1
I live in a suburb surrounded by forest. My house is in a row of other properties built next to a tree line. The neighborhood was always quiet. The sounds of crickets, birds, and sight of black bears were routine on most summer days.
The scenic area was something I was always grateful for. I lived completely alone since the death of my parents. An accidental fire took both of their lives. Once I collected my inheritance, I relocated to a much more peaceful region. I had always fantasized about moving there.
I tried to start a relationship with Samantha. I had gone to High School with her sixteen years before. She had gone on to become a respected Detective. My attempt at something long lasting with her failed. She was too career oriented. I was reeling from grief. Focusing on building something meaningful with her was a pipe dream.
Things around my community changed once the Murphy family went missing.
The first sign that something was off on that Wednesday was how their blinds had closed. Their silver Chevy Chrysler remained parked in the driveway.
A tennis instructor at the country club noticed the wife of that house did not show up for the program. He called their number to make sure everything was alright. When no one responded, he notified the authorities. Rumors abounded immediately among the home owners association about an alleged affair. The gossip only furthered when the married couple and their three kids were not found in the abode.
I watched from my balcony as the patrolmen roped the place off with caution tape. The domicile was a three story building with brick chimney’s and a few peaked roofs in the style of English towers. They were beige, light blue and crimson.
On the morning of the Murphy’s desertion of society, the architecture became a hollow image. It was one that was once filled with activity and life.
The law did what they could. Any success they may have had in the investigation was secret. A few months passed by and they removed the caution tape.
I followed the on-line police logs. The weather was pristine and clear the day they vanished. The fact that there were no witnesses to what direction they may have gone disturbed me.
I had heard how the man, Frank Murphy, had a bit of a temper and always had a bourbon in hand. I had heard mutual friends describe him as an alcoholic in denial of his servitude to liquor. He was an indignant individual who knew no true repercussions for his behavior. He always had bail money from a software company he founded and sold a long time ago.
I was never close to that family, but I peered out at their vacant house far more than I ever had. I was in need of an answer. What could have happened?
2
I called Samantha one evening as I sat on my bed, wondering how she would respond to my reaching out. We were never argumentative or on bad terms. I still worried about her reaction, and hoped it would not be a dismissive one.
I heard her say hello. Her voice still impressed me. I had almost forgotten how silky her tone was. I knew it could change to a much firmer pitch when she was interviewing a suspect.
“Hi, Sam. I’d like to know if you’d be free tomorrow for a cup of coffee. We can go to that place, The Bean Field, off Pond road. It’s been a while and I know you have a lot to tell me about what’s new in your life.”
There was a pause on the other end, and for a second a bout of anxiety hit me. I judged my own words as robotic, stilted, and sure to push her away. I reasoned she was summoning an excuse to get out of having to interact with me. How dare I presume she would even entertain the notion of having a meeting.
“That sounds great,” she said. “Tomorrow is my day off, luckily for you. I’m in the middle of an incident right now. It’s a five car pile-up about forty minutes from where you live. I’ve gotta run. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
When she hung up, I was triumphant. I looked at our old text conversations. I realized we had not been in communication with each other for over twelve months. Now was my opportunity to reconcile that gap of unintended avoidance. I knew it would be an undeserved opportunity.
3
I sat outside of the cafe the next morning at a black metal table. I had a view of rolling hills dotted with trees. A highway with multitudinous shrubberies sat on either side of it. I sipped a piccolo latte while waiting for her.
When she arrived and stepped out of her hatchback in the parking lot, her appearance floored me. She had not dressed up for our supposed date, but that did not make a difference. She had arrived from the gym and wore shorts and a top set. She donned a gray and green hoodie.
She sat across from me and reached for the menu.
“Can you go to the front and order me avocado toast?” Samantha asked. “I’ll also take a mocha with a few shots of espresso. Please.”
I did exactly that. When I returned with her items, she apologized for consuming her meal in less than two minutes.
“I hadn’t eaten since five PM yesterday,” she said between sips.
“I understand,” I said. “I doubt you ever have a consistent schedule anymore.”
“You’re right, but that’s why I have to enjoy my free time when I can.”
We settled into talking about what had happened since we last saw each other. I referenced my trying to learn another language (French) with the hopes of moving to Europe or Canada.
After fifteen minutes of small talk, I asked her about work, but I did so with caution. It started with me wondering about what the call she was on when we were on the phone was about.
“A drunk driver blew a stop sign and hit two other vehicles,” she said. “It was ugly. A few people died. We’ll see if the man in silk pajamas gives him the proper sentence or a traffic citation.”
“You know, I’m curious about what happened to the Murphy’s, if they’re hurt or not.”
“You and everyone else,” she said. “We’ve been getting so many witness accounts, and so far they’ve all been bogus. All I know is what I saw when I got there.”
