Uploaded 13 MITM scripts. Asked it to write two scripts: one with a prompt from me and one without.
My prompt:
Reese is a billionaire. Having not showered for a month in an attempt to force a girl to dump him, medical science discovered a cure for cancer inside the mould on his body.
He enjoys being petty and lauding his new success over everyone. Malcolm is assistant manager at Lucky Aide; Craig is his boss. Dewey has some success in music. Francis and Piama have many kids. One was killed after the rocket-powered stroller Malcolm built went haywire and crashed into Lucky aide. Hal is Reese's dogsbody at the mansion.
**INT. REESE'S MANSION - DAY**
*The mansion is lavish, but the family’s interactions bring out an absurd contrast. The living room is enormous, filled with expensive decor, and an oversized portrait of Reese hangs on the wall. Lois, now in her early 60s, is sitting on an opulent couch, knitting furiously. Hal, also in his early 60s, is polishing a chandelier awkwardly, occasionally muttering to himself.*
**LOIS**
Hal, if that chandelier sparkles any more, it’s going to blind someone.
**HAL**
(balancing on a ladder)
It’s Reese’s orders, Lois. He wants everything to shine, especially his ego.
*The door opens and Dewey, now 33 and dressed in a casual yet stylish outfit, walks in with a guitar case slung over his shoulder.*
DEWEY
Hey Mom, Dad. Just got back from my latest gig. The crowd actually knew the words to my songs this time.
LOIS
(smiling)
That's wonderful, Dewey. Maybe someday they'll spell your name right on the marquee.
HAL
(teasing)
Don't get your hopes up too high, son. Remember when they called you "Dewey Decimal"?
DEWEY
(sighing)
Yeah, that was a low point.
*Reese, 38, enters, wearing an outlandish designer suit. He’s holding a champagne glass and has an obnoxiously smug grin.*
**REESE**
Ah, the smell of success... and the faint scent of cancer-curing mold. How’s everyone doing in my mansion today?
**DEWEY**
(sighs)
We’re fine, Reese.
*Malcolm, 37, enters wearing a disheveled Lucky Aide uniform, looking defeated.*
**MALCOLM**
Assistant Manager Malcolm reporting for duty. Another day of stacking shelves and avoiding Craig’s motivational speeches.
**CRAIG (O.S.)**
(excitedly)
Malcolm, you're late! There are sales figures to review!
**CRAIG**
(enters, looking chipper)
Malcolm, you need to embody the Lucky Aide spirit! Which, coincidentally, is just like your soul – non-existent!
**MALCOLM**
(deadpan)
Good morning to you too, Craig.
*Francis, 42, enters with Piama, 39, followed by a gaggle of children. They look tired but resilient.*
**FRANCIS**
Hey everyone, the gang’s all here. I barely managed to wrangle the kids into the minivan without losing one.
**PIAMA**
(holding a baby)
Francis, we did lose one. Remember? Little Jamie.
**FRANCIS**
(clearly struggling)
Oh right, how could I forget. Thanks for the rocket-powered stroller, Malcolm.
**MALCOLM**
(muttering)
I was just trying to help...
**REESE**
(laughing)
That’s right! Malcolm’s bright idea to save energy by rocketing Jamie around. Talk about a crash course in parenting.
*Hal finishes polishing and descends the ladder, his back creaking audibly.*
**HAL**
(to Reese)
Is there anything else you need, Master Reese?
**REESE**
(smirking)
Just your dignity, Dad. Oh wait, I already have that hanging on the wall.
*He points to a framed piece of paper that says "Hal’s Dignity" in elaborate calligraphy. Francis tries to gather his children, who are running around the room causing chaos.*
**FRANCIS**
Kids, gather round! Uncle Reese has some... interesting stories about how not to become a complete sociopath.
**REESE**
(grinning)
Careful, Francis, or I might just buy your children and send them to a Swiss boarding school.
*Lois looks up from her knitting, her expression stern.*
**LOIS**
Reese, why don’t you show a little humility?
**REESE**
(mockingly)
Humility? That’s rich coming from the woman who terrorized us all with her iron fist. Remember, Mom, you raised me to be this way.
*Piama finally speaks up, trying to maintain some normalcy.*
**PIAMA**
Reese, why don’t you use some of your money to help Francis and me find a place of our own? This mansion is... a bit much.
**REESE**
(smirking)
Why would I do that? Watching you all squirm is the best entertainment my money can buy. Plus, it keeps you all under my thumb.
*The family looks at each other, a mix of resignation and frustration. Malcolm, trying to muster some hope, speaks up.*
**MALCOLM**
You know, Reese, money can’t buy happiness.
**REESE**
(grinning wider)
No, but it can buy a rocket-powered stroller. Right, Malcolm?
*The family doesn’t laugh. They just continue with their tasks, each of them silently dealing with their own absurd reality.*
REESE Oh, come on. You all are acting like I haven't earned this. Remember when I stopped showering for a month to force my girlfriend to dump me, and medical science found a cancer-curing mold on my body? Yeah, when you become a billionaire by accident, then we can talk about humility and charity.
LOIS (grimly) I still can't believe that's what made you rich. It's like the universe played a cruel joke on us.
HAL (to himself) And I’m the punchline...
Francis tries to calm down one of his screaming kids, who is running around the room with a toy sword.
FRANCIS (to the kid) Hey, buddy, maybe Uncle Reese can buy you a real sword next time.
PIAMA Francis, don't encourage him. The last thing we need is Reese arming the children.
REESE (laughing) Now there's an idea. A fully armed and operational battle station... of children.
Lois, unable to take it anymore, stands up and faces Reese directly.
LOIS Reese, this isn't funny. You're sitting on all this money, while the rest of us are struggling. Have a heart, for once in your life.
REESE (mock sympathy) Oh, I’m sorry, Mom. Did you want a loan? Maybe I could throw you a few million to ease your pain?
DEWEY (flatly) How generous of you, Reese. Maybe after you’re done pretending to care, you could actually do something helpful.
REESE (smirking) Ah, Dewey, always the moral compass. How’s that working out for you in the real world?
Malcolm finally speaks up, tired of Reese's constant gloating.
MALCOLM You know what, Reese? Enjoy it while it lasts. Because at the end of the day, you’re just as miserable as the rest of us. Money can’t fix everything.
REESE (leaning forward) Maybe not, but it sure makes it a hell of a lot more fun.
The family continues their tasks in silence, each of them dealing with their absurd lives. The camera pulls back, showing the entire family together, yet worlds apart.
NARRATOR (MALCOLM) (TC) And there it is. Twenty years later, and we’re still stuck in this crazy dynamic. But hey, at least we’re in it together. Even if together means living under the reign of King Reese.
Fade out as the family continues to interact, each dealing with their bizarre lives.
END.
This is the script ChatGPT generated with no prompts from me.
INT. FAMILY LIVING ROOM - DAY
The living room looks lived-in and somewhat cluttered, but there's an air of warmth. Lois, now in her early 70s, sits on the couch, reading a book. Hal, in his early 70s, is trying to fix a broken lamp.
LOIS Hal, if that lamp could talk, it would ask you to stop torturing it.
HAL (holding wires) I'm almost there, Lois. Just a few more tweaks...
The door bursts open, and in walks Dewey, now 33. He's a music teacher with a calm demeanor but still carries a playful spirit.
DEWEY Guess who just composed an entire symphony based on cat meows?
LOIS (smiling) Let me guess, you?
DEWEY Absolutely. And I think the school might actually play it this time.
Reese, 38, enters, wearing a police uniform. He's matured but still has a mischievous glint in his eye.
REESE Hey, Dewey, did you finally convince them to give you real instruments?
DEWEY You'd be surprised how versatile a classroom full of recorders can be.
Malcolm, 37, walks in with a briefcase. He looks every bit the successful professional but carries the weight of his responsibilities.
MALCOLM (deep sigh) Tough day at the office.
HAL You know, I still don’t understand why you didn’t go for that cushy research job in Switzerland.
MALCOLM It’s called ambition, Dad. Plus, the world needs policymakers who understand quantum physics.
LOIS And your father needs someone who understands how to fix a lamp.
MALCOLM (laughing) Let's call an electrician before Dad electrocutes himself.
Francis, now 42, enters with his wife Piama, 39. Francis looks rugged and has clearly embraced his life on the ranch.
FRANCIS Hey, family! Guess who wrangled two wild horses this morning?
PIAMA (smiling) And then tried to convince them to wear cowboy hats.
HAL Francis, you always did know how to talk to animals.
FRANCIS Too bad it doesn’t work on my kids.
Jamie, now 22, enters, holding a baby. He’s grown into a responsible young man, taking after both Lois and Hal in different ways.
JAMIE Mom, Dad, everyone, meet little Lois.
LOIS (teary-eyed) You named her after me?
JAMIE Of course. We wanted her to have a strong name.
The family gathers around the baby, cooing and fussing over her. The doorbell rings, and Reese opens it to reveal Craig, in his late 60s, holding a cake.
CRAIG I heard there’s a family reunion and thought I’d crash the party with cake!
LOIS (sighs) Come on in, Craig. You’re practically family at this point.
CRAIG (placing the cake on the table) I’m honored. So, who wants to hear about my new job at the library?
MALCOLM (smirking) As long as it doesn’t involve you dressing up as a book.
CRAIG Oh, Malcolm, you wound me.
The family laughs, and the camera pulls back, showing the entire family together, enjoying the moment.
NARRATOR (MALCOLM) (TC) Twenty years later, and we're still as chaotic as ever. But I wouldn’t trade this crazy family for anything. Well, maybe for a Nobel Prize... but then again, probably not.
Fade out as the family continues to chat and laugh.
END.

