Marvel Mayhem : Learning Gen X Style 16 : The Reveal

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In the last issue: It has been discovered that some people at the school have weaknesses. .

Previous issue: A Chink In The Armour

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Attention: Generation X and their villains, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this work, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is one of my own development. There will be changes to some of the characters background, as this work is part of Marvel Mayhem on ComicVine.com.

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Issue 16: The Reveal

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Monet St. Croix stretched as she awoke. She had gotten a good night's sleep, thanks in part to her company, and her meal last night. Of course, both were still in the room, one willingly, the other bound up, but that wouldn't matter much longer. Today was the day she'd take over the school, turning everyone at the school into her thralls, or her food.

Her first action was to pull out the cell phone she had hidden in her nightstand. She had gotten it before leaving America, after she had heard about the woman named Quinn Taylor. She knew the woman would be a key part in her plan to eliminate her brother's taint from the school. She had been formulating the plan she was prepared to set in motion since the school opened in Ireland, and now was the time.

She quickly dialed the only number on the phone, and waited for a response. As she waited, she was hoping that Quinn had been busy getting a mob together. She knew that it would be key in her plan, since it would divide the two biggest threats: The two teachers that were her brother's prey. After a few moments, she heard Quinn's voice on the phone. "I've been waiting for you. I have a nice mob all together, including the area constables. Now, how are we getting them out of that school?"

Monet smiled as she responded to the question, not that the woman deserved that. In time, the woman would just end up being food anyhow. "It's very simple. I will make sure Richard cannot communicate psychically with Yvette, the thorn in both our sides. I will also makes sure that he sees her as you, and sees you as him. I'll even make sure it covers your voices. All you need to do is been seen." She paused, recalling the one thing that could ruin their plan. "You haven't been using your powers, have you?"

She waited for a tense moment as silence was on the line. She had told the woman before that if she used her powers, the plan would fall apart. The plan was to frame Yvette for all of Quinn's murders, as well as somehow kidnapping Richard Cale. It had been Monet's quick thinking that they had come up with a plausible excuse to what Richard's parents were saying, so if Quinn actually used her ‘kiss of death’ power on a guy before the plan played out, all would be lost.

The tense moment ended when Quinn finally answered. "I haven't used it since leaving New York. After I get Richard alone, I plan to use it. I need to figure out how it will work on mutants, and I want to do that in private." Monet was thankful to hear that. She knew that would be a potential risk, especially with how she was going to manipulate Richard.

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She decided then to get the plan moving. "Alright, I shall get things moving. Just remember not to use your powers at all." She hung up the phone, and then looked at the crystal skinned mutant, Roxy Washington, who was now getting up from the bed. She would agree that the girl looked to be in an unpleasant mood, but Monet knew that was due to the hunger. It was all part of her plan to fully break the girl, since if she denied her need to feed long enough, she'd do anything for Monet.

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She then glanced over at Japheth, whom she had tied up after grabbing him the previous night. He had been foolish enough to try and spy on them. While she had still viewed his power as disgusting, she would agree that his power had been a good tide over. Of course, if he had been allowed to leave, everyone would be tipped off to her plans. She didn't stop looking at him, but addressed Roxy. "Make sure Japheth is secured. I don't anticipate needing to flee, but we don't need him to escape now." She watched as the girl nodded, and did as she was told.

Monet then sat down on the bed, and closed her eyes. It was the best way for any mutant with psychic abilities to get on the Astral Plane. She was glad her brother never bothered to hone that skill, since if he had, he might have been able to beat her to the punch. Right now, she was the only one on there, which was good for her. She also knew where she wanted to go, and easily found it.

She found the minds of the two teachers, and from what she saw, they had been well fortified. She could also tell that in a way, they were bound together. She doubted that they fully shared a mind, but she was certain that even if they were apart, they could still communicate with each other. Her first goal was to make sure that communication stopped.

