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#1
NOV 05 |
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“Evil Is Forever”
Littering the crowd were dozens of young men who wore their beige colored uniforms here with pride. Here, among those that were of like minds, they were at home. Here they were an army. Here where evil intentions were made known as these young men who called themselves The Sons of Adolf cheered on their leader in his quest to gain the power he needed to lead them back to the forefront of Germany.
The roar of the crowd was in Helmut Haefke's ears as he punched his opponent in the abdomen. A mighty rush of air signified that the breath had left his fragile body; the wretch was ready for the kill so early. The weakling dropped to his knees and Helmut grabbed the coward's neck with both hands…how he had waited for this moment. The coward squealed, "Take it…it's yours, I don't even want it…" The coward turned purple.
"I know it is mine," said Helmut. "It was mine the day I was born!" With that, he choked the coward until the light in his eyes faded. The body fell to the ground where Helmut took off the jacket, the cybernetic helmet and the weapon on his arm. He turned to the crowd. "At last, we are ready to show the world our power;” he slowly attached the weapon, placed the helmet on his head and put on the jacket. “At last The Red Panzer leads the Sons of Adolf!"
The crowd of Nazis cheered as one, their leader had whipped them into frenzy. They would gladly die for him and their cause; they were going to rule Germany and the world. Helmut raised his arm in victory. "The world will bow to the superior race or they will all die!" They cheered his name well into the night. The name of The Red Panzer.
Six days later the world was shocked…
"This is Tori Chimer reporting for CMM Headline News. The American Embassy in Berlin, Germany was destroyed today at precisely 3am EST. There were no survivors found. The bombing was a suicide run by a lone man in a stolen truck, which crashed through the Embassy gates and the bomb it was carrying went off. The blast shook five blocks in downtown Berlin.
American officials were further outraged when a video was sent to the British Embassy exactly one hour later. The video showed a man named The Red Panzer as he tortured an American Marine for information on U.S. Embassy security. The man still has not been identified, and was executed on the video by the Red Panzer with a single blast from a weapon attached to his right hand. The Red Panzer claims to lead a group calling itself THE SONS of ADOLF, and they claim all of Germany is their legacy. All foreigners are warned to leave by November 1st, or more executions and attacks are promised. With this being October 29th, many Embassy officials along with their families are heading home to wait this crisis out.
General Rock, Director of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, took the podium at The White House this morning and condemned the SOA's actions, calling them cowards and a disease that the world needed to wipe from the face of the Earth.
We hope to have more information to report at the top of the hour on how The White House plans to retaliate to this dire threat to American safety. This is Tori Chimer reporting for CMM."
"So this is what we have so far. The German government denies all knowledge of the SOA and, furthermore, the U.S. government is under fire from the families of the thirty-two members of the U.S. Embassy that was destroyed in the bombing. The families want the killers brought to justice." Amanda Waller stalked in front of her audience. She was 5’ tall, long dark hair to match her skin, and her 325 lbs were tightly fit into a purple two-piece pants suit. Her position on the President’s cabinet was not publicly known, but she was in charge of recruitment and assignment of the super powered military organization known as The Suicide Squad. The Squad was made up of convicted super powered felons; they were pulled from prison and given assignments to reduce their sentences. Of course the missions were very dangerous and not everyone made it back, hence the name.
"Our intelligence tells us that the Red Panzer is really this man," the screen behind her changed to a picture of a thirty something blonde, "Helmut Haefke. He's the nephew of Fritz Von Spindler, who in turn is the German Secretary of Defense. The Germans say they should get first crack at these nut jobs, our government disagrees, but to openly defy Germany's wishes and attack one of its citizens would spoil relations between our two countries. That's where we come in. We go in, take out Helmut and bring the SOA as far down on their knees as possible."
"The SOA is here, a compound outside of Hamburg. It was a World War II intern camp where they gassed almost 500 Jewish/Germans here. It's was also the headquarters of this man," once again the screen changed to a man dressed in purple and white, a fin adorned the top of his outfit. "This man was known as the Killer Shark in WW II. He's 86 years old now and is serving life imprisonment in Poland…or he was until we freed him this morning. In exchange for his assistance in getting us into the camp, we set him up in a cozy Argentinean condo to spend the rest of his days."
