha didn't know what was worse- the frightful attacks, or all the walking.

"I think Gropey likes you, Sam!" Max exclaimed, talking about the slime on his shoulder that had been staring at her for the past five minutes.

"Scratch that, I do know what's worse." The bat girl rolled her eyes and shuddered. "Max, of all the things to do when we're constantly in danger, you take on a monster as a pet??"

"They're not monsters, though, they're aliens," Erwin observed.

Sam tilted her head. "What's the difference?"

The ferret adjusted his glasses for emphasis, as was his habit. "If you think about it, they're just like us. People and animals from other worlds, getting taken over by Osoth. We see things like, um, Gropey... and we think they're awful monsters. But they're victims just like we are. The stomper, shufflers, crawlers, even the big dragon thing from the train... all just being transported here and used by Osoth to help her do to this planet what she did to theirs."

The bat girl's ears wilted. "... I never thought of it that way. Now I feel sort of bad for us beating on them."

"Don't," Carrie refuted stoutly. "We're backed against a corner with no other options. Besides, we're not killing 'em, even after they took your leg. As far as I'm concerned, we're in the right."

"True," Natalie agreed, a bit more cautiously than her counterpart. "As long as we don't go around killing things, I think we're okay."

Having been quiet up until this point, Aren piped up with a big, supportive smile. "You're the best, Natalie; I know you'd never do the wrong thing."

The wolf looked down at him, returning his smile... hoping he was right.

"Oh, hey!" The tiger called out. "That's him!"

"Who? What?" Nat gazed to where he was pointing, down the tunnel, and spotted two figures standing at the central hub for the subway gates.

"Kelvalde!" Aren grinned and waved, speeding up his pace and spurring the rest to follow. "Hey, Kelvalde!"

"Oh, and Jacent, too. Guess who was right?" Cat smirked as they all strode over.

"Hey there, tiger!" Kelvalde crouched down and hugged the little rascal, looking him over. "You okay?"

He nodded enthusiastically. "I'm fine! N- uh, Echelon rescued me."

"Echelon, huh?" Kelvalde stood to face the girl with an easy smile that spoke of worldly experience. "You've got a lot of guts to stand up to Osoth."

"What do you mean?" Nat asked curiously.

The husky took a deep breath, as if deciding something after much thought. "I guess it's inevitable now, isn't it." He stepped toward a pile of incapacitated shufflers, now obviously his handiwork. "To really help you understand would be a long story. You sure you're up for it?"

"Well," Erwin mentioned, "I do kind of have to rip the projectors out of these trains so Osoth can't use them to get to Anchorsway. The rest of the trans are all right here in the hub; why doesn't everyone just wait here while I do my stuff? I can conference you on my PET."

Kelvalde nodded. "Ah... Tenny, why don't you put in some earpads and play a video game?" The little tiger nodded, understanding when he was being asked not to listen to something not meant for his ears. "Then have a seat, kids... while I tell you a little bit about Inked history."

~(_)~

"Once upon a time, the race known as the Inked were peaceful and prosperous. They lived in harmony with their hosts, each using their advantages to grow stronger, more learned, and more able to expand their horizons. They had a leader then, too: Queen Arifice, from whom all other inklings sprang forth. She was infinite in patience and kindness, living in conjunction with the host race's own queen for so long that they became one person. Immortal, yet impervious to the wear of time on her soul and the weight of rule on her head, she led fairly and with humility.

"But perfection could never last in the face of envy. Osoth, then just a nameless subject, felt that Arifice squandered her incredible power. Osoth wished to bond with fearsome creatures that lurked in the darker reaches of space, not stay tied to the harmless, comfortable people that their kind had grown so close to.

"And so, after thousands of years guiding her people-inked and inkling both- through generations of prosperity, Queen Arifice was rewarded for her efforts not with a celebration of all she had accomplished, but a knife in the back. Osoth, in her treachery, slew the peaceful Queen, and consumed her monstrously. In so doing, she took not just the beloved ruler's life, but her power to create other inklings... and thus, to control them.