“I didn’t know you were one of the responders,” I said.
“Yeah. Something about the place was off from the moment I walked in. I found heavy items in placed they should not have been in. The toolbox was not in the garage but on the second story. A disassembled snowblower lay scattered everywhere in pieces. The oven door was on their bed. Frank Murphy was not the strongest guy in the world, either. For him to cause the kind of property damage I saw doesn’t make a lot of sense. At the risk of sounding crazy, inexplicable things happened when I was there.”
“Like what?”
“I was under the impression that something was playing a trick on me. Electrical outlets sparked a few times out of nowhere. The ceiling fan would go from still to spinning when I looked up at it. Books would fall off of the shelves. A volume on black magic, of all things, almost hit the top of my head when I walked on by. Another book about fairies collapsed with it.”
“So the home intruder set up a bunch of weird diversions,” I said. “I’ve heard of that before. These killers or kidnappers want the victims to think there was more than one of them. It’s so their account’s disputed in court.”
I’ll tell you right now,” she said, “we didn’t find any outside DNA.”
“So it’s a case of family annihilation,” I said as I took a long swig of my beverage. “I don’t know if you can substantiate the facts, but a few people have said that Emily had a big life insurance policy. Frank knew about. He may have been using steroids and having an affair, and that could have contributed to-“
It occurred to me that she eyed me with suspicion, as though I was digging too deep. I could also tell she regretted letting information about the forensic results slip.
She stood up and stared at me with a flash of anger in her eyes.
“I thought you wanted to piece something back together with me,” she said. “I didn’t know you wanted to play armchair investigator like every true crime fan. You know, your parents were kind. I wish you’d follow their example. I’ll let you get the bill.”
She walked back to her vehicle and I knew it would be a while before we conversed again.
Later that night, I stared out my window at the Murphy home. I saw a star shoot across the sky, and it almost seemed ready to plummet into the side of their house.
4
The next evening, I took a walk around the suburb. I spotted a thin line of dried red fluid along a path which led into the woods.
I was attempting to get in some movement to get my mind off of the events of the day before. Negativity and self-deprecation were all-consuming. I felt the need for a long saunter to try and release some of the meandering and pessimistic energy I accrued.
When I saw the carmine ribbon along the dark soil, a sense of worry filled me. I was not that far removed from a cul-de-sac with palatial manors a block away. There was no way I could speculate on me being the first to see it.
Could it be a hint where they are? I thought.
The notion seemed absurd, a reach.
I had read in the local newspaper that there was an uptick in bobcat sightings due to recent wildfires. The animals relocated during prior summers. I reasoned it could have been a house pet which became a victim after it got snatched away into the overgrowth.
I followed it, and the uneven road of red stretched on past many bushes and over logs. A shrill chirping in the background became louder. I moved between two conifers with petrified wood and found myself in a part of the forest I had never been in.
There were so many branches that it blacked out the falling sun. Ahead of me was a clearing. A swarm of gnats and mosquitos descended upon it. The sea of insects soared together in chaotic unison as a wave among the sedges and lichen.
I looked towards the right of the meadow and saw a ramshackle tree house. I trailed the red line towards it. I peered in through one of the windows and saw a statue of a woman with wings. I knew she was not an angel. There was no halo, nor were her organs of flight feathery, but rather they were thin and bat-like.
I entered the place knowing the danger I was putting myself in. I had tracked mud in and was oblivious to the incriminating actions I partook in. I was trespassing and risking stumbling into whoever may have owned the land. My curiosity got the better of me and caused me to keep moving forward.
The room was sparse but decorated. The walls had carvings of men and women, also with wings. Their bodies held yogic-like positions as they reached out to one another mid-air.
A piece of parchment with a few words sat in the corner. I picked it up and read it:
‘Humans are the greatest living beings to play tricks on. Especially when they go through a time of drought and extreme cold.’
I sat it down where I found it, unsure of what to make of it.
I touched the central figure’s neck. The chiseling was not only cold, but below freezing, as though I had submerged my hand in a polar pool.
The noise of some kind of bird attempting to escape a confined space reverberated below me.
Something brushed against my leg. I looked down and saw an army of glow bugs float up between the cracks, and they circled around me. They were like dragon flies. At the time I had labeled them as such, but in reality their shapes were far too humanoid.
I walked back home. I went to bed and slept. I was still perturbed at the wine-colored avenue and cabin.
I awoke in the middle of the night after something tapped at my walls from the outside. I peered out and saw the Murphy home, and observed how the blinds over their casements were wide open. A hive of mites filled every inch of the interior.
5
I found the decomposing body of a chipmunk stuffed into the tailpipe of my vehicle the next day.