"Bronze Tiger is your field leader. He has the most experience working with me and knows what I expect. For all of you wearing those pretty bracelets, should you wander more than five miles from the Tiger your left hand will be blown all the way to Switzerland. I suggest to you that you make the Tiger your best friend, if anything happens to him, you will probably be buying gloves at a discounted rate. Tiger if you would please."
Ben Turner, a.k.a. The Bronze Tiger, stood and addressed his team. Turner stood a full 6’4” tall and his body near athletic perfection. As an unparalleled martial artist he had no equal in unarmed combat. His dark skin was clothed in a golden uniform with tiger stripes adorning it. "You will be given specific assignments at the base, but just so we all know each other, let me introduce you to your teammates."
"Carl Sands a.k.a. Shadow Thief, serving twenty years for attempted murder. He's able to shift from human to shadow form via stolen Thangarian technology. A master of stealth and recon, he will be point man.” Shadow Thief smiled wickedly, letting his hand drop from the long white mustache he was twirling. Not much of a fighter, Shadow Thief preferred the quickest way into and out of combat.
"Rag Doll, real name unknown, a triple jointed individual with a taste for freaking his victims out with his Raggedy Andy looks. Serving fourteen years for murder." Rag Doll, with his perpetual smile, made a gun with his fingers and shot Bronze Tiger, making a clicking noise as he did so.
"Monocle, real name Jonathan Cheval. He uses a monocle to focus cosmic rays in any direction or intensity he desires. He calls them "opti-blasts", and is serving out the last ten of his twenty eight year sentence." Monocle's gray hair and wrinkled face had started showing his age, and the others looked at him and wondered how much the old man dressed in the very nice suit had left in him.
"Slither, real name James Tilton, bass guitarist of SCARE TACTICS, a rock and roll band that is made up of super powered individuals. James here looks more like a small reptile than the fifteen-year-old boy that he is. He can climb walls and ceilings in any direction, and his bite is also poisonous but not fatal, however you'd wish it were until it wears off. He was arrested one month ago for assault; he claims he's innocent and that he was protecting a young girl from an attack by a gang. The girl was nowhere to be found, and he put four guys in the hospital." The reptile boy fidgeted in his seat, not knowing whether to scream or cry as he really was innocent.
"And finally, our last member comes straight from the Lockhaven medical ward, Floyd Lawton, also known as Deadshot." Deadshot was probably the world’s greatest hitman. His red and silver suit contained computer circuitry that allowed him to adjust the ammo in his wrist gauntlet guns at will. His only drawback in a fight was that he had a death wish. Deadshot's left arm was in a cast, but he still had his wrist gun attached to it. He was only here because it was either this or get bored in jail until he broke out. At least this way he could kill some people.
"Gentlemen, this group is known as the Suicide Squad for a reason, some of you may not be coming back. Disobey my orders and I will make certain you do not come back. Let's get to the hangar, we have three days until the SOA starts killing tourists." And with that, Bronze Tiger led his team to the plane.
This is Tori Chimer reporting for CMM. Tomorrow morning, The Red Panzer has claimed to start killing all non-German citizens residing within the borders of Germany. The German government has denied all knowledge of The Red Panzer's whereabouts, and it is said they have been giving the United Nations all the help they can in tracking him down. With many U.S. citizens, both military and civilian still within the country, America holds her breath and prays for her children.
As their plane landed at an unnamed airstrip in Germany, the Squad was already in action. Shadow Thief was in charge of transportation. Within moments he had acquired a large van for the team. They picked up Killer Shark at a rendezvous point set up by Waller and were off. Tiger looked at Killer Shark; the old man looked ready for death, and he probably deserved to suffer more for what he had done.
They made their way to the outskirts of Hamburg, down away from the bustle of the city lights. The Red Panzer's deadline was up tomorrow morning, and nobody knew how he intended to carry through with his threat, and Bronze Tiger wanted to be certain no one ever found out.
Bronze Tiger plopped down next to Slither. "You okay, kid? You look a little pasty," he said.
Slither looked up at the Tiger and tried to fight the tears out of his eyes. "I didn't even do what they say I did! I was saving someone, I'm a hero, and I don't belong here!" He wasn't even trying to act tough, he was a scared kid and he just wanted to go home and play his music.