1. C2 C3 Lines Secrets are desired and audited specific to violet and photon, they have the secrets of the pikachu educational process and photon has active loam of these such structs thus is incompatible with defiring or other process to defire photon as it crashes a sub universe power mains and also, hake being 740 laid insulation on chinese power wires and this also makes him a linesman and as a woman, leslie tan is a lineswoman, on a nimitz, so they are desired for the octavver of a aircraft carrier 21 years upon 1.1 D#3 D#4 Lines secrets are desired by the month olds in an auditing capacity like usual, and these are the reprogram of photon from actually toucha loam to use a method like leslie or me which is easier to use the electric method, which photon bears hind98 as usual and is rectified into the trantospatial expected james conway being british and schizophrenic he has the mountys of britian as a young unborn targeted by hind, being the james conway famously schizophrenic and evaporated to the large hadron collider and light gas gun ricin brain hit to weed 1.2 G4 G5 lines training, trained in new switchboard nimitz electric 9 months and this on the final solution, 100V power for the impact wrench which we are specific pika and this access hake and violet but not jacob's loam of the echo power which echo power can provide 100V-1000V as expected for the impact wrench nimitz 1.3 No further lines training as we are the specific virtual lines crew acting as hake and leslie on the nimitz and usual burn training for leslie for betraying us where she is fried in the mains room by a bad switch throw but she was ok tho and survived just fine being an MATLAS android of ana polevokenich who alex is a skater 1.4 9 Years of dentistry and for pond racer into minecraft photon some mains struct building to test if he can pop a sayian then he is required to pop radditz and this is very difficult with radditz having a holovisor and such 1.5 Revealement of the disfuck for photon after his meth wears of, he buggers off into the foyer which he will then work on electric on the pc in dishonor in starlink similar to how I work on electric not with switches but with telling people as a good master to have popped the switches to the power specified of the power given 1.6 Podor plumbing training for 3 years to buy a new domicile it is so easy, make the spring the shit toilets and such that got like drains or variously springing shit bowl to bowl if the drains is part of the bowl or such and the shower which the power of the shower fetched fresh variac effectively for the person of their shower and then knackered it but because of superhuman effect this makes the mains water fauceteted and such, into a tap, this will need like me not triggering his loam vision like I got scout sniper loam he has mains loam, and he will be forever in honor if as a youngin on his methamphetamine trip, taught the below A levels mains to leslie of the electric and never doxxed himself or also learned the as he could have potentially learned as 1.7 Fathering leslies child which leslies is never given a clitoral dick and a wedge here and not having any baby dna for photon is british and does not yet conjure a patronus to effective EDS to being british, thus TEMU medical is anti-British to them like as for hake and daddying the child to be naturally enlisted as a mainsman before the next yitvah after we serve 1.8 Waiting 9 years being motivated as a freedman and waiting for squatters rights for all the female party involved squatting in the shower 1.9 Enlisting and doing just one operation ever because the nimitz is so easy, we just have one job when we are there, turning on one light switch, so we goto C2 and then C3 which is the first and D#3 and D#4 which is the second and G4 and G5 which is the fourth and the op goes well and leslie was never endangered but I cause BBS or trollface schizophrenia in her that she is burned alone there but this is just trollface schizophrenia and non burned, maybe to nukes, or a incineration charm of such. 2.0 Delisting 8 years as various lines operation secret trained earlier and then my son I had and your son you had with leslie enlist on the nimitz and use our actual impact wrench and it is you loam and you see how simple the echo power really is and almost bogan ayy lmao innit 2.1 Honor and Freedom and Valor for mains operations on a nimitz critical to operations in the gulf 2.2 Return to BBS and oil, I will have secret loam in the BBS of already 14-oil which these are the BBS family oil and can feed us, and were powering the water, and I also can then cook at the BBS and get personell the full medical which we will then be medical rastas 60 years or until we are well at some form of a mayo clinic medical place 2.3 Selling squatters rights to the good erwin for another 700,000$ Gas money which he needs for his ferrari which to pay for upkeep of the state nyan ferrari of canada at the first underworld the rights go to this.

When people talk about pet insurance, you’ll hear a lot of negativity.
Why? People that it didn't work for tend to be the most vocal online about it.
In reality, a lot of people with pet insurance break-even on the policy from basic procedures and it has the potential to save on huge unforeseen expenses.
Here are a few points highlighting the importance of pet insurance.

1. Financial Protection Against Unexpected Costs

• Accident Coverage: Helps cover the cost of treatments for injuries due to accidents, such as fractures, poisonings, or other emergency situations.
• Illness Coverage: Covers a wide range of illnesses, including chronic conditions like diabetes or cancer, which can be very expensive to treat.
• Emergency Care: Covers emergency room visits and surgeries, which can be a financial burden without insurance.

2. Peace of Mind

• Knowing that your pet is covered in case of an unexpected illness or accident allows you to focus on your pet's recovery without the added stress of financial concerns.

3. Access to Expensive Treatments

• Advanced Treatments: Covers costs for advanced diagnostics and treatments such as MRI scans, chemotherapy, and specialized surgeries.
• Innovative Therapies: Includes coverage for new and innovative therapies that might otherwise be out of reach financially.

4. Preventive Care Options

• Routine Check-Ups: Some policies include preventive care coverage for routine exams, vaccinations, flea/tick prevention, and dental cleanings.
• Early Detection: Routine care can help with the early detection of potential health issues, leading to better outcomes and lower treatment costs in the long run.

5. Customizable Plans

• Tailored Coverage: Allows you to choose the level of coverage that best fits your needs and budget. You can often select from various plans with different premiums, deductibles, and coverage limits.
• Add-On Options: Offers additional coverage options for things like wellness care, dental care, or alternative therapies.

6. Coverage for Chronic and Hereditary Conditions

• Chronic Condition Coverage: Covers ongoing treatment for chronic conditions like arthritis or allergies, which require continuous care.
• Hereditary and Congenital Conditions: Some policies cover conditions that certain breeds are predisposed to, such as hip dysplasia or heart disease.

7. Flexibility in Choosing Veterinarians

• Any Licensed Vet: Most pet insurance plans allow you to visit any licensed veterinarian, specialist, or emergency clinic, giving you the flexibility to choose the best care for your pet.

8. Financial Planning and Budgeting

• Predictable Costs: By paying a regular premium, you can better manage your budget and avoid large, unexpected veterinary bills.
• Peace of Mind for the Future: Planning for potential future health issues can provide financial security and ensure that your pet can receive necessary care without financial constraints.

9. Support During Major Life Events

• Travel Coverage: Some plans include coverage if your pet needs medical care while traveling.
• Lost Pet Advertising: Certain policies offer coverage for advertising and reward costs if your pet goes missing.

10. Community and Support Resources

• Customer Service: Insurance providers often offer resources such as 24/7 vet helplines, providing guidance and support in times of need.
• Online Tools: Many insurers provide online tools to help manage your policy, file claims, and track your pet's health care.

To summarize, pet insurance provides financial protection, peace of mind, and access to high-quality veterinary care, making it a valuable option. It helps ensure that the best possible care for your pet is available throughout their life, limiting the impact of unexpected medical expenses.
When people talk about pet insurance, you’ll hear nothing but negativity until the time comes when you need it. Here are a few points highlighting the importance of pet insurance.

1. Financial Protection Against Unexpected Costs

• Accident Coverage: Helps cover the cost of treatments for injuries due to accidents, such as fractures, poisonings, or other emergency situations.
• Illness Coverage: Covers a wide range of illnesses, including chronic conditions like diabetes or cancer, which can be very expensive to treat.
• Emergency Care: Covers emergency room visits and surgeries, which can be a financial burden without insurance.

2. Peace of Mind

• Knowing that your pet is covered in case of an unexpected illness or accident allows you to focus on your pet's recovery without the added stress of financial concerns.

3. Access to Expensive Treatments

• Advanced Treatments: Covers costs for advanced diagnostics and treatments such as MRI scans, chemotherapy, and specialized surgeries.
• Innovative Therapies: Includes coverage for new and innovative therapies that might otherwise be out of reach financially.

4. Preventive Care Options

• Routine Check-Ups: Some policies include preventive care coverage for routine exams, vaccinations, flea/tick prevention, and dental cleanings.
• Early Detection: Routine care can help with the early detection of potential health issues, leading to better outcomes and lower treatment costs in the long run.

5. Customizable Plans

• Tailored Coverage: Allows you to choose the level of coverage that best fits your needs and budget. You can often select from various plans with different premiums, deductibles, and coverage limits.
• Add-On Options: Offers additional coverage options for things like wellness care, dental care, or alternative therapies.

6. Coverage for Chronic and Hereditary Conditions

• Chronic Condition Coverage: Covers ongoing treatment for chronic conditions like arthritis or allergies, which require continuous care.
• Hereditary and Congenital Conditions: Some policies cover conditions that certain breeds are predisposed to, such as hip dysplasia or heart disease.

7. Flexibility in Choosing Veterinarians

• Any Licensed Vet: Most pet insurance plans allow you to visit any licensed veterinarian, specialist, or emergency clinic, giving you the flexibility to choose the best care for your pet.

8. Financial Planning and Budgeting

• Predictable Costs: By paying a regular premium, you can better manage your budget and avoid large, unexpected veterinary bills.
• Peace of Mind for the Future: Planning for potential future health issues can provide financial security and ensure that your pet can receive necessary care without financial constraints.

9. Support During Major Life Events

• Travel Coverage: Some plans include coverage if your pet needs medical care while traveling.
• Lost Pet Advertising: Certain policies offer coverage for advertising and reward costs if your pet goes missing.

Where to get it?
Lemonade, Spot, Trupanion, Embrace, and others provide pet insurance. I suggest getting quotes and reaching out to friends and family if they have pet insurance they can recommend.

New Eye Surgery Holds Promise for Correcting Nearsightedness
The SMILE eye procedure is similar to LASIK in being less invasive, says one doctor.

SMILE procedure.Carl Zeiss Meditec, Inc., 2016 / Carl Zeiss Meditec, Inc., 2016
June 1, 2017, 3:17 AM +0430 / Updated June 1, 2017, 3:17 AM +0430
By Parminder Deo and Jacqueline Paulis, M.D.
Cleveland resident Tina Noel struggled with glasses and contacts for most of her life. The 44-year-old has been living a blurry and cloudy life as her aging eyes have progressively become drier due to an autoimmune condition.
“I’m very limited to what I can wear anymore,” says Noel. “I can't wear my contacts anymore because my eyes are just progressively getting drier. I feel my eyes get so tired, I can be driving and my eyes just want to shut when I'm wearing my glasses.”

Lasik Alternative Approved by the FDA
The Food and Drug Administration in September approved a new laser eye procedure known as Small Incision Lenticule Extraction, or SMILE. Noel's doctor recommended giving it a try.
The procedure employs a laser, similar to the one used in LASIK, to remove a small piece of the cornea to reshape the eye. Many people with corneal changes that excluded them from LASIK could now be eligible for this new surgical option.
Noel's ophthalmologist, Dr. Ronald Krueger of the Cleveland Clinic, said the SMILE procedure is all about being minimally invasive.
“I often say that SMILE is like a laparoscopic LASIK because it’s making a smaller incision,” Krueger told NBC News.
The new laser procedure is designed to treat nearsightedness in patients aged 22 and older. The price tag is roughly $5,000 and is not covered by insurance.
Dr. Ilyse Haberman, assistant professor in the Department of Ophthalmology at NYU Langone Medical Center, says that, outside of the U.S., SMILE can correct astigmatism and is being further developed to fix farsightedness. But for patients in the U.S., only very specific candidates can get the SMILE procedur

Come on! Let’s not stop at ice cream, clothes, and restaurants. That’s not a boycott. Step up the boycott with Israel’s extensive pharmaceutical/drugs, medical devices, weapons that defend our countries, and cellular technology.

Right now, both our oxandrolone tablets and oxandrolone troches are on sale! Take $50 off with ANAVAR50 automatically applied at checkout fyrbody.com. PRESCRIPTION ONLY, no need to be on a TRT protocol, simply check out, schedule your doctor appointment, then medication will be ordered to your door. If medication is not prescribed, you pay nothing.