After a moment, she found the small break that seemed to allow anyone to get into their minds. As she entered that break, she was momentarily overcome by feelings of lust. She had a good feeling that it was linked to what the two had to endure in the Mojoverse. She had overheard some of the story of what went on there, and knew it would be her way to get her plan to work.

Once she was through, she saw the memory, and smiled evilly as it played out. During that time, she erected a new wall in the minds of Richard Cale and Yvette. This wall would literally cut off the mental link the two had. This would make it impossible for Yvette to contact Richard, and ruin her plan. She then put into Richard's minds the way to swap the visual and audio signals he would receive from both Yvette and Quinn. That way, he would think Quinn was already in the school, and Yvette was surrounded by the mob.

Once that was in place, she started making Richard experience the memory. The first time surprised her, since when she started it, the wall around what had to be Richard's mind crumbled to dust. She quickly realized how excellent her plan was, certain that there would not be any chance Richard could resist her powers. While he wouldn't be a thrall, she knew Richard would now rush out of the school, and she'd make sure he'd fight anything trying to stop him.

She then brought her mind back to the main world, keeping tabs on Richard. She then walked over to window of her room, and looked out. Sure enough, she saw the mob at the gates of the school, and Quinn had taken a position that she could be easily spotted at, no matter how far away. Monet’s plan would go off with out a hitch.

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Yvette let the water cascade over her as she took a morning shower. Yesterday had been very taxing because of the training to keep their barriers up, as well as learning that Jubilation was losing her vampire powers, and that no one had seen Japheth for a few hours. It was true they suspected Monet, but they had nothing to go on, and Emma did not want to tip off Monet that she was suspect.

Part of Yvette couldn’t blame Emma for not wanting to tip Monet off. They had their hands full trying to figure out how to prove that Yvette wasn’t responsible for killing a lot of people. She knew Emma had been in touch with the X-Men about the issue, and they had heard some good news. The latest victim wasn’t dead, but in a coma. She hoped that the man would come out of that coma soon, since he would obviously tell the truth about who the murderer was, exposing the woman who was pursuing Richard, Quinn Taylor.

She had just turned off the shower in the private bathroom she and Richard had in the school when she hear Richard say, “What the hell is going on outside?” It was odd that he had said that out loud, since usually when the awoke, they usually spoke psychically with one another. Odder still was that he hadn’t even said good morning that way.

She quickly dried herself off, and started getting dressed. As she did so, she tried to ask Richard what was going on, via their shared mental link. “Richard, what’s wrong? And why didn’t you say good morning?” She waited, but no response came. That started to make her worry. He never remained this quiet in the morning, especially if the previous day, they had been passionate with each other. The odd behavior was starting to worry Yvette. First their psychic strengths had become weaknesses, and now the man she loved wasn’t communicating with her.

Once she was dressed, she opened the bathroom door, and left it. She noticed that Richard was looking out the window. What ever he had asked about, it was obviously outside, and judging by which window in their quarters, it was at the front gate. Part of her wanted to walk up behind him, and massage his shoulders, but if something seriously wrong was going on, it was time to be professional. She remained at the door of the bathroom, and said, "What's going on out there?"

At that moment, she realized something was really wrong. She saw Richard cringe, and that told her that something wasn't right. Her own instincts went on alert, and as he looked back at her, she saw hatred on his face. It was never a look she saw on his face when he looked at her, and it scared her. His words, however, confused her. "How the hell did you get in here, and how did you get Yvette out there?"

She wanted to ask what he was talking about, and what was wrong with him, but before she could say anything, something flew at her. She ducked, inwardly wishing she could have activated her powers. Sadly, she hadn't put on her uniform, so if she activated her powers, she'd end up naked. She did, however, take note of what he said, and it worried her. Somehow, he must have thought she was Quinn.

She didn't want to counter attack, since she didn't want to risk hurting the man she loved. She could only try to talk to him, using reason. "Richard, I'm not Quinn, I'm Yvette." She ducked down when his response was to throw something else at her. She then tried to say it mentally. "Richard, my love, I'm not Quinn. Stop trying to hurt me." Again, there was no response to her psychic plea.