This horrified me, because the deliberation of the act was too evident to ignore. While I did have a surveillance camera on my porch, the coverage of my vehicle was non-existent. I calmed myself down by thinking it was likely a tempestuous child. I retrieved a pair of medical gloves and disposed of the creature before going on with the errand. The rotting body had a horrible smell. It was like an onion left out in humidity for days, and my stomach turned as I sealed it off in the garbage with the lid.
The next morning, I looked in my closet. Some of my favorite shirts had disintegrated. Holes and patches of destroyed fabric littered them. I found it odd, and even searched on-line for possible answers before I decided it had to be a moth infestation. I sprayed lavender. Information on a website statEd that was a cure-all, but the problem persisted. It bothered me that I had not seen a single aphid, but I pushed that concern away.
A few days afterward, when I had tossed my disheveled pieces of attire, the power in my house went out. This was not such an unusual occurrence during the heavy winter months. For it to occur in the summer was strange.
It was a rolling blackout. Once my house had electricity again, I noticed how someone moved items around.
Something turned my kitchen table on its side and stuffed into a part of the kitchen I would have never placed it in.
I grabbed a butcher knife and did a sweep of the premises, and I did not find anything. There were no footprints or signs of anything else tampered with. When I got to the second story, birds nested along the tree tops, and the repugnant odor of fish attacked me.
My allergies became insufferable over the next month. Nothing purchased over the counter which helped it.
6
I went to the beach on an overcast day. After roughly half a mile of walking, I saw an illustration someone had drawn in the sand with a stick. It was of a being with airfoils.
A light precipitation had fallen earlier. As I trailed along the former part of the sand, a glint in the corner of my eye caught my attention. I looked out at the water and saw what appeared to be a light blue outline of wings beneath the surface.
A phosphorescent wall of creatures surrounded me.
As the days march on, I know I am stalked by something I cannot rebel against, let alone have any agency or autonomy over. My pillowcases have shredded, the pipes in my basement have burst, and someone left me a gift at my front door. When I opened it, I saw mice scurry away. It was a book, and it was one about the history of fairies.
I picked it up and had to blow the dust off of it. Someone had stolen it from a musty subterranean chamber and brought it here.
I theorized that it was Samantha, passive aggressive with her disappointment in me. Yet I flip through its pages and find it all too familiar. I cannot help but wonder if this is a sign of something far more dangerous.

I live in a suburb surrounded by forest. My house is in a row of other properties built next to a tree line. The neighborhood was always quiet. The sounds of crickets, birds, and sight of black bears were routine on most summer days.
The scenic area was something I was always grateful for. I lived completely alone since the death of my parents. An accidental fire took both of their lives. Once I collected my inheritance, I relocated to a much more peaceful region. I had always fantasized about moving there.
I tried to start a relationship with Samantha. I had gone to High School with her sixteen years before. She had gone on to become a respected Detective. My attempt at something long lasting with her failed. She was too career oriented. I was reeling from grief. Focusing on building something meaningful with her was a pipe dream.
Things around my community changed once the Murphy family went missing.
The first sign that something was off on that Wednesday was how their blinds had closed. Their silver Chevy Chrysler remained parked in the driveway.
A tennis instructor at the country club noticed the wife of that house did not show up for the program. He called their number to make sure everything was alright. When no one responded, he notified the authorities. Rumors abounded immediately among the home owners association about an alleged affair. The gossip only furthered when the married couple and their three kids were not found in the abode.
I watched from my balcony as the patrolmen roped the place off with caution tape. The domicile was a three story building with brick chimney’s and a few peaked roofs in the style of English towers. They were beige, light blue and crimson.
On the morning of the Murphy’s desertion of society, the architecture became a hollow image. It was one that was once filled with activity and life.
The law did what they could. Any success they may have had in the investigation was secret. A few months passed by and they removed the caution tape.
I followed the on-line police logs. The weather was pristine and clear the day they vanished. The fact that there were no witnesses to what direction they may have gone disturbed me.
I had heard how the man, Frank Murphy, had a bit of a temper and always had a bourbon in hand. I had heard mutual friends describe him as an alcoholic in denial of his servitude to liquor. He was an indignant individual who knew no true repercussions for his behavior. He always had bail money from a software company he founded and sold a long time ago.
I was never close to that family, but I peered out at their vacant house far more than I ever had. I was in need of an answer. What could have happened?
*
I called Samantha one evening as I sat on my bed, wondering how she would respond to my reaching out. We were never argumentative or on bad terms. I still worried about her reaction, and hoped it would not be a dismissive one.
I heard her say hello. Her voice still impressed me. I had almost forgotten how silky her tone was. I knew it could change to a much firmer pitch when she was interviewing a suspect.
“Hi, Sam. I’d like to know if you’d be free tomorrow for a cup of coffee. We can go to that place, The Bean Field, off Pond road. It’s been a while and I know you have a lot to tell me about what’s new in your life.”
