Chapter Text
A man stormed through the Afterlife, knocking off people who stood on his way. He seemed like he was in a hurry. Claire waved at him and yelled something but he either ignored her on purpose or didn’t notice. Few people cast curious glances in his direction, probably recognizing who he was, some took pictures. He shoved the bulky man zoning the entrance to the booth to the side and stepped in before he could be dragged out without an audience. The security gonk growled, moving towards the man, but a woman, a Fixer, raised her hand which stopped him on his tracks. Gonk looked at the stranger with anger boiling inside him but said nothing and got back to standing at the entrance. Fixer nodded at the free spot next to her but the man ignored her.
"You have to help me," he said in demanding tone, the one that won’t take no for an answer.
"I told you already-"
"I don’t fucking care! You have to help me!" he yelled, smashing the table in front of him with both fists. The Fixer though, was left unimpressed. She just shook her head and closed her eyes for a moment. The man grit his teeth, hitting the table once more. A single tear ran down his cheek. "For the sake of the old times, fucking help me. Just this once. I never asked you for anything."
"I would like nothing more than to help you," she replied calmly, carefully picking her words. "But I don’t know how."
"You don’t know or you don’t fucking want to?!"
"Don’t know."
"Fuck! Stop lying!"
"Sit and calm down," she sighed, grabbing a bottle of scotch and poured two glasses to full. She also gave a sign to security hulk and two other guys who were still in the booth to leave them alone. Only then the stranger sank onto the couch with defeat painted on his face. She noticed deep dark circles around his eyes. Not even a make up could cover that kind of lack of sleep mixed with huge amount of stress. He looked terrible, a shadow of his former self. "Tried to contact anyone? Ripperdoc? Friends?"
"That’s the first thing I did," he spat out, took one of the glasses and downed it in one go, "They don’t know a shit either."
"And what makes you think I know more?"
"You’re the Fixer, the best one in whole NC, Rogue," he looked at her with a miserable face, exhaustion slowly replacing the anger. "You know your ways around."
"Not when it comes to him, I don’t," she replied quickly and took a drag from her cigarette. "I don't know how to help you, really. He was last seen here at Afterlife talking to a client."
"Who was the client?"
"Honestly? I have no idea. I only found out that they call him Mr. Blue."
"What if he did something to him?"
"I found a leaflet under the table when they both left the place," Rogue sighed once again, pulling out a tired and crumpled brochure advertising Crystal Palace.
"I don't understand. Crystal Palace…?"
"You don't watch the news?"
"I haven't had a chance to do anything lately except reject calls from idiots and look for the most popular mercenary in town. Besides… I don't tend to watch crap."
"Well… There was some heavy shooting and part of it was blown open into the space. About a month ago."
"So when V…" the man fell silent and swallowed slowly. "No. It couldn't be him. It's suicide…"
"I'm sorry," Rogue put a hand on his shoulder, but he pushed it away and abruptly stood up from the table, knocking the glass of alcohol onto the floor. He felt an emptiness filling his heart, a dull pain eating him from the inside and he couldn't catch his breath. He staggered towards the exit, having no idea where he was going, where he was or what was happening. Tears rolled down his cheeks, but it didn't matter. Nothing mattered anymore, he didn't care.
He didn't want to go home. To empty walls and cold bedding. He could no longer function as he used to – alone, at weekly parties that often ended with casual sex with a guy he had just met. Since he met V, his life has turned upside down. There were parties, but mainly just for two and with much less alcohol. Kerry hadn't realized before that watching TV series with a cup of chocolate in his hand could be pleasant. His music also came alive. The latest single sold a record amount. There were only three songs on it. All dedicated to V. The worst of it all, however, was that he never really told V how much he cared about him, how much he loved him and how much he liked his new life with him. He had never shown him any feelings, never made it clear that he was important… And now it was too late for that.
"Fuck!!!" he screamed at the top of his lungs, scaring the people gathered in front of the club. The crowd quickly dispersed, fearing that they were about to become victims of a cyberpsycho.