Monocle leaned in to the conversation. "Don't worry, son, just stay to the plan and stick close to one of us and you'll be home playing in that band of yours in no time." Monocle was getting up there in years, and he had spent the last eighteen years in prison, which had allowed him time to reflect on his life. He would do as the U.S. government asked, but then he intended to move back to France and, at the age of 65, he intended to start life anew.
Rag Doll looked at Deadshot as he drove. He flipped his thumb at the threesome in the back. "Bet you two grand the old geezer and the squirt get aced," he said.
Deadshot looked in to the rear view mirror, "Both of them or just one," he asked. "I think the kid will live; he's small, hard target."
"No way," said Rag Doll. "They're dead meat. The old guy's been inside too long and the kid will wet himself at the first sign of a nazi. Hell, I bet only the two of us live."
"No," Deadshot replied, "I bet you'll die."
The van came to sudden stop, like they hit a wall of titanium. Rag Doll, who wasn't wearing a seat belt, went flying through the front windshield. Deadshot's face slammed into the steering wheel, knocking him nearly unconscious. Bronze Tiger was the first to recover; looking outside he saw a huge man standing in front of the van, the German Global Guardian known as The Huntsman. He was huge man dressed like a Viking. He was also supposed to be a hero of the German people. "Sands, outside and check on Rag Doll. Monocle, you're with me out the back; hopefully we can avoid a fight. Slither watches Killer Shark. Deadshot get ready to back us up."
Bronze Tiger and Monocle slowly approached The Huntsman. He stood tall, maybe seven feet, looking down at them ominously. "Huntsman, we don't want a fight. We're trying to stop Red Panzer from killing thousands of innocent people. Maybe you can help us." Tiger didn't even know if Huntsman spoke English, but he hoped he understood.
The Huntsman looked over both men and looked back at the living shadow checking on Rag Doll. "You think to stop true Germans from taking their rightful place as the superior race and think the Huntsman will not stop you? You are dead!" The Huntsman's axe came crashing down on the hood of the van, cleaving it in two. Slither helped Killer Shark out the back, as the old man was moving very slowly.
Tiger ordered Monocle and Deadshot to attack. Tiger leapt at The Huntsman and nailed him with a sidekick that did absolutely no good. Monocle fired an opti-blast into The Huntsman's chest, causing him to stagger backwards. "You will all die for the Fatherland!" screamed The Huntsman. Again his axe cut down, narrowly missing Monocle.
Rag Doll, who by now had recovered from his crash, wiped the glass out of his hair and pulled out his revolvers. "Try to kill me will ya" he screamed. The revolvers exploded, with the bullets penetrating The Huntsman's hide. Shadow Thief stayed in hiding as much as he could; he had no desire to take a shot from that magic axe, as he didn't know if it would hurt him or not.
"Lawton, give us some cover," yelled Bronze Tiger. Deadshot fired gas pellets from his wrist launchers in response, and in the smokescreen Bronze Tiger found Monocle and pulled him from the fight. They rendezvoused with Shadow Thief and the others. "Make for the cover of the woods; we'll lose him in there." The group ran off, with Tiger carrying Killer Shark all the way. As he looked back, he saw The Huntsman wave away the stinging smoke from his face as he quickly made his way up the road toward the camp.
"Nice way to start a mission, chief," growled Shadow Thief. "They know we're here, how the hell did they know we were here? I say we scrap the mission and get the hell out of here before we get ourselves killed."
"We stay to the plan," Tiger said. He was really out of breath after running so far with Killer Shark on his shoulders. "It'll be dark soon and then we strike. Sands, you get inside the compound and find Red Panzer. Take him out if you can, if not stay on him so that we have his whereabouts at all times. Shark, I think it's time you earned your keep."
The old German got down on the ground and started to draw in the sand. "This was my old base of operations when I faced the Blackhawks in WW II. There is a secret access tunnel that I had installed back in '43. If you follow it back inside, you should come up inside one of the showers. From there you can work your way into the main building to where Panzer is probably staying."
"Showers? You mean gas chambers right?" Monocle was looking very upset. "You sent people to their deaths there by the thousands, and you still call it a "shower"? You make me sick." He turned with a flourish of his cloak to stand away from the others.
