Mind Games Page Two

<<Mind Games Page One

John awoke with a start, realizing immediately that he was not in the cold stone cell anymore. Alarmed, John discovered he was strapped back in the Aurora Chair. He tried to remember arriving at this place but everything was in bits and pieces. His entire body ached and John laid his head back in the chair. He glanced around to see that he was all alone in the darkly lit room. It was similar to the one on the Gammak Base but there were no guards·not even Scorpius was parading around him this time.

"Scorpy? Come on, pal." John stated in a playful voice. He whistled as if whistling for a dog and moved his head around to try to see if Scorpius was behind him. "Where are you boy? I miss you already!"

Maybe Moya starburst out of the area, John pondered. He paused, almost waiting for the chip to respond. He then remembered that the chip had somehow failed. John laughed psychotically.

"John, I haven't forgotten you. Things are a little hectic at the moment. But, I do know you will be here so I don't need to keep an eye on you·for now." Scorpius stated, his head hovering slightly to the right of John's John swung his eyes towards the direction of Scorpius' voice and smiled.

"Scorpy! You didn't leave me! Oh I missed you!" John stated. He laughed some more. Scorpius turned to face John head on.

"John, you must keep focused. I need your attention here. If you decide to lose your mind now, that information could be lost forever. And we can't have that now can we?" Scorpius stated with a smile. He then walked away and exited the room. John's smile slowly wore off his face as he realized he had a chance to escape.

The fragmented memories passing through John's mind began to make sense to him. He realized something he had overlooked. He had left his comms on the entire time. Now that the chip was no longer controlling his thoughts or emotions, John could easily contact Moya·if she were still there.

"Pilot?" John whispered frantically. He closed his eyes for a moment, feeling dizzy from the stress his body was undergoing. There was no answer.

"Pilot!" John stated slightly louder the second time.

"Shit! She probably starburst the hell out of here arns ago." John muttered. At least had have a record of the chats between him and Scorpius if he ever made it back to Moya. He was sure everything they had said had been recorded.

John began to feel extremely exhausted again, realizing that this entire ordeal was beginning to take its toll. If he couldn't hang on for much longer, he would be of no use to anyone.

"John?" Zhaan's voice whispered in John's mind. John blinked several times. He thought for a moment that Zhaan was talking to him via the comms. He was almost afraid to acknowledge her voice, fearing he was just hallucinating again. Then he remembered she had contacted him earlier as well.

"Zhaan?" John stated in a hushed voice.

"By the goddess, are you all right?" Zhaan responded with relief.

"Couldn't be better. Zhaan, are you guys safe? You've got to get out of here now." John stated.

"John! We won't leave without you. They're attempting to place a control collar on Moya. Talyn's here but he's fighting more than he can handle. There's no way we can avoid the PeaceKeepers."

"Zhaan, Scorpius planted some kind of chip in my head. Somehow, it failed. I don't know what he's up to but I can only hold his attention for so long." John stated and paused, feeling another rush of pain sweep through his body.

"John? Are you all right?" Zhaan asked, sensing his pain. John cleared his head once more and smiled.

"Zhaan, listen to me, you have to get out of there now. They're going to kill you. Forget about me. I'd rather die than give Scorpius what he wants." John stated bravely.

"John, I will not let you die." Zhaan stated. John felt a sudden rush of energy flow into his body.

"Zhaan, what was that?" John asked. No response. "Zhaan?"

"Talking to yourself?" Scorpius asked. He entered John's view and cocked his head at John.

"Only to you Scorpius." John stated wryly.

"Unfortunately, we must depart this planetary system immediately. There are some intense solar flares that would do quite the damage on my equipment if we were to stay. Thankfully, we are already on the Marauder."

John crumpled his brow. Now he realized they had been moving slowly for quite some time. He had thought it was because the way he was feeling.

"Maybe you should be paying more attention to those solar flares. They are an ingredient in creating a wormhole, you know." John stated. Scorpius peered at him in wonder and stepped forward to read the human's expression.

"Why would you be telling me this? Unless·you are willing to die. The information you give me is incorrect. The only way I can be sure is to probe your mind." Scorpius smiled.

Sweating, John realized things were going from bad to worse.

************

"Scarrens? What would they be doing here?" Chiana asked.