It was late afternoon, the sky began to turn navy blue, illuminated by millions of city lights. He slowly got into the car and went to the only place where he wouldn't be considered crazy. On Bradbury & Buran. Maybe V contacted someone during all the time he wasted in Afterlife… Misty's Esoterica. When he first showed up at these people's doors two weeks after V's disappearance, they didn't really know who he was. Meaning, they knew his name was Kerry Eurodyne and he was a rock star, but nothing more. Kerry involuntarily smiled sadly at the memory. He and V should work on building a group of mutual friends. Introduce them to each other. It was exactly the same time back then, just like now…
The sign on the door said it was closed, but the light inside was on. Before he could change his mind, he pressed the doorknob, it was open. Inside he found two people looking at him questioningly. Viktor Vektor and Misty. He knew them from V's stories, they were two people very close to him. It was strange to stand in front of them alone, but he had little choice. For a moment he had the impression that Ripperdoc would grab him by the rags and throw him outside, but he seemed to have an epiphany and opened his eyes wider in disbelief.
"Oh let me be damned, Kerry Eurodyne. What brings the Night City star to our doorstep?"
"I… ummm, I'm looking for V," Kerry wheezed through a lump in his throat. His voice sounded as if he had just risen from the grave after many years of being dead. He cleared his throat and added. "He’s not answering calls."
"Maybe he's busy," Misty replied, giving Viktor a worried look.
"We have no contact with him either. If he contacts us, we will tell him that you have a job for him so he can call back."
"No, I… I don't have any job for him. I just… want him to come home."
Misty and Viktor exchanged glances. Kerry had to admit it stung a little. They didn't know anything about him, V probably didn't even mention him. He suddenly felt awkward, like he was a stranger in the strange land, he shouldn't be here. He entered an area he shouldn't have entered. He was about to leave when the frail blonde grabbed his arm.
"So you and V…?" she asked with concern in her voice. Kerry bit his lower lip and nodded. He felt a burning sensation under his eyelids, as if he was about to cry and he didn't want to break down in front of these people. They were strangers, they shouldn't see him like this.
Misty pulled him deeper into her shop and sat him down on one of the reclining chairs. She whispered that she would be back soon and disappeared behind the door. Ripperdoc was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. His eyes were fixed on the floor, he looked as if he was absent in spirit. And it was like he hadn't slept for a long time. Just like Kerry. He was tired. He was so tired that he could barely stand. But he couldn't sleep, couldn't rest. V could contact him at any time, he couldn't miss it. He hadn't shown any sign of life since he left home two weeks earlier. All Kerry knew was that the job was big, so he assumed that V would probably not talk to him for a few days. But a week passed, then another…
Suddenly, Misty reappeared in the doorway, startling both Kerry and Viktor who were consumed by their thoughts. She was carrying in her hands a tray with cups of hot tea and a packet of biscuits. She set it all down on a small table and pulled up a stool.
"Sorry. We knew V had someone but he didn't say anything else and we didn't want to pry. But we didn't expect someone… you know… of your caliber."
"He didn’t come home?" Viktor asked, barely audible. "I do not like it."
"He hasn't contacted you?"
"No," Misty shook her head, holding the cup of tea in both hands. "We thought he didn't have time… You know, since he became a living legend, he's had a lot of things on his plate."
They drank tea, no one touched the cookies. They talked for a while about other topics, Misty wanted to know how he and V met and how they were getting on. Before he noticed, an hour had passed and his manager started calling and didn't want to give up. Misty told him that if he felt sad and lonely he could always stop by her shop, they even exchanged holo numbers. She gave him some shard with music, claiming it would help him relax and meditate. He said goodbye to his new friends and left. He stopped outside the door to call Kovachek when he heard Viktor's voice coming from the room.
"Lonely? Have you seen who he is? In five minutes he will forget about V and find another ass. They are all the same."
It hurt.
He stood in front of the door, shifting from one foot to the other. He didn't want to go in there, but he didn't know what to do. After the way he treated V, Kerry could safely assume that he would contact his friends first rather than him. Maybe they spoken… Maybe he's back in town and is just avoiding him because he's fed up with whatever they had? Kerry wanted it to be that way. Because he could still fix it, unlike… He gritted his teeth and pushed the door inside.
Misty sat behind the counter, looking through the newspaper with a bored look on her face. Seeing the musician at the door, she raised her eyebrows in surprise. She wasn't expecting him. She didn't expect Kerry to continue looking for V. She also doubted his loyalty and feelings. Great. He held her gaze and walked over to one of the armchairs and plopped down heavily on it.
"I don't care that I'm unwelcome," he blurted out immediately, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Why do you think that?"