Killer Shark looked up at him. "French people are so bitter over their country's feeble resistance in that war. I think it took a whole 30 minutes until the soldiers were waving white flags and the women came running to us in search of real men." He started laughing in a cackling sound.
Monocle whipped around and readied his eyepiece, intent on burning him to dust. Tiger stood in his way. "This fighting amongst ourselves will get us all killed! Save the animosity for the real fight ahead. Shadow Thief you know what to do, go and keep in contact via the radio every 30 minutes. The rest of you, let's see if the old guy can find this secret passage.
Find it he did, right where he said it would be. It took a little time for Monocle to burn away the overgrowth that had covered the hatch, but they had access inside. The tunnel was spotless, only hints of dust on the floors. Killer Shark mentioned that he had sealed it airtight in case of a germ warfare attack by the Allies. They made their way along the mile long tube at a brisk pace, till they reached a ladder leading to a hatch above them. Rag Doll popped the hatch and was inside in a flash. Slither, Monocle, Killer Shark, Deadshot and finally Tiger were all inside. The gas chamber was completely bare. Valves on the ceiling were still in place. There was one door out of the chamber and Deadshot and Rag Doll had it covered. The whole room had an odor of death about it and everyone looked affected by it except Killer Shark, who seemed to be smiling.
"Lawton, open the door," Tiger said. But as Deadshot tried to pull it open, he found the door sealed from the outside. "What the hell is this, Shark?"
The valves above their head popped open and gas started to fill the chamber. "This is for the glory of Germany! Hail Hitler!" he cried as the gas started to fill the chamber.
"Traitor," Deadshot said in his deadpan tone. He fired a single shot through Killer Shark's forehead. The old man crumbled to the floor dead. "Shoulda done that before you ever got in the van."
"Damnit Lawton!" screamed Tiger. "That doesn't help us get out of here."
"Doesn't hurt," Deadshot replied.
"Monocle bust us out of here," Tiger ordered. But Monocle was already on it. He used his opti-blast to pulverize the side of the gas chamber. As the concrete fell to the ground a blaring alarm filled the compound. Outside the Squad found themselves in the midst of hundreds of men. Tiger started to bark orders, but Deadshot and Rag Doll were already shooting anything that moved. Slither headed for the towers, climbing up and over the spotlights one by one and biting the tower guards, which rendered them incapacitated for hours. Monocle used his beams on anything that didn't move on two legs, meaning jeeps with machine guns.
Tiger's radio came on in his ear. "Tiger this is Shadow Thief, I think they know you're here." Tiger's eyes rolled back. Thanks Sands he thought. "Red Panzer is inside the bunker on the south side of the compound. Huntsman's here with him and about twenty guards. What do you want done?"
"Open the front door for us! Subtlety is lost so we need to end this quick and get out of here," he said. "Everyone follow me!" he shouted. The bunker door flew open as Sands reverted back to human form. The group was holding its own in the compound, but sooner or later someone's luck was going to run out. They rushed past Sands, who sealed the door behind them and shifted back to shadow form.
From down the hall a single guard shouted the alarm to his comrades and opened fire. Rag Doll rushed the guard, his triple jointed body dodging as if he were made out of rubber bands. He tackled the guard and made him eat his own gun, pulling the trigger as he did. Rag Doll turned to check on his teammates, the crazed permanent grin not betraying any emotion as he saw Monocle being held by Slither on the ground.
"It's over for me son," Monocle told Slither. One of the bullets that Rag Doll had dodged had struck him in the chest. "Press on, stay by Turner, you'll be fine. I don't deserve anyone's pity." Slither started crying as Tiger put his hand on his shoulder and told him they needed to go. "I'll do my best to make sure you are not followed, Tiger. Good Luck." And the team left him behind.
After dispatching about ten guards, the Squad found the operations room. It was a large room with a 20-foot high ceiling. All around them were large pillars that went nearly 15- feet high. Slither took to the walls and made his way to the ceiling to scout. The others spread out and soon they spied The Huntsman and The Red Panzer at a computer console on the far end. "Welcome Americans!" said Red Panzer. "I have been expecting you, though I must say I am a bit disappointed that it was felt I am not worthy of the attention of the vaunted Superman or Wonder Woman."
