He expected to be yelled at. He expected to be thrown into some sort of training regimen to burn time, to keep him busy until that fifth day came. If anything, he expected to at least fill out some menial forms or be interrogated like he had been before but nothing of the sort seemed to be happening.
When they had arrived back at the station, Evren had expected an earful. However, he had been released and told to shower up. From there, he ate breakfast and returned to his quarters to wait for when he would be called upon. That was all happened just a few hours ago and the white-haired man was just watching the news to bide his time. It was well past one in the afternoon by that point. He deduced that much from the position of the shadows as the sun shone in his room.
He still hadn't been called upon and it was starting to become a bit unnerving.
The last time he stayed out, the Director made it evident that he was a little upset.
Now, however, Evren could only imagine what was going through the man's head.
"Evren." His gaze shifted upwards to the intercom. "Sky box."
Exiting the room, Evren walked down the hall, ignoring the stairs and whispers being directed towards him. It was evident that he was no longer an officer. From the looks being thrown his way, he suspected that a few of the officers would possibly try to give him grief if he was spotted outside after curfew.
Exhaling quieting, Evren came to a stop to stare at the doors in his way. He wasn't entire sure what he'd find on the other side but he was sure that he wouldn't like it either.
Entering the room, he looked about slowly before coming in completely. He then made his way to the Director's side, keeping a reasonable and respectable distance before finally following his gaze to the arena below.
Watching as both Alexis and Scarlet stood back-to-back, Evren glanced at the downed machinery at their feet. Seeing how both were injured, their posture faltering by the second, the man looked away as they clashed with another wave. Spotting the raven punching his way through one wave, he sighed to himself when the man was slowly starting to become overwhelmed.
All three of them seemed tired and it appeared that they had been there for hours.
"Sir."
"How are you doing?" he asked.
"E...excuse me?"
Hazel eyes left the trio below in favor of staring at the man at his side. "I really don't like to repeat myself, Evren."
Meeting the man's gaze momentarily, mismatched eyes went back to the officers in the ring. "I'm ok."
"Only 'ok'?"
"Well, I'm alive."
"Luckily," the Director said as he took a seat. "Sit down." Setting a cup of coffee down before the man, the older male sipped his beverage before looking over his papers. "How is it not being an officer anymore?" Evren lowered his cup simply to stare at his lap. "It's a touchy topic, huh? Ok, let's change the subject. Tell me about your friend."
"My friend?"
"Yes, your friend, Calix. Tell me what you both did since you were absent from the station all last night."
"We listened to music and played videogames," Evren said as he watched the man drink from his cup once again.
"You do not partake in activities such as playing videogames."
"Well, I've had a lot of time on my hands recently."
"So, you like games now?" Evren opened his mouth but opted in closing it when he felt his employer's gaze. "Let's play a game."
"Sir– "
"Three squared equals?"
"Nine, sir, but I don't see how– "
"What number is neither positive nor negative?"
"Zero, but I don't see– "
"Two to the first power?"
"Two," Evren sighed. "Sir– "
"Square root of thirty-six?"
"...six."
"Alpha is latin for what?"
"A."
The man hummed as he leisurely sipped from his cup. "Put all of that together." He watched the white-haired man stiffen. "What's the matter, Evren?"
"N... nothing."
"I see. So, what did you come up with?"
"Sir-"
"What did you come up with?"
Sighing to himself, Evren placed his hands in his lap once more. "9026A."
"You're really good at this game." Setting down the empty cup, the man then turned his attention towards the ring. "So, tell me, 9026A– "
"My name is– "
"Silence." His mouth clamped shut. "Now then, 9026A, you've never showed any attachment to a person before and you should know by now that I know when you're lying to me. You weren't playing videogames, were you? C'mon, you can tell me about your friend, Calix." Evren remained silent. "You may speak." He said nothing. "9026A, answer me." Mismatched eyes continued to watch the diminishing waves of training droids below. "Evren!"
"What?" he questioned once he finally took the time to look at his employer. "Sir, your face is red. Are you not feeling well?"
Watching the man in front of him, the Director finished his coffee before taking the cup of his guest. "I'm fine," he replied as he got up to get a fresher brew. "Thank you for asking."