"Unused to fighting for too many generations to even remember how, the people were unable to avenge their fallen queen. Those who surrendered to Osoth were immediately set to work against their fellows, and those who resisted... were killed and consumed by this terrible new ruler, then remade into new servants for her to command.

"But even in total victory, this new leader of the Inked was wracked with paranoia. She questioned the loyalty of all who had come from the old kingdom, and slew their hosts. Those remaining few were forced to bond with base creatures of little to no intelligence, and made to prove themselves time and again. Of course, being bonded with these monsters drove those few surviving inklings of Arifice absolutely insane. Now they are the most terrifying of her servants- General Laibon, Gatemaker Parthal, and Dreamless Urgai."

~(_)~

"We've fought them!" Carrie blurted out, interrupting him.

"Have you now?" Kelvalde cocked a brow.

"Well, the first two, anyway," she admitted. "I don't think we met that last one, but we kicked Parthal and Laibon's big jelly asses! They're done!" Cat smirked proudly.

"Really!" Kelvalde smiled. "You were able to separate them from their hosts and banish them to Canvas?"

"... Um, actually just the first part," Max corrected. "They sorta just slime into the ground and stuff. Kinda like Gropey does!" He stroked the eternally staring goo ball that rested contentedly on his big, round head.

Kelvalde took a deep breath and tried not to look disappointed. "Well, I'm sorry to say that while impressive, your victories were, unfortunately, hollow."

"Wait, what??" Natalie sputtered. "You're kidding! How??"

He chuckled. "How about letting me finish?"

"Please," Jacent implored patiently despite his piercing, analytical gaze. "Go on."

 ~(_)~

"Without a host, as you probably know, inklings tear apart in this three-dimensional world. Known as 'the bleed,' this effect is what makes us so desperate to stay bonded with someone. Even inking over our hosts can have some bleeding, but nothing like just being completely unbonded in this world. Over time, one can learn to control the rate at which they bleed, but it takes time. Ordinary inklings are quite vulnerable, whereas elites tend to be quite a bit tougher. Neither hold a candle to elder inklings like Laibon and Parthal, however, who can use control over their form to become amorphous living weapons.

"Knowing this, you might ask why we don't simply stay in our home world, where our bodies aren't pulled on by the forces of reality. It's a valid question, one that Osoth posed and answered herself: there wasn't any good reason not to. She ordered all inklings without hosts to stay on Canvas and await her hour of need.

"When the time came, however, Osoth found not the sharp-witted soldiers she left, but happy, clueless little children. It became obvious too late that while Canvas rejuvenated an inkling's body, its simple, soothing plane of existence sapped the mind of its residents to a state of childlike simplicity.

"Thus began Osoth's reign of terror. She conquered planet after planet, world after unsuspecting world, claiming its residents as mindless shells for her soldiers. Those like animals were easy to break, but inklings become more like their hosts the longer they stay bonded, and while loyal, bestial soldiers were unable to follow complicated orders.

"Intelligent species existed, but to her dismay, could resist bonding through force of will. She tried dominating them time and again, but her increasingly harsh tactics only gave them more resolve and killed far too many. She ended up with only a handful left alive each time, giving them to her top soldiers as grisly gifts while leaving the majority of her people to the scraps.

"Soon she learned the value of fear. Fear could break people before they had a chance to fight back, and allow her far more spoils than normal... and it doesn't seem that she's apt to change tactics anytime soon."

 ~(_)~

 "Wow..." Natalie marveled. "So the only way to really defeat Osoth is to separate them and lock her away on Canvas."

"Easier said than done, I should say," Sam noted with a hint of exasperation. "I'm still hung up on the betrayal of Queen Arifice... she sounded so wonderful."

Kelvalde nodded. "Believe me, we all miss her."

Jacent cleared his throat from his position of leaning against a support pillar, arms folded. "You keep referring to yourself as if you were one of the inklings. And I notice that you haven't explained your role in all this."

"Ah." Kelvalde smirked at the red-haired boy. "Sharp as ever. My inkling, Tempus, boasts powers of longevity. What this means is that however old you think I am is going to be a severe underestimate. In reality, I've been around for a long, long time, and I'm far from the first human to bond with Tempus; he's been handed down in my family from generation to generation, blending his experiences with my ancestors' and my own. I'm a person all my own, but sometimes it's still hard to feel like separate entities."