There was a pause on the other end, and for a second a bout of anxiety hit me. I judged my own words as robotic, stilted, and sure to push her away. I reasoned she was summoning an excuse to get out of having to interact with me. How dare I presume she would even entertain the notion of having a meeting.
“That sounds great,” she said. “Tomorrow is my day off, luckily for you. I’m in the middle of an incident right now. It’s a five car pile-up about forty minutes from where you live. I’ve gotta run. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
When she hung up, I was triumphant. I looked at our old text conversations. I realized we had not been in communication with each other for over twelve months. Now was my opportunity to reconcile that gap of unintended avoidance. I knew it would be an undeserved opportunity.
*
I sat outside of the cafe the next morning at a black metal table. I had a view of rolling hills dotted with trees. A highway with multitudinous shrubberies sat on either side of it. I sipped a piccolo latte while waiting for her.
When she arrived and stepped out of her hatchback in the parking lot, her appearance floored me. She had not dressed up for our supposed date, but that did not make a difference. She had arrived from the gym and wore shorts and a top set. She donned a gray and green hoodie.
She sat across from me and reached for the menu.
“Can you go to the front and order me avocado toast?” Samantha asked. “I’ll also take a mocha with a few shots of espresso. Please.”
I did exactly that. When I returned with her items, she apologized for consuming her meal in less than two minutes.
“I hadn’t eaten since five PM yesterday,” she said between sips.
“I understand,” I said. “I doubt you ever have a consistent schedule anymore.”
“You’re right, but that’s why I have to enjoy my free time when I can.”
We settled into talking about what had happened since we last saw each other. I referenced my trying to learn another language (French) with the hopes of moving to Europe or Canada.
After fifteen minutes of small talk, I asked her about work, but I did so with caution. It started with me wondering about what the call she was on when we were on the phone was about.
“A drunk driver blew a stop sign and hit two other vehicles,” she said. “It was ugly. A few people died. We’ll see if the man in silk pajamas gives him the proper sentence or a traffic citation.”
“You know, I’m curious about what happened to the Murphy’s, if they’re hurt or not.”
“You and everyone else,” she said. “We’ve been getting so many witness accounts, and so far they’ve all been bogus. All I know is what I saw when I got there.”
“I didn’t know you were one of the responders,” I said.
“Yeah. Something about the place was off from the moment I walked in. I found heavy items in placed they should not have been in. The toolbox was not in the garage but on the second story. A disassembled snowblower lay scattered everywhere in pieces. The oven door was on their bed. Frank Murphy was not the strongest guy in the world, either. For him to cause the kind of property damage I saw doesn’t make a lot of sense. At the risk of sounding crazy, inexplicable things happened when I was there.”
“Like what?”
“I was under the impression that something was playing a trick on me. Electrical outlets sparked a few times out of nowhere. The ceiling fan would go from still to spinning when I looked up at it. Books would fall off of the shelves. A volume on black magic, of all things, almost hit the top of my head when I walked on by. Another book about fairies collapsed with it.”
“So the home intruder set up a bunch of weird diversions,” I said. “I’ve heard of that before. These killers or kidnappers want the victims to think there was more than one of them. It’s so their account’s disputed in court.”
I’ll tell you right now,” she said, “we didn’t find any outside DNA.”
“So it’s a case of family annihilation,” I said as I took a long swig of my beverage. “I don’t know if you can substantiate the facts, but a few people have said that Emily had a big life insurance policy. Frank knew about. He may have been using steroids and having an affair, and that could have contributed to-“
It occurred to me that she eyed me with suspicion, as though I was digging too deep. I could also tell she regretted letting information about the forensic results slip.
She stood up and stared at me with a flash of anger in her eyes.
“I thought you wanted to piece something back together with me,” she said. “I didn’t know you wanted to play armchair investigator like every true crime fan. You know, your parents were kind. I wish you’d follow their example. I’ll let you get the bill.”
She walked back to her vehicle and I knew it would be a while before we conversed again.
Later that night, I stared out my window at the Murphy home. I saw a star shoot across the sky, and it almost seemed ready to plummet into the side of their house.
*
The next evening, I took a walk around the suburb. I spotted a thin line of dried red fluid along a path which led into the woods.
I was attempting to get in some movement to get my mind off of the events of the day before. Negativity and self-deprecation were all-consuming. I felt the need for a long saunter to try and release some of the meandering and pessimistic energy I accrued.
When I saw the carmine ribbon along the dark soil, a sense of worry filled me. I was not that far removed from a cul-de-sac with palatial manors a block away. There was no way I could speculate on me being the first to see it.
Could it be a hint where they are? I thought.
The notion seemed absurd, a reach.