"You think I will replace Vincent with someone else at any chance. Never mind. He contacted you?"
"So you heard that… Wait a minute, I'll make some tea," Misty sighed and disappeared out the door for a longer while. Kerry felt like it took forever before she returned. She put the cups of tea on the table and sat down next to him. "Viktor is… special. V is important and close to him. Not like… that. More as a substitute of a son. Family. When Jackie brought V here, Viktor immediately grew fond of him."
"Jackie. All I know about him is that he's dead."
"…V didn't tell you anything?"
"It's not like that. We…" Kerry tightened his fingers on his cup of tea, remembering all the times when V wanted to talk seriously, tell him about his life and his past. About his worries, fears, hopes. About death. And every time Kerry brushed him off, ignored him and looked for substitute topics, more centered around himself. He didn't want to talk about death, he couldn't come to terms with it. He didn't want to hear about the past because it sounded like the confession of a dying man. V needed him and he turned him away. After all, this was only part of the truth, and he didn't want to admit the other part. Of course it had to do with Johnny. "I messed up. Many things. You and Viktor are right about one thing, I don't deserve Vincent. But I want to deserve him, I want to make it right. But to do that, I have to find him first."
"We still have no contact with him."
"I don't know what to do anymore."
"Maybe you should try deep meditation? You know, with a personal link. You could use some sleep."
*͕̕ ͉͝* ͎̀*͙͐
He hadn't meditated in a long time. The method via a personal link takes even longer. Since the advent of good quality BDs with therapy sessions, no one used cable anymore. The cable was terribly numbing and put the user in a deep trance. Of course, it had its advantages – for starters, it helped with insomnia. And that was exactly what he needed at that time.
This was probably his third session. He sat in the Japanese gardens, breathing the clean, refreshing air. Breathe in, breathe out. Delicate music intertwined with the singing of birds. Breathe in, breathe out. The sound of water and the splash of koi fish in a pond nearby. Breathe in, breathe out.
"Fuck, I would never suspect you of any zen-shit at a time like this."
A sudden, familiar voice interrupted his meditation. Instead of waking up from the trance, he opened his eyes wide and looked around. Someone's silhouette materialized in front of him. It was vague at first, like a bunch of code that's just taking shape.
"Johnny…?" Kerry frowned at the man, who quietly smoked a cigarette. He had a dissatisfied look on his face, but his eyes were smiling. Yep, that's all Johnny. "You know you're dead?"
"Did you know you have a brain the size of a peanut?" Johnny spat and threw his cigarette butt somewhere. He crossed his arms over his chest and gave him a strange look. "I'd like to know what V is doing with that Arasaka dog."
"Arasaka again? Arasaka has been in shambles since Hanako was murdered. And V disappeared without a trace almost two months ago. You missed a lot. How is it even possible that you are still here? I thought V got rid of you."
"I know about Arasaka, I even know who killed that bitch. Messages get into Cyberspace very quickly," Johnny smacked and sat down across from his old friend. "Listen to me carefully, because I don't have much time. NetWatch is up my ass. V is in Night City with that Arasaka dog."
"How you…? With what dog again? Johnny, Arasaka don't-"
"Takemura. I never liked the guy, he was useful for a while but that's all. I don't like that he's here again, he’s as slippery as a wet dick, I don't know what his real agenda is. What goal is he playing for. I don't think everything is fine with V either."
"What do you mean? And who is Takemura?"
"V wanted to return to his old apartment in H10, but he hasn't lived there for a long time. He's acting like he has gaps in his memory, maybe it's the dog's fault. You don't know him…" Johnny took a pack of cigarettes from his pants pocket and lit one, inhaling the smoke. "But V was cumming just at the sight of him. He disappeared from his life long before you showed up. A guy means problems, I'll tell you that much."
"Maybe it's not V."
"Are you kidding? I lived in his head, I know him inside and out. I even know what his favorite positions are in bed and how many times he jerks off during the week. Besides, this piss poor style and hairstyle are unmistakable. Completely tasteless. His scan is also impossible to fake, and who would want to impersonate him anyway?"
"Okay, let's say I believe you. If V is in NC why didn't he contact me?"
"Are you even listening to me or do you have shit in your ears? Gaps in memory."