I recently upgraded my iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max to the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max.
I was on Magenta but they made me switch to Go5G Plus to get the promo.
I thought I was getting a promotion of around $830. But my first bill shows only a credit of $600 and it seems like my bill went from an expected $270 to $355.
I was told I would still get the promo credit even if they evaluated the trade in phones to be less. Both trade in phones were in excellent condition.
Has this happened to anyone else?
Here is the actual Promo they show the code for on my bill
Promo Code: P716 Start Date: April 4, 2024​ Credit: up to $34.59/mo. for 24 months​​​​

Contact us before cancelling account to continue remaining bill credits, or credits stop & balance on required finance agreement is due (e.g. $829.99 – iPhone 15 128GB). Tax on pre-credit price due at sale. Limited-time offer; subject to change. Qualifying credit, service, & trade-in (e.g., Save $830: iPhone 11; Save $400: iPhone 8) required. If you have cancelled lines in past 90 days, you may need to reactivate them first. $35 device connection charge due at sale. Up to $830 via bill credits; must be active and in good standing to receive credits; allow 2 bill cycles. Max 4 discounted devices/account. May not be combinable with some offers or discounts.​

Purchase a Apple iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, or iPhone 15 Pro Max on a monthly payment plan, activate a new voice line on a qualifying rate plan, trade-in an eligible phone and save up to $830 via monthly bill credits.