I had read in the local newspaper that there was an uptick in bobcat sightings due to recent wildfires. The animals relocated during prior summers. I reasoned it could have been a house pet which became a victim after it got snatched away into the overgrowth.
I followed it, and the uneven road of red stretched on past many bushes and over logs. A shrill chirping in the background became louder. I moved between two conifers with petrified wood and found myself in a part of the forest I had never been in.
There were so many branches that it blacked out the falling sun. Ahead of me was a clearing. A swarm of gnats and mosquitos descended upon it. The sea of insects soared together in chaotic unison as a wave among the sedges and lichen.
I looked towards the right of the meadow and saw a ramshackle tree house. I trailed the red line towards it. I peered in through one of the windows and saw a statue of a woman with wings. I knew she was not an angel. There was no halo, nor were her organs of flight feathery, but rather they were thin and bat-like.
I entered the place knowing the danger I was putting myself in. I had tracked mud in and was oblivious to the incriminating actions I partook in. I was trespassing and risking stumbling into whoever may have owned the land. My curiosity got the better of me and caused me to keep moving forward.
The room was sparse but decorated. The walls had carvings of men and women, also with wings. Their bodies held yogic-like positions as they reached out to one another mid-air.
A piece of parchment with a few words sat in the corner. I picked it up and read it:
‘Humans are the greatest living beings to play tricks on. Especially when they go through a time of drought and extreme cold.’
I sat it down where I found it, unsure of what to make of it.
I touched the central figure’s neck. The chiseling was not only cold, but below freezing, as though I had submerged my hand in a polar pool.
The noise of some kind of bird attempting to escape a confined space reverberated below me.
Something brushed against my leg. I looked down and saw an army of glow bugs float up between the cracks, and they circled around me. They were like dragon flies. At the time I had labeled them as such, but in reality their shapes were far too humanoid.
I walked back home. I went to bed and slept. I was still perturbed at the wine-colored avenue and cabin.
I awoke in the middle of the night after something tapped at my walls from the outside. I peered out and saw the Murphy home, and observed how the blinds over their casements were wide open. A hive of mites filled every inch of the interior.
*
I found the decomposing body of a chipmunk stuffed into the tailpipe of my vehicle the next day.
This horrified me, because the deliberation of the act was too evident to ignore. While I did have a surveillance camera on my porch, the coverage of my vehicle was non-existent. I calmed myself down by thinking it was likely a tempestuous child. I retrieved a pair of medical gloves and disposed of the creature before going on with the errand. The rotting body had a horrible smell. It was like an onion left out in humidity for days, and my stomach turned as I sealed it off in the garbage with the lid.
The next morning, I looked in my closet. Some of my favorite shirts had disintegrated. Holes and patches of destroyed fabric littered them. I found it odd, and even searched on-line for possible answers before I decided it had to be a moth infestation. I sprayed lavender. Information on a website statEd that was a cure-all, but the problem persisted. It bothered me that I had not seen a single aphid, but I pushed that concern away.
A few days afterward, when I had tossed my disheveled pieces of attire, the power in my house went out. This was not such an unusual occurrence during the heavy winter months. For it to occur in the summer was strange.
It was a rolling blackout. Once my house had electricity again, I noticed how someone moved items around.
Something turned my kitchen table on its side and stuffed into a part of the kitchen I would have never placed it in.
I grabbed a butcher knife and did a sweep of the premises, and I did not find anything. There were no footprints or signs of anything else tampered with. When I got to the second story, birds nested along the tree tops, and the repugnant odor of fish attacked me.
My allergies became insufferable over the next month. Nothing purchased over the counter which helped it.
*
I went to the beach on an overcast day. After roughly half a mile of walking, I saw an illustration someone had drawn in the sand with a stick. It was of a being with airfoils.
A light precipitation had fallen earlier. As I trailed along the former part of the sand, a glint in the corner of my eye caught my attention. I looked out at the water and saw what appeared to be a light blue outline of wings beneath the surface.
A phosphorescent wall of creatures surrounded me.
As the days march on, I know I am stalked by something I cannot rebel against, let alone have any agency or autonomy over. My pillowcases have shredded, the pipes in my basement have burst, and someone left me a gift at my front door. When I opened it, I saw mice scurry away. It was a book, and it was one about the history of fairies.
I picked it up and had to blow the dust off of it. Someone had stolen it from a musty subterranean chamber and brought it here.
I theorized that it was Samantha, passive aggressive with her disappointment in me. Yet I flip through its pages and find it all too familiar. I cannot help but wonder if this is a sign of something far more dangerous.

Ive been a regular user of marijuana since 3-4 years and now i have medical examination coming up and i need to know of i can do something to increase my chances

Hi everyone, welcome to part two of Isaac Asimov’s The Caves of Steel. This is my first time being a read runner so here goes nothing! Questions are posted in the comments and feel free to add any additional comments as well.