Pilot announced the oncoming fleet of Scarren battleships heading towards them. The PeaceKeepers had noticed as well, sending all of their prowlers towards the Scarren fleet. The control collar was abandoned at the moment, hovering uncomfortably close to Moya.

"They are headed into battle with the PeaceKeepers. Pilot! Now's our chance. Starburst immediately!" D'Argo ordered.

"I'm afraid Moya won't starburst. She doesn't want to be separated from Talyn any more." Pilot stated in a worried tone.

"Talyn can starburst the yotz out of here as well! Let's get out of here!" Rygel squealed from his hiding place inside a crate in the cargo bay.

"No! We can't leave John!" Zhaan stated, finally joining with the rest of the crew on the current situation.

"Aeryn has come back aboard Moya. Talyn is preparing for starburst·and so is Moya." Pilot reported anxiously.

"We do not want to be caught in a battle between the PeaceKeepers and the Scarrens. Crichton was a good friend to us all. But he frelled up and now we have to save ourselves!" Rygel grunted over the comms.

"Rygel! John is our shipmate. He didn't abandon you when you decided to betray us last time!" Zhaan scolded. She was referring to the time when Rygel had gone to Scorpius to save his own eema and give up his shipmates.

The crew fell silent for a moment. Moya was about ready to starburst. They were quickly running out of options.

***********

It's another trick. John realized as he struggled to get out of the chair. There was no way he could pry through the metal cuffs holding down his arms and legs. The whole bit about solar flares was an attempt to get information out of him and it had worked. John grew angry with himself. He could not believe the situation he had gotten himself in.

Scorpius stood at the controls, preparing to zap John's brain. Without warning, he turned the machine on. John screamed in pain as a wave of electricity jolted his mind. The jolt was more intense than he had ever felt in the chair before. He clasped his hands down on the arms of the chair, digging his fingertips into the cool metal. John gasped for a few extra breaths and blinked his eyes. Nothing had shown on the screen. John wondered if the jolt hadn't just been a warning shot. No, not Scorpius' style.

His body was beginning to fail him as he was continually subjected to jolts of electricity. His own memories began to flash onto the projection screen in front of him. His eyesight was fading as he watched new memories of being tortured by the Scarren. He didn't feel like reliving those moments again. But he could not look away, nor was his body strong enough to. Every muscle in his body ached. John realized he wouldn't be able to hold onto consciousness for much longer. Finally he allowed the darkness to overcome him and he closed his eyes.

"John, you mustn't give in now, we've only just begun!" Scorpius hissed. John did not respond. Scorpius sent another jolt of electricity through John's body but John remained unconscious. Scorpius sneered and walked up to the chair to peer down into John's face. He then unlocked John's arms and legs from the constraints and walked away angrily.

"Report to tier 17. I want his brain dissected." Scorpius ordered into his comms. He turned to John. "I'll just have to tear you apart to find what I need. Even in death, you can't elude me, John Crichton!" He snarled once again at John's limp body and then stalked out of the room.

A few moments passed before John took his first gasp of air. Wincing, he slowly began to move from his position and flopped to the floor beside the chair. John curled up for a moment, feeling the intense physical pain of the torture he had been through. Breathing hard, John straightened and held onto the chair to support him as he stood up. What a fool. I can't believe Scorpius unstrapped me! He smiled weakly.

The Marauder shook violently for a moment, sending John back to the floor with a thud. He groaned and used his weak arms to pull himself up. The ship shook again and an alarm began to go off.

Evacuation warning. Evacuation warning. John smiled and laughed hysterically. He stood up with all the strength left in his body and headed slowly out of the room.

John realized the ship was under attack. By whom, he didn't even care at the moment. All he knew was that he could still make it if he tried. He desperately wanted to get back to Moya, and in one piece. A terrible feeling of guilt was burrowing in his stomach as he thought of his actions aboard Moya. Hopefully, the rest of the crew would forgive him.

Finally, without once passing by a single PeaceKeeper, John entered an area with a few Prowlers still waiting to be taken out to battle. He didn't care why there seemed to be no PeaceKeepers around. He only cared to get as far away from this place as soon as possible.