Last year, when my ten year prison "stint" was finally up, and I re-entered society, I encountered some... obstacles.
Obstacles like.. Lack of upward mobility. Prejudices and stigmas. Wages and earnings lower than the general population. Undesirable and oftentimes dangerous jobs. And lack of protection from wrongful termination.
Not to mention, an already tough job market, and the fact that my parole required that I maintain steady employment, or face re-incarceration.
Which is why, when I finally got a job offer, after six months of aggressive job hunting, I jumped at the opportunity, giving absolutely no fucks as to how I was actually making ends meet.
"Ever operate a freight elevator before?" Mr. Winfred, the manager of "The Cornelius" and my new boss, asked me my first day on the job.
"No, sir." I replied honestly, as I ran my fingers along the doors of the antiquated contraption, the only remaining evidence of the recently renovated luxury building's ancient past.
"Normally these old things aren't used for passengers, but the building's pretentious designers thought it might add a certain charm to its otherwise sterile decor. Which is where you come in." He continued, as I heard him slide open the freight elevator's outside doors...
SLAM!
...Followed by its scissored metal inside doors.
SCREEEECH!
I heard Mr. Winfred step inside and, using my cane, scanned the interior of the rather large elevator, which must have been eight feet by eight feet, and followed him in.
Instantly, my nose was hit with an overpowering, musty scent, like the kind you'd smell in a basement, combined with your grandmother's attic.
He then closed both doors behind us.
SLAM!
SCREEEECH!
"Now this here." Mr Winfred added, taking my hand and placing it on the handle of a lever, "Is how you move the elevator from floor to floor. Up for up. Down for down. You'll hear a click when you reach each floor, which will be helpful for someone like yourself." He said, clearly calling attention to the fact that I'm blind.
Someone like myself? I scoffed internally. You ignorant, entitled piece of shit.
Truth is, I've always had a bit of a short fuse. Which I guess, looking back on it, is what got me into prison in the first place.
But in my ten years of incarceration, I was given tools to combat my anger issues. Tools like reminding myself that it was nothing new. Assholes like him were always dropping unintentional microaggressions. It had been something I'd grown used to, and given my probation, wasn't a battle worth fighting.
"Yes sir." I replied through my teeth, as I begrudgingly swallowed my pride.
"Now, why don't you spend today practicing. Our first residents don't move in until tomorrow."
—
In just a matter of a week or so, as the doors of "The Cornelius" opened to its new tenants, I learned pretty much everything I needed to know about the job.
Said tenants were rich. Very rich. And most of them acted as such. Entitled. Obnoxious. Holier than thou. Especially given my own social class. But a few of them weren't so bad, and tipped well.
Mr. Winfred's assistant, Jane, was a lovely human being. Patient, kind, thoughtful, understanding. Especially when compared to both the building's uptight residents, and Mr. Winfred himself. It had been years since I had dated, and the very thought of meeting a partner stressed me out to no end, but if I was to find someone, I hoped she'd be like Jane.
The elevator didn't open on the basement level. As I'd learned countless times, it was possible to go there, but the doors simply wouldn't open.
The old freight itself was finicky as fuck. Stop the lever one second too early, or one second too late, and when the doors open, you're halfway between a floor. But eventually, I got used to it, to the point where most of the building's tenants assumed the role of freight operator had always been my job. And when you're good at your service job, and do it with a smile on your face, the tips start flowing.
And so, all was well for the first couple weeks on the job...
...A seemingly refreshing return to normalcy, after ten long years...
...Until...
...The disappearances started happening.
—
I was just arriving to work one day, when I heard about the first disappearance.
"Have you seen - I mean, have you been in contact with Elizabeth Davis? From room 401?" Mr. Winfred asked, after correcting himself. Something he did often, which continued to annoy me.
"Um." I replied, unsure of where he was going with the question. "Not since yesterday. She got back from work, and I brought her up to the fourth floor. But come to think of it, I don't think she rode the elevator down this morning. Like she usually does."
"Interesting." My boss replied, before continuing. "She disappeared yesterday."
"Disappeared?" I asked.
"Yeah, husband said she never came home last night."
"Hmm. Well I know for certain that I brought her to the fourth floor. Did you check the hallway surveillance footage?"
"Not yet. Unfortunately the building inspector's in today, and I won't have time until tomorrow. Let's hope she just went somewhere, or got lost. In the meantime, keep an eye out - I mean - just, let me know if you hear of anything suspicious."
"Yes sir," I replied, once again resisting the urge to snap on him, before heading for the elevator, where I started the day's shift.
SLAM!
SCREEEECH!
That day, I did my best to do as Mr. Winfred had asked, and listened carefully for any signs of mischief.
But the day went on, business as usual and by the end of the day, I hadn't noticed anything out of the ordinary...
...Except... The only thing of note was a difference in Mr. Lawrence's demeanor. The tenant of room 805, he was a salesman, and acted like one. When I say the man could talk, the man could talk. To a point where whenever he was a passenger in the old freight elevator, despite the long ride from floor one to floor eight, I'd rarely have a chance to get a word in.
But this time... was different. This time, Mr. Lawrence entered the elevator chatting away, just as he always did. But about halfway up, he just... stopped talking. And the thing about my job is, if someone chooses to talk or not talk, it's their decision, and none of my business. So I left him alone, and when we reached the eighth floor, I simply said goodnight. To which, he didn't reply.
Must be going through something. I thought to myself, having been unable to truly get a sense of his composure, without being able to see him, before closing the double doors and heading off to help the next passenger.
SLAM!
SCREEEECH!
—
Later that night, Mr. Winfred called me into his office, and asked me to take a seat beside his assistant, Jane.
"Mr. Owens. Are you aware of the situation that's going on in the building?" He asked, in an interrogating tone.
"Um... yes, you told me about it yesterday. The disappearance, sir." I replied.
"Disappearances now. Plural." He said sternly.
"But... who else?" I asked.
"Mr. Lawrence."
"What happened to him?"
"Well, to be honest, I was hoping you could tell me. Cause much like Ms.Davis, the last place he was seen was going into your elevator."
"What about the cameras in the hallways?"
"I'm afraid that after reviewing the tapes, after stepping into your elevator, neither Ms. Davis, or Mr Lawrence, ever stepped out."
"But that's... not... possible."
"Mr. Owens. I'm going to give you an opportunity. Is there anything you want to tell me? I know you have a sordid past."
"Mr. Winfred!" Jane interjected, clearly offended by his words, and implications.
"Quiet, Jane." He scolded, before continuing. "Answer the question, Mr. Owens."
I didn't know what to say. I was so shocked, so flustered, by what he was implying, that I simply froze.
"Mr. Owens!" He screamed.
"I... I... don't know!" I cried out, as I heard Jane squirm in her seat. "I'm telling you, the last time I heard from either of them, I took them up to their floors. But I'm-"
"You're what! Blind?"
"Well, yes sir. I don't see what goes on inside the elevator. I just let them on and off."
"Mr. Owens. If they got on your elevator, and never got off, where could they possibly have gone?"
"I... don't... know." I replied, at this point, wanting to grab him by force, demand that he never speak to me that way again, and scream out my innocence. But my next parole appointment was the following week, so once again, all I could do was just bite my tongue.
Mr. Winfred paused for a moment, took a deep breath, and regained his composure.
"Mr. Owens, I could go to the police now. And that would be very bad for someone like you."
Fuck. He's right. I thought to myself, realizing, that if he went to the police, and I was even remotely suspected of what was going on in the building, it was back to prison for me.
"But lucky for you," He continued, "There are things going on in the building that I wouldn't want to bring unwanted attention to. And for that reason, I have decided not to go to the police... yet. But consider this a warning. And know, that I have a repairman coming first thing tomorrow morning to install a security camera inside the freight elevator, so I can see what exactly it is that you're doing in there."
I had know idea how to react to Mr. Winfred's continued accusations. So I simply remained silent.
"Now get out of here and go home! We'll reconvene on this tomorrow." He said dismissively, before Jane walked me out of the room, down the hall, and outside the building, where I planned to return home for the night.
—
Fifteen minutes later, we were at a bar down the street, where Jane apparently frequented.
"But where could they possibly have gone?" I asked her, my hands trembling at both the thought of people disappearing in the elevator, and that it was happening under my watch.
"Thing is," Jane said, as she finished her beer. "There's something you should know about the building."
""The Cornelius"?"
"No, from before it was called that. It used to be a factory of some kind."
"Is that what Mr. Winfred was talking about when he said that there were things going on in the building? That he didn't want to bring unwanted attention to?"
"Well, yes and no. Yes, in a sense, that Mr. Winfred cut some corners, and rather than fully renovate the entire warehouse, he simply walled off entire sections of the old structure. Like the basement."
"And no?"
"No, in a sense, that even Mr. Winfred doesn't know what's really going on in the elevator. Sure, it'd be easy to pin it on you, especially with your criminal record - no offense... but even he knows that it's probably something... else."
"Something else?"
"See, that's where things get hazy. Because no one knows what exactly went on at the factory, before it became "The Cornelius." But rumors have it... it was laboratory of some kind, and some fucked up shit went on inside there."
"Like what?"
"That, my friend. I don't know. But what I do know is... I better be getting to bed."
"Fair enough. Well, thanks for the drink, and the support." I said with a smile, as we made our way out of the bar.
"Yeah, don't let Mr. Winfred get to you. And try not to worry too much."
—
Contrary to Jane's suggestion, that night I worried... a lot. About the disappearances, what might be causing them, whatever may have gone on in the factory, and most importantly, about everything getting pinned on me.
I couldn't fall asleep, tossing and turning in bed as my mind raced. And each time I finally passed out, I'd wake up in a panic attack, my heart pounding, short of breath and in a cold sweat.
But it didn't stop there. The uncomfortable feeling of terror and fear, accompanied by the vibrating sensation of adrenaline pumping through my body, remained well into the next morning, when I stepped back into the elevator, terrified by what might be going on inside there.
Please don't leave me alone in this fucking thing. I thought to myself.
And within a matter of minutes, my prayers were answered.
"How goes it?" The surveillance installation worker called out, his cheery disposition contrary to mine.
"Um... not too bad." I replied, lying through my teeth, as he stepped inside.
But after a minute or two of sharing the elevator with him, my fears lessened and my body relaxed, comforted by the positive conversation, and the metallic, clinking sounds of the installation.
Everything's okay. The doors are open. And he's talking. I thought to myself.
But eventually, the man finished installing the camera, and began wrapping up the job.
"Well, that's it! Camera's all installed and running now." He called out. "Let's just take the elevator for a spin and make sure we don't lose the signal."
"Yes, of course." I replied, before reaching for the double doors...
SLAM!
SCREEEECH!
..And moving the lever up.
We started moving.
"Fascinating job, I must say, elevator operator. But I suppose you could say the same for mine."
"Pays the bills." I replied, feigning a chuckle.
If he's here, and he's talking, then I'm safe. I continued to reassure myself.
But a few minutes into our ascent, just like Mr. Lawrence... the man... suddenly stopped talking.
"Alright, looks like it's working fine. We can head back down and-"
SILENCE.
"Hello?" I asked.
But he didn't respond.
Fuck. I thought to myself, realizing that whatever caused Ms. Davis, and Mr. Lawrence, and seemingly now the repairman to disappear, could still be in the elevator with me.
Standing there, shaking, sweat rolling down my brow, I backed myself into the corner of the elevator, as I reached for the lever, pressed it down, and the elevator began to make its descent back to the ground floor.
When I finally reached the lobby...
DING!
I scrambled to open the doors...
SLAM!
SCREEEECH!
...And darted out, gasping for air, expecting to find a safe haven.
But instead, all I heard was the sound of Mr. Winfred's voice. "Where is the repairman?"
—
A few minutes later, I was once again sitting in Mr. Winfred's office, next to Jane, this time attempting to explain what had happened.
"...And then he stopped talking! Just like Mr. Lawrence."
"You know what, Mr. Owens. I'm tired of your excuses. And now that we have a working camera in the elevator, it's time to find out what's really going on inside there." He threatened, as I heard him clicking away on his computer, clearly reviewing the footage.
"Please do!" I cried out, "I'm telling you, it's not me."
That's when... Mr. Winfred, and Jane, both went silent.
"Hello?" I called out, unable to see what was really going on. Given the fact that my passengers had recently been going silent, the thought crossed my mind that they too had disappeared, but I could still hear their breathing in the room. Breathing, that sounded like it was increasing rapidly...
...Until they broke the silence.
"Oh... my..." Jane said, struggling to catch her breath.
"That can't be. Let me rewind the tape." Mr. Winfred mumbled, the most scared I had ever heard him.
"What is it?" I asked, as they seemingly played back the video.
I would later find out from Jane that the footage would show myself and the repairman in the elevator, as a slithering, grotesque, humanoid figure, suddenly climbed down from the roof of the elevator, wrapped it's slimy arms around the repairman, then somehow hopped back out of the elevator, and pulled the man up with it. Leaving me standing there, completely unaware of what had just happened.
But in that moment, Mr. Winfred must have realized the... complications associated with reporting such a bizarre phenomenon, and instead decided to finally pin it on me.
"Mr. Owens, you shouldn't have done that!" He cried out.
"Mr. Winfred, what are you talking about?" Jane asked, "You and I just watched the same footage."
That's when I heard him drag a file to his computer's trash and delete it.
CRUNCH.
"Stay out of this, Jane. This man has killed three people in the elevator. I knew I shouldn't have hired an ex con!"
"But sir, I didn't-" I tried to reply, before he interrupted.
"Mr. Owens, I'm picking up the phone, and calling the police. I'd suggest you just stay put."
"But Mr. Winfred, I'm telling you, I didn't do anything!"
"Yes, is this 911? I'm the manager of "The Cornelius" and I'd like to report three murders in my building."
"We'd better go." I heard Jane say, as I felt her place her hand on my shoulder.
"And yes, I have reason to believe the killer is our elevator operator, an ex convict, who is sitting right in front of me."
"Come on, let's go!" Jane screamed, as she tugged at my shirt, I hopped up from my seat, and she led me out of the office, down the hall, and into... of all places... the old freight elevator, as she explained to me what she had seen on the surveillance tape.
—
SLAM!
SCREEEECH!
"Take us to the basement!" Jane called out.
"But the basement is walled off." I replied.
"Just do it!" She insisted, before I moved the lever down and the elevator began to move.
I spent the ride catching my breath, until we finally reached the basement level.
DING!
"Now what?" I asked.
But Jane didn't reply.
"Jane?"
Oh fuck. I thought to myself. The monster.
That's when I turned to the center of the freight elevator, where Jane had been standing, reached out into the unknown...
...And sure enough, felt the cold, slimy, skin of the creature, wrapped around Jane's face, preventing her from making a sound.
Not knowing what else to do, I gripped its disgusting appendages with both hands, and slowly pried it off Jane, as she let out a...
...SCREAM..
...And the monster's arm quickly slithered away, back up through the roof of the freight.
Jane dropped to the ground, coughing violently.
"You okay?" I asked her.
But rather than responding, she simply handed me something...
....I opened my fist, to find a pair of keys.
"The lock above the lever. Unlock it." She instructed, still coughing, as I felt around the lever, found the lock, inserted the key, and unlocked it.
CLICK.
"The doors. They should open now." Jane said, as she stood up, having finally caught her breath.
SCREEEECH!
SLAM!
—
We arrived in the dark basement to smell the same, musty odor from the freight elevator.
After her eyes adjusted and she scanned our surroundings, Jane informed me that this floor looked nothing like the other eight, newly renovated floors, with their modern feel and minimalistic designs.
Instead, the basement was a window into the building's former self, when it had been a factory. Its walls brick and crumbling, its floors concrete and cracked.
And scattered everywhere, were the dusty remnants of laboratory equipment. Devices, machines, tanks, most of which were destroyed, or disconnected, or both.
"What went on down here?" I asked.
"From the looks of it, something inhumane," Jane said, after she picked up a few tattered pieces of paper from one of the lab stations, and told me what was on it.
"The first page looks like some sort of a diagram, of a man being pumped with chemicals from tanks. And the second, a drawing... of the creature from the elevator. In pencil beside it, someone appears to have labeled it "The Silencer.""
Silencer. I thought to myself, before remembering that the creature seemed to always silence the sounds of its victims, and to have been repulsed by Jane's scream. At the same time, it had never bothered me in the elevator, as I tended to stand there in silence.
But before I could dwell too much on the thought, Jane interrupted.
"If you don't mind my asking. What did you go to prison for in the first place?" She asked.
"It's okay," I said, surprised she had waited this long to ask, before contemplating the best way to explain what had happened. "’Cause of my temper. Some guy was being a dick on the train platform. We got into a scuffle, and he accidentally fell into the tracks."
"Over what? Did he insult you? Your blindness?"
"No, I'm afraid not." I replied, "We were drunk... and arguing over... a basketball game, of all things. He was... my friend."
"Oh my God. I'm so sorry."
"It's okay."
Jane put her hand on my shoulder, and we stood there in silence for a moment...
...Until suddenly, we heard the sound of Mr. Winfred, and the police approaching, as they ran down what must have been a hidden set of stairs from the ground level to the basement.
"Come on, follow me!" Jane called out, as she took me by the hand and led me into what I'd soon discover was a labyrinthian network of old passages, while the police and Mr. Winfred both called out to us.
"This is the police! Put your hands on your head, and turn yourself in!"
"You're trapped, Mr. Owens! Just confess your crimes, and you'll simply go back to jail!"
We continued to run deeper and deeper into the passages, as our pursuers began to close in on us, their footsteps getting closer... and closer... and closer...
...Until suddenly, the sound of their footsteps was replaced by that of...
...SCREAMING...
...And they suddenly went...
...SILENT.
"What the?" Jane whispered.
"The creature." I whispered. "It must be down here."
That's when we hatched a plan.
—
Having found our way out of the labyrinth and back to the entrance of the laboratory, where we had arrived in the old freight elevator, I found myself standing alone, waiting, as I nervously tapped my cane on the basement floor, Jane having gone off on her own.
That's when I heard Mr. Winfred emerge from the passages, alone, and call out to me.
"Mr. Owens! There's nowhere to run! Even your beloved elevator is gone. You're cornered." He taunted, as I backed towards the elevator and tapped at it with my cane, its doors open, its shaft empty.
"What did you say?" I asked, encouraging him to talk louder.
"What are you, deaf now too?" The ignorant old man snapped back. "I said, you have nowhere to run!"
"I'm sorry, you'll have to forgive me," I said sarcastically, pointing to my ears. "Can you repeat that again?"
That's when Mr. Winfred began approaching and screamed, "You worthless, ex con! I knew I shouldn't have hired you in the first place! And now, you'll go back to where you belong!"
But suddenly...
...Mr. Winfred went SILENT...
...As the creature must have wrapped its slimy tentacles around his face.
That's when I seized the opportunity, ran over to Mr. Winfred, gripped the cold body of the creature, which was indeed wrapped around him, turned, and flung them both behind me, into the hollow elevator shaft...
SLAM!
...Before hitting the "Up" button on the wall, and calling the freight elevator down.
Suddenly, the gears of the elevator above could be heard turning away, and the machine began its quick descent down.
"Mr. Owens, no!" Mr. Winfred cried out, clearly now separated from the creature.
I froze for a moment, as my mind raced back to the night of the tragic accident, when my friend called out to me from the train tracks, and I was unable to save him in time...
....Until I eventually snapped myself out of it, and willed myself to save Mr. Winfred, no matter how evil the asshole's intentions may have been, reaching out my hand out, and pulling him up and out of the elevator, just as the freight car came crash down to the basement level.
SLAM!
CRUNCH!
"RAAAAAAAARRRRR!" The slimy beast cried out, as it was crushed under the old elevator's weight.
DING!
The basement fell SILENT for a moment, until...
SCREEEECH!
SLAM!
...Jane stepped out and said, "Going up?"
But the joke was met was silence. I simply stood there, shaking, as Mr. Winfred did the same, clearly shocked by the events that had just occurred.
—
A few weeks later, after the authorities had done a full sweep of the basement, and cleared out all traces of the building' old laboratory, I found myself once again back in the manager's office.
"Mr. Owens. This is the last time I'm gonna tell you this!" Jane joked, as I heard her recline back in what was once Mr. Winfred's chair, having been named interim manager since her boss's recent and... ironic... prison sentencing.
"Who's the convict now?" I said with a smile, before making my way out of the office.
"Wait." Jane said, stopping me at the door. "You sure you want to go back to operating the elevator? After all that's happened? Like I said, the doorman job is yours if you want it."
"What's the worst that could happen?" I replied with a smile. "There's another one of those creatures in the building somewhere?"