Chapter 7 - Excursion into Spacetown
Baley is talking to the police commissioner Enderby about Daneel and their upcoming trip to Spacetown. Enderby is clearly not a fan of the spacers and warns Baley about going there. They decide for Enderby to be “present” via trimensional personification (like a facetime call I guess).
Before entering Spacetown Baley and Daneel have to enter a “personal” to cleanse themselves and undergo a medical testing (seems just a little excessive).
He is then free to enter, and we are introduced to the spacer Dr. Han Fastolfe who is in charge of the murder investigation on their end.
Enderby tunes in via the aforementioned method and Baley announces he knows what happened to Dr. Sarton. He believes there was no murder and that Sarton is alive. Moreover, Daneel is Sarton!
Chapter 8 - Debate Over a Robot
Baley points to the fact that Enderby saw only a charred something and could not recognize Dr. Sarton, especially with his broken glasses. Also, Daneel is too good at being a human to be a robot, and has certain human organs too (as conveniently noticed when being cleaned in the previous chapter). He further argues that Daneel violated the first law of robotics when threatening to shoot the rioters (which Fastolfe argues was not a violation) and that Daneel’s drive for justice is an abstraction that robots cannot use (Fastolfe says Daneel’s definition of justice is not abstract and is based on law enforcement).
Baley then asks how the information got leaked that Daneel was a robot as Jessie found out. When they were separated the day before, Baley implies that Daneel was in contact with a group to spread the leak throughout the city. This would cause riots and attacks on Spacetown, leading to Spacer ships coming down and taking over the cities. So the Spacers staged a murder using a robot in place of Sarton to put all this in motion.
Fastolfe then severs Daneel’s arm to prove he is a robot, and that indeed seems to be the case as Baley sees the inner workings of a robot where flesh should be.
Chapter 9 - Elucidation by a Spacer
Baley recovers from shock and thinks about the possible repercussions for accusing the Spacers of conspiracy (including demotion of status which if we remember is kind of a big deal). However Fastolfe is not fazed at all and insists Baley stays on the case. In fact he is impressed!
Fastolfe goes on to mention that Spacemen have no built-up resistance to Earthmen diseases at all and that is why they separate themselves so fully from Earthmen under the guise of superiority. He reveals that modern cities can’t go on how they are as they can’t live off of themselves at all, especially compared to the past. He suggests emigration to new worlds (as opposed to just outer worlds which is restricted).
Fastolfe says while Earthmen’s problem is overpopulation, theirs is underpopulation. They have really long life spans and kill their children if they don’t meet physical and mental standards before they mature (what!). Their plan is to introduce their robots to Earth to upset the balance of the city’s economy, forcing Earthmen to emigrate.
On their way back, Daneel says to Baley that they do have one suspect for the murder not yet mentioned; Enderby!
Chapter 10 - Afternoon of a Plain-Clothes Man
However it is quickly revealed that Enderby is no longer a suspect as the Spacemen have already gone through that investigation (what a cheap cliffhanger). He mentions they did cerebroanalysis on him that gives them info on “the temperamental and emotional makeup of an individual” (just a little creepy).
Baley is now talking to Enderby who is not happy but ultimately forgets the incident. Baley requests a two-man apartment out of caution due to the rumor spreading that Daneel is a robot, however it turns out there is no such rumor. He still gets the apartment anyway.
Baley makes a call to an unknown person in Washington who agrees to fly to New York the next day. Daneel procures a list of over a million medievalists in the city.
They go to eat at a section kitchen which are generic layouts copied throughout a city. They use staggered eating times for efficiency (of course) except if you have privileges such as official business. Baley and Daneel don’t get to choose their meal due to rationing.
Daneel notices there are 8 people staring at them from within the section kitchen, 6 of which he remembers (impressive) were also present at the shoe store incident!
Chapter 11 - Escape Along the Strips
Baley deduces that the people watching won’t start a riot in the kitchen due to safety. He decides to “run the strips” to escape, a game done by teens that can lead to disaster. They leave the kitchen and are being followed. Baley starts this game, and after some fancy tricks there is only one follower left. After some more dangerous stunts he loses the last pursuer.
They reach a power plant where Daneel tells Baley (perhaps unwittingly) that gamma radiation would effectively kill him. At their new apartment, Baley’s son Ben arrives who reveals that someone at the office let him know where the new apartment was.
Chapter 12 - Words from an Expert
At the office the next day, we find out the person Baley called at Washington was Dr. Gerrigel, a roboticist. Daneel has looked over his files and found two of the people who followed them the night before and who were also at the shoe store.