She chanced a glance at him, but was shocked to see Richard had fled their room. She quickly ran over to the window, and quickly looked out. The sight made her gasp. At the gate to the school was a mob. There were people, police, and others, each one believing the person in charge, Quinn Taylor. Still, she didn’t think Quinn could make Richard think that Quinn was her, and she was Quinn.

At that moment, everything became crystal clear, and she projected her thoughts to the one person that could rally the troops. Luckily, she could sense the person was awake. She knew if she had woken Emma Frost with anything else, the older mutant would be pissed at her. “Emma, something bad is happening!”

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Emma Frost had already realized something bad was happening. She had sensed the arrival of some hostile minds near the school grounds. She could also sense that some of those minds were a bit unsure about their hostility, or why they were part of a mob. It was because of this that Emma remained calm when she responded to Yvette’s message. “I am already aware of the mob at the school gate, Yvette. I’ll summon Doreen and Sean, and I want you and Richard to meet with us in my office.”

To her shock, Yvette gave her some very bad news. "Can't do that, Emma. Something has happened to Richard. He seems to think I am Quinn. I have a feeling Monet is somehow linked to this." If what Yvette just told her was true, then Monet had a lot more skill than she had initially given the girl credit for. When she had been teaching Monet, the girl seemed to be having trouble with some things. It must have all been an act.

She knew what she had to do now, since this new bit of information might put the mob outside the school into a new light. She quickly said to Yvette, "Let me check." She then went on the Astral Plane. Since she was already familiar with the minds of her initial two teachers, she knew where to look. When she saw it, however, she was stunned by what she saw.

From what she saw, there were lines attached to his mind, leading to some sort of marionette's control. While she couldn't see who was operating it, she was certain who it was. She also noticed what looked like some sort of glasses, and earphones, around it. Obviously, Monet had also made sure that the two were switched when Richard saw or heard them. That meant it would take something Quinn wouldn't know for them to break through Monet's trick, and no doubt, they didn't have a lot of time to do it in.

She returned to the normal plane, and reported to Yvette. "Looks like Monet is behind it. She has Richard seeing and hearing Quinn as you, and you as Quinn. I think you may need to use your pet name for him to respond. We just need to get you close enough to him."

She didn't wait for a response, since it would take up serious time. She just sent out the message to the others. She quickly sent out a summons to all that they needed to get up, get suited up, and help stop Richard. She knew, however, that would be very risky. She had noticed one other thing when she had glanced at Richard's mind. She knew she would have to warn everyone about it. "Members of Generation X, we need to subdue Richard. He is currently being manipulated by Monet to think that Yvette is Quinn. Be warned, however, since she is also doing something to him that will make him determined to get to who he views as Yvette. He may end up using Yvette's powers on you." When she said that, she felt apprehension from everyone. It was quickly followed by determination, which told her that everyone was on board with what they had to do.

She then started to leave her quarters, knowing that she would eventually run into all the teachers. As she moved, she returned her thoughts to the mob, and she focused on Quinn. She could tell it was her, since the mind radiated both malice and joy. She also noticed that there was questioning thoughts in the minds of others around her. Part of her was hoping that the questioning thoughts were coming from the police. If it wasn't from the police, then even when the truth was revealed, it might not stop an angry mob, especially if the hatred she was now sensing was just for mutants in general.

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Everett Thomas was certain he was the first of the students, as well as the first member of the group now called Generation X, out of their dorm room. He had been planning on doing some training this morning, before classes. It seemed that now classes might not be happening. Monet had apparently showed her hand, so to speak, and was manipulating one of the coolest teachers he'd ever had.

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He started to head out of the dorm area, when he noticed that Angelo Espinosa's door was opening. He was about to ask Angelo if he had any ideas, but stopped himself. It wasn't Angelo leaving the room, but Jubilation Lee. Why was the vampire leaving Angelo's room at this time? He didn‘t think there was any ill will involved, but even Abi didn‘t stay with him all night. It would cause too many questions, some of which he was wondering right now.

