Memoirs
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Marooned Part 2Written by CJ Bacon; Edited by Mellie Mann
Six Weeks Later.... The hottest day of the summer was drawing to a close as a peaceful silence settled over the towering buildings that loomed over the Shibuyan sky. Yoyogi Park was in the distance, still alive with the presence of Ventures and Cheap Trick cover bands, students of Jeet Kwon Do, and tourists of all nationalities. The dazzling multi-colored lights of the shopping district lit up the night, as billboards displayed the potraits of listless models promoting their products. The cylindrical building of Shibuya 109 bore the countenance of Machiko Takada, one of many "faces", as teens of all shapes and sizes poured in and out of its revolving doors, chattering among each other in a mesh of English, Japanese, and Cantonese, some giggling and others talking about Takada's newest music video for GAP 101 jeans. Elsewhere, residents, businesspeople, and students scrambled and roamed through the Hachiko exit. Above them were the television screens, timed for specific media related events and often engrossed in the gaudiness with which the modern Japanese consumer was commonly exposed. Nothing was being presented for anyone to take notice other than yet another political crisis or the usual coverage of the ongoing war in Iraq. Though, while there was mention of an impending meeting at the Vietnamese embassy, there was nary a soul who noticed it. Mitsune Kondo and her friend Akemi Ito paid little attention to the screen as they stepped out of Shibuya 109 carrying several large shopping bags. Ito was the younger of the two girls by four years, with Kondo being a sophomore at Tachikawa High School. They were a contrast in personalities: Kondo was the more daring of the two, with a rebellious streak coupled with a fiery personality, while Ito was timid, shy, eager to please, and not wanting to get in anybody's way. "Mitsune, it's getting very late", Ito called out behind the heavy box she lugged in her thin arms. "I think the next train leaves in a half hour." "What's the matter? Afraid of the dark?" she asked without malice. Kondo was protective of Ito, and would go out of her way to make sure her friend was at ease and safe. "It's not that. It's just..." Ito stopped mid-sentence, unable to find the words. "It's what?" "Did you hear what happened to Kitsuragi?" "Oh. Yeah…" "I heard they found her in a dumpster behind the Shingyoen three days ago." "That's what I don't understand. What would she be doing there in the first place?" The Shingyoen was a well-known brothel, known in hushed gossip as Japan's more notorious den of ill-repute and keeping with the motto of "What goes on in here, stays in here". Interaction with the staff was limited and entrance to the hotel was just as discreet. Neither Kondo nor Ito had ever been to one, nor would they ever, but had heard the Shingyoen described as a high-end fantasy, it's rooms filled with lush colors of pinks, reds, blues, and scarlets and adorned with risqué pictures of various anime characters such as Lina Inverse, Ruri, and Lum being the ones more prominently on display. Carousels and other objects of S&M themes appeared in every other room, while others were situated for inquity reminiscent of more traditional fetishes . The idea that Kitsuragi, the darling of Tachikawa High, would be involved in such perverse pleasures made for good gossip, if only too late forthcoming. "I don't know" Ito continued. "She might have been seeing some guy." "Hoshino?" "I don't know. But it's the way they found her that freaks me out. Yurika told me that when they opened up the dumpster, her skin was all wrinkly, like it was a washrag rung to dry. Her eyes were sunken in so far into her skull that they thought they'd been poked out. Then there was her face. I can't imagine what it looked like, but Yurika said her mouth was open, like she was screaming and her eyesockets wide. It's just terrible!" Kondo nodded. She had heard the story already. After all, she had to wonder, who hadn't? The stuff with the Embassy was old news, but talk of the murders was everywhere and on everyone's lips. Countless rumors ensued that so-and-so knew such-and-such about the crimes, and as a result the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department was besieged heavily with random claims, many which lead to wild goose chases tailing toward no solid leads or arrests. But Kondo understood her friend's fear. Each victim so far had been girls around their age, the oldest being a senior that they had never met from Edogawa . Whatever the autopsies had learned from the emaciated corpses produced little information to fall back on, but in each case, rape had been a factor. The bodies were violated in one bizarre fashion after another. The very thought sent chills down the spine of the usually unnerved Kondo."I guess you're right, but I can't worry about that right now. I have a test in