Gerrigel arrives and Baley immediately asks him about whether a robot could be built without the first law of robotics and murder a human. Gerrigel estimates it would take 50 years for this to happen effectively. Baley then questions that this is true on Earth, but is it true on the outer worlds. He uses the example of Daneel and him pointing his blaster at humans at the shoe store. The chapter ends by him insinuating a robot such as Daneel could also hide a blaster inside themselves, as the weapon used in the murder could not be found.

Medical school is a very tough thing to get into for its high competitiveness. The A Levels are not the best way to determine if a person could be good at medical school. Hell, I got AABC in my A Levels and I am averaging 25.5/30 (85%) on my medical school exams (where the pass mark is 18/30, so 60%). Although, to be fair, I had undiagnosed ADHD and Dyslexia for my entire school career, and therefore kept running out of time for my A Levels. I was only diagnosed and treated after A Level results day. I also didn’t sit my A levels and was predicted A*AAB.
What if I told you that you can enter medical school without the universities caring about your A Level grade? Yes. Italy offers international medical schools with quality education. Italy is known to have one of the best clinical healthcares in the world. Italy can offer you a second chance to get enter medical school no matter what you have achieved in your A Levels (yes, even if you got Cs or Ds). This is because Italy has a totally different entrance exam for its medical schools. The entrance exams are almost analogous with the BMAT, and it is called the IMAT also written by Cambridge. The IMAT is basically the same as the BMAT, but has a general knowledge section instead of a essay section and it contains negative marking. So there is no essay section in the IMAT. The IMAT also tests you for mostly A Level knowledge, while the BMAT tests mostly GCSE knowledge.
The courses are in English. You will meet people from all across the world. The exams you do are oral (although this depends on the university). Yes, you have heard that right. Italy usually deploys oral examinations where you will speak to your professor during the exam. Some courses have written exams, but most courses are orally done. For example, I have a dermatology exam on the 31st, and it will be done orally. The professor will ask me to describe the lesions I can see in certain skin conditions, what diagnosis must be made, and how I can treat the said lesion. For skin cancers, I will be asked about the mutations and pathogenesis and would need to explain to the professor all I know.
Italian medical schools are always way way way cheaper than UK schools. Even if you are a foreigner. Depending on the school, you can pay as little as €400 A YEAR to €4,000 a year. And medical school is medical school, the courses and structure is mostly the same across the world. In fact, fees for non EU are cheaper than EU fees.
However, due to Brexit, British citizens are no longer European Union Citizens. This means you can only apply for one university out of the 14 (1 is dentistry), and you have to get a visa for your first year and then residency permits and permit of stay to be allowed to study in Italy. However, if you are an EU citizen, you can freely go to Italy and apply to these courses and you will not have to do any paper work.
For more details: https://www.medschool.it/admissions/imat-exam-date-calenda

I've been playing around with an AI that automates all your psychiatry notes, the only problem is that software runs on something called "tokens" which means the limits of the words they can process to automate your note which is like 10 minutes, what do you guys think about designating an anonymized recording section of the entire session, where I ask my patient that we will start recording ensuring complete anonymity so that I can fill out automatically the parameters for the note?
CHIEF COMPLAINT:
HISTORY OF PRESENT ILLNESS:
PAST PSYCHIATRIC HX:
DEVELOPMENTAL HISTORY:
MEDICAL HX:
ALLERGIES:
CURRENT MEDICATIONS:
FAMILY PSYCHIATRIC HX:
SOCIAL HX:.
ABUSE HISTORY:
SUBSTANCE USE HISTORY:
ROS:
PHYSICAL EXAMINATION:
MENTAL STATUS EXAMINATION:
FORMULATION AND ASSESSMENT:
DSM-5 DIAGNOSIS:
PLAN:
The AI can easily populate those fields extremely well, but I just want to be extremely skeptic to not trust anyone's servers, do you think an anonymous workflow would work? I check HIPAA's de-identification workflow and they say as long as I dont provide names and obvious things like social security, date of birth, then that is not considered PHI.

Episode 1- Woecome back to Nevermore.
We slowly zoom in on the Addams Family House. Gloomy and as spooky as ever. As the camera zooms in, we go through a window and see Thing, the disembodied and sentient hand. He's just chased a big spider away. Suddenly the voice of Mortica Addams was heard
"Dinner is ready, my dark angel"
Wednesday Stands up from her typewriter desk and walks out of her room. She begins her inner Monolog as she walks to the dining room and sits down while her food is being brought up
"The last few months away from Nevermore have been as I suspected. Pure torture. That be it from Mother and Father's continuous hideous display of affection, to Pugsley being as pathetic as ever. Never would I have thought I'd miss being away from here"
Wednesday finally gets her food as Morticia begins to speak
"So, are you ready to return to Nevermore again dear?"
Wednesday looks into the void
"You mean where I almost died and successfully solved a serial killer case? I would say my return would be more than adequate for my sanity"
Gomez and Morticia share a proud look as Gomez looks at Wednesday
"Oh, we just knew you'd love it there. We're so happy that you made some friends."
