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| Say It Isn't So | |
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| Topic Started: Jan 29 2013, 09:21 AM (1,539 Views) | |
| PMD14 | Jan 29 2013, 09:21 AM Post #1 |
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Lighthouse Keeper
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The events prior - explosions, guns, unrelenting rage - left Tobias Hawke confused and lost as he stumbled across the city by foot. Storm clouds had formed high above, claps of thunder echoing in the far distance, and the most wanted man in the 'Verse moved onwards on his journey, leaving behind a wake of destruction. An hour after the incident with the escape pod, body still aching and sore, Hawke found himself ducking low under the rim of his hat, rain pouring down around him as he lingered in the mouth of a dark alleyway - the Nashfield Hotel idling across the street. It looked like a regular place - not run down, not five star, just a good old fashioned watering hole for the working man. No security guards, either, unless he was getting sloppy. A sharp pain shot up his leg, almost dropping the man to his knees, before suddenly disappearing as quickly as it had come. |
![]() Waelon Blake | Jimmy Chamberlain | Eli Harmon | |
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| Balketh | Jan 29 2013, 07:09 PM Post #2 |
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Requiem for a Hawke
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Tobias felt more like a dam wall than a human being. For the last 'who knows how long', he had done nothing but hold back every thought that passed through his waking mind. He had to operate on the idea that trusting the unknown in him would be enough. The unknown in him had killed no less than thirty men in the last twenty four hours. Many, many more if his stint with Kiara was real. As he paced through the drenched alleys and back-streets, hat low and coat closed, he felt a burning need for a smoke - no, a cigar. He had long since discarded the bottle of rotgut he had nursed on leaving the shot up bar; he had long since discarded the brat and his charges - good for nothing runts that they were, an acidic feeling welling up inside of him at the cruel thoughts passing his mind, though an odd one occurred briefly: that rat who wanted to spit in his eye... He'd have made a good crewman... As the water poured off his hat, in front of his eyes, Tobias stood in the mouth of the alley, staring across at the building. As pain rocketed up his leg, he 'casually' fell into the wall, his shoulder hitting it with the dull crack of metal on brick. As the pain vanished, amber eyes stared out and through the downpour at the destination. With a dissatisfied grunt, he kept a metallic arm on the strap of the hefty LMG he had slung over one shoulder, and his good arm on the grip of his loaded gun. Quickly, he freed a hand and checked his leg, where the pain had been, to see if he had sustained a wound he was unaware of - the gunslinger hoped touch would keep a grip on reality that his eyes couldn't seem to. He refused to look at his hands... Straightening up, the 'slinger readied himself, scanning the building up and down once, before setting off across the drenched street, toward the building. It was going to be a long, cold night. |
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| PMD14 | Jan 31 2013, 09:20 AM Post #3 |
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A few eyes from nearby watched the lone gunslinger cross the street at the rain increased its intensity. Inside, the Nashfield was quite a clean place, carpeted floors and polished bar stools - it looked like something from a bygone era. Nearly drenched, the gunslinger managed to turn some eyes of the patrons in the place, but most returned to their drinks just as quickly. There was a flight of stairs that went to a dining area above while this main floor was scattered with small tables, two separate bars, and a door leading to the bathrooms in the back. Toby saw nothing that sparked any memories - why was he here? |
![]() Waelon Blake | Jimmy Chamberlain | Eli Harmon | |
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| Balketh | Jan 31 2013, 06:56 PM Post #4 |
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(OOC: assuming it's a hotel entrance, and thus there's also a reception desk to handle the rooms; if not, PM me, and I'll modify accordingly.) Taking no pause in stride, the drenched tower of a man naturally ducked through the door, right shoulder first. As he strode, water seemed to stream off every surface of him, the smell of rain and leather permeating his being. The somewhat sad thought that the rain was the first cleansing shower he could remember in his entire memory put a frown across his brow, as he made his way to the reception desk. It was a hotel - there were rooms. He had the vague feeling that he had done something like this before, but he wasn't sure when, where or what. At least, he grimaced, he had something to do. He strode straight to the reception desk, and stood in silence, with nothing bar the sound of falling water emanating from his presence. He stared, grimly, out from under his hat, eyes almost radiant amber crystals in the shadow of his wide-brimmed cover. With a modicum of patience, he remained statuesque until he was served; the urge to ring the little bell bitten back by complete uncertainty of the situation. Nothing put him on edge like having his back to a room full of strangers; or so it seemed - the sensation was relatively new to him. "Any reservation for T.H, dinner, room or otherwise?" He grumbled when someone attended his dripping form, placing his right hand on the counter in an attempt to show some manner of civility. |