the morning I should study for." Ito and Kondo made their way towards the Ginza line, which would take them to their ward, Taito. Inside the platform was a Type-1000, one of the original trains used when the Tokyo Underground Railway was in still in operation. It stared gloomily at the two girls, reflecting it's history while also reminding them that it was an object out of time, literally and figuratively. The platform was empty, save for a few sleeping transients upon the bench who were either too drunk to go home or just didn't care. They removed their Young Person's rail passes and inserted them into the styrene machine, deducting the amount from their passes, and entered the platform. "Do you smell something?" Ito asked. Kondo shrugged. "It's probably an old wino", she guessed as she wrinkled her nose, "or what he left behind." Ito nodded. Kondo was always right about stuff. The two girls entered the tube. Like the platform, it was quiet, but it was not empty. Seated at the far end was an elderly man in a security guard's uniform enjoying an evening nap, with his hat pulled low over his face. There was a rather bulbous hump on his back as well that drew much to Kondo's curiosity, as she guessed, must have been uncomfortable. Across from him was a woman and her child. The child was playing with what Kondo thought was either the latest Gundam model toy or an Eva doll. Near the girls sat two other males. They were neither businessmen nor students, nor did they appear to be Japanese. One of them who's face looked distinctly European displayed a sharp nose, square jaw, and an olive complexion. His eyes were sullen and handsome and his hair very dark. Ito could not help herself if she stared too long at him. His companion was noticeably more grizzled, with similar dark hair that flowed like a lion's mane, yet his brutish appearance gave the impression as though at any moment he would lash out at the slightest provocation. His nose was broken in several places and never quite healed. The grizzled one looked up for a second from reading his magazine, Young King Ours, and locked eyes with Ito's. She hugged Kondo's arm tight, turning her head away from his gaze as their tube began to pull from the station. "We should have taken the bus", Ito whispered. "It'll be fine", Kondo said assured. "Don't be so afraid." "I just don't feel comfortable sitting here." She motioned towards the grizzled one, who had now returned to his magazine. "Him?" "Yeah." "Then don't stare." "He was eying me Mitsune!" Ito said slightly annoyed. "Like he wanted to..." "What? Touch-- Ito nodded knowing what was about to be said before her friend was going to finish her sentence. Kondo scoffed at her worrisome demeanor. "This whole murder stuff's got you freaked out…more than usual." At that, Ito couldn't disagree. Ever since they had started, she couldn't bear being alone anywhere for little more than five minutes before becoming unsettled. "You're probably right." "I know I am." The tube stopped suddenly with a jerk, jolting Ito and Kondo forward and knocking the other seated occupants to the ground. Rubbing her pride, Kondo muttered a silent curse under her breath before asking, "What was that?" "We might have hit something", Ito replied. "In a subway? What could there possibly be to hit?" The conductor's voice buzzed over the com. "We are experiencing some slight technical difficulties, ladies and gentlemen. Please stay in your seats. Thank you." "Well what else would we be doing, Para Para?" Kondo rose from the floor and dusted off her jeans. "My mom is going to kill me if these ripped--" "Hey. You." Kondo and Ito looked up. It was the grizzled one who had been reading his magazine. "You kids live around here?" His Japanese was perfect. Ito was silent as Kondo nodded her head. "And what happens in these tubes stays in these tubes, right?" "Excuse you?" Kondo asked, not understanding. He smiled. "Lay off Ern, they're just girls", his companion said in English, not looking up as he lit a cigarette. "Show a little decency for once, there's a mom and her kid over there for Christ's sake…" "Spare me the lecture, Burt. Besides, I'm sure these lovely submissive flowers know enough to not make a scene." He pulled from his jacket a knife. It's edge was serrated and curved slightly, like a talon. "You've also got that kind gentleman in the uniform sitting over there as well." This caught the attention of the humpbacked guard , if only for a moment, as he awoke from his rest. With his hat still tiltled over his eyes, he looked around and grinned, revealing a noticeably sharp set of canine teeth. "He's just security. He's not carrying a piece," Ern replied. Burt just shrugged and sat back, as his friend maintained his attention toward the girls, licked his knife, and said: "Now, if you'll empty your pockets, this will all go over much smoother." "We're being robbed?" Kondo said, slightly relieved. "Very intuitive, but any louder and it'll turn into something