Even though he wasn‘t about to ask right now, he saw Jubilation look at him, almost with a scared look on her face, and heard her say, “Please don‘t say anything. He‘s alright, we were just… up late talking. I think I‘m losing my vampire powers, and he was trying to comfort me.” The pause that had been in her words made him think that they weren‘t just talking, and he hoped the comfort Angelo had allowed didn‘t include allowing her to bite him.

When Angelo started out of the room, Everett relaxed a little, and looked at both of them. “I won‘t say anything, but you two need to find some of the others. I‘m going to go find Mr. Cassidy. I think he might be the best help in keeping Richard from doing anything to hurt anyone.”

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He saw Angelo nod, and then heard him say, “I‘ll go get Jonothan and Clarice. Maybe Clarice can keep Richard disorientated by teleporting him all about the place.” He nodded, realizing how good of an idea it was. If it worked, it could keep anyone from being injured, since Richard would most likely take on the sharp claws that Yvette had when she activate her powers.

He nodded, and then looked over at Jubilation. “Find Abi. I have a feeling that both of you using your powers might blind and distract Richard.” He watched as the vampire girl nodded, and then ran off, noticeably slower than he had seen her run before. It seemed that there must be some truth to her losing her powers. He wondered how that was possible, but he had to put those thoughts out of his mind.

Everett needed to get to Mr. Cassidy‘s location, and he knew just how to do that. He would incorporate a trick Richard had discovered. It first involved bringing his aura out, which when he did so, looked like a rainbow hued ghost around him. He then focused on Sean Cassidy‘s power, one he had taken on once before. As he did that, he could feel his aura take on the qualities that allowed him to use a near replication of Sean‘s sonic scream.

Once he had his aura in synch with Sean Cassidy‘s power, he let it lead the way. He had to keep up with the aura, and hope it wouldn‘t put him in between Richard and Sean. Since his aura would take a reasonably direct route, it was possible that he could bring himself into an attack he might not be ready for.

As he followed his aura, however, he wondered how many of the new students might be about to either help, or hinder him. He hadn‘t seen Japheth about, nor Roxanne. The latter, of course, was most likely a thrall of Monet‘s now. As for the former, well, no one had seen him since yesterday afternoon. No one wanted to think he was dead, since they weren‘t ready to acknowledge that Monet might have killed him. They didn‘t think she had gotten to the point of killing her victims.

He stopped thinking about that when he heard Sean Cassidy in the room he was approaching. It was also obvious to him that Sean was trying to get some reason across to Richard. “Lad, ye need to calm down. I don‘t want to have to hurt ye. Yvette isn’t outside of the school.” He had to commend the new headmaster for not wanting to hurt the teacher, but he had a feeling it would be a pointless exercise.

Sure enough, he entered the room next to Sean, and saw Richard shaking his head. It was obvious that Richard didn‘t believe the headmaster, as he heard the teacher say, “Don‘t lie to me. I know she‘s out there, and that Quinn got in. If you‘ve been helping her all this time, I swear, I will not regret hurting you. Now let me get to Yvette.” From the brown glow he saw in Richard‘s eyes, he knew the teacher was ready to use Yvette‘s powers. He knew then that reason wasn‘t going to work, at least not yet.

Everett stepped forward, and shook his head. “Sorry, Mr. Cale, but it‘s too dangerous. You‘ll be walking into a trap.” He then let loose with his powers replication of Sean‘s sonic scream. The move had caught his teacher off guard, causing the man to be pushed into the stone wall. As it happened, he hoped Richard would not be overly hurt, but having learned about the healing factor the two teachers had, he knew that should be the least of his worries. He just hoped that it would also knock some sense into the teacher.

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Sean had been impressed by the move Everett had done. He had even decided to add a low power version of his sonic scream to further push Richard back. He was inwardly thankful that the lad hadn't fully activated Yvette's powers. He was certain that the claws would not only damage the castle, but also leave a lethal obstacle for anyone who entered the place.