"Yeah, well, they were kinda busy getting kittens out of trees, so we were sent to handle the easy stuff," boasted Rag Doll. He was using one of the pillars for cover and wondered why no guards were with Huntsman and Panzer.
"I am afraid that your levity will not help this situation. The time is now 2300 hours on October 31st, and I feel that this attack warrants a pre-emptive strike of my own." Panzer pushed a couple of buttons and the sound of hydraulics moving filled the room. The pillars started to shake and openings in the top were becoming apparent, with the ceiling beginning to retract open to the night sky.
"Oh God," said Slither from the ceiling. "Tiger, we are in trouble! These aren't pillars, they're launching silos!" The silos started to sink into the ground and inside all twelve were suits of the Soviet Unions' Rocket Red armor.
Tiger knew that the firepower of even one Rocket Red armored power suit was greater than that of his whole team. In addition to flying via jets in their boots, each suit had laser blasters, personal radar and some even carried personalized smart bombs.
He also knew that the Soviet Union had flaws in the technology, one of which was their power supply. To keep the suits from having to refuel every hour or so they carried large fuel supplies on their own backs. It was the most heavily armored area of the suit, but should one be cracked and the fuel ignited, they would see the blast for miles.
He quickly radioed a plan to the others and ordered the attack. Slither dropped from the ceiling onto The Huntsman; running on rage and fear, the young boy was biting, scraping and hitting for all his worth. Shadow Thief used his power to blind the giant German and attacked in shadow form. Together they had the former Global Guardian staggering.
Rag Doll used himself as a human target for Red Panzer. The Nazi fired his energy blasts, but for every seemingly unerring shot, the triple jointed Rag Doll dodged away. Deadshot switched to explosive shells and attempted to crack the Rocket Red armor casings before they started moving. Tiger raced for the computer console; he had to put the Rocket Red troops back in their launch silos or all Hell would break loose. He reached the terminal to find that everything was written in German. "Who reads German?" he yelled. When no one answered he started pressing at random, It's gotta be one of these.
Then, quickly, the battle changed. The Huntsman slammed in to Slither's side with his axe, and while the boy was not cut, the blow tossed him across the room. Shadow Thief was then cut by the axe blade and the mystic energy, when combined with Thangarian technology, proved devastating as Sands screamed in pain, turned into human form, and passed out.
Meanwhile, Deadshot had given up trying to breach Rocket Red armor fuel packs and was now climbing each individual suit, where he would wave to the soldier inside through the faceplate and then fire an explosive shell into their face. It was working, but it was slow going.
Rag Doll was holding his own against the Red Panzer, until The Huntsman tried to take a swing with his axe. Doll dodged the axe, but was met by a force blast in the leg.
As Tiger pressed buttons and pulled handles he could see the silos slowly going back into place. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Panzer take aim at him and he jumped clear. The blast destroyed most of the console, with the silos stuck half open, and the blast wave knocked the wind out of Tiger, who crumpled to the floor before the approaching Panzer.
"I will still win!" screamed Panzer. "The Rocket Red armor will still launch on time, and my men will begin exterminating all foreigners. You were a fool, Tiger." Red Panzer stood over him and raised his hand to fire when suddenly Slither dropped on his head. The teenage reptile started to tear into Panzer's neck, biting through the armor, breaking his own teeth as he did so. Tiger swept Panzer's legs out from under him, sending him crashing to the floor. Recovering, Panzer tore Slither from his face and threw him into the console. "Wretched trash! Go to hell!" Red Panzer raised his gauntlet weapon to fire but just then a red opti-blast seared through his back. The Nazi leader dropped to the floor as behind him Monocle struggled to stay on his feet.
Slither rushed to Monocle's side and kept him from falling. Blood covered his clothing. "Told you that you would make it," Monocle said to the boy. He then fired another opti-blast into the back of the nearest Rocket Red, the beam penetrated the armor and fuel started leaking everywhere. Slither grabbed Monocle and started for the exit.