less pleasant. Ladies…your belongings, now." The flouresecent lights flickered and then died, as darkeness then cast over the tube's occupants. The girls, Burt, Ernie, the mother and her child, and the guard found themselves in a confused standstill. Ernie stepped away from Ito and Kondo, tense and unsure of what was happening. "Did you hear that?" Ito asked. "What?" Kondo replied. "Listen!" Kondo perked her ears. Outside, she could make out the sounds of something sliding against the tube's railing. Her eyes fell to the window, where she caught its silhouette drifting aimlessly outside. It was encircling them and moving slowly, lurching it's way foward. "Alright, we've had enough of this", Ernie said. "Give me what's in your pockets or as God as my witness I'll…" The glass shattered, scattering shards inside the tube. His ribs snapped. "AHHHHHHHHHH!" Ernie screamed horrified. Kondo, Ito, and Burt saw Ernie's faint outline in the shadows, suspended and flaying in midair by an object they could not see. They saw the glint of steel as he jammed his knife into it several times, attempting to free himself. But, for his defensive actions, the trapped Ernie was slammed into the window sill, nonetheless too big to fit through its opening. Whatever had him in its grip floated back towards the girls, as a glint of light shined on his face, showing his cracked-in skull as blood trickled from the laceration on his head. Ito extended a trembling hand in an attempt to help him, though her gesture was in vain, as his unintelligible pleas came to a deadened halt upon being flung against the passenger window and his face smashed into the corner of the ceiling, saturating it in the crimson coating of his blood. Ern hung there for a moment before the unseen entity siphoned him through the jagged opening of the tiny window. Ito covered her ears, unable to process the sound of snapping bones and sinew echoing through the corridor as Kondo watched, horror stricken and unable to look away, until Ernie's spine snapped in two and disappeared into the chasm of the tunnel. A severed boot fell to the floor. Ito finally screamed. Burt, long losing his cigarette, it having fell from his lips the moment his companion was snatched, lunged for the comm unit. He broke the protective glass with his fist. "Conductor! Engineer! Anyone! Is there anybody out there? We need help!" The tube then started to implode and the piercing sound of metal being pulled back was was heard by all. As it was torn ajar, light had seeped through, save only for a few bright flashes. Looking up, it was then that Kondo caught a glimpse of their attacker: a wet, moist eyeball that twirled as it stared back at her. "Akemi!" she shouted grabbing her friends hand as the monster extended its tentacle. "Hang on!" I shouldn't have spent more time than was needed under the guise of that hunchback. The weight of the gettup and the heat I was packing with the positron collider underneath made me too slow to save him, but I guess knifeboy got what he deserved. I try not to think about what he would have done to those two schoolgirls . But it's probably for the best, once less piece of scum in this world barring my way. Everyone got the right idea hiding under the seat. It'll provide them some protection, unless Bubba here decides to start going King Kong on this tube. Probably won't happen. But tearing down the middle of this train, he's already made one mistake…giving me a clear shot. That other guys are dead, but if I can just get over there to those girls, I should be able to save them…I hope. And speaking of salvation, Where the hell is my backup? Takayama is trying my patience and Grace is supposed to be watching my back. Yeah, as usual, great odds. "You two over there, stay down where you are!" "Wha?" Kondo had looked up for a second to see who had called her. She and Ito had rolled under the seats, as they rocked back and forth trying to stay calm in a situation that they could not believe was happening. "Who are you?" She asked. "Call me Andrew." They felt the cold air of the tunnel through their clothes. Lifting her head, she suddenly felt his hand force it back down. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed it was the security guard, but no longer elderly nor hunchbacked. He'd lost his hat, exposing a shock of dark reddish hair. He was kneeling beside her and Ito, and clutched what appeared to be some advanced type of gun the likes of which she had never seen before. Shortly after Ern was taken, Burt was also killed in his attempt to escape the back end of the tube. The monster had not caught him, but upon jumping off the car, he was fatally shocked by the current of electricity coursing through the track rail. Andrew grimaced at the monster lingering on the outside at the far front of the train. The tear it made through the metal walls allowed the wind from the outside tunnel to come through the crevice and blow against the clothing and hair of everyone still