Sam became incredibly curious. "So, does Tempus-... um, do you... remember serving under Queen Arifice?"

The husky shook his head. "Sadly, no. I was created as a prized agent of infiltration for each intelligent planet- a sleeper agent that Osoth could pull out of her sleeve at a moment's notice. I got quite tired of her insane, cranky ass, so while seemingly on assignment, I decided to head for Earth and hide amongst humans. I've been enjoying the heck out of it, too- this culture is incredible!"

Carrie folded her arms. "Yeah, well, the jig's up- she's here. Whatcha gonna do now?"

"Fight with us, Kelvalde!" Jacent implored him inspiringly. "Put your skills as a warrior to good use. Awaken your inner dragon!"

"You've awakened my inner dragon just fine," the canine grinned, much to Jacent's dismay.

"Come on, Kelvalde, you should totally join 'em!" Lil' Tenny chimed in.

"Hey, what happened to video games?" He cocked a brow at the tiger boy, who just gave him a cheeky grin and a shrug. Kelvalde thought heavily about it, seeing only one eventuality and not liking it. "Of all the planets she had to come and stomp on..." He sighed and smiled up at them with a small note of exasperation. "Alright. I'm in."

"Great!" Nat grinned. "Natalie Grayswift." She extended a hand. "And this is Sam, Max, Carrie, the nerdy one is Erwin, and you know Jacent."

"Glad to meet all of you." He bowed politely to them, but shook Natalie's hand regardless. "I do have one caveat for you- I may be a decent fighter, but I have a feeling your gorgeous redhead was going easy on me. I'd make a lousy front liner, but I'll help in my own way."

Cat shifted her weight from one foot to another. "Which is?"

"Materials! Information! Ingenuity." He stressed that last part especially. "I've already increased your knowledge of the enemy by multiples- imagine what I can do with a little time. Here, I'll seed my PET name to you, so we can stay in contact."

"You said you have materials," Erwin noted, emerging from the final train, laboriously lugging a duffel bag full of variance projectors. "I'm trying to build a signal blocker; though there's no guarantee it will work, we plan to use it to turn a building into a safe haven from Osoth's influence."

"Brilliant!" Kelvalde commended him after a moment of thought. "I'd never considered it, but with today's tech... how far along are you?" he asked, fascinated.

Erwin set the bag of components next to the husky. "I have the magnetoscopic variance projector... well, ten of them, really. You wouldn't happen to have a five-cycle power coupling or anisotropic brainwave catalyst lying around, would you?"

He chuckled. "Um, no. I do own a newly-renovated apartment building in Locksmouth, however. If it's still standing, you can use that as your safe haven."

"That's great, Kelvalde!" Natalie agreed enthusiastically. "Don't worry, we'll find those other two parts elsewhere."

"Great!" The husky shouldered Erwin's duffel bag. "I'll lighten your load and take these back to the old place, lock them up in a safe place. I'll take Lil' Tenny with me, as well."

"Are you sure?" Nat queried pensively. "It's pretty brutal out there."

He smirked and unpocketed an electronic key. "Well I'm not walking it, if that's what you're thinking! I left a PeTra parked outside before I left. I'd offer you a ride, but it's a two-seater."

"Don't worry, Kelvalde," Jacent assuaged him. "We do not shrink from danger."

Kelvalde grinned. "I know I don't shrink from Danger."

"Stop that!" Jace winced helplessly.

"Bye Natalie, bye Carrie," Lil' Tenny waved to them both happily. "If anyone was gonna save us from aliens... I'm glad it's you guys."

They waved, smiled, and watched the two leave the gloom of the abandoned Subtran Station. Carrie chuckled. "Cute kid. Did he stare at your boobs non-stop, too?"

Natalie gave her a look as if she didn't understand, coming up from staring directly at her breasts. "Sorry, were you saying something?"

 -
- -
 -

"So, where to next, Erwin?"