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| PMD14 | Feb 1 2013, 10:02 AM Post #5 |
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A young lady in a formal blouse had come forward, doing her best to ignore the uncivilised demeanor of the man before her, and greeted Tobias with a smile. "Uh, no sir. Just let me check my..." She started flipping through a digital holo-book there at the reception desk, checking for a possible match. As she neared the end of the reservations, however, an older man, likely a supervisor, came up behind her and whispered something in her ear. He then departed with a smile to Tobias. "Actually, sir, I've just been notified that someone has sent for you. I believe he's waiting upstairs in the restauraunt. Mr Zachariah Rigby, sir. Requested your company for a meal." She smiled the whole time, gesturing towards the stairs that led up. "Shall I take your coat, Mr...er...?" |
![]() Waelon Blake | Jimmy Chamberlain | Eli Harmon | |
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| Balketh | Feb 1 2013, 11:09 AM Post #6 |
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"No." The slinger's head snapped to the stairs, and as soon as he had satisfactorily rejected all of the receptionist's questions in one beautifully timed word, he was off, striding up the stairs with a weighty boot. As he reached the top, Tobias scanned the guests present for one Mr 'Zachariah Rigby'. It's never hard to spot; you just look for the man who's looking at you. As soon as he located Rigby, Tobias made his approach. It was certainly a sight to see, a six-foot-five man, soaked to the bone, armed to the teeth, as if he had fallen straight out of the pages of an old Western, striding through a reasonably respectable hotel restaurant with an upside-down smile permanently attached to his scarred, overstubbled jaw. Those crystalline amber eyes locked onto Rigby in a way even the most advanced targeting systems couldn't. They locked on with predatory anticipation; the thrill of waiting for the prey to make the first move as you approach. Immediately, Tobias felt queasy - he knew everything was wrong with the situation. He knew as soon as the news hit TVs, his face would be plastered on every holo and cortex screen planet wide, maybe even Core-wide, and here he was heading to a dinner with a man he didn't know. An internal war was waged, over something as simple as keeping his hand off the grip of his hand-cannon... The brain won out, for now, but the hand lingered close by, thumb hooked into the belt right next to the holster. Methodically, he approached Rigby's table. |
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| PMD14 | Feb 1 2013, 11:18 AM Post #7 |
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The concierge politely showed Tobias to the table, nodding with a smile to Mr Rigby, and then took her leave. The man seated at the table was old, probably in his 70's, with a hideous bushy beard and untamed, dark grey hair. He beckoned for Tobias to sit with him at the table, awkwardly taking a sip from the wine glass in front of him. It was if the man hadn't drunk from a glass before. He was dressed in a fancy tailored suit, grey pinstripe, and Toby immediately noted that the clothes were new. Brand new. As in, Rigby had purchased them that day. Propped against the table was a fancy looking cane and a folder up umbrella. "Mr Hawke." Rigby nodded, raising his glass to greet his guest. The entire thing was awkward, staged. |
![]() Waelon Blake | Jimmy Chamberlain | Eli Harmon | |
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| Balketh | Feb 3 2013, 12:32 PM Post #8 |
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"Bullshit." Was the first growled response from the gunslinger, before he had even stopped approaching. He made it to the table's edge proper, and glared down at the out-of-place stranger. The hammer of his weapon clicked back, his grip on it tightening audibly. "You've got..." His vision unfocused from the pathetic-looking little old man for a moment. "Five seconds to explain the setup I've walked into before Bad Things happen." Sharply refocused, Tobias kept one ear on the world around him, and the rest of his attention on the raggedy looking man. A brief moment of silence passed as the tower of a dark, wet man stared. "Four." |
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| PMD14 | Feb 4 2013, 09:11 AM Post #9 |