John hid behind a column support and observed several PeaceKeepers guarding the area. Another couple were racing frantically towards their Prowlers, preparing to head out to battle. John scanned the scene and smiled when he saw what he was looking for. An abandoned Prowler with quite a chunk blown off the side of it was sitting in a corner. He figured it had been damaged in the battle, for the smoldered metal was still smoking. No one was near that Prowler. John decided he would have to risk all by taking that Prowler. There was no other way out.

Slowly, John walked amongst the shadows of the hanger, vigilantly keeping an eye out on the guards on the far side of the room. He came up to the Prowler and looked the damage. The gaping hole in the metal would cause some problems, but John only needed the ship to get him to Moya. Analyzing the damage, John found his luck was beginning to shine through. He laughed insanely and walked his way around the ship to get into the cockpit. He stopped cold when he felt the cold nuzzle of a weapon pointing into his back. John frowned. He turned around slowly, his arms in the air. He came face to face with Scorpius. Anger grew within John. He was growing tired of this old game.

"John, you didn't honestly think I would have given up that easily, do you?" Scorpius smiled. He held the pulse rifle securely at John. Time was running out and John knew it. He eyed the tubes used to fix the Prowler hanging down from the ceiling to his left.

"Is any of this real?" John asked, glancing around at the Prowler and the guards who seemed not to notice them.

"That depends on who you ask." Scorpius stated, confusing John even more.

"Scorpius. Why can't you find some other dog to train? I will never give you anything and I surely would rather die before I let you capture me again!" John exclaimed. Scorpius paused in confusion, trying to translate John's statement about the dog. At that moment, John swung a tube into Scorpius, sending the pulse rifle flying. Scorpius swung his arm at John, hitting him square in the jaw. John bent over, holding his jaw sorely. He was about to bounce back when Scorpius slammed his foot into John's ribs. John fell to the ground with a grunt. Moaning, he grabbed his aching side. Scorpius swung his foot at John once more. This time, John was prepared. He grabbed hold of Scorpius' foot and threw him to the ground. Scorpius snarled and struggled to get up. John wiggled over to the pulse rifle resting near his head and pointed it at Scorpius. Scorpius paused and stayed down. John stood up slowly and placed his foot down on Scorpius' stomach. John leaned over his knee to look down at Scorpius with a satisfied grin. His eyes portrayed a look of hatred that Scorpius laughed at.

"You are already under my influence. Tell me John, exactly how many souls have you killed this cycle alone?" Scorpius snickered. John straightened and stared at Scorpius with even more anger. He tightened his grip on the pulse rifle and raised it to Scorpius' head. Everything in his body wanted so badly for this creature's life to end. A wave of memories of the torture Scorpius had caused swept through his mind. John prepared to end Scorpius' life.

The Marauder shook violently as the Scarrens shot it once more. John shifted backwards, holding tight to his weapon but losing a hold of Scorpius. Steam began to pour out of the tubes around them and hissed loudly, cutting down on the visibility. Scorpius rolled out of his reach and stood to face John. He wore a tight but sly smile. The heat of the steam would surely begin to affect him at any moment. John grinded his teeth in frustration as Scorpius stepped closer with no problems regarding the heat.

"You'll never escape me, John. I will always be with you in one way or another. The only way for that to stop is for you to give me the wormhole technology." Scorpius stated in a calm voice, stepping forward. John held up the pulse rifle to Scorpius' head. Scorpius stopped.

"This time, your chip can't stop me." John stated and pulled the trigger on the pulse rifle. A blast of energy shot out of the rifle just as the ship began to swerve violently. Scorpius flew backwards and disappeared from view. John shouted in anger. The ship swayed once more. John swallowed hard, trying to keep his footing and peered into the steam, trying to see if he had truly hit Scorpius. John looked down and then noticed the dark bluish colored pool of blood near where Scorpius had been standing. John smiled slightly, though still not satisfied that Scorpius was gone. He lowered his weapon and his shoulders as he realized how willing he was to kill now. He looked at the pulse rifle, took a deep breath and threw it to the floor.

The steam swirled around him as he walked up to the Prowler. Was this all an illusion? Was he still strapped in the chair? The ship began to shake once again, sending John into the side of the ship.

John opened his eyes to see he was lying on the stone cell floor he had been in once before. He squinted in the red glowing light. Scorpius was circling him and grinning. John shook his head. What is this? Not again!