Deadshot was executing the last Rocket Red pilot when The Huntsman nearly took his head off with his axe. Deadshot ducked and the axe cleaved deep into the helmet and head of the Rocket Red armor. Deadshot dove to the floor and fired two explosive shells into The Huntsman's abdomen; as the shells impacted blood gushed everywhere. Huntsman raised his axe for one last swing at Deadshot, then from his position on the floor where he had laid unconscious, Carl Sands jumped on the giant German's back like a man possessed. As they struggled to the ground, more and more blood left the Huntsman's body until finally he expired.
"Lawton…Sands…grab Rag Doll and let's go!" yelled Tiger. They were already engaged in a firefight, as more SOA soldiers were rushing into the building. We're all gonna die this time he thought. Suddenly, he had another plan. "Everyone back to operations." The group hobbled back into the burning lab, it wouldn't be long before the whole place exploded. "Everyone get inside a suit and takeoff!” Monocle and the others started to explain they knew nothing of the suits. "The suits have heads up display screens, the controls themselves are like driving a car! Do it or die!"
As they pulled dead soldiers out, one by one they suited up. "I haven't driven a car in eighteen years," grumbled Monocle.
"I've never driven one before in my life!" yelled Slither.
Tiger was fighting with the control board, trying to get the silos open further. "Got it!" he yelled and he tried to suit up as fast as he could. "Get ready for launch…"
5…
Fuel was covering the floor and the jets were sure to ignite it; they had to pray they could out race the explosion. Tiger prayed they could all make it.
Deadshot was staring at Rag Doll.
4…
Monocle looked over at Slither, he hoped that if only one of them lived, it would be the boy. He had never had children of his own, but if he had he would have wanted them to be like young Jimmy Tilton.
Deadshot was staring at Rag Doll.
3...
Rag Doll looked over at Sands, who was in bad shape; the explosion caused by the Huntsman's magic axe and his own Thangarian technology had nearly killed him.
Deadshot was staring at Rag Doll.
2...
"Looks like you were wrong," Deadshot said to Rag Doll and pointed to Slither and Monocle. "They both lived, you owe me two grand."
1...
Rag Doll hollered at Deadshot. "You were the one who was wrong buddy. I lived!"
0...
The rockets launched, first Slither, then Monocle, followed by Sands and Tiger. The Bronze Tiger's jets ignited the fuel, the building was caught in an explosion. Rag Dolls jets fired and he looked down to see Deadshot still on the ground, his boot jets turned off. “See ya round, you dumb son of a…” Rag Doll's rocket exploded in the air, killing him instantly.
Deadshot lowered his smoking gauntlet and fired his boot jets. The explosions rocked his suit as he blasted high and hard away from the compound. "I'm never wrong," he said to himself.
Epilogue
This is Tori Chimer reporting live from Hamburg, Germany. An explosion rocked the city last night and authorities have said that the Sons of Adolf have fallen victim to their own threat. It is believed that the SOA had stockpiled large amounts of explosives in this compound, which they would use for more terrorist attacks on hotels and embassies. It is believed that an electrical problem in one of their buildings started a fire, which set off the explosions. The Red Panzer is believed to have been killed as well as the Global Guardian known as The Huntsman, who authorities credit for valiantly taking on the SOA alone. He will go down as one of the greatest freedom fighters in German history. A memorial for him is already attracting a large number of mourners. He will be forever missed. We will have more on this story at the top of the hour. This is Tori Chimer for CMM.
Epilogue 2
"This sucks man!" yelled James Titlon. "We nearly all die fighting the SOA and that traitor Huntsman, and we not only can't tell anyone about it, we let the world believe he died a hero? Where's the justice?"
"Don't let it get you down," said Monocle. He lay back in his hospital bed. "After all, you are finally cleared of all your charges, and you have your whole life ahead of you. Where are you going anyway?"
"Oh, I talked to the band," he said. "We've got a gig in Europe, gonna last for three months, starts in Paris in four months.” He smiled. “I'll make damn sure you're in the front row, too."
Epilogue 3
Ben Turner watched Amanda Waller speak to Carl Sands' doctor. She said he was going to be fine, though he would have stay in the hospital for a while but he would be back to normal soon. He then looked down the hall and saw Deadshot out of uniform checking out of the hospital.
"Lawton, where you off to now?" he asked.
"Places to go, people to see. Oh yeah, when you see Tilton give him this would you?" Lawton threw a stuffed Raggedy Andy doll to Turner and left.
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The End...
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