alive. "Smile you son of a bitch", he said and pulled the gun's trigger. Ito and Kondo lay there amazed as a bolt of yellow and blue lightening shot from the gun towards the demonic creature, temporarily causing it to flee. Its screeching roar echoed throughout the tunnel, loud enough that the girls covered their ears. "The right tool for the right job", the man said. He then turned back to the girls. "You two all right?" "All…right?" Kondo asked. "Yeah. Are you okay? Are you hurt?" "We're fine, but what is that thing?!" Ito shouted near tears. I tried to remember, what would CJ call it? Andrew sighed. A Class VI or VII extranormal being from an alternate plane of existence that's manifested it's way into our reality.'" "A what?" the girls said at the same time. "Kids, that's an even better description than mine. Anyways, I didn't stop it, so we'll have to be on our way." "Where to?" "Anywhere but here, but for now, just trust the guy with the gun." Overhead, he heard the sound of the creature making it's way back for a second round. Pointing his neutrona wand at the tube's backdoor, he fired, blasting it off its hinges. "There," He said. "Now you two take that mother and her child out of her and get to the surface immediately!" "What about you?" Kondo asked. "Didn't I just say trust the guy with the gun?!" Andrew shouted. "Quit asking questions and move!" Ito pulled on Kondo's sweater, her eyes saying all that was needed. Let's go! Now! Kondo nodded. Once he was positive he was alone, Andrew raised his eyebrow and smiled. The creature roared again, the sound bouncing off the walls as it ripped and forced its way through the mangled tube. "Welcome back to the dance, buddy. We're just getting started" He fired a round at it's face, blinding the creature as it roared again in pain. Wish Amy or Kaz could have shown up. This thing's too much for one pack to handle. "Andrew! Step away now!" He had to grin. "Thanks for showing up." Grace came through. He shut his pack off and jumped out of the way, glancing behind him to see Grace, decked in fatigue pants, but wearing a maroon shirt, pointing at the creature. Standing beside her were two others, a boy and a girl, probably no older than fifteen or sixteen. The boy had brown hair, glasses, and a cocksure look on his face that steered Andrew the wrong way . The girl, with her bubblegum pink hair, seemed like she took everything as a joke. The boy muttered something under his breath as he made an odd formation with his hands clasped, while out of harms way, Andrew smirked, not caring much for the hocus pocus. The girl backed up her companion, producing an oak wand. She joined him in the incantation. The area around the monster began to glow brightly, engulfing the creature. Andrew watched as it suddenly began to reduce in size before him, until it was no bigger than the height of a miniature figurine. "Heh. What'd you think of that, old man?" the boy asked as he walked to Andrew's side. "Talk to me like that again, and you'll see what I think." "Andrew, you have not yet met Spring and Summer, have you?" Grace said, stepping in to diffuse the situation. Spring extended his hand, expecting Andrew to shake it. Andrew ignored the boy and moved cautiously towards the creature. Seeing it at 1/75th it's normal scale, he was able to get a good idea of how big this thing really was. Despite it's small stature, he understood how and why it was able to cover as much ground. Though bipedal in form, it was singular and bore no characteristics of having a solid body or vertebrae. "I don't like your manners", Spring said. "Your not exactly Mr. Belvedere yourself, kid", Andrew said. He unhooked his trap. "Wait, what's he doing?" Summer asked. "He has authority from Takayama", Grace explained. "You may want to turn around as well. You too Spring." "Nuh-uh. I want to see what makes this guy thinks he's such a badass." "You near-sighted or far-sighted, kid?" Andrew asked non-chalantly. "Near-sighted. Why?" Andrew shrugged. "I guess blindness is the next level, ain't it?" Spring had no reply as he turned his head away from Andrew. Satisfied, he pulled a pair of shades from his pocket and placed them over his eyes and hit the trap's pedal. "So is this it?" Takayama asked with a sneer. Andrew and Grace found themselves within a small office, an overhead lamp as their only source of light, standing in front of Takayama as he sat behind a large desk, his hands gnarled in front of his face as if he was not impressed. Andrew had placed the trap in front of the JeiTai chief, still smoldering. "Look, this is getting old. You've had me running my ass off for a week now chasing after rumors and nutjobs to get you this." "I expected a little bit more." "Well then, I could say the same from you, you beaurocratic dipsh--." Silence, until Grace spoke. "Andrew was able to discover the trail of the creature, sir", she said. "That must count for something." "It still doesn't give us our definitive answer as to their