John slammed his fist on the floor and suddenly, everything began to crumble around him. The illusions began to fade and John was left in darkness. The old familiar aching headache he had been experiencing in the past few solar days returned. John struggled to stand but found that gravity was fighting hard against him.

"This is real. There's no new psychotic therapy ward for me to go crazy in. This is real." John pondered out loud into the darkness.

The ground beneath him began to shake and tremble. Suddenly, the lighting around John began to brighten and reveal to him his true surroundings. He found himself to be back in the hanger. There was no sign of Scorpius·except for that small pool of blood·

John snapped his fingers and lifted himself off the ground slowly. He realized that the aurora chair had been another mind trick. Somehow, he had escaped wherever he had been and made it to this Prowler. He did not care how. He just wanted to get away from this nightmare as quickly as possible.

With no time to waste, John jumped into the cockpit of the Prowler and started up the engines. At least the ship still works, John thought. He maneuvered the ship towards the doors leading out into space. The faster he got out of this place, the better.

***********

"How much longer before Moya is ready to starburst?" Aeryn asked anxiously. She had joined the rest of the crew in the Command bay.

"She's almost there!" Pilot reported.

The view screen in front of the saddened crew displayed a mighty war beginning to take place. Several large blasts and explosions plaguing the Marauder were creating shock waves and shaking Moya. Tens of thousands of Prowlers and Scarren ships were firing at each other amongst the space between the Marauder and the large Scarren base ship approaching.

Talyn suddenly starburst out of view. Aeryn sadly looked on through the view screen. She wondered silently if she would ever see him again·as did Moya.

"Wait! Is that a Prowler headed towards us?" Chiana asked with fear rising in her voice. She pointed to a smoking Prowler, shakily headed straight for Moya. "It looks like it's going to crash!"

"Pilot, how much longer till we starburst?" D'Argo asked anxiously.

"Moya has stopped. She feels she must stay here until Crichton is safe with us." Pilot stated in surprise.

"What?!" Zhaan asked in surprise.

"She's receiving some kind of energy wave from the Prowler. She believes it's Crichton!" Pilot exclaimed. "I'm allowing the ship to dock."

The crew watched silently as the ship passed by the view screen. The smoke was billowing out of it at an alarming rate and the ship was no longer flying smoothly. The crew raced to the docking bay, fearing a trap but at the same time, hoping it would be Crichton.

"Pilot, get the DRDs down there. We'll need all the back up we can get!" Aeryn ordered. She charged up her rifle as she ran. D'Argo readied his weapon as well.

"The Prowler's landing in here? Pilot, close the outer doors now! Is Moya crazy?" Rygel's frightened voice ordered from within the crate. The crate shook and rattled for a moment and Rygel wiggled his way out. He ran across the floor of the cargo bay and headed the opposite direction of the docking bay. He ran smack into D'Argo

"Rygel! If I had the time, I would·" D'Argo started, holding Rygel by the neck. He then dropped Rygel and watched the damaged Prowler enter the docking bay. The outer doors closed swiftly behind it and the docking bay began to cloud with smoke. Moya immediately charged up for starburst.

"Warning! We are about to starburst in three microts!" Pilot stated over the comms. The crew had little time to prepare themselves. They needed to see who was in the Prowler but at the same time, needed to hold onto something during starburst. There was no time. The ship suddenly shot into starburst, sending everyone into a heap on the floor.

All was silent for a few moments. The smoke had begun to clear in the docking bay. The crew moaned and began to untangle themselves from the heap. Aeryn and D'Argo immediately rushed up to the damaged Prowler, pointing their weapons up at the cockpit and waiting for the person inside to exit.

"We are now safely out of range of the battle." Pilot announced.

"Thank you Pilot." Zhaan replied shortly, with a sense of tension in her voice. She, Chiana, and Rygel watched from a distance as the Prowler's cockpit began to open. Haze shadowed the figure's face for a moment. A few coughs came from the figure and he emerged from the cockpit, weak and confused.

"Crichton!" D'Argo stated in alarm. He helped his friend out of the cockpit. John fell to the floor and spread his arms out, taking in one huge breath. He coughed some more and looked up at his shipmates, all gathering around to peer down at him with confused and somewhat relieved faces. John smiled and held his eyes closed for a moment, letting the dizziness he was feeling pass.