That was the question, wasn't it? As the occasional lazy raindrop plinked onto the screen of his PET, the ferret checked and re-checked his figures while Jacent made sure his flamboyant bicycle was still operational, and Max played with his gelatinous new pet. "I... dunno yet, let me check my diagram for a minute."

"Take your time, Erwin," Natalie assured him, crouching to observe Gropey making cute little splashes in a puddle he was placed in; he seemed to really like the rain. "We have to plan our moves carefully, or we'll have wasted way more time than rushing in would save us."

"Y'know Natalie, you're a really good leader," Max observed. "You make great decisions, like going to fix the weather station, trusting Echelon, building this doohickey instead of going blindly after your mom... you're great at this!"

Nat smirked, humbled a bit. "Aw, Max. Thanks, buddy. I really apprec-" She blinked at the empty puddle. "Where's Gropey?" The wolf girl stood up and looked around. "Oh, geez, what happened?? He was here just a second ago..."

"Oh, goodness!"

Max and Carrie tried to stifle their snickering as Sam simply looked on, aghast. Natalie blinked, utterly confused. "Guys, what's so funny? Gropey's missing!"

"He's... not missing, Natalie," Jacent confessed, blushing. "You may wish to look behind you."

Natalie turned around left and right, seeing nothing, before twisting to look over her shoulder. There sat Gropey, staring up at her in all his expressionless simplicity, latched onto her bulbous left butt cheek. "Ah?! What're you doing there??"

Max and Carrie watched with growing hysterics, laughing loudly and taking several moments to collect themselves... only to burst back into laughter upon seeing Natalie's attempts to remove the grappled grabber, bent forward and pulling on the stretchy blob with zero dignity and even less effectiveness. Even Jacent, Erwin and Sam couldn't help giggling at the sight. Finally, the iguana pulled himself together enough to rub the creature's side soothingly, gently removing him with one final ~pop~. "Whew... Gropey likes latching onto big, round things. I think they're s'posed to hang onto their parent until they're bigger. That's prolly why he likes being on my head." He comforted the little thing before placing it on his crown.

"I'm sorry, Sugarbutt, but that was gold," Carrie struggled to stop laughing, wiping a tear from her eye.

Nat rolled her eyes with a smirk. "Alright, alright, so Gropey's a comedian, now, too." She playfully glared at the tiny monster. "You got a destination for us yet, Erwin?" She noticed him staring at his PET in shock. "... Erwin?"

"... Yes. My next destination is the Museum for Collossal Idiots; I'm gonna be the latest exhibit." The ferret rubbed his face in frustration as he read the message from Kelvalde again.

[Renaissance_Man:  Didn't want to rain on your parade in front of everyone, but I hope you meant four-cycle power coupling; they never designed five cycle because they'd already moved onto loop interlocks. Hope that's not a problem!]

Carrie looked around to see if anyone else understood. Satisfied that they didn't, she shrugged. "I don't get it, geek sauce, what's the problem?"

"Power-cycling was something they invented to deal with the natural variance in power supply- something they later sidestepped by a system that just changed the way power traveled along conduits. But in this case I need that five-cycle coupling to-" he stopped himself. "Right, sorry. Okay, I thought a part existed, but it doesn't. Without that technology, we're kind of hosed and I can't make the machine."

"Fuck! Really??" Carrie groused. "You said you could do it just today! Now you can't??" Erwin, for his part, shrunk away from her.

"Easy, pussy," Sam reminded her. "We're asking a lot of him."

"Yeah, well, I'm just saying this would've been nice to know before we risked our necks on this trek into the subway."

"No argument there," Nat agreed diplomatically, stuffing her hands into her hoodie pockets. "But arguing isn't going to fix our problem. Erwin wouldn't make a mistake like this if he could help it."

"Especially when I came up with the whole thing so I could-" he stopped short of 'save Kei,' but it was on his pensive breath.

Carrie gave a long, drawn-out sigh. "Sorry book wiz, I'm just... it's been a long day." She saw the ferret's nod of acceptance and gazed out at the rainy night sky.

"It has been," Sam agreed. "We should return to our parents first and foremost- a plan can be made come morning."

Erwin closed his PET and nodded. "It's the only sensible course of action right now."