"These are just your guesses. Besides, you're dead, what am I even doing…" Kerry shook his head, trying to enter the BD settings to cancel the session, but all access was blocked. "What the fuck…?!"
"Listen. V looks healthy and if he’s still alive and well, it means he has fixed the biochip problem. Alt assumes that someone from the outside helped him. The other AI. The first one that went rogue. Although she has no idea how that would be possible. Either way, if it worked, it worked half-baked, since V has memory problems. Find him and bring him home."
"If it was V, Rogue would have tracked him down by now. Or he would visit his old choombas."
"They came back who knows where from two days ago, how would anyone know about them?"
"They. They."
"V and Takemura."
"Johnny…"
"For fuck's sake, Kerry. You even care about him?" Johnny growled, grabbing the collar of Kerry's jacket. This BD was so realistic that Kerry felt the eco-leather material digging into his neck. Silverhand shook him violently, demanding an answer.
"…Of course."
"Then fucking look for him. Takemura is dangerous. He murdered Hanako, cut her into pieces. Fuck knows what he can do next."
Kerry ran out of the mansion, feeling his heart sinking with each step he took. He looked nervously from side to side, searching… He didn't give a damn that people recognized him on the street and pointed a finger at him. Some people approached, probably wanting to ask for an autograph. He saw their lips move but couldn't hear the words. The sound was drowned out by the rushing blood in his ears. He felt like all the buildings were getting closer to him. It got tight. He was panicking.
He took a few deep breaths and quickly walked to the parking lot. He wasn't in any shape to drive a car, but he had no choice. V was in danger. He was in the company of a murderer. It wouldn't be disturbing, Night City is full of murderers and gangs. V was a paid mercenary himself. However, what Johnny said indicated that V was vulnerable like a baby. Kerry had never felt so empty and terrified before at the thought that his lover might die. But he was dying… yet Kerry decided to pretend it wasn't really happening. You only appreciate what you had when you lose it - that's what his mother used to say, but despite the fact that he lost a lot, he never felt so miserable and bad as he did now.
He was so immersed in his thoughts and despair that only at the last moment he noticed a pair of teenagers crossing the street. He stepped on the brake and spun around with the tires screeching. He stopped across the street in the middle, less than a meter from any potential corpses. He looked away from his shaking hands on the steering wheel and looked at the teenagers. One of them had medium-length blue-pink hair, shaved on one half. V?
"Are you okay?" the kid asked as he staggered over to the driver's door. It wasn't V, it was just a kid with the same hairstyle. "Can I help?"
Kerry frowned. The question caught him off guard. He almost ran over this little shit and he asks if he can help him somehow? It should probably be the other way around. Kerry should be the one to check if everyone is okay… Instead, he rubbed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to pull himself together.
"Oh fuck, it's Kerry Eurodyne! A rock star almost killed us!” the other boy shouted, walking up to the one who resembled V. "Cool!"
"Get the fuck out of here," Kerry growled before they came up with the idea of autographs, or worse still, selfies. Without thinking, he turned on the car's automatic lead and selected the first option on the list of destinations. The car accepted the command and moved forward.
He stopped in front of the Grand Imperial Mall. Kerry frowned at the option he had selected on the list. He clicked on Misty’s Esoterica. Why did the car come here? Guidance system broken? He sighed, reaching for a pack of cigarettes. He wanted to get out and smoke and cool down a little. However, the door did not open, the lock was on. What? He pulled at the hatch several times, but it didn't help. Preem. Since the car broke down, he should call a mechanic or something. However, his contact list was empty. Was his account was hacked? How about the NCPD number? They didn't really like him, but they would come to help. When he tried to call, the signal was cut off. What the fuck?! Panic crept into his heart and he started banging his hand at the window. Suddenly, the on-board computer beeped and words appeared on the screen. This, and a strange, somewhat mechanical voice came from the speakers.
Y̙̽o̼̚u̡͞ c͊͢â͉n͕̏n̢̑o̥͆ṯ͝ s̋͢e̺͌ȩ̈́ h̬͂i̯̊m̥͗ ṛ̉i̗̅g̽͜h͉͘ẗ̼ n̖͂o̬͑w̺̋.̨̎
"Is this some kind of joke? What are you? A gonk?!"