"Crichton, what the frell did you think you were doing?" Aeryn asked angrily, she had not pointed her pulse rifle away from John yet.

"I don't know Aeryn. Scorpius had control over me for a while there. I couldn't beat him." John explained. Zhaan knelt down beside him to check him over for injuries.

"D'Argo, help me get John to the med bay." Zhaan ordered. Before John could argue, he lost consciousness.

************

"·He's been under a great deal of stress. I don't know much about humans so I can't tell you if he'll be all right or not, I'm sorry Chiana." Zhaan's worried voice stated in the distance.

John began to become aware of his surroundings once again. He could hear that same old comforting hum of Moya so he knew he was in a safe place. He struggled to open his eyes but found every single muscle in his body ached terribly. His head was a whole other story. His mind was numb. A dull ache was beginning to make its way to his frontal lobe. John could feel his mind reeling from the overload of emotions he had gone through in the past several arns.

"I'll stay with him." Another sweet voice stated, somewhere close to John. John suddenly realized the voice was Aeryn's and that her warm, comforting hand was clasped around his own.

"Are you sure you won't try to kill him?" Chiana asked sarcastically. John could sense a hint of uneasiness in her voice. He felt it himself.

"He needs someone to be with him, Chiana." Aeryn explained. John could also sense guilt in Aeryn's voice. He wondered why.

John let out a slight moan as he tried to open his eyes; the dull light from the room was enough to make his eyes hurt. He opened them halfway to confirm Aeryn sitting next to him and Chiana and Zhaan slightly further away. Each woman wore a look of worry. But John also noticed they wore defensive expressions underneath. They were still not sure if he was truly the John Crichton they knew.

John tried to sit up, but his body would not allow it. The hard surface he was laying on was uncomfortable but he could bear it. He looked to Aeryn and the others and smiled briefly.

"John. Are you feeling any better?" Zhaan asked. She stepped forward and placed a hand on John's shoulder.

"Zhaan, I don't think I could feel any worse. But don't worry, I'll get better." John stated. He closed his eyes briefly to see a flash of Scorpius' grinning face. He reopened his eyes. Aeryn had noticed the disturbed look on his face.

"I think I killed Scorpius." John stated slowly.

"May the goddess forgive you. You did what you had to." Zhaan stated.

"I've killed in cold blood, Zhaan." John said and let his eyes trail off into the distance. Zhaan tilted her head at John's statement and decided to question him later.

"I will inform D'Argo and Rygel that you are awake." Zhaan stated in response.

Zhaan and Chiana slowly retreated out of the med bay. Aeryn watched John closely. She wasn't about to let down her PeaceKeeper guard and show John emotion. Instead, she sternly watched him, making sure he would be all right.

"Aeryn·I'm sorry." John stated, looking to Aeryn. His reddened eyes carried a few tears. Aeryn bit her lip. She looked away for a moment and then back to John.

"Don't worry, it's over now. It'll be okay." She tried to comfort him but knew it wasn't working.

John raised his weak arm and allowed a finger to trail across Aeryn's cheek with affection.

"No, it's not. I put all of your lives in danger and nearly killed you and D'Argo I'm surprised you guys didn't try to kill me when I arrived in the Prowler." He lowered his arm. Tears were beginning to form in Aeryn's eyes as well.

"John, we would never·" Aeryn paused before continuing on. "Just promise me that you'll tell me if things are wrong. If you had just said something, we could have figured things out like we always do."

"Aeryn, even I didn't know things were wrong. I had no control over my own thoughts. Do you know how unsettling that is? To have had Scorpius in my head like that? I'm glad I shot him." John stated, holding his head up. Aeryn looked into John's eyes to see satisfaction taking over the previous look of death. She didn't know whether to smile at that or be concerned.

"John, what exactly did Scorpius tell you to do?" Aeryn asked slowly, unsure of how John would react. John looked into her eyes with question. He lowered his head and gazed at the ceiling for a moment.

"I'm tired, Aeryn. I've been tired for so long. I just want to sleep." John replied coldly. Aeryn stalled for a moment. She then let go of his hand.

"Close your eyes, Crichton, let the sleep come." Aeryn coaxed. She was surprised at herself for being soft. She slowly got up onto the bed and made use of the small space between John and the edge of the bed. She drew herself closer to his warm body and wrapped her arms around John Îs shoulders.