Receiving the beverage when he returned, Evren continued to watch the training. Smelling the scent of coffee after some time, he picked up the cup in favor of taking a sip. Tasting the bitterness of it despite the creamer that was put into it, Evren glanced over at the Director to see him still enjoying his cup. Looking back down at his own, he drank about half of it before getting to his feet.
"Sir, is there anything you still wish to discuss with me?"
"At the moment, no," came the reply. "You're dismissed."
"Then please excuse me," Evren said.
Glancing over as the man bowed slightly at the waist, the Director continued to drink his coffee even after his employee tottered then dropped to one knee. Setting his cup down as Evren slumped forward, the Director pushed a button as soon as a buzzer sounded below.
"Tyson, come up here." Finishing his coffee as the raven came up, he gestured towards the white-haired man on his floor before getting to his feet. "Please take him to his room."
"What happened to him?" Tyson asked as he knelt beside the man. "Sir-"
"Perhaps it was a headache," he replied. "He hasn't been taking his medicine recently."
Red eyes directed themselves towards the man that was looking over a few forms before noticing a small container of red pills sitting beside the coffee pot. "Right, he hasn't..." he murmured as he lifted his coworker to his feet. "Excuse us."
Feeling something warm brush against his brow, Evren turned his head a bit before opening his eyes. As the ceiling started to come into focus, the man sat up slowly before touching the side of his head.
"You're up."
"Why...why are you in my room," Evren grumbled. He then looked towards the drawn curtains. "What time is it?"
"It's almost half past seven," Tyson replied as he tossed a bottle of water onto the bed, "and if anyone should be mad, it's me. I'm the one that had to carry you here, Princess."
Looking at the water then the two white pills placed on the nightstand, Evren got out of bed in favor of grabbing his shoes. "Well, thanks I guess."
"You just woke up. Where are you going?"
"Out," he replied. "I still have time before curfew starts."
"Just stay inside tonight. You're already in a lot of trouble as it is."
"If that's the case, don't you think I should be allowed to have a bit of fun before I get punished?"
"If you hadn't noticed, we're the ones being punished for what you're doing!" He watched Evren put on his shoes before he made his way to the closet for a jacket. "As a leader, don't you think you should take a bit more responsibility for your actions?!"
Looking over his shoulder, Evren felt the corners of his mouth twitch upwards before he covered it to hold in a chuckle. As his smile grew, so did his laugh until the sound bounced off the walls. He continued to laugh until his sides hurt but then that's when it stopped completely.
"As a leader you say?" he questioned, traces of his earlier amusement still evident in his voice. "As a leader, I do suppose I should take responsibility in my actions." The corners of his mouth twitched again as he laughed. "Funny thing is, I'm not the leader. You are, Tyson," he added as he stepped around the raven. "I don't know if you have forgotten but I'm no longer an officer either. You remember the Director's words, don't you?"
"Due to certain circumstances and complications, you will no longer be a part of the task force."
"Now, if you don't mind, get the hell out my-"
Grabbing the man by the sleeve, Tyson pulled him back before wrapping his arms around the other's slender frame. "Stay inside tonight," he muttered in his ear. "I'll even leave you alone so...just stay here tonight, please?"
Shoving the man away, Evren fixed his jacket before heading towards the door. "The more time I spend going back and forth with you, the less time I have to myself. Now, if you would excuse me. I'm leaving and I'd appreciate it if you'd get the hell out of my room."
"Ev-"
"Get lost!"
Biting his tongue as the white-haired male exited, Tyson walked out the room and made his way back to the room. Changing course after being summoned, the officer entered the Director's office with somewhat of a scowl.
"I take it that you couldn't keep him from leaving," he said as amber eyes watched Evren walk out the front doors on his screen.
The officer's scowl deepened. "No, sir."
"No need to fret, dear Tyson. You can see him bit later."
Tilting his head back to view an almost starless sky, Evren sighed aloud before looking ahead once more. He had long since come to the conclusion that stars did not exist in heavily populated areas. It was rare just to see one or maybe two dozen at a time and he was ok with just that at a time. It wasn't like he had spent much time looking up at the sky anyway. If anything, he had seen it as a waste of time to look up at nothing.
However, he never seen as many as he had seen before when he was with Calix. He never took the time to just look around his surroundings and admire the little things like knowing what a real tree seemed like.
Realization then set in.
Tomorrow was his last day.