"Alright then," Natalie confirmed, slapping her hips and hovering, the neon light of her sneakers reflecting off of the wet pavement. "To the-"

"Oh, um, one thing!" Sam interrupted. "Before we go, would it be alright to change seating arrangements, as it were? The, um, bicycle seems much safer."

Natalie looked to Jacent, who shrugged, and returned his sentiment. "Um, sure, why not?"

"Hooray!" She cheered in her subdued, polite fashion before sitting on the bike seat and wrapping her arms around Jacent... complete with probably more contented sighing than was necessary.

Natalie cracked her knuckles. "Well, Green Guy? Ready to ride?"

"Like the breaking winds!" Max zipped a contentious Gropey into his backpack before climbing onto Natalie's back.

She laughed and shook her head. "To the Burger Dictator!"

 -
- -
 -

[08/08/2541

You know, journal, you were a lot easier to update before all this... stuff started happening. Empress Osoth attacking, meeting Cap'n Comet in the flesh, fixing the weather station, meeting new friends, new enemies... in three days, more has happened to my friends and I than I would've ever dreamed was possible.

We went out as a team today, on our first mission. And, it was a success! We got the part that we needed for Erwin's invention, and we met Kelvalde, a mysterious guy who told us the history of the Inked. He seems on the level to me, but it's hard to say who is and isn't trustworthy given the circumstances. I think everybody's just glad to be inside, and relatively safe.]

Natalie switched off her PET and observed her friends all talking with their parents- some present, others over holochat. Sam taking refuge in her folks' quiet support as she gabbed on about the day's events, Carrie letting her father brush her hair as she boasted about her feats, Max excitedly gushing about his new pet... even Erwin was awkwardly explaining the significance of the machine parts and why it was essential they collect the others. His mother fretted for his safety, while his father tried her best to stand behind her wife's worries while simultaneously congratulating him on his bravery and selflessness. Apparently she'd been waiting a long time for this turn in her son, and wasn't about to let him go without telling him how proud she was.

She looked around, but didn't find the sixth, most recent member of their group. On a hunch, she borrowed an umbrella from Samantha's mother with a please-and-thank-you, and headed outside. A full circuit of the restaurant yielded nothing, yet one more possibility poked at the edge of her mind. Natalie focused on the gloves on her arms and leapt up with a boost, landing with a momentary sense of floating via the umbrella she toted.

There he was, standing sentry, unmoving, fiery hair blowing in the breeze.

"Thought I'd find you up here." She smirked. "What is it with superheroes and rooftops?"

He didn't turn around. "Easier to see danger coming." The boy stood stone-still in the light downpour. "So, why are you out here?"

Natalie shrugged. "It's kinda become 'family time' in there. Just..." She looked down at the street. "Kinda... awkward, I dunno..."

"Considering your mother's situation," he intuited. "It must be very difficult for you, despite your supportive circle of friends."

She frowned. "Sorry..."

This time, he did turn to her, his face a lot softer than his voice had sounded. "It wasn't sarcasm. I meant that."

"... Oh." The girl nodded. "I guess it's just hard to complain. I mean, my mom's in trouble, and I'm worried sick about her. But now that I think about it, everyone you ever knew is... well..." She struggled awkwardly. "Gone."

He looked away. "I said my goodbyes."

"That was one of my favorite issues," she confided, smiling wanly. "Sad, but..." The words caught in her throat. Her eyes widened as she realized something very dark. "Oh, no. The... the disease! You're still sick, aren't you??"

Jacent sighed. "Natalie, I-"

"That's the whole reason you were frozen! I can't believe I forgot, how could I have just... ignored that this whole time?!"

"Natalie-"

The girl was on the verge of tears. "No wonder you're so eager to make friends, you're on borrowed time and I'm making you spend it solving my problems! If you crash through the dome, you should be able to get to a hospital in Harbington-"

"Natalie!" He broke her out of her runaway rambling. "There is no disease."

"... What?"

"I was never sick," he admitted.

"But... that speech you made-"

"-Was a lie. A lie I was told to tell, by the government. I was given a choice, you see: either live life as a fugitive, hunted down my every waking moment... or help put up the illusion of sickness, and let them freeze me until some undetermined point in the future."