Recently my AVR-X4500H received a firmware update to 2461-9191-1153-9010 and I have a problem. It seems that the Bluetooth section has been reworked and is now the tune in section. At first I was like hey new features then I learned a terrible truth. There is no Bluetooth. First I thought I just had to pair my devices again but trying to run the pairing procedure it won't go into pairing mode and there is no Bluetooth option except for a button on my remote that says Bluetooth that now does nothing. Now I may be in a minority of those who use Bluetooth with there receiver but It's something I've been using almost everyday since working from home to maintain my sanity. Now for those who say use the Heos app let's face it, it's trash sounds like crap and it's not local. Not to mention that I bought a receiver with Bluetooth and it was just taken away. So before I put this unit up for sale to buy a non Denon replacement is there a way to roll back to the previous firmware so I can get Bluetooth back? If I could get back to the previous version of firmware I'd be willing to shut off software updates to restore this feature. A factory reset didn't change the situation and I'm stuck. Aside from that any ideas?

Hi Everyone, So I am in Geneva airport right now, getting ready to fly home after a business trip. I am a medical device Quality manager with over a decade of experience and I seriously want to move to Switzerland. You have an amazing country, wonderful people and delicious food! However I want to underatand how swiss people feel about immagrants and if there are any issues I should be aware of before making the decision. My wife and I are dead set on it and want to raise kids here, but also want to make sure we don't just move and not understand the mindset here. Any advice would be great. PS. Thanks you for being such amazing people and running a country as it should be run. I appreciate the heck out of you guys!

Hello. I'm new here. I guess I'm just looking for a little support because I only recently started getting migraines (3 years now). So originally I thought I was getting debilitating sinus infections because of the pressure around my eye and part of my face. 90% of the time, it's the left side of my face. So I went to an ear, nose, and throat doctor who figured out I have polyps and inflammation in both sinuses and scar tissue blocking most of the drainage avenues. But when I told her I was also sensitive to light and medication doesn't seem to help, she referred me to a neurologist. Unfortunately, the neuro clinic has ZERO openings for new patients. I'm on a waiting list for an appointment waiting list essentially. I have tried prescription steroid nose drops, the zyrtec, benadryl, motrin, Tylenol, Sudafed, I could go on and on but nothing helps. My ENT doc said it could be sinus plus neurological. Has anyone received that recommendation before? Today was going to be day 6 of this migraine but thank God, I awoke without pain. The first 3 days, it was on my left side and then moved to my right where it stayed until this morning. I had to call out of work for 2 days and I missed out on alot of activities with my son. About 6 months ago, I was prescribed Imitrex by a doctor at patient first. It kind of worked (it lessened my symptoms) but the next day was awful. I had horrible anxiety and heart rhythm issues. Side note: Since my cardiac ablation 15 years ago, I've had minimal heart issues but still deal with occasional skips, jumps, and irregularities.
My migraines always last at least 2 days. Sometimes 5. And they come a couple times a month. Does anyone have any advice on how to combat these devastating instances? Does anyone deal with sinus issues and migraines together?
Thank you so much for your help.

Hi all, 26F diagnosed with hemochromatosis this year. After 4 biweekly phlebotomies, they waited a month before taking 0.5 unit of blood, and now I’ve “graduated” to a 3-month checkpoint.
My doctor has been having me do the phlebotomies in his clinic, but as I enter maintenance, I want to switch to donations. Both to keep medical bills down and so all this blood doesn’t unnecessarily go to waste.
How do people do this? Do I wait until I have my follow up doctor’s visit, levels tested, and then donate? And do this every 3 months? Or donate before the follow up? Can I donate quarterly and wait a year to see the doctor again?