Ȉ̫f͓͂ ẙ͢o͕͌û͚ ẁ͚ò͉n̨̅'̥́t̮͐ l̤̎e̯̔a͙͌v͔̅e̢͗.̠̉.̛͙.̬̈ .͎͝.̧̔.̝͐w̛̖e̓͟ ṣ͗ȟ̖ǎ̧l͉͆ḽ̎ m͇̃a̤̅k̟̾e͔͗ y̢͞ỏ̧u̳̎.̘̑
Kerry felt his heart pounding as the car got into reverse and backed out, heading in an unfamiliar direction. The doors remained tightly closed, contact with the outside world stayed dead. He was at the mercy of the person who hacked the car.
"What do you want? Eddies? Give your account number and amount."
A͙͗m̤̎u͙̔s̰͆in̦̔g.͙̈
They drove for a long time, and when the car stopped in the bay at the Columbarium, Kerry became even more scared. Why here? Terrible place. On the other hand… there were often police patrols here, maybe they would help him. He'd just have to bang on the car window hard enough for them to hear him.
Ẉ̺̓͐at̲͇͒̀c̨̛̼͋h̤̍.͙̈
Kerry frowned, not sure where to focus his eyes when he saw two silhouettes emerging from the Columbarium. Two men walked slowly towards a car parked nearby. Quadra Cthulhu. One of them was holding a mug with some steaming drink in both hands, probably coffee. The second had his arm around the first one. They looked like a happy couple. But something was wrong…
It took him a moment to realize that the man with the mug was V. His V. Blond hair, slightly past his shoulders, probably his natural color. He always dyed blue and pink. Dressed in form-fitting jeans and a jacket. On the feet, black eco-leather shoes. He looked elegant and sexy, but completely unlike him… It wasn't his style. And who was this man? One sec. Johnny said something about some Takemura. Kerry reached for the hatch, but the door was still closed.
"Open the fuck up!"
Memory rẽ̤b̺̀oo̥͛t̻͡..̙̓.̺̐ i̳̓n̲̆ pr̙͑͘ͅo̮̕ć̟̝̌e̝͝s͖̋ş͎́͘.̙̯̎̚ ̛͕S̺̎o͚͘m̲͓̔̂ę͛.̢̊.̫̮͙͐͌̏. ̱͌̑ͅḋ̠̜̮̃͗a̳͚͎̋͐̒ta̗̎ ͔̂.̻̣̹̋̀̚.̲̖̅̒.͔̏́͢ma͕̱̓͑y ͇̓r͇̤̦̅̆͠em̮͂ā͖͍̝̇͞͝ͅi͕̮͎̝̙̓̄̾́̚n̫̒.͇͛.̨̢͓̀͑̈̕͢.̧̬̪̯͔͐̊̊̚͡ ͖̫͋̔.̰̀..̯̮̤͑͞͠c͚̪̆͊o͚̰̓́r̙̰͇̜̃͋͗̾͗͢r̢̫̩̲͚̝͒̎̍̅̔͠u͈̺͎͎̿̐̈͊̐͒ͅͅp̢͉̪͓̙̘̉̈̽̌̍̕t̤͇̦͉̲͉́̀̂͐̓̕è̤̳̟̣̺̰̎́̀̊͝ḑ̘͚̙͇̖̑͑͌̍̔̋.̡͉̖̣̤̜̓̀̋͗͆͞
The musician somehow turned around in his chair so as to raise his legs and kicked the window with all his strength, but apart from a piercing pain in his heel, he achieved nothing more. His car was bulletproof, so it was no surprise that a weak kick had no effect. No one heard or noticed him.
"Let me go, please. This is my boyfriend. He's in danger, I need to take him home."