If he could, he'd extend his time, even if it was just for a little bit.
"Stay inside tonight."
"As if," he muttered as he adjusted the collar of his jacket.
He only had a day left of freedom.
"Evren?" Looking around as he passed through the park, the man came to a stop beside a tree. He then looked up in time to see the brown-eyed teen drop to hang upside down. "Heh, it is you. Surprised to see you here at this hour," he said as he dropped down to into a crouch. "I didn't expect to see you so...early?"
"We never really agreed on a time, did we?" Cal shrugged. "Anyway, are you ok?"
"Yeah, why you ask?"
"You freaked out when the Director spoke to you. I thought you were going to pass out or something."
"Oh, it's nothing."
"Seriously, you looked terrified. Did something happen?"
"...small..."
"What?"
"I remember him from when I was younger," Calix muttered. "He... was always there."
"Are you sure?" Evren questioned. "He got to Polaris around the same time I did."
Cal shook his head. "He's the same guy. I know he is."
"Cal-"
"It might've been long ago but I wouldn't forget the guy that gave me a number for a name," he groused.
"8697B?" The raven stiffened before started to walk. "Wait, that really was you, right?" Evren asked as he followed after him. "You were that child."
"Yeah, that child..." Cal said as he looked over his shoulder. "9026A."
"Don't call me that."
"Well, stop saying that other number. I don't like it as much as you don't like being called by that name!" he shouted. "After we escaped, I didn't think I'd ever have to see him again. When I saw him at the hospital, I thought I was just seeing things, you know? Like maybe it was someone that just looked like him. Then he showed up at Mal's..." A shiver ran down his spine. "I...I didn't know what to do, ok? I just...thank you for getting him out of there."
Evren merely nodded. "Let's not talk about the Director. There's a couple more hours before curfew starts. What do you want to do?"
"Well, there's a only a couple of hours before curfew starts," he parroted with a smile. "What do you think I usually do when curfew starts?"
Noting the somewhat mischievious expression on the teen's face, Evren raised an eyebrow before being led out of the park and through the streets. Conversation was sparse but it wasn't an uncomfortable silence and Evren found the company oddly welcomed compared to when he was usually with his teammates.
They're not my teammates anymore...
That much was true.
After tomorrow, he would be leaving.
"What's wrong?"
The older man looked towards his companion to see him staring. "What?"
"You're scowling."
"What? No I'm not."
"You are," Cal said as he turned around. "Is something wrong?"
"I...no, everything is fine."
"Ren..."
"It's...just a minor headache is all," he said. "Nothing to worry about."
"I don't know. You passed out on me last night because of a headache."
"I said it was just a minor headache. No need to worry."
"But-"
"Seriously," Evren groused before gesturing towards the city, "Let's do something or talk about something else."
"Well, there's another party."
"Ok, let's go."
"Why don't we skip it? You didn't fair too well at the last one."
"It was just a headache," Evren muttered. "I get them all the time. It's nothing too bad. Let's just go to the party. It'll be fun."
"Fun?" Cal repeated. "Well, you don't seem to be the one to-" Mismatched eyes narrowed. "Um, right...so wanna go to a party?" he asked.
"Yeah, I kinda ruined the last one, didn't I?"
"I said it was ok."
" Where's this one?"
"You're asking a lot of questions," Cal said offhandedly. He then chuckled as the man looked elsewhere. "No, it's ok," he said quickly. "C'mon, it's about forty minutes on foot from where we are."
"To the party?"
"No, just to reach the city limits," he replied, "and try not to say party so loudly, you know?"
"Oh, uh, right..."
Receiving a smile in response, Evren follwed after the raven like he had been. Again, most of their trip was spent in a comfortable silence with small conversation here and there. Upon reaching the boundary between old and new, Evren turned to view the vibrant glow of streetlights, of modernization.
"You coming?"
"Uh, yeah," he said as he stepped towards the direction of the voice.
Crossing the limits, Evren looked at the sky in the distance to see numerous twinkling stars dotting the dark expanse. Feeling a faint smile on his face, he could only hope that his new assignment gave him a view like this.
"What are you thinking about?"
"What?"
"You're smiling," Calix stated before watching as the expression faltered. "You should do it more often."
"Oh, uh-"
"CL!"