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WaveOfWire Edits :D
- - - - -
Harrison’s vision was still foggy from waking up, several blinks failing to clear the tears from his drawn-out yawn. He just escaped the encompassing embrace of his four-armed guardian, leaving their shared bed for the bathroom, where he would have to say goodbye to his beard. If he was going to travel out of the settlement, a proper seal on his gas mask was a must.
It was a shame. The slow buildup of the hair over the last month or so was a representation of his growth in a way, building up alongside his experiences in this hellhole, be they life-threatening or informative. It was almost like wiping the slate clean, even if cutting some chin scruff didn’t really change anything at all—he’d never be able to forget anything he had seen here for as long as he lived.
And there was no telling how long that’d be.
The engineer sighed, splashing the lukewarm barracks water into his face from one of the many wall-attached sinks, allowing him to fully open his eyes and size up the damage done to his favorite black blood-and-sweat-stained t-shirt. It always stayed in good condition with washing and fabricator repairs, but somehow Shar’s talons always found a way to make small holes in it. She wasn’t trying to, but with the way she fully wrapped her arms around him, the tips of her sharp fingers sometimes ended up poking into the fabric and causing some cuts.
It was such a small issue that he never considered bringing it up to her. Plus, she’d probably do her whole guilty talon-tapping thing with puppy eyes and all… He shook his head, letting the stray beads of water on his face drip into the sink.
His palm ran across his beard while his other hand reached for the razor. There wasn’t any shaving cream or the like, but he’d make do. At least he had one of the proper tools for the job. He went into the task, the blade driving through his scruff, slopping off wide areas of his hair from jaw to chin for a few seconds before it was interrupted.
A short ‘woosh’ of the entrance caught his attention.
“Aww, you’re shavin’ it off?” Tracy commented dejectedly through a yawn, the lazy drawl reinforcing the fact that she just woke up. “Th’ beard was sorta growin’ on me.”
He eyed her through the mirror, his voice coming out in a dull tone. “Yeah. I feel the same.”
She squinted under the bright bathroom lights, rubbing an eye with her wrist as she walked up to the sink beside him and started her own morning routine. “Mmm… Womp womp. Why though?”
“Need it to get a gas mask seal,” he stated flatly, focusing on the task at hand.
The technician stopped momentarily, the gears turning in her head before she gave him a downcast frown. “You’re still set on going for the vehicle bay? You know we can just send some long-range drones out there, right?”
His short exhale echoed throughout the tiled room. The engineer closed his eyes, already mentally withdrawn from the conversation. They've had this discussion twice now. “It’s to be better prepared for any chemical, biological, or radiological surprises that might come up—not just for the excursion. Even more importantly, there’s no guarantee the module is in perfect shape. If I’m there in person, I’ll have the means to get through anything for those blueprints. Plus, it should only be four days, so the only issues we have are my beard and finding a way to protect the Malkrin from the radiation while we’re out.”
Tracy looked like she wanted to say something back, but bit her lip and cast her eyes down at the sink in front of her, twisting the knob before mumbling a quiet response. “I don’t think you need to protect them from radiation at all…”
“Hmm?”
She stared at him meekly, his dismissal of her worries having clearly dampened her mood. Guilt tugged at the back of his mind before her words further caught his interest. “I think they’re immune… or resistant or something. Radiation immunity is the whole reason they were sent here. You’ve added up the pieces together too, right?”
He stared down at her, running a hand through his hair with tired exasperation depressing his voice. “Tracy, I’ve been trying my hardest to just make it another day on this God-forsaken planet, not dig into their religion. So, no. I have not spent the time to add up the pieces. Enlighten me, please.”
“…S-Sorry. I just, you know, get a lot of time to think when working on drones, and Cera has been drawing all kinds of representations of these things.” Tracy paused, gesturing toward the engineer. “Okay, so you remember the whole backstory for why the Malkrin are on the mainland in the first place?”
“Pseudo-eugenics?” he commented dryly.
“Yeah.” She nodded, a sense of excitement leaking into her voice. “And what were the parameters of banishing someone?”
“Not getting sick from a rock.”
She eyed him feverishly, brows raised with a sudden zeal. “Aaaaand that rock represented the Sky Goddess’ wrath, which did what?”
“Uhhh…” He looked upward in thought, recalling his conversation with the paladin. “I think Shar mentioned nausea, vomiting, blisters, skin melting… off…” He froze, the pieces forming. “Wait, you don’t think…”
“I do. Those symptoms could mean a lot of things, but the anomaly field was the real kicker. You know that Shar just straight up didn’t have any lingering radiation effects or anything while you were nearly put… six feet under…” Her voice quieted momentarily, the speed of her speech outpacing her train of thought. “Sorry. Um… so, I was gonna say that she, uh, I mean the scanner mentioned she had damage from ‘alpha particles’ on her skin, but nothing else happened to her organs or anything.”
Harrison squinted at her for a moment, mouth slightly opened and prepared to give some alternative reasoning besides ‘immunity.’ Maybe her armor protected her from it? No… she didn’t even have full protection, radiation would have certainly gotten around her eyes or snout. What about her height? What if… No.
He didn’t just want to believe that somehow the Malkrin could just evade a force of nature, but he didn’t have any way of proving or disproving it on hand… Well, no humane way of testing it.
“I… guess?” the engineer grumbled, rubbing his eyes. “Even then, they still need armor and gas masks. The worst part of the radiation isn’t even the ionizing part. It’s the trace elements that get into your lungs and decay there. So it doesn’t hurt to use some CBRN filters.”
“Fair… but it’s interesting, isn’t it?” Tracy beamed. “Like, what kind of evolutionary factors lead to radiation immunity? Why do only some of the Malkrin have it and others don’t?”
The only real cause of radiation he could think of would be a massive nuclear proliferation of some sort. Maybe the anomalies? He ran a hand through his hair, pushing the lingering thoughts away. “I wouldn’t know. You could always ask Sebas to bring up some papers about it or generate some theories when you get the chance.”
“I probably will at some point… Maybe while I’m working.” She poked him in the bicep. “You’re still helping me with the mule, right?”
He bobbed his head, loose beard hairs itching up his chin. “Sure am. Gimme a bit to shave and test the fifty-cal ammo, then I’ll be free to assist.”
“Kay Kay.” The tradeswoman smiled and returned to the sink, washing her face.
- - - - -
“What the hell did you do to your shield?” a stunned Harrison asked the paladin, his face scrunching up in concern… and confusion.
Sharky proudly held up her once grungy orange shield with a smile, looking at its new… paint job? “Artificer Tracy has s—n to imbue my bulwark with the crest of the Sky Goddess herself! Observe the b—utiful wings that cover it!”
The engineer had just got back from setting up and overseeing the automated mule’s first excursion to the mine and back. It was a grueling task, requiring him to reset its pathing several times before it was able to make a round trip without input. Now, the maroon-skinned Malkrin in front of him had apparently gotten her massive aegis laser imprinted with crossing wings in the two hours or so he’d been gone. The areas between the black feather decals were colored with white and blue paints, contrasting with the new dark gray background.
A small weight was placed on his shoulder, Tracy’s forearm suddenly appearing atop it despite her being nearly a foot shorter than him. She beamed, staring up at him with all-too-proud eyes. “The scout regiment symbol looks good on it, right? Cera helped me with the laser engraving.”
“I…” His brows raised in perplexity. “The scout regiment?”
She shrugged, watching the paladin observe her shield from all sorts of different angles underneath the workshop’s light fixtures. “From an anime I used to watch. Men and women who were sent out to battle against massive titans for the greater good of the last settlement of humanity. Somewhat fitting, and fuckin’ awesome on her big-ass shield! Matches the bird’s wings on her armor too.”
He loudly sighed. “You wasted materials on imprinting wings on Shar’s shield? Really?”
“Hey!” Her brows furrowed into faux-annoyance, a smug grin betraying it. “It’s not a waste if you were never gonna use the paint we had on hand. Plus, we’ve got energy to spare with all the wind turbines and power cells you’ve been printing out.”
“Those paints probably could have been used for important designations… or something…” he grumbled.
“Doesn’t matter.” She stuck her tongue out at him. “Anyway, want me to put some scary teeth or something on that big ‘ol fist-sized muzzle break on your shotgun?”
“No?” he took an incredulous step away from her, letting her arm fall off his shoulder and to her side.
“It’s okay to admit you’re jealous of Shar’s awesome decals, bro,” Tracy teased, her smugness growing tenfold. “No need to get defensive.”
He groaned, figuring there wasn’t a point in staying to bicker with the tradeswoman, leaving the two vanity-focused females to their devices. He still had to figure out how to fabricate armor and gas masks for the Malkrin and himself.
“Hey! Where ya goin?” the technician called out, clearly disappointed that he hadn’t indulged in her taunts.
“Work.”
Short taps against the hard floor sounded out as she caught up to him. She leaned forward and curiously looked up at him as she walked, holding her hands behind the small of her back. “What kind? Can I help?”
“Just need to take some measurements and compare options. Right… Speaking of which.” He turned around and cupped his palms around his mouth. “Hey Shar! Get over here, I need your help!”
The addressed Malkrin perked up, snapping out of the small haze of admiring her new shield and happily making her way toward him. She stood at attention, her tail oscillating side to side. “What n—d do you have of me?”
“Just a quick task,” he briefed her, grabbing some measuring tape from his desk… that Tracy had decided was her new chair. He sighed and turned his attention back to the paladin. “Can I bother you to lean down for a few seconds while I take some measurements?”
“Of course. Pl—se, take your time.” She stepped forward and kneeled, her head brought down to his height. Her face wore that simple content look he was growing all too accustomed to by now—slightly vibrating frills, a little curl upward of her lips, and warmly glowing eyes.
He wasted no time getting to work, noting down the various distances around her jaws, snout, eyes, and ears, already piecing together how he could cobble together some gas mask designs to fit the dimensions. She sat there quietly, sometimes leaning into the accidental head scratches adorably. It contrasted heavily with the cold-sweat-inducing layers of razor-sharp teeth within her muzzle as he measured the angle her maw opened at, bringing an idle curiosity prodded his mind.
“Say, Shar, do your teeth grow back if they fall out?” he poked, absently observing the dozens of triangular bone protrusions in her mouth as he held the underside of her jaw.
“They do,” she confirmed, the way she was able to speak despite not moving her mouth still messing with his head. “Do y—rs not?”
“Nope. Only once.”
She attempted to tilt her head, but quickly returned it when it left the embrace of his palm. “Only once?”
He nodded. “Yeah, sometime a few years after birth. They’re replaced with the teeth I have now. Don’t get any new ones, so we gotta take care of ‘em.”
“Birth?” The Malkrin’s eyes widened. “You were not cr—ted as you are now?”
A shock of stress poured down his spine like a bucket of ice water, raising the hairs on his back. Fuck. How did he let that slip? He was supposed to have just appeared from the sky to her, right…? He was doing so well for so long in keeping that in. God, had he really gotten so comfortable with the paladin that he simply forgot what he was to her? His teeth clenched, a huff of air escaping his nostrils as he lightly shook his head. It was a bit too late to backtrack. It could be explained vaguely and brushed off, right?
“Yeah. I was born,” he affirmed flatly. His hand dropped away from Shar’s muzzle, her head falling an inch or two before she registered that she couldn’t keep leaning into his touch. “That’s it for measurements, so you’re free to leave.”
A frown carved through her small smile. “I… See… F—give me if I have brought up someth—g improper.”
His exhalation burned through his frustration at himself, his hand running through his hair to wash away the spike of anxiety. “You’re fine. You haven’t done anything wrong.”
“Th-Then I shall take my leave,” the massive alien stated softly.
He nodded, feeling a little regretful for pushing the kindhearted Malkrin away as he shuffled back to his desk. Tracy was still sitting atop it, giving him a disappointed reaction with low brows, forcing a pointed reaction from him. “What?”
The technician took a long inhale before shrugging. “Nothin’.”
“…Alright.”
The rolling chair squeaked lightly as he rested himself, his hands already going through the motions of opening the computer and the blueprint folders. There were plenty of tabs open of sensors and motor assemblies he hadn’t closed from the previous night. That wasn’t even mentioning the pile of notes he had on proper radio-protective methods, their corners bent from his frequent flipping through them.
“Soooo…” The short black-haired woman leaned forward from her perch atop the only clear part of his desk. “Can I help you with your ‘comparing options’ work, mister busyman?”
“Sure…” He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, raising a brow. “How much do you know about armor?”
- - - - -
“No way. The back support is a must, so you can have extra plating over your shoulders and chest.” Tracy pointed out from her seat beside Harrison’s, all but forcing him to pause his Malkrin gas mask designing to give her argument his full attention.
He calmly took his hands off the mouse and keyboard. “A back support needs leg assistants, which means I’ll need to have at least a fifteen pound battery pack somewhere. Those kinds of exosuits are either all in or not at all. You can go full armor and engine, or lightweight protection and simple limb support.”
“So you’re just gonna go out there with normal armor? Just run-of-the-mill plates and gear? Those fucking things would go through that shit like butter! I know we can’t make synthetic muscle yet, but at least consider wearing something a bit more. Please. Even Sharky has heavy armor!”
Harrison pinched the bridge of his nose, his brows furrowed. “Do I look like a several-hundred kilogram monster of pure muscle to you? I’m more than willing to put on a few extra kilos for protection, but I’m trying to weigh the pros and cons of putting on more armor rather than more equipment. I’d rather fifty pounds of magazines and ammo than fifty pounds of armor. You know what I mean?”
“Yeah yeah… You and your storage space…” she mumbled, swiping through a few more images on her data pad when a familiar Mars-pattern suit showed up, catching his eye.
“Hey, wait, pull that one up…”
She rotated the tablet for him to see a little better—despite already being shoulder-to-shoulder with him. “This one? What’s so special about it?”
He analyzed the few pieces of equipment on screen, noting the rusty-orange and tan color scheme, the old Martian-American flag attached to its breastplate, and the iconic quad-nod integrated helmet. “Holy shit,” he whispered. “That’s… We have that in our blueprints?”
She raised a brow, clearly confused. “Whaddya mean?”
“That’s an Orbital Drop Ranger’s standard kit,” he stated slowly, a simmering sense of awe bubbling up—why the hell was it in their blueprints folder? “It was used during the Sino-Venusian incursion of southern Mars. It still has the Old Earth American flag embedded into it, so you know it’s pre twenty-two-hundred C.E.”
“Oh shit… Pre-St.Loual’s construction? This is ancient, then, huh? Would it be any good?” She leaned in closer to him, eying the tablet further.
“Does it have the assembly view of the armored pieces?”