"I'm not giving up on you Crichton, remember that." Aeryn whispered into his ear. John smiled lightly as his eyes drooped. He held onto Aeryn's hand and rubbed it affectionately. Before he knew it, he was fast asleep.

***********

Once again, John was left alone admiring the stars. This time, he was in the terrace. A place he had not been in quite a long time on Moya. He stood tall, dressed in his usual PK leather, pondering over the events that had played out in the past few solar days. His gaze carried down to the pulse rifle securely fastened to his right thigh.

"Here you are." Zhaan's soft voice said from behind Crichton. He turned to see Zhaan pause several feet away, looking at him with concern. He then looked back to the stars.

"Do you need me for something?" John asked emptily.

"No, John. I just wanted to make sure you were all right." Zhaan stated. She stepped forward. John turned abruptly, startling her for a moment.

"Zhaan, please. I'm getting sick and tired of everyone having to check up on me every frelling arn." John stated. He stopped when he noticed Zhaan's hurtful expression. "Zhaan, I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me...it's just...lately, I haven't been myself."

"I understand John. But I also understand that you are not healed."

"Yes I am. I'm perfectly fine." John lied, holding out his arms and speaking of his physical health.

"While you may be healed physically, I do not believe your mind has even begun to heal. You are not the same John Crichton we have come to know." Zhaan stated and stepped up to face John. John felt uncomfortable under her inquiring gaze. Deep down, he knew exactly what she was talking about.

Without warning, Zhaan grasped her hands onto John's head and pulled him forward to her own head. John struggled, but Zhaan's grip was too strong. Suddenly, everything John had been pressing down into his soul began to rush forward into his mind. He could hear Zhaan speaking to him as he struggled.

"Let go of you fears. I can take away your pain if you let me." Her soothing voice stated. John wanted so hard to believe her but he knew these feelings, memories, and thoughts were there to haunt him for the rest of his life. John fell to his knees. He was beginning to crack under the pressure as Zhaan knelt down to be at his level. She pressed on.

John saw his mother crying out to him. He saw DK looking at him with disappointment in his eyes. His father flashed through his mind with a strange grin·was this his real father or the Ancients? Aeryn and the rest of the crew flashed through his mind as well suffering through the various events that had occurred since he had arrived on Moya. Images of the beings John had killed trickled into the flash of memories. Finally, the haunting image of Scorpius laughing down on him burned into his mind.

John fought vigorously with Zhaan this time. Zhaan had discovered his rage and drew on it, realizing that it was radiating from the images of Scorpius that she was witnessing. John suddenly began to feel a weight lift off his shoulders. Renewed strength began to fill his body. John wasted no time. He shoved himself out of Zhaan's grip, sending both of them to the ground with a thud. Zhaan cried out and looked to John as he was slowly raising himself from the ground. She could not believe all that she had seen·nor the feelings of hatred she had felt from within John. Only once before had she encountered such hate·and that was within her savage side she had conquered so long ago.

John sat up with tearful eyes and watched as Zhaan helped herself up. He let his gaze fall to the stars to his right and looked back down at his pulse rifle. To Zhaan's surprise, he dismounted the pulse rifle and held it up to her, offering for her to take it from him.

"John?" Zhaan asked in a shocked tone, taking the pulse rifle from his shaking hands.

John stood and faced her for a brief moment. She saw a look of hollowness in the man who once displayed heroism and courage in his eyes.

"I have enough blood on my hands·it stops here." He then began to walk out of the terrace. Zhaan wasted little time wondering what another one of John's earth sayings meant.

"John, I sensed much conflict and pain within you. Please don't let it consume your soul." Zhaan stated. John spun slowly around to face Zhaan one last time. He gave her a brief smile.

"Zhaan, thank you for your help. But it is much too late for that. I may heal·someday. In the mean time, please, let me sort these things out for myself." John said. He nodded to her and then left the terrace to rest in his quarters.

Zhaan watched him leave with sorrow spread across her face. She looked out to the stars, wondering briefly why the human found such comfort in them. She then turned and left the terrace.

THE END

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Note from Dallascaper: Hope you enjoyed the story. Click the link to e-mail LeatherGirl lleick@yahoo.com

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