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Zachariah was clearly shocked, scared even, but he didn't flinch nor move at all. He stared at the man towering over him and the table, glass still in one hand. "Please, Mr Hawke. Nothing you could do now would be worse than what... please, just sit. I am only here to give you a message." He gestured with his glass to the seat opposite, nervously watching the few prying eyes around the dining room that were eying the gunslinger. |
![]() Waelon Blake | Jimmy Chamberlain | Eli Harmon | |
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| Balketh | Feb 4 2013, 02:41 PM Post #10 |
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Hawke stared down at the little man, drinking in his reaction with a certain amount of enjoyment. Sitting down would be a mistake. It was a semi-prone position, and any one of the surrounding dinner guests could be part of the trap. He refused to be a part of this charade. He would not be drugged, misdirected, lead about on a goose chase, or taken advantage of. The day had already proven to be enough of a bloodbath, if he had to spill a little more just to be alone for the night, then so be it. "Three." He uttered, unmoving before the table. It had been well over five seconds; not that it mattered to Hawke. |
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| PMD14 | Feb 4 2013, 03:04 PM Post #11 |
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Rigby closed his eyes at the gunslingers defiance, as if concentrating very hard. Opening them again a few moments later, well over the 8 seconds he'd now been formally granted, the old man placed the glass back down on the table and left both his hands there, flat against the tablecloth. "A message, that's all. But I do insist you sit." His eyes glanced down a little, then back to Tobias. Underneath the man's jacket was the glint of metal... not a weapon, but some kind of device. "I'm here to tell you who it is that seeks you, Tobias Hawke. And it's not just the Phoenix, I can tell you that." The old man's lips quivered as he spoke. |
![]() Waelon Blake | Jimmy Chamberlain | Eli Harmon | |
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| Balketh | Feb 4 2013, 03:22 PM Post #12 |
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The glint caught Hawke's eye immediately. "Are you-" He strode around the table and leaned down to the man, a look of incredulous confusion smeared across his features. "Are we being monitored? Is that a bomb?!" He whispered with a hiss and a growl. A metal hand came up to rub his eyes, and he made a growling sound that keenly identified him as 'greatly dissatisfied', before he whisked around the table, drawing out the seat and throwing himself into it. "You may not have noticed, but I have bigger problems than being hunted by people. Clearly, that's nothing new to me. You know what is new is ever-..." He paused. "What the hell is a Phoenix?" He muttered, eyebrow cocked at Rigby. Edited by Balketh, Feb 4 2013, 05:38 PM.
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| PMD14 | Feb 4 2013, 03:47 PM Post #13 |
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At the mention of a bomb the man's eyes widened - maybe perhaps he hadn't considered this alternative, or maybe because he just didn't want someone hearing. After Toby had taken a seat, just after pitching his question, a waitress arrived at the table and quickly placed two meals before the men before leaving again. "You know, the company?" There was a long paused after Zachariah spoke, as if he had legitimately assumed Toby would have known what he was talking about. None of it rang a bell, though. "Phoenix Corporation, Mr Hawke. They aren't the only ones who are after you. He told me that you'd probably be surprised how far that lot went to get him on their side." He took another drink from the glasses before him, beckoning for a refill, as if the alcohol would dissolve the situation. Tobias could still see no sign of foul play throughout the hotel around him. |
![]() Waelon Blake | Jimmy Chamberlain | Eli Harmon | |
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| Balketh | Feb 4 2013, 05:38 PM Post #14 |
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Tobias sat in silence, staring across at the man. A sheep walking around on its hind legs would look less out of place than he did at that table. Still sopping wet, dressed in leathers that screamed gunslinger, all six foot five of him barely tucked into the table. As the meal came by, he eyed it warily. He couldn't remember the last time he had actually eaten, he wasn't sure what day it had been when he woke up, a fact he probably should have checked; nor was he at all sure how many days had passed since then. It's a shame the Horizon and her crew were gone - they could have told him. If they didn't try to kill him first. Pushing the meal further into the table, Tobias rested his elbows and sighed, waving a hand at Zachariah, and rubbing his eyes yet again. "For once I seem to know something everyone else doesn't." He grumbled at the man. "I have amnesia. I don't even know who I am, let alone who's hunting me." He was also uncertain if anything that was happening was real, but that was a detail that he let slide. Gesturing as he spoke to back up the severity of his statement, Hawke kept his voice low and leaned forward, now intent on a more intimate conversation. He still kept an ear on the world around him. "I woke up in a ditch... A few days ago. Blood on my hands, money in my pocket. Word has it I did a lot of bad things to a lot of bad people. Ever since then, I've been running." With another sigh, Tobias' gaze seemed to linger on the glass Zachariah held. "Apparently, I'm pretty gorram good at running." Seemingly unrelated, the hairs on his neck stood on end. Something was up, but he couldn't place what. "I get the feeling we're running out of time. Tell me about Phoenix Corporation, and tell me who else is hunting me. It doesn't exactly make me quake in my boots; especially not after what happened down the road..." A small grin split the gunslinger's lips, but it faded away again as he waited on Zachariah. |