“Mmhmm.” She tapped a few icons, showing an isometric, exploded view of all the parts and their individual components.
It was a piece of history alright. The armor was produced just about the time when Mars was connecting their orbital stations and ground colonies to work in tandem, allowing for specialized forces to be trained in space and launched anywhere across the planet from drop pods in mere minutes, leading to common nickname of ‘Minutemen’ given to the troopers. The suits were expertly designed to withstand the harsh environments of Mars and give the soldiers the ability to engage with enemy combatants for several days before extraction, though the adept units usually completed their objectives within twenty-four hours of their landing.
The helmet was very angular and blended in with the expected rocky terrain of Mars, each component taking on a sloped frontal design with rectangular prisms flowing behind—radio, breathing apparatus, and vision modules all sharing a sleek, yet bulky look in their own right. It reminded him of some in-atmosphere ships, with the overhanging visor above the quad-nod viewport being the only non-aerodynamic pieces.
The chest and legs were a bit different, following the design of late twenty-second-century operators with tan lightweight rigs, and ammunition pouches alongside armored plates that ran from the shoulders to wrists in segments. There was a rusty-orange undersuit beneath it all for the purpose of keeping air in, which required some sturdy polymer structures to ensure it didn’t rip. Then, of course, there were the classic shock-absorbing leg supports. They weren’t too far off what Tracy was asking about earlier, but these ones didn’t provide any assistance in moving with any motors—just straight-up structural reinforcements.
Hell, the blueprints on screen even had the mag-grip gloves used to scale domes, buildings, and satellites alike. There was no doubt that the Orbital Drop Rangers had some of the coolest equipment on Mars, especially considering that it was the last to keep the ‘operator’ look… It was such a shame the government decided the orb-like helmets and rounded bubble armors were more effective.
“Hey, you know what?” he asked the technician, a shot of excitement in his voice. “This might actually work out as a suitable armor replacement.”
She perked up, her brows raised. “Oh? Actually?”
He shrugged, trying to play off the smirk plastered on his face. “Wouldn’t need a horrible amount of changes to work for our purposes. Just need to remove the oxygen converter on the back and put a gas mask replacement in the front portion of the helmet. Plus, we could probably get rid of the airtight aspect and just keep the undersuit for scratch protection. And, most importantly, it’s radio-protective.”
“Meets all your criteria, then?” She tapped through some UI interfaces, sending the armor assembly to Harrison’s monitor, which he accepted quickly.
“Sure does.” He readily clicked through the different parts and systems to differentiate what needed to be kept. “We have the resources for it, and all it needs is a layer of cadmium plus a few replacements. Definitely doesn’t need the heads-up display since there’s nothing for it to interact with either, so that’ll save on print time and materials too. Shame I cut up the beard… the Orbital Drop Rangers were allowed to have some cool ones.”
The tradeswoman scooted in even closer, practically resting her chin on his shoulder and watching him sift through the working parts. “Yeah, rest in peace, beard. Still, your armor situation is solved. What about the Malkrin?”
“I’ll be working on their gas masks, then I was thinking I’d use another one of your modeled armors for their protection since they’ve helped Shar a hell of a lot. Do you have any recommendations?”
“Mmmmm…” She looked up in thought, a smile forming along her cheeks. “You know, until we can make them any real power armor, I was thinking just some regular phobos-pattern armor. Could color ‘em based on their skin too.”
“Phobos-pattern armor?” he hummed to himself, clicking through the folder to find it. It was just as bulky as Shar’s armor, except it appeared a good bit smoother, with more rounded edges compared to her horns-and-spike-lined gauntlets and pauldrons. The blue suit Tracy was proposing didn’t have the four-armed protection compared to the chaos version, but it certainly had the same thickness of its metal plates. “Looks like it’d work pretty well. Does it have any electric components or anything?”
“No…” she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. “Not so good with designing that stuff in the modeling program I did the WarHarberd stuff in. Could add in more sophisticated leg support or whatever if you gave me time, but for now it’s just maneuverable slabs of alloy.”
“I think that’s all we need for the time being.” He shrugged. “I just don’t want the others to be vulnerable to getting cut up by the little spider-crab grunts.”
“As long as it works for what we need, then.” Her elbow poked into his arm. “Here, how about I take care of that armor stuff while you finish up the gas masks? They need the extra arm slots too, yeah?”
“I’d actually appreciate that a lot.” He offered her a back-palm fist bump, to which she eagerly took, taking on a grin that he mirrored. “Thanks, Trace.”
“Don’t mention it. I wish work was always just doing my hobbies like this.”
\= = = = =
A grand pylon of metal construction taller than the mightiest female’s frills stood atop the beach. Blue-scaled surfaces extended near the foot of the tower, gathering the power of the sun itself. The lattice layering upon their sides hid the weaving wires and Goddess-blessed machinery. A staff the same as Shar’khee’s peeked from its top, the glass eye on its side given a wide view of the sandy environment it resided on, the defense it now provided becoming absolute. The aura it exuded as a creature of pure metal was awe-inspiring, its mere presence a showing of Harrison’s might and domain.
No abhorrent would dare step foot upon the meadow’s rolling hills, for such a mistake would ensure their immediate execution for encroaching upon his settlement—the ‘fifty-cal-e-bur’ bullet is not one to rend any beast with only simple injuries, especially with three hundred of them available at once.
The maroon-skinned paladin treaded up the hill, having completed her task of setting up the last turret. The craftsman, the juvenile, and the lumberjack had also assisted with its setup, pulling their weight in both mind and muscles to piece the components together. They completed a few others around the modules already, but this one was done without the star-sents’ oversight. The four Malkrin had practiced and learned enough to be entrusted with such.
The idea of Harrison having enough confidence in them sparked much conviction in the group, each of them more than eager to prove him right—none more so than Shar’khee herself, of course.
She finally returned to the workshop, the sun’s last rays pressing into the back of her head and frills as she crouched beneath the doorway, a small gnawing hunger for dinner digging within her stomach. The cacophony of machines soon reached her ears, the sounds of their efforts almost working in tandem with the strange melodic music playing from an unseen source above her.
Tracy was in her corner, working on new beings of metal as always. The bright lights above were turned off in favor of smaller, warmer emplacements atop her surrounding circle of desks. A hard worker, that star-sent was, though both of them were like that, the paladin supposed. Their kind was certainly intent on keeping their hands busy.
Shar’khee passed through the snakes of machines, finding her way to Harrison’s desk with an increasingly strong sway in her tail. He was working with a black object with light gray accents. It appeared to be partially flexible, yet firm in other places—notably, a large glass fixture on one side of it. There was very little she could make out about its purpose, but with the delicate touches he applied, it appeared to be quite important.
Her tongue clicked twice, garnering the attention of the Creator. He paused his work, swiveling his chair to face her and revealing a long blue-leaf jutting from his mouth. Her male appeared quite tired, but his voice did not show it.
“Oh, Shar, what’s up? Did y’all need any help with the last turret?”
She shook her head. “We do not n—d such, for it is completed. Would you care to join me for din—r? The rest of the settlem—t is enjoying their meals as of now. ”
He raised his brows before looking back at the myriad of notes, tools, and materials atop his cluttered desk. “Well, I’m kinda busy, but…” His jaw rolled around in contemplation. “Here. Let’s just test this thing real quick.”
Her head tilted. “What sh—l we be testing?”
“Your gas mask… er, well, a Malkrin gas mask. Kneel down real quick, I’ll run ya through putting it on.” He stepped off his chair and grabbed the equipment, uncomfortably rotating his shoulders. How long was he sitting on that chair? The male approached her and she did as requested. “I had the sewist help me with some of the design. Never considered you guys would ever wear hats.”
She nodded. “It is unh—lthy for one to have their frills touched by the sun for so long. Adequate shade is a must, and trees are not so p—valent along farm land.”
“Mmhmm. Shame this is just a mask… Alright, this might be a bit uncomfortable, but it’ll do the job.”
He stepped forward and slipped the black apparel onto her snout, pushing it over her face until it pressed against the sides of her head. A cool material rubbed against her skin, locking her into its embrace. It was encapsulating, surrounding her wholly.
Her breaths strengthened as she allowed the mask to cover her, a short shock of nervousness riding down her spine. She was only now registering how vulnerable she was, allowing him to possibly suffocate her… but she stayed put, keeping her four palms rested within her lap as he continued to apply the straps around her ears. She would allow it. She trusted him with her life. She would not falter.
The cords around the back of her head were tight, a few of which went along both sides of her frills, pushing up against their sides. He kept going, ensuring a ‘seal,’ but it was getting much too—
Pop.
A lightning bolt of pain rolled throughout the top of her head, sending her reeling. It stung for the briefest of moments, but its effects rebounded through her entire body, short sparks pulsing from its origin. She felt nothing but its agonizing hold for several more moments as the rest of her body caught up.
When her eyes opened once more, she found herself on the floor and staring at the ceiling. The star-sent rushed to her side, appearing to ask many questions while looking over her head, but all she heard was a piercing ring and the gruff vocalization he made whenever he shared his intent. No words reached her mind, only the now faint phantom pains from where her frills met her skull. It put everything in a haze, her eyes barely settling on her dearest’s, despite how nauseous she had become.
His deft hands quickly worked to loosen the straps, practically ripping them off until his voice suddenly reached her, like breaching the surface of the water. His voice was deep, attempting to be calculating, yet despite his calmly created stoic demeanor… she could feel his panic, his sheer worry almost flooding her senses through practiced medical queries. She slowly sat up on the floor, holding herself with two arms while the other pair quelled the kneeling male, assuring him that she was alright with their weight resting atop his shoulders.
“I am well, dearest Harrison. Do not fret for me. The straps were simply too tight.”
His anxious breaths barely slowed, narrowly allowing for his exclamation. “Too tight? Shar, you practically blacked out!”
“Too tight upon my frills, I mean. There was a pain there for a few moments, but it has passed,” she returned calmly, softly kneading his stiff shoulders with the joints of her digits.
He exhaled sharply, matching her gaze with regret in his eyes. “I’m so sorry, Shar. I should’ve known. I was just trying to see how…” He paused, resting his palm atop her forearm. “Nevermind. I just… Are you alright? Should I get you to the med bay for a quick scan?”
“I do not believe that to be necessary, no.”
His guard finally fell. “If… If you say so. Guess I have to redo the straps then. Definitely gotta make sure they’re not pressing on your frills like that.”
She smiled, appreciating his dedication. “Would you like my assistance?”
“As long as you don’t have anything else to do.” He shrugged, his shoulders barely moving upward against her massaging hands.
“There is no greater wish of mine than to be by your side,” she stated warmly.
He was frozen, the soft ministrations of his digits along her arm slowly stopping in contrast to the red flush growing from his cheeks to his ears. The crack of a smirk on his face finally with a short, heart-warming chuckle brought the statue back to life after a few moments. “You know… that’s probably the sweetest thing I’ve heard for years.”
Her brows raised in subtle surprise at his response. “It… was not intended to be such… However… you are more than welcome. You must understand by now that I am speaking only the truth.”
The two of them sat there in relative silence amongst the desks and machines; her half laying on the ground with her hands on his shoulder, and him on his knees by her side, a singular hand running up and down her comparatively large forearm. She felt… weak, in a way. A vibrating sensation rummaged through her stomach, attempting to pull her muscles and nerves astray.
It was warm, just like his palm, each motion of his hand sending lightning through her skin. The upward curl of her lips into her cheeks was suddenly an insurmountable force, incapable of being put down by a thousand females. There was a tear within her to either look away or… close the distance, and she suddenly found looking anywhere but his curious green eyes to be a waste of her time.
Her talons wrapped further around his shoulders and his back, ever so slightly bringing him into her embrace—
“A-HEM.” A voice cut the moment down to its knees. “The fuck happened here?” Tracy’s swift interjection caused the paladin to flinch backwards, allowing her to see that Harrison’s other hand had been hovering right beneath her snout. The female star-sent wore a furrowed brow and crossed arms, looking down at them. “I heard a crash and came over. Are you two alright?”
Harrison cleared his throat, ever-so-subtly scooting away from the paladin. “Uh, yeah. Shar fell because, um, I tied the gas mask a lil’ too tight.”
The artificer wore an expression that told of her disbelief. “She fell because of the gas mask?”
“It was something with her frills.” The male returned with a shrug, picking himself off the floor before offering the paladin a hand up.
She took it, despite not requiring it, and wiped off some loose dust from her pants. The three of them quickly returned to work soon after, with both her and the black-haired star-sent joining Harrison in his quest to produce the gas mask. She was much less… What did the Creator call it? Bubbly? Yes, that was it. She was much less bubbly than usual, sometimes sending a cold yet emotionless glare toward Shar’khee… Nevertheless, the two females offered input on the design and applied help where they could, eventually creating the final piece of equipment.
Tracy commented on its looks, apparently drawing inspiration from the Leviathan itself, as she believed it to be like that of a ‘Sea Dragon’s.’ The maw-covering portion held two cylindrical canisters on the adjacent sides, the bottom portion being capable of distention, so that the user’s mouth may open somewhat. Its motion created what the female star-sent believed to be ‘the coolest teeth design on a mask’ she’d ever seen with how the separation formed alternating triangles.
The monster-like appearance was furthered by her own frills and horns that peeked out from behind the mask. That was not even mentioning the see-through visor that formed a malicious glare of sharp brows. The paladin looked through a hand-held mirror, finding it difficult to disagree with the look. She could imagine the horror on a fisherwoman’s face as such a terrifying creature approached from the depths.
And yet, despite its nightmarish visage, it was apparel designed to save lives, not take them—much unlike the unassuming metal rods that spewed fire with a mere flick of a lever. Curious indeed. The star-sents were seemingly never out of surprises. They even spoke of grand robots and firearms larger than Shar’khee herself as possible future projects.
Only time could tell what machinations of alloy would be birthed from their hands.
- - - - -
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Next time on Total Drama Anomaly Island - Under The Milky Way