Wednesday looks offended
"They are not my friends, they're merely the classmates I've become acquainted with."
Pugsley eats more as he looks at her
"Isn't that just another word for "friend"?"
Wednesday glares
"It is not…"
Wednesday finishes her dinner as she returns to her room and sits down at her chair. She moves her eyes so she can see behind to her left
"I know you're there, Thing…"
He scurries on her desk and taps away, talking to her
"I suppose you can come back with me this semester. That is… if you do my bidding yet again?"
Thing does a "Yes Sir" salute. He scurried over to Wednesday's purse and tapped on it
"What? I have already packed all I need."
Thing opens it, and out slides her Phone. The same phone Xavier gave to her all those months ago.
"I said I will NEVER be a slave to technology, Thing. Besides, that stalker still has my number."
Thing taps away again
"My "friends?" If they are so inclined to be that word, they will just have to wait until tomorrow."
Thing picks it up and slides it on her desk as he taps the screen. Wednesday has multiple next messages
"sighs Fine, I suppose I can take a quick gander."
She opens the notifications, from Xavier. The only named contact in her phone
Xavier-
63 Days Ago- Wednesday? I know you said you'd never call me, but I just want to know if you're doing alright?
50 Days Ago- Really? Still ignoring me? You always did enjoy the silent treatment.
31 Days Ago- Um… for real are you just gonna ignore me? I thought we ended on a better note last semester?
17 Days Ago- Ok then… I'm just gonna assume that I'm talking to a dead phone. That thing cost a fortune by the way, you're welcome… just… I guess I'll see you around?
Yesterday- Well if you ever see this… just know I will be attending a new school this year…
Wednesday looks strangely alarmed at the last message
"New school? I guess it won't hurt to check in on him?"
Thing taps, saying to go for it
Wednesday-
Leaving Nevermore I hear? I suppose it's for the best.
Almost instantly… she gets a response
Xavier-
Ha! You fell for the bait! I knew you had some kind of a heart.
Wednesday could just feel the rage in her swell as she realized she was tricked
Wednesday-
You know I could always delete your contact?
Xavier-
Wait! I'm sorry, Okay? I just wanted to try one last thing. Just tell me, are you coming back this semester?
Wednesday thinks… should he tell him? Or just wait for the next day? She decides to be nice for today
Wednesday-
Indeed
Xavier-
That's good. Can't wait to see you again. Thing coming along too?
Thing reads it and signs something
Wednesday-
He said to not make him put you back in that squad car.
Xavier-
Ha ha. By the way… Did you ever try to contact Enid? You know how much you mean to her? Ajax says she's been kinda down lately.
Wednesday-
I do not have a way of getting her number. Nor do I want her flooding my phone with those insipid little pictures.
Xavier-
I get that. 😉 And don't worry, I haven't told anyone about you getting that phone.
Wednesday-
Apparently someone does…
Xavier-
Obviously I know about it Wednesday.
Wednesday-
I did not mean you…
Xavier-
Wait… what? Everything OK?
Wednesday-
I have to go. I will explain more tomorrow.
Xavier-
Wait! Ugh… fine…
And with that, Wednesday put her phone back in her bag. Thing taps again
"No, that did not change anything. I still loathe modern technology. And do not spy on my stuff again…"
He bows in apologies
"Now, return to Mother and Father please. I require my space"
Wednesday does some more writing. She's already working on drafts for "Viper De La Muerta: Más Venenosa" The sequel to her book. A few hours go by, and she checks the clock. It says 11:54 P.M. She needs to get some sleep. So she ends her paragraph, wishing a good night to her parents. Her bed is a full queen sized bed, all to herself. It's all black and she has a gray-black blanket. She eventually falls asleep. Suddenly she's somewhere she doesn't understand
Enid is on the ground writhing in pain
"Ahhh! Heeelp!"
"Enid!?"
Wednesday goes to her, surprised. She then sees Xavier getting beat up by strangers
"Ah! Oh! Get the hell back!"
"Xavier!?"
He's punched to the floor as Wednesday tries to help, and now sees Eugene knocked out in the corner and a seemingly lifeless Sheriff Galpin. She then hears a voice
"I'm still out there Wednesday!!!"
Wednesday wakes up and is in a panic, sweating
"Xavier? Enid!? Eueg…
she looks around… a nightmare? She rubs her head and takes a sip of Water from her bottle. She checks her alarm clock
"4:45? Still a few more hours."
She lays back down and wakes up at 7:30. No more nightmares for the rest of the morning
"Good morning Pugsley…"
Pugsley takes a bite of his cereal
"Hey sis… you know I'm…
"Going to miss me?"
She finishes the sentence