As Richard started to recover, Sean stood next to Everett. He wanted to be in a position to counter the teacher if Richard had decided to attack. As he prepared for an attack, he said to Everett, "Nice move, lad. I didn't know you knew how to do that." He had noticed the aura came flying in, and figured what it meant. He had been hoping that Richard hadn't fully realized it.

He took note that Everett didn't take his eyes off the teacher. "It is a newer trick. Believe it or not, Richard taught me how to do it. I‘m a bit surprised he didn‘t notice it.” Sean nodded, and hoped Richard would be stunned long enough for someone else to either subdue him, or knock him out.

Unfortunately, Richard shook his head, and started again to advance, this time a bit slower. Again, Sean noticed that Richard‘s eyes were pure brown. It was a bad sign, since he had learned that that didn‘t just mean that the powers were active, but that something else could be at play. There might not be any reasoning with Richard now, but he had to try. “Lad, listen to me. Yvette is still in the building. Someone is messing with yur mind. Please calm…”

He stopped speaking when he heard Emma speaking in his mind. “Sean, I don‘t think reason is going to help. Monet is literally trying to overload his mind by triggering his memories of the incident in the Mojoverse. I‘m hurrying down there with Yvette right now. Don‘t let him leave, but don‘t let anyone come to mortal harm.” Those last words hit home, especially as he noticed that Richard had fully morphed his hands into claws.

Sean motioned for Everett to step back, saying, “Lad, I don‘t think we will get through to Richard. Be ready to try the sonic scream again.” He dared a quick glance at Everett, and noticed the boy was nodding. It made him wonder if Everett had heard the psychic message as well.

He returned his glance to Richard just as the young man rushed them. He wondered if it was Richard actively making that decision, or if Monet had influenced it in any way, other than the obvious one. He thought it meant that they would be in serious jeopardy, but at the last second, a golden form had tackled Richard to the floor. For a moment, he wondered who had taken the risk, and then remembered that it was one of the newer students, Heather Cameron.

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The girl‘s skin had taken on a golden, metallic hue, as if it had been transformed into organic metal. When he saw Richard slash at her, leaving no cuts, he realized that had to be it. Eventually, he saw her deliver a blow that would cripple a normal person, but it only forced Richard back again.

He could see the attack had taken a toll on Cameron, since she was breathing a bit heavy. Both he and Everett quickly moved forward, in case she needed support, but the girl remained standing. He also heard her speak between breaths to Richard. “Sir. You need to listen. Miss Yvette isn‘t outside the building. She is safely in here. Someone is messing with your mind.”

Sean hoped the girl was getting through to the teacher, but he realized she wasn’t. Richard was slowly getting to his feet, and the look on his face was almost a frenzied look. It was a sign that Richard would attack again, obviously feeling threatened by everyone in the building. He also noticed that Cameron was diverting her eyes from Richard, which Sean thought was a foolish move.

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It was then he heard two similar voices shout, “Heads up.” Having seen the pyrotechnic power of the two Jubilation at work, he knew what was coming. He quickly averted his eyes. Even though he did that, he caught the flash of the blast, and he heard Richard let out a scream of pain. He felt certain now that they might have a chance at preventing the worst case scenario from happening.

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Richard Cale shielded his eyes a moment too late. It would take a moment for his vision to recover, but it added to the confusion of everything so far. Every one so far seemed to be helping Quinn, by insisting that Yvette was still in the school. The thing was that he had not sensed Yvette in the building. He hadn't even sensed her when he woke up, and normally they sensed one another when they woke. It didn't seem feasible that the link between them would be blocked.

Still, they were unaware of the fact that Yvette seemed to be dwelling on the memory of 'The Incident'. He knew that Yvette would only do something like that if she was desperate for help. When he saw the mob outside, around her, he realized how desperate she had to be. The fact that everyone was against him could only mean that they were being duped by Quinn somehow.