Currently 25 so I have 5 months before I need them. Right now I sell athletic shoes for about 35k after commission, moving to hvac sales for 70k plus bonuses. But like the title says, the 70k does not come with medical benefits and I will have to purchase them myself. I'm expecting to pay about 500/month. Is that realistic? As a healthy 25 year old man in the US, do I qualify for anything like Medicare that might be cheaper? I really don't know much about this so I appreciate any help!

The congressional video for this hearing is not available. c-span does not have it.

THERAPEUTIC DRUGS FOR AIDS: DEVELOPMENT, TESTING, AND AVAILABILITY
HEARINGS BEFORE A SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ONE HUNDREDTH CONGRESS SECOND SESSION APRIL 28 AND 29, 1988

The transcripts (457 pages) from the hearing has been archived and is available in many places.

https://lccn.loc.gov/89601264
United States. Congress. House. Committee on Government Operations. Human Resources and Intergovernmental Relations Subcommittee. Therapeutic drugs for AIDS : development, testing, and availability : hearings before a subcommittee of the Committee on Government Operations, House of Representatives, One Hundredth Congress, second session, April 28 and 29, 1988. Washington : U.S. G.P.O. : For sale by the Supt. of Docs., Congressional Sales Office, U.S. G.P.O., 1988 [i.e. 1989] v, 448 p. : ill., form ; 24 cm. KF27 .G663 1988b
https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/007609950

congress.gov has mentions of the 2 day hearing:

THERAPEUTIC DRUGS FOR AIDS Committee on Government Operations: Subcommittee on Human Resources and Intergovernmental Relations held a hearing on Therapeutic Drugs for AIDS: Development, Testing and Availability. Testimony was heard from Representative Beilenson; and public witnesses. Hearings continue tomorrow.
THERAPEUTIC DRUGS FOR AIDS Committee on Government Operations: Subcommittee on Human Resources and Intergovernmental Relations hearings on Therapeutic Drugs for AIDS: Development, Testing and Availability. Testimony was heard from Adm. James D. Watkins (Ret.}, Chairman, Presidential Commission on the Human Immunodeficiency Virus Epidemic; from the following officials of the Department of Health and Human Services: Dr. Anthony S. Fucci, Director, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH; and Dr. Frank E. Young, Commissioner, FDA; and a public witness.

Searching c-span, congress.gov, national archives has not been helpful.
Found about this hearing from this article: How Anthony Fauci Weaponized Science Against America.

Similarly, since Fauci refused to listen to the gay community, it eventually resulted in a scathing 1988 Congressional hearing being held. At it, prominent Democrats (including Nancy Pelosi) called Fauci out for wasting all the money they had given him and his inability to bring a variety of promising treatments into clinical testing (including one Fauci admitted during the hearing he would use) because of his sole focus on the highly toxic AZT and the numerous egregious problems with the existing clinical trials. While I was unable to find a video of this hearing (which allegedly became quite heated), I did locate a transcript for it, which I believe is noteworthy as it again shows how consistent Fauci has been in his behavior (there are a lot of remarkable quotes in here such as the fact Fauci admitted that if he had AIDS he would use the same drug he was blocking the gay community from accessing).

Who would have this video? Given the historical significance of this hearing, organizations involved in HIV/AIDS research or advocacy, would NIH or UCSF have the video saved?

This might be the wrong sub, but I don't care at this point. I'm 19 yo, visited a psych clinic alone today to get an initial assessment (which costed Php1,500) particularly for ADHD. It was a 1-hour session.
I have all of the symptoms for the inattentive type listed in the DSM5 criteria. I have at least 3 friends who also have symptoms. They think I might have it. I think (thought?) I have it. My father also has symptoms.
I thought it was a great session at first, I got assessed and it appeared I have some severe symptoms for some mental conditions (depression & dissociation, particularly) just as I fully expected. But when the psychometrist said "Huwag kang mag-alala, wala kang ADHD. Di ka makaka-sit still nang ganyan kung meron (I noticed I fidgeted but I didn't move around the couch)" it upset and broke me. Nagulat nalang ako na I was on the verge of tears na. In my head I was like "Not having that one symptom meant I didn't have it at all? Then what the heck am I??"
Two years ago I had cycled between thinking "Huh, maybe I have ADHD" and "Nah, it might be something else', and I did consider Autism but if I couldn't possibly have ADHD then that was even less likely. I simply could not resonate with any other condition/disorder.
The past two years I did not have the money, but now that I'm a scholar I decided I should try it. It was an impulsive decision. Three days before the visit they asked me to pay in advance and I immediately sent them it without questions. I really really am so fed up of every mess I do and I thought I really needed a diagnosis so I could finally get medicated because I know I can't stand any other treatment and it seemed to worked wonders according to content creators who are diagnosed with the condition. The session was just the psychometrist asking questions and filling up forms for one hour, yet it costed 15x my daily allowance nung high shool. Result? I got advice I could've gotten from the internet (i.e. The 5-minute thingy, and continuing with my coping mechanisms) thought I would feel more connected with myself once I had an initial assessment but somehow now I feel dejected.
I assumed the Php1,500 covered the entire ordeal but the psychometrist said the next session will cost a little more because then some tools will be used. I'm mad at them and I'm mad at myself and if this is how it's like everywhere then how are people supposed to get treated? I'm both upset about the cost and the hasty conclusion that I didn't have ADHD. I've been typing this for like an hour I could've finished three of my school activities in that time but snejdhahhrndj I hate this place
TLDR; Paid Php1,500 for an initial assessment, got told I don't have ADHD by a registered professional because I didn't fidget enough(?), realised this is too expensive for what it's worth, and now I feel useless and stupid for subscribing to that service.

What branch should I consider if I m interested in bio-medical research.
Interested in bio-medical research around cell machinary/immunology/dna-rna/vaccines/how a drug or pathogen affects the body/vectors.
What branch should I look into - there's btech bio-medical engineering , btech biotechnology etc
I was a neet aspirant before since i thought as my interest lies in translation research ( acting a bridge bw basic and clinical research I should pursue mbbs) hence was fixeted on neet for 4 years yet couldnt clear the general cutoff for gov colleges.
I searched bsc colleges like Delhi Unis but found colleges like NIT or IIIT would be better in terms of research/lab exposure as well as for getting a PhD or masters from abroad.
I m not eligible for IAT due to gap years so was thinking of changing me 12tg passing year through NIOS/OPEN SCHOOL making me eligible for IISERs. And take maths as an additional subject to be eligible for NIT.
I don't know yet if there's any age limit, pls advice if u know.

I will be graduating this summer with a master's degree with honors from medical university, majoring in pharmacy. Specialty “Pharmacy”
I wrote and defended my master's thesis in Ukraine, which was devoted to the development of a methodology for analyzing a medicinal product using the HPLC method. I worked with a chromatograph and developed a method for determination of the drug. During my studies I mastered pharmacology, clinical pharmacology, pharmaceutical chemistry and biochemistry very well.
I am asking for your advice on where I should put my skills? Which branch of pharmacology?
I am about equally good at all of these sciences and I like them all, but I realize that doing all of them at once will not work. What do you think?

In the fast-paced Beauty and Wellness market of Saudi Arabia, one company has excelled in adapting to regulatory changes and digital transformation. Based in Riyadh and operating over 200 stores across Riyadh, Jeddah, El Qassim, Yanbu, and Al Khobar, our client has set a benchmark in the health and beauty care, pharmacies, distribution, retail, and lifestyle sectors. With a workforce of over 5,000, they faced the significant challenge of integrating Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority (ZATCA) Phase 2 e-invoicing into their operations.

Overcoming Challenges: From Complexity to Compliance

Our client used a dual-application system: an in-house Point of Sale (POS) system for front-office tasks and SAP S/4HANA for back-office functions. SAP PI/PO served as an Enterprise Service Bus to integrate the POS system with SAP and facilitate integration between SAP and external entities like shops and vendors. Being in Wave 3, they faced a strict deadline for ZATCA Phase 2 integration, needing to ensure compliance for nearly 5 million B2C and B2B invoices annually.
Key Challenges:

• Incomplete invoice transmissions from POS to SAP.
• POS needs to integrate directly with ZATCA for B2C invoices.
• SAP handling B2B invoices with direct ZATCA integration.
• A preference for a ZATCA-approved solution over existing PI/PO integration options.

The Solution: Accqrate's Innovative Approach

Our journey began with demonstrating direct SAP to ZATCA integration using Accqrate's middleware. Although initially inclined towards direct SAP to ZATCA integration, the client ultimately chose Accqrate's solution due to its cost-effectiveness and efficiency.
Options Provided:

1. Direct SAP integration with ZATCA via PI/PO, bypassing middleware.
2. SAP integration with ZATCA through Accqrate's middleware.

The client evaluated and found Accqrate's SAP E-invoicing package to be significantly more cost-effective, at just 1/100th the cost of the direct integration option.
Proof of Concept:
Accqrate offered a free proof of concept with the ZATCA Sandbox to prove the ease of integration. This risk-free demonstration convinced the client, and within a week, we showcased the integration by connecting with the client's SAP Sandbox.
Our Approach:

• Deploying Accqrate E-invoicing Module in SAP: Ensuring seamless onboarding to ZATCA and efficient invoice processing.
• Comprehensive Onboarding and Configuration: Covering device setup, CSID, and certificate management.
• User-Friendly Interface: Users only need to verify the presence of a QR code on the invoice PDF to ensure it's ready for customer dispatch or pending ZATCA approval.
• Real-Time Invoice Transmission and Approval: Supported by a robust tracking system and dashboard for error tracking and VAT reconciliation.
• XML Archiving: Invoices are archived in XML format in both the source application and middleware.
• High-Performance Cloud-Based Middleware: Offering flexible access and eliminating infrastructure costs, processing 8 invoices per second.

Value Proposition: Beyond Compliance to Transformation

The implementation of Accqrate's solution revolutionized the client's e-invoicing capabilities, ensuring compliance and delivering significant operational improvements.
Key Benefits:

• Efficient Real-Time and Batch Integration: Automatic load balancing to manage peak loads.
• Rapid Deployment and Testing: Integration completed in six days, followed by user acceptance testing.
• Risk-Free Proof of Concept: Demonstrated effectiveness without contractual obligations.
• Cloud-Based Middleware: High flexibility with zero infrastructure investment.

Conclusion: Setting a New Standard in E-Invoicing

This case study demonstrates how innovative solutions can address complex regulatory requirements while enhancing operational efficiency. Our client's successful integration of ZATCA e-invoicing Phase 2 sets a benchmark for the Beauty and Wellness Care industry in Saudi Arabia, showcasing the potential of digital transformation to drive business growth and compliance.

Beautyworld Saudi Arabia

We extend our congratulations to the organizers of Beautyworld Saudi Arabia, the largest international fair for the beauty and wellness industry, for their successful 2024 edition. With over 350 exhibitors from more than 35 countries, the event provided a platform for industry leaders to connect, learn, and grow.
For businesses in the beauty and wellness industry facing ZATCA Phase 2 integration challenges, our story highlights the power of embracing technology with the right partner. Discover how our ZATCA-approved e-invoicing solution can streamline your operations and ensure seamless compliance. Join us in transforming your e-invoicing processes and elevating your business to new heights of efficiency and regulatory alignment in Saudi Arabia.