Looking over his shoulder to see Will waving at him, he returned the gesture before facing Evren again. "C'mon, I don't think you two met in person yet."
"I think I should pass."
"Nonsense," Cal said as he grabbed him by the wrist. "I'm sure you two would like each other. C'mon!"
Scowling as he was pulled towards the woman, Evren sighed mentally until he came face to face with her.
"You?"
"You."
"Have you two met before?" Cal questioned as he watched the pair stare each other down.
"Yes."
"Something like that," Will said as she slipped her hand into her pack pocket. "Hey, CL, why don't you go help Renyx. He should be around the corner."
"Oh, well, ok."
Receiving an apologetic smile and a promise of quick return, Evren watched Cal disappear around a corner before taking a step back as he held up his hands.
"Whatever you think I'm up to, you're wrong." His gaze then fell upon the woman as he took another step back. "You're not going to use a taser on me again are you? It only tickles and I find it quite annoying honestly."
"Are you done?" Watching the man lower his hands, she pulled a glow stick out her pocket. "Calix seems to trust you enough to bring you here so I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. However, if anything happens to him while you're around, I'll be sure that you don't even make back to police department unscathed."
"You won't have to worry about me being around your friend after tonight, ok? I...I'm being reassigned so your friend is fine and your other one can stop throwing me death glares from a distance."
"Don't mind Renyx," Will said. "I take it that Calix doesn't know."
Evren shook his head. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell him either."
"Ok."
"Ok?"
Will shrugged. "If you didn't tell him yourself, I'm sure you have your reasons. Besides, he seems a lot more cheery than usual so why spoil that for him?"
"Oh, well, thank you," Evren said with a slight bow of the waist.
"Will!"
"Dammit." Looking over her shoulder to see a grimace on a certain redhead's face, she waved the white-haired man off. "Excuse me," she muttered before walking away. "What do you want?"
"Why is he here again?" Renyx groused as he watched Cal disappear from sight with the man. "Did you forget that he is an officer and also tried to kill Claix some months back?!"
"I haven't forgotten what he is or what he has done," she said, "but Calix trusts him enough to bring him here."
"Cal's just blinded with this illusion of that man being someone he think he knows!"
"Do you even hear yourself? You sound like a child."
"Excuse me for trying to be rational."
"Don't make me laugh, Renyx."
"How can you be so calm about having him here?! Didn't he try to electrocute you or something?!"
"Knock it off, Anthony! Let Calix have him around. This is the last night you'll have to deal with him anyway."
"What-"
"He's being reassigned so just shut up and deal with him being here one last time."
"Does Calix know?"
"No, and Evren as well as myself would prefer to keep it that way."
"I think it'd be fair to-"
"I think it'd be wise to keep your damn mouth shut and your nose out of other people's business, Anthony."348Please respect copyright.PENANA5XtXxBif2h
It was just a bit past midnight and the party was still in full swing as if it had just started moments ago. Flashing lights bouced off of mirrored surfaces and reflected off of jagged shards hanging in the old windows. All the equipment from the party just the night before seemed to be present. The sound of music bounced around the area yet there were no traces of clashing vibrations. The placement of speakers were just right and it showed through its acoustics, not that a certain white-haired male had been paying attention to such a thing.
Looking down at the throngs of dancing people, Evren surmised that there had to be at least a minimum of eighty, but maybe no more than a hundred partiers. How word had spread so quickly, he would never know but it was obvious that all these people knew they were breaking the law.
What does it matter? You're not an officer anymore...
It wouldn't kill him to have a little fun.
Tilting his head somewhat when he sensed someone nearby, he stared at the can being held up in his face before taking the offered item. Watching as Cal began to drink from his own, Evren copied him to find out that it was soda.
"Hey."
"Yes?"
"Why don't you go down there and have some fun?"
"To be honest, I don't really know what to do at a party."
"You've been to a party before, right?" Cal questioned. "Excluding the one we went to last night, what did you do at the last one?"
"The last party I went to, seventy-six people were arrested. Twenty of which were minors partaking in underage drinking, seven for purchasing the liquor, nine for pedaling drugs."
"Oh...well, there's no drugs or alcohol here. Will is pretty thorough when admitting our guests."
"I see... Well, why don't you go down there and have some fun. I noticed that a few partiers knew you the other night. I'm sure they've come to this one as well."