location or where they've been coming from. This is utterly useless to me or the department as we already have the samples that we need." Andrew nodded as he flicked a toothpick into his mouth. He then grabbed the trap off the table. "What are you doing?" Takayama asked. Without looking at the man, Andrew answered, "Gonna let him go." The color drained from Takayama's face, realizing that Andrew had called his bluff. Composing himself and re-asserting his own hand, he said, "Ahh, maybe I was a tad too hasty in my estimation, Mr. Williams." "You think?" "We'll gladly take this sample. It may count for something after all." "Groovy. Now, we need to discuss something important." "And that would be?" "My freedom. That ring a bell?" Takayama leaned back a bit in his chair and grinned and laughed. "Ah, so it is my turn to reassert my own hand. And why should I offer a thing like that?" "I've been working with you guys for almost two months, and this is the first break you've had. I'm inclined to think that they've all gone back to wherever it is the hell they came from or you've caught them all. Either way, I'm done. Finite. Fin." "And that's your last word?" The hunter extended his middle finger. "This is my last word." Grinning, Takayama removed from the top of his desk an envelope and handed it to Andrew. Grace craned her neck to get a closer look. It was unmarked. "What you have in your hand is a sighting near Ichikawa, Mr. Williams. Your last one. And here", he said, holding up a similar envelope, "is your passport back to New York." Andrew made a move to grab it, but Takayama pulled it back. "After, you-how do you Americans put it?-bust this last ghost." He sneered, and Andrew's fury boiled within. "Do we understand each other, hunter?" Andrew nodded and took the Ichikawa file, then turned sharply to leave the room, but stopped just short of the doorway barely turning his head. "You may have found me Takayama, but I'm not your lapdog. Do not test my patience. That is your only warning." He took a moment to look down at himself. He was still in his GBI uniform, tattered and covered in slime and plasma as it was. In the back of his mind he contemplated taking a trip down to one of the bath houses in downtown Tokyo, but then realized after feeling the empty sensation in his stomach that it had been a few days since he'd eaten anything decent, the churning inside keeping a staccato beat. Another part wanted to get to Ichikawa as soon as possible, more than likely taking the first tube train in the morning. The late-evening Tokyo bore a similar resemblance to it's early evening counterpart. He surmised that that was the killing joke: Westerners believed it either to be a wasteland of pop culture otaku who spawned diabolical madmen like that Miyazaki prick, or to be a boring, industrious city, with aimless people moving about in hubs. Was this where he truly belonged? Ordered around at the beck and call of another person's whim. Being one of the founding Franchise Executor's of his company's Philadelphia division in paranormal activity, he knew otherwise. And what of MacTaggert? What would he say? Andrew chuckled, knowing full well what, his late mentor, that crotchety old man would say to that exactly, and then lecture him about the lesson learned. "You've got all the potential, lad, but you don't stand on your own two feet worth a damn." Andrew was not acting like a man, a problem Cyrus pointed out in much of their training together. The old bastard had been right all along and Andrew knew it. Sighing as his face was illuminated against the bright city lights, he felt a familiar inviting hand warm his shoulder. His heart leaped a little bit, but his face bore none. It was Grace. She was smiling. Her tattoos distended across her face. "Let me buy you dinner, Mr. Williams." He was about to protest when his stomach convinced him to stop being stubborn. Grace nodded. "I know a great Japanese restaurant." "Really?" Andrew said sarcastically. "I've been looking for one of those everywhere in Japan!" They found a small hole-in-the-wall, delicately obscured by the towering city structures, invisible and naked, the enticing aromas of burning pork and sizzling rice sweetening the air. Andrew could not quite make out the name, but Grace seemed to recognize it, entering without hesitation. They found two seats at the bar and a made their place, Andrew locating himself at the corner. The meal they ordered was simple: for Andrew, a bowl of noodles with an egg and taiyaki roll; Grace, a plate of fried octopi. "You should eat more to keep up your strength", Grace said. "Hey, guy, do you have any beer?" Andrew asked. The chef was a small shadow, nearly invisible except for a walrus mustache. He nodded and produced a bottle from underneath. Molson's. Andrew had to laugh imagining the look on Statler's face if he could see him now. "I'll be damned." He broke the cap and drained half of its contents down in one sitting and belched softly. "Another, please." Grace was not amused. "What resolution do you get from being drunk?" Andrew turned towards her purturbed by the remark. "Not that it's any of your business…none." "I thought as much. You never answered my question from earlier, when I asked what it was that you are always running from?" "Grace, I could ask you the same thing", he retorted, but then again, his eyes fell upon the tattoos on her face, standing out against the dimly lit eatery. "We all have stories to tell. What's your deal?" Grace sighed. "You are looking at my Blood Seals, and I feel that is what you are referring to." "Blood Seals?" Andrew said taking a swig of his beer. "It is my tribe's way of protection against the Desmu." She pronounced it day-mu. "I'm not familiar with that." "They are creatures of unnatural habit. It is unknown how they arrived, but they are the tainted ones who drank of the blood of their enemies, damning them to eternity as wandering vessels of evil. It was my father who forged these seals, so that we may walk without fearing the Desmu." "What are they?" "Eaters of the flesh." "Zombies?" "They live, Andrew. They live and breathe as though they are still human, but they sacrificed their humanity a long time ago." "And what happened?" "The seals began losing their power. My father sent me away while he worked to combat the threat with his small contingency of warriors. I have not heard from him since." Andrew listened hard, with a somewhat blank expression of emotion on his face. "Did he..." "I do not wish to think that." Silence. Andrew swirled his third beer around, but the effects were not hitting him as they should have, for as usual, his metabolism would hardly allow it. But his mind was on the tale Grace had just told him. Not the first time he had heard of such creatures, especially since the days when he and MacTaggert had been a team. He'd thought such tales were only local myths of voodoo. But he knew he was a fool. How long had he been in this business to know that the truth is always scarier than fiction? "Look", he said, "I've got some...friends back home in the states. Maybe they could help you out." "That is what I thought when I learned your true identity, Andrew", Grace smiled, and placed her hand upon his. Andrew slid his hand away. "I've had problems before", Andrew said. "Maybe retelling it all would be like exorcism, or not. I just feel as though every incident in my own existence has been made so that I can keep going. Otherwise, I've often failed a lot of those I hoped to protect." "You run because you're afraid", Grace answered. "It is not because you are a failure, but because you view yourself as such because you cannot escape your own demons. In your lifetime you've hurt so many of those closest to you because you are mired in your own crushing self-pity." Andrew smirked. "You read all that just from what I said?" "Well, I did not read it from the dinner napkin." Andrew laughed, "Ladies and gentleman, mark it down, Grace made a funny." Grace smiled back. "…and the few brief moments we've had to share with each other." "Have I been a good host?" "You have been." "It's getting late", he said. "I should leave for Ichikawa before I miss my chance." Grace nodded and understood. Andrew stood away from the bar, and turned his head towards Grace. "You're not coming?" "I'll stay here, and monitor the area." She then smiled. "You've done all you can Andrew. Do what you have to now." 'Will do…and Grace?" "Hmm?" "Thank you for dinner." "Think nothing of it." He smiled back, "I think much of everything worth thinking about." Located thirty minutes from Tokyo, and in the middle of Chiba, Ichikawa is a commuters city at its core. It was not difficult for Andrew to find a route, and arrived just before sunlight. He checked his watch. It was 3:30 a.m. Darkness still covered the cityscape. He was tired, his head swimming from that evening and the event that might have been. A taxi picked him up from the station and they plowed onwards to a small motel on the outskirts of the city, just about overlooking it. His old senses, when he was a hunter of monsters, began to prickle as the cab passed several overhead bridges, casting silhouettes over Andrew's face. He couldn't smell danger, but his instincts had always supplemented his intuition. He could feel in his bones that something malevolent was brewing. In the distance, he watched as the cab winded up the road. His trap had worked, far better than he had expected. It was true that his opening of the Gate had proved to be a fatlity to his own life, but then again, had it not been the same for everything else that he had done in His Lord's name? This was more for fun than any other project. He swooped down from the sky, keeping a sharp eye on the cab. His playmate had returned. "Welcome to the dance, Dr. Williams. Welcome to the dance indeed." To Be Concluded...in Part 3. Top Discuss this Story on the Forum |
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