Natalie could only stare in confusion and a strange sense of vicarious hurt. "That's horrible. But... why?"

He shook his head. "After I defeated-" he stopped. "... After I killed Dr. Nhilus that day, bringing his satellite station down into the sea, the people's good will died with him. I was no longer the underdog, keeping people safe from much bigger threats against all odds- I was the most powerful person alive. I was a threat."

Nat knit her brows, uncomprehending. "But you've only ever helped people." She looked up at him as if to plead his case. "You're the most selfless, kind, amazing person, I don't..." Natalie shook her head, incredibly upset at this. "I don't understand."

"I think you do," he contended. "They were afraid of my power. Much like I was at one time... much like you are, now."

The wolf girl winced. "You noticed that, huh...?"

Jacent sat along the edge of the roof. "I couldn't miss it. Hearing you recount your battle with Cedric, it seemed reasonable to be a bit disturbed. With Kei, I respected the complications around it. But today, in the tunnels? That was no accident. I recognized the same face on you that I had when I lost control."

"... What??" Natalie countered with disbelief. "You've always made it a point to hold back, and never use too much force."

He nodded. "Mm. Do you remember..." He felt strange, asking her to remember things she couldn't possibly, via his comic book biography. "... Roland Nesgut?"

"Um!" She snapped her fingers. "Right! That was a really early issue, back when it was still Kid Comet. He was the Dress Doll Killer."

"What happened in that... issue?"

"Well." Natalie worked a bit to recall. "You waited under a phone booth, chased him through the subway, then tackled him and turned him in to the police."

"And?"

"... And what?" She shrugged. "That was the end of the issue."

"Then they left out the part where I broke his back."

She held her breath, taken aback. "... What??"

Jacent's expression went blank. "Completely severed the spinal cord. He never walked again. I was ten when that happened."

Natalie was beginning to realize how much she could be ignorant to, given a few edits or a creative whim on the part of those who'd chronicled Cap's life. "Wow, I... never would have guessed. But then, he was a serial killer; if anybody earned it-"

"Maybe he did deserve it. But I only meant to tackle him. Knock him down." Jacent stared at her intensely. "A ten year-old boy versus a grown man who was several victims into a killing spree, terrifying the world... and I crushed him, with some rollerskates and a shoulder-check. He screamed as the police took him; called me a monster."

Natalie winced, unsure what to say.

"It was that moment when I realized the terror I could so easily become. My power wasn't a scalpel or a needle, but a hammer that crushed everything beneath it. And the harder I had to swing it, the less control I could assert."

Nat began to realize what he meant. "... Is that why you started fighting with toys?"

"Indeed." He flourished two plastic yo-yos he'd replaced his lost metal ones with. "I was given a hammer, so, I picked up some chisels with which to carve out my destiny. With this added tool, I was then able to learn the true range of what I had been given... and perfect my control over it."

"Ohhh..." Her eyes shone with comprehension. "I get it, you put a restraint on yourself so you could judge your power without putting people in danger." A smile grew on her face. "That's just like you. Now I know why you're always holding back."

He nodded to her happily. "Yes, you understand."

She shrugged, folding up the umbrella and letting the raindrops hit her slate grey fur. "... But what do I do? I don't think toys are gonna help me in this case."

"Indeed not," Jacent agreed, placing his hands on her shoulders. "That is why I must teach you."

"R-Really??" She blinked.

Jacent nodded, taking a defensive stance. "Boost-punch me."

Natalie nodded, focusing on Jacent's powerset, feeling that familiar sense of kinetic potential wash over her. She looked up at Jacent, fearful that she would panic and choke for worry of his safety... but she didn't. It clicked in her mind instantly as to why not, too. She'd imagined ending Cedric many a time, Kei was small and meek despite his inkling, and the giga-grabber had its tendrils ripped off of it in front of her eyes. But Cap? Cap'n Comet, towering over her with taut muscles, fearless, burning gas-flame green eyes and a serious, inscrutable face that had stared down foes fit to rip society apart at the seams?