"I doubt that highly. To avoid issues down the road, Will has asked the guests not to attend two parties back-to-back. It's just a precaution for in case something unseen was to happen."
"You mean if cops found out and showed up."
Cal offered an apologetic smile. "I guess that's how you can put it."
"I don't take offense to it," Evren replied as he knocked aside a glowing green beach ball. "Whether or not your friends are there, you should at least go enjoy yourself."
"I don't really find these all that fun," Calix replied.
"Then why come at all?"
Lowering his drink, Cal looked down at the dancing people before looking over at his two friends working the entertainment. "I'm here for them," he replied.
Evren followed his gaze. "Them?"
Cal gave a one-shouldered shrug as he drank the rest of his soda. "Yeah, they have more to gain from this kind of thing than I do."
"Like...?"
"It's nothing bad," he said quickly, hands up. "That much I can assure you." Brown eyes settled on the woman working the controls for the lights. "Will is very good with her hands. Just about everything that's not a speaker was made or modified by her. As good as she is at what she does, both of her parents think it'd be better if she went into the medical field like them."
"I take it she doesn't want to go that route?"
Cal nodded. "If she had it her way, I see her going into engineering or robotics. You should see her little pet she calls 'SHU'. It can be bit of a handful and causes some trouble but it's really something."
"And your other friend?"
"Renyx, well, he's the son and heir to RAD Studios. He's already being introduced to the company's partners and some of the major engineers behind some of the newest creations coming out. He's almost always been homeschooled but by some of the best tutors money could by. He might act like a child and a complete ass but he's just about done with his degree for business."
"That's great."
"I guess, but I feel bad for him," Cal said as he watched the redhead. "He's always studied by himself. Hell, he's not even twenty-five yet and he's just about done with his master's. At this rate, he's guessing he'll be president of RAD by the time he's thirty, CEO before he hits forty."
"Sounds like he has everything planned out."
"More like everything's been planned out for him." He waved a fluorescent green glow stick in the redhead's direction before focusing on his companion. "Renyx is here because he likes music. If he could have it his way, I'm sure he'd be a DJ, maybe a producer."
Spotting the fond smile, even in all the changing and flashing lights, Evren focused on the pair running the party. "What about you?"
"What about me?" he asked.
"You seem like you have your friends figured out so, what about you?"
"There's not a whole lot I can do to be honest."
"I'm sure there is."
Cal shook his head. "Nah, I can't really do anything that can be used in... society, I guess. I'm not all that good with computers or tech. I can't produce music, yet alone mix it."
"I'm sure there's something," Evren said.
Cal just shrugged as he turned his back to the party. "Even if there was something I could do, I wouldn't be able to do it." He chuckled dryly as he stared up at the sky. "To get a job you need identification."
"That's not too hard."
"There's no records on me, Evren. It's not like I have a birth certificate and I don't do well in hospitals... I know how old I am but I only have a rough estimate of when my birthday really is, " he muttered before laughing. "I don't even have any proof that Malecai adopted me. I don't have any proof that he's my… dad. We had to forge some documents just to get me into school." Cal then looked over at Evren. "Unfortunately, as far as this city is concerned, I don't really exist. I'm free of that terrible place, but I don't really future outside of it."
"Cal-"
"Enough about me." Brown eyes focused on him, smile on his face. "Tell me about you," he said, curiosity in his voice. "After you... after we parted, I never thought you'd become an officer. What made you choose to become one?"
Evren furrowed his brow. "What made me choose?" Cal nodded. "Oh, well, I'm... not really sure I guess."
"You're not sure?" he questioned. The other simply nodded. "That's funny seeing how we would run from them."
"Run?"
"Oh…right. Um, well, do you like what you do?"
"Well, I was doing good things."
"Good, huh?" Evren looked over at him. " I mean, hey, if that's what you think then I happy for you. I'm glad you managed to get a job as an officer. I'm sure you're really great at what you do."
"I'm sure you're really great at what you do."
"Cal, look, I have to tell you something."
The raven turned towards the man. "Sup?"
"I'm... I... I'm not-"
"Hold on."
Feeling his communicator vibrating in his pocket, he pulled it out to see it was from Will. Holding up a green glow stick, he waved it before having a dark yellow one waved at him. When it continued, he slid on the pair of sunglasses the woman had gotten him for his birthday.