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| PMD14 | Feb 6 2013, 09:55 AM Post #15 |
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Zachariah started working his way through the meal before him, listening sorrowfully and chewing slowly as if it was his last meal. For all Tobias knew, it was. The old man then cleaned his mouth with a napkin, placing his cutlery down gently before replying. "Phoenix Corporation. The Parliament. The gorram Blue Sun group. I can believe you now, Mr Hawke, that you perhaps don't remember what's gone by. How could a man forget all that... all that he told me about you... how could you forget?" He stopped speaking then, as if truly dazed by the questions, and then took another swig from his freshly replenished glass. Outside, the windows of the building shook with a loud crack of lightning across the city. The words all made sense to Tobias. Of course he'd heard of Blue Sun - the diner from earlier had been filled with their nonsense, advertisements and products and so on - but hearing it all in one sentence made the man's spine tingle. But it was more than a tingle. "Son of a..." Toby felt like someone had grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and forced him down, but it may have just been gravity. Either way, the plate of food before him just narrowly moved away, the gunslingers head came plummeting down and landing hard against the table. His head throbbed. He heard a scream. Toby found himself flat against the floor now, the table gone, and a soothing voice nearby. "Come on. It's going to be ok. I promise." It was Kiara. The only person he had truly felt he knew. Toby was flat against the metal floor, the room around him now dark and quiet. The only sound nearby was the hushed buzzing of computers. Outside, the rain was gone. The gunslinger slowly rose to his feet, using his hands to brace himself against the floor. His entire body ached. Suddenly, without warning, he came crashing down once more, pain shooting through his body as he hit the floor. Kiara came running to his side, helping him to his feet. She was dressed differently from the last time he had remembered her, but she was there - alive. She was dirty, covered in mess and blood, as was he. Toby's eyes blurred a little, but he managed to keep consciousness as he rose to his feet. Looking down the gunslinger started to put pieces together. His arm was gone. The once mechanical piece of machinery was torn off, the metal warped and deformed, cut off just above where the 'elbow' once had been. His weapons were gone, all his gear vanished. His coat, gone, the rest of his clothes covered in dirt and blood. The two of them were standing side by side, Tobias looped over Kiara's shoulder, alone in the command room. All around them were computer consoles, desks and tactical maps. Straight ahead were huge windows that covered the far wall. Beyond - space. Tobias was on board an Alliance war ship, orbiting a planet that sat dauntingly just below where he stood. There wasn't a soul in sight. Kiara spoke, that sweet voice calming the man's nerves. "This is it, Toby." |
![]() Waelon Blake | Jimmy Chamberlain | Eli Harmon | |
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| Balketh | Feb 6 2013, 02:47 PM Post #16 |
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Tobias gazed at nothing for a moment as his extremely sluggish mind as he began to recall the connecting moments between gaining consciousness just now and his previous moments at the hotel. He heard Kiara speak, soaked in his surroundings, and immediately came to a realisation. "Doooon't care." He wheezed in a raspy voice, before pulling his only free limb away from the woman. He dragged his aching body away from the window, toward one of the computer consoles. "Reaaaally don't care." He grumbled again, trying to throw itself in a chair. He attempted to access the cortex, or any kind of external access. Briefly, he swivelled back to gaze at Kiara with an entirely disapproving look. "This is not where I was five minutes ago. Again. Not the first time either. Now before I get really angry, tell me what planet that is..." He motioned to point with an arm that wasn't there, and sighed heavily. "And what the HELL happened to my arm?!" |
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| PMD14 | Feb 6 2013, 02:53 PM Post #17 |