To be honest, she was feeling a little small in this context. "Okay! Um, here..." Her fist wound back, ready to strike. "I..." Her muscles tensed, pushing into motion, accelerating with incredible velocity! "GO!!"

~smack~

No cracking, no splatter, no scream of pain? Nat opened one eye, then the other, realizing that her fist was in Jacent's palm, not halfway through his chest. He'd just... caught it. "... Damn," she remarked with no small amount of surprise.

He smiled. "See? Just fine. Again, harder."

~smack!~

"Harder."

~SMACK~

"Harder!"

Natalie began raining blows on Jacent in rapid succession, throwing more and more force behind them each time... and each time, he'd oppose her with even more force, slamming harmlessly against his open palms. His unerring blocks allowed her total freedom, trying her best to punch past his defenses. She had his moves and his magic, but she didn't have his experience.

It dawned on her momentarily that she was being pushed back. They'd started with Jacent's back to the metaphorical wall, but not only was her barrage not fazing him- he was walking insistently forward! "What...?"

"Push back!" he instructed simply, not stopping for a moment.

Provoked, she poured it on. Instinctively using Jacent's telekinetic acceleration powers both to punch and withdraw her opposing fist in the same motion, Natalie felt a rush of adrenaline course through her body. Sweat glistened on her forehead even in the cool night's rain. Jacent had stopped advancing, focused completely on Nat's boosted blows. They came so hard and so fast, the wolf girl felt shockwaves of air and moisture blowing past her face with every impact- something she'd seen in movies, but never thought was possible in real life. Thrilled, she decided to mix it up. "Eat this!"

She'd gone for an uppercut, but Jacent knew the move for its poor reach and simply leaned back. "No thanks! Try this instead!" He omitted a block and simply grabbed her wrist, turning and hip-checking her. The girl flipped unexpectedly over his shoulder, on a course to be slammed into the roof if not for Jace keeping a loose grip on her arm. She landed on her feet, disoriented.

And laughed.

Natalie laughed as she hadn't in days. She hadn't realized the weight of responsibility had been crushing her so badly, hadn't seen just how deeply it affected her to be such a powerful individual. But now? Able to throw anything she had at an opponent that she didn't have to worry about hurting, or hurting her? Catharsis fluttered in her limbs, sending shivers of pure relief down her whole body as she punched, kicked, grabbed and flailed at Jacent, unable to break his perfect, practiced guard. Her laughing devolved into tired, delirious giggling, and her attacks became unorganized to the point of being laughable all by themselves, this spurring more laughter.

Jacent recognized this and began collecting her limbs as she threw them at him, tucking them under an arm or locking one behind her back or any number of ways he had to do so. Her attempts ultimately culminated in her lying on the rooftop, a boot gently holding her belly down as he held her arms and legs. She gave a cry of surprise as he spun around and expertly slung her over his shoulder, holding her by the legs. Perhaps it was the exhilaration that emboldened him, or maybe it was a sense of cavalier humor bolting through him... but either way, Jacent reached up and swatted Natalie playfully on her bubblegum rump, which elicited squealing, giggling and jiggling from the girl. "Put me down!" she insisted despite her laughter.

Still blushing from his previous act, he obliged her... and in turn, she hugged him. The embrace was warm and lasted for as long as it took to bring comfort to the tired, relieved canine. Finally, Natalie pulled away just enough to look up at him again. "... If... I get scared and angry, or I just need help... can we do this again?"

He smiled genuinely and nodded. "Anytime you like."

She returned his smile, standing beside him with her arm across his back as they looked over the expanse of Locksmouth. "And if we win, and everything goes back to normal, will you live in my town? Attend school with me?"

He chuckled at this, amused and enchanted at the prospect of something so banal. "I... yes. I will."

She smirked. "Aaand will you try OC with me?"

He looked at her with a disbelief, but she wasn't teasing him or trying to be tricky- she wasn't that kind of person, and he knew it. He sighed. "I promise to... to try it." He raised a finger. "But you have to win, to really triumph!"

Natalie grinned, walked up to the edge of the roof, and looked back at him. "... Better start thinking of school clothes."

 -
- -
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