The latest attack, this time from the two Jubilation’s, gave him an idea on how to get to Yvette. He quickly reached out with his power, and the first one he came across was the vampire Jubilation's. Something seemed odd about it when he latched onto it. The last time, there was a larger touch of vampirism in it. This time, he hardly felt it, like she was losing her vampire powers. That actually didn't bother him, since he really didn't like the bloodlust feeling.

Once he had the power, he quickly held out his hand, hoping no one grabbed it. He then let lose with the power. He felt the fireworks going through his body and the 'paf', as the two girls referred to it, come through his hand, ready to explode. He counted to five, and let each one he had let go explode. It ended up having the result he had wanted. There had been several exclamations of surprise. No doubt, everyone had uncovered their eyes, thinking the danger of blinding lights had passed.

He glanced around, noticing everyone was holding their eyes. He saw the opportunity, since the exit was now unguarded. He ran straight towards it, a bit grateful that he didn't need to hurt anyone. He really didn't relish the idea of hurting anyone he had come to think about as a friend. He also wasn't about to hurt anyone who was being duped. It wasn't their fault.

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That thought was the only thing on his mind when he felt everything shatter. He felt himself shatter into pieces, and for a moment, he could have sworn he was losing his grip on existence. He realized what was happening, even as he appeared back in the spot he had been standing in before he made the dash. He noticed Clarice Ferguson and Jonothan Evans Starsmore were standing in the one entry to the room. It was Clarice that spoke first. "Richard, you know I've always been trying to do what was best to help you."

He knew that, but he also knew the girl had harbored a crush on him. He couldn't be sure that she was trying to help Quinn, or might have seen this as an opportunity. He was aware that Jubilation’s ability would soon leave him, so he had to make this as a last ditch effort. He raised his hand again, and just said, "Right now, Clarice, you aren't." He released a large paf, and just as it was about to explode, he saw Jonothan tackle Clarice to the floor.

Richard had also released another paf at the door, and when the first exploded, the other did as well. Luckily, no one was hurt, but he was also glad the door had exploded outwards. He again leapt over the group, who again were now recovering from the flash of the paf. He was now able to get through the room, and out the door. He could now get down to the mob, and rescue Yvette.

Once he was out of the door, he started down the path that led to the gate. He saw all the people pointing at him, and that some had not done anything to Yvette. Maybe she had been able to fend them off before anything could happen to her. He knew she would feel bad about hurting anyone who was innocent. She also seemed to notice him. He heard her say, "Richard, get over here. It will be alright now."

He started to pick up his pace, and was aware that he heard Quinn behind him. It was obvious to him that she was still trying to trick him, and make him think she was Yvette. It was something he would never believe. At least he would not have believed it until he heard the one set of words. It was enough to make him stop, and rethink everything that had happened. Sure, it was Quinn's voice that he heard saying the words, but something told him there was no way Quinn could know those words. Still, he felt something urging him to run to Yvette. It had to be the fact that it was something linked to 'The Incident', but if that was the case, Yvette should be showing more actions linked to that memory. It raised a major question in his mind, and it was enough to make him stop, and look around. There was only one course of action that had to be right, and he was trying to make the right choice, since a lot rode on it.

End Issue.

Next Issue : Marvel Mayhem Learning Gen-X Style Wrap Up

From the author:

As always, I want to thank all the readers for various things. First off, thank you for reading. I try to make all these issues worth while for you. I also want to thank you for being so patient. I know I usually only post something once a month, but it gives me time to plan out and write a good story for you all. I also want to thank those readers who have commented, and let me know you've been reading my series.

For those who have been enjoying my work here, I invite you to check out my work on Fanfiction.net. Also, in the past few months, I have started ePublishing, and invite all of you to look into my first publication, an adaptation of an audio play. Here it is for Kindle, and on Smashwords, and for the Nook.

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RichGenX

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ImpurestCheese

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#3  Edited By ImpurestCheese

@richgenx: Cool I wonder what will happen next for the poor generation X kids

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jhazzroucher

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Awesome! :)