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Kiara's eyes were teary as he stepped away, the gruff demeanor of her companion taking the young girl off guard. She didn't reply, holding her left arm with her hand, looking like a nervous child. She was in pain, yes, but unlike last time they met, Kiara didn't seem shocked by anything that was happening. Toby's answers slowly came, one from Kiara and one from a screen nearby. The planet they were orbiting was Verbena. "The arm's gone, Toby. You lost it... when they took you." Her voice was quiet, almost forcing the gunslinger to lean closer just the hear her words, and the young girl just stared at the cold floor. |
![]() Waelon Blake | Jimmy Chamberlain | Eli Harmon | |
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| Balketh | Feb 6 2013, 03:38 PM Post #18 |
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With a hiss, Tobias swivelled the chair around, staring at Kiara. "When they... What?" There was more than a hint of scepticism in his voice, as he rose somewhat woozily. "When they took me?" The scepticism grew rapidly. Visibly, Tobias seethed; his jaw clenched and a vein on his head looked like it wanted to pop. "Nobody, NOBODY 'TAKES' me." He roared suddenly at the visibly shaken woman. The first words out of his mouth were true - he didn't care. He felt hollow, and angry. "WHO took me? Who am I that makes ALL of this bullshit worthwhile!? For one man!? Why do Phoenix Corporation and Blue Sun and Parliament want me ALIVE?! I'm just a nobody murderer crack shot... And speaking of crack shot..." He strode forward slowly, looming higher and higher over Kiara, rage boiling over into his tone that turned from confusion to venom. "Who," He growled, raising hand and mechanical stub. "Touched," He came within grasping distance of Kiara. "My," His hand came dangerously close to her throat, lingering but an inch away from grasping her. "GUN." Edited by Balketh, Feb 6 2013, 03:38 PM.
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| PMD14 | Feb 6 2013, 03:58 PM Post #19 |
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"Ignition sequence activated." The voice came across the large room, electronic and gravely. A few screens around the room started to flash, showing different data and images. The ship visibly began to move. Kiara sobbed, unable to make eye contact with Tobias now. "Aft thrusters primed." The announcement send chills down the gunslingers back. He knew the phrase well... but why? "Please, Toby." Kiara looked up at him, moreso at the hand nearly clasped around her throat. Tears ran down her face, the messy wound on her arm now visible as she resisted taking a step away from him, leveling her arms. "They took them, Toby. when they brought you in... you need to stop this. You don't understand..." The ship then shuddered, something a warship of this size wasn't meant to do. Outside, the planet below them was moving - or they were moving - and getting bigger before the lone pair standing on the bridge. A monitor not far away, which had just been showing operational stats, flickered to a number of security feeds, black and white images. Somewhere in the ship, in a corridor, Toby caught sight of a large group of people. They were wounded and on the run through the corridors, the flash of bullets pinging off the walls around them. One of the man Toby recognised, he was sure of it. Tall, much older than Hawke, with an odd scar across his eye. "Atmospheric breach in 2 minutes - advise course change immediately." |
![]() Waelon Blake | Jimmy Chamberlain | Eli Harmon | |
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| Balketh | Feb 6 2013, 04:10 PM Post #20 |
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"Oh you have GOT to be kidding!" Immediately he relinquished his surprisingly gentle grip on Kiara's throat, wheeling around as his eyes jumped from speaker to speaker. "They'll have locked the controls..." He growled. "I do NOT. NEED THIS RIGHT NOW. ANSWERS ARE WHAT I NEED." He roared, stumbling over to the nearest screen. He watched as a gaggle of people ran through some part of the ship, and he stared for the briefest of moments. "Don't care!" He noted quickly, throwing his limb upward to show his exact level of uncaring, turning to another screen and pinging away at it as best he could with one arm. "Escape pods. Find them, NOW. So help me, we'll be riding the same one down, and you're going to tell me every. Single. Thing. You know." He paused between button presses, scouring for a possible escape pod free on the ship. He couldn't care less about the people running on board or the fact that he recognised one of them - it was all too much, in too short a time, and he was sick of it; and when Tobias got sick of something, he made it stop. The Verse presented him with a number of options. Tobias thought The Verse was full of shit. Everything would soon stop, by his demand, and Tobias would get his answers, or die trying. They were the demands he handed back to The Verse, through grit teeth and dogged determination. "MOVE IT, hot pants! Don't got all day to mope about!" He boomed over his shoulder as the ship shuddered toward Verbena. How the hell did I even get up here?! |
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