...Vi͌͢n̯̚c̼̒e̾͜nt̰̂.͔̎..̻̀ ̫̆.̩͠.̨̒.͕̈́i̛͚ŝ͈ ͔́sá͍̪̚f̼̃e͎̬̋̈́.̡̲͔̔́̈́ ̩̿W̩̍e͙͋̿͜ ̙̤̓̚c̥̱̊̆a̢̨̾͘n͇͚͐͡n̲̐o̟̞͙͑̀̔t̙̲̗̓͊͂.̧̯̆̓.̤̻͚̌̃́.͛͢.̡̩̪͆̀͂..̢̢̹͔͌̍̌͑.̺̪̤̱̆͐̌̏ ̡̼̮̂̀̈͡ͅḷ̡͐̐ę̏t̲͛ ̺͉̜̣̅͗̀́y̤̬̹̒̃͞ȍ͕̤͚̀͞u͉̲͙̻̓̂̓̒̕ͅ ̮̣̺͓͈̋̆͋̋͂̃͜ñ̨̳̘̲̲̼͋͂̃͐͘e̡̝̗̯̞̯̽͒́̈̔̍ȃ̯̱̹̫̳̘̓̿͘̚͞r̡̢̘͈͚̙̔̃̎̒͡͡.͈̳̲͔͇̞̀̀͒̏͒̚
Conn̘̚e̛̺ct̳̓ỉ̙on..̩͛̂ͅ. ͉͝.̢̫͗̚.̛̘.u͆͢ń̨̾͟š͍̩̬̅͞t̜̥͊͠ą̜̈́͊b̻̫̥̍̐͞lḛ͛.̧̯̘̜̓̂̽̔..̣͔̲̽͗̋ ̝̚B̝̗̿̌l͉̺͈̎͐̚a͓̠̼̔̅͝c̨̙̾͂k͔̺̲̗̄̄̑̍w̯̱͆́ǎ͎̪͆͜͡ḷ̀l.̝͔̀̑́͟.̺̩͊̂.̨̭̹͎̥͇͋̈́̂̓̄͡.̝̟͔͍̝͆̒͆̎́̋͢.̦͓̞͖̳̊̂͛́͝͞ͅ.̛̟͈̣̻̖̀̔̈́̚͢͞
He neë͖́d̮̎ŝ̰...̟̄.̙̈́ .̱̩̃̋.̘̔.̨̈.̢̖̔̋in̰͈̍̚t̖͎̉̌e̮͐n̩̏si̲̓ṿ̆e̩̐ c̨͍̠͛̇̌ar̢̮͛́e̼͍̊̂.̬͛..͉͐ ̛̲̥̠̝̊̈̅.̥͈͈́̂̒..̡̘͈̀̐̇.̨͎͚̀̌̈n̩̫̩̟̎̎͑̚ȏ̤̬̦̈́̀t.̟̲͚̞͂̂̂̔.͔́.̞̻͍̝̾́͌̐.̪̭̆̈́ ̰̝͙̣͑̓̀̚.̯̞͔͓̓̊͗͝.̦̰̾̚.̘̦̰͖͚͔̓̉̈́͋̚.͖̩̖̰̦͑̀̔̓͐̚ͅŷ̝̻̹̟̭̉̌̅̌͋͟ơ̧̰̩̬͔͛̇̉̒̚ͅu̡̯͔͍̦͎̅̂̀́̀̀.̛͉̜̭̫̱̭̄̿̅͘͠
"What do you mean? Let me take him home, damn it! Who the fuck are you?!”
...̢͊..̢̚Yo̕ͅu̲̽.̨͛..̜̒.̙͊ ̺̤̒̐.͙͡.͗ͅ.̱̚.on̢̘̈́͗l̝̦̦̾͒͡y̩͒ ̲͖̝̆̊͠l̢̛͇͌ō͍̙͈͈͋̾͝v̟̣͚̱̊̅̎̕ḛ̢̆͒.̛̬̦̩̀͊.̤̊.̢̫̞͖͊̈̃̈.̪̪͗͑͘͢ ̢͔̼̹̿̐́͡.̙̤̀͠.̰̼͚̹̑̾̃͞.̰̳̪̙́̽̀̃.̟͉̓̒y̨͈̭͈̠̓̋̐̍̈́oȗ̪r̦̥͙̖̓͂̽̀s͈͓̼͍̗͗͌̈̑̒e̲̹̳̜̭͊͂͌̍͝l̡̗͕̦̘̘̔́̓͌͡͡f̢̧̘̯̱̙̀̒̓̉͑̇̅ͅ.̰̖͍̖̗̠̾͐͑̂̽̈́̚͢.̳͚͔̩̼͈̘̿̈́̀̀̾͆͠.͇̞̱͍̟̣̅̓̅̑̑̉̆͢.̨̞̭̘̲̦́͆̔́̀͐̉͜
We..͇͋.͓̅.͖͚̓̃ ..̙̲̆̕..͎͠a̖͆̋ͅr̜͖͆͞e͉͇̘͋̚͝.̢̛̖̘̥̀̑̂.̪̰̗̆̉͒.