"Calix, we might have a slight problem."
"What is it?"
"There's movement along the third sector."
"I'm on it."
"Be careful," she warned.
"You know I usually am," he replied before tapping the side of his glasses. His attention then went over to his guest. "Hey, I got to go for a bit. You stay here and enjoy yourself."
"I could come with you," Evren offered.
"Nah, that's ok. I'll be back before you know it," Cal said as he jumped off the fire escape. "If you need anything, just ask Will."
Looking towards the stand his two friends were positioned, Cal waved a yellow glow stick before slipping out of the party. Making his way to the specified location, he slowed his pace before he even made it out of the fifth sector. He could hear footsteps.
Going into one of the buildings, he remained in the shadows but crept close enough to look out the window to see a six-man team walking down the street. From how they were acting, Cal knew that they were searching for something and he was sure they were armed.
They always were; that much he knew.
Getting to the roof, he walked along the building, jumping to the next to keep tabs on then. Grabbing the collapsible staff out of his back pocket, he clenched his jaw before he felt his communicator buzzing in his pocket. Glancing down at the item for a moment, he tapped the side of his glasses.
"Will-"
"Calix, where are you right now?"
"Fifth sector," he replied. "I already spotted the issue. There's about six of them and they have weapons, Will."
"Guns?"
"I doubt they'd carry anything different." He then swung his weapon of choice to its full length. "Wish me luck," Calix said as he went to jump down.
"Cal, wait."
Said person stopped, a bit annoyed to say the least. "What?"
"Don't engage with them."
"Excuse me?"
"Don't fight with them," she repeated quickly. "Just leave."
"Will, what's going on? Did something happen at the party?"
"We already started evacuating everyone."
"Evacu – Will, what's going on?" he asked before hearing her giving directions to someone else. "Will– "
"Cal, there's movement all over."
"All… over?"
"It's not just in the third sector. I thought it was just one or two stray animals or something at first but after I checked the cameras it turned out to be officers and a lot of them at that."
"Define 'a lot'."
"At least thirty or so."
"That's not too b-"
"You're not fighting thirty or more armed officers, Calix. Just leave."
He waited for her to stop directing people before saying, "What about all your equipment?"
"We'll worry about it later! Just leave and get home. We'll talk lat– !"
"Will?" He didn't receive an answer. "Will!"
"You there!" Cal looked over his shoulder to see two officers stepping towards him, weapons at low ready. "Slowly turn around with your hands up!"
Doing as told, Cal kept his head down. However, at the command to step forward, he stepped back onto the ledge. Hearing the order to get down, the raven merely gave them the finger before falling backwards.
Landing on a ledge several floors down, he jumped down onto one of the abandoned cars below. Hearing rubble fall from the roof behind him, he took off down the street before rounding the corner.
"Will." She didn't reply. "Dammit…" He then thought about the redhead. "Renyx?" Again, he didn't receive an answer. "Can any of you hear me?" It was quiet. "Goddammit!"
Evren then came to mind. The man wouldn't know where to go in all the confusion and he was bound to get in trouble if he was caught running around with all the partiers.
"I think he went this way!"
Think about what's happening now, stupid.
Pressing himself against the wall, Cal clenched his jaw as his grip tightened on the staff. He could handle two officers with little to no problem at all.
As the footsteps drew closer, he eased further away before pausing as a bright light flashed down on him. Even with his glasses, he had to hold up his hand to shield his eyes from the excessive brightness of it. He then caught the faintest sound humming before recognizing it to be the sound of turbines. Squinting to make out the faint, green lights running parallel from each other, Cal clenched his jaw once he realized it was one of the department's carriers.
"This way!"
Cal looked back towards the edge of the building before seeing a red dot on the wall. Once it moved over to focus on the center of his chest, Cal glared up at the vehicle.
"You there!" The teen's scowl only deepened as he stared up at the source of the voice. "Step forward." Glancing at the marker on his chest, he did so. "Hands up!" He did as told, listening to the metallic clang of his weapon as it hit the ground. "On your knees!"
Again, Cal did as instructed as he heard the two other officers approach from the rear.
"I could come with you."
Evren did offer to tagalong but it was better if he stayed behind.
It wasn't like he needed to see what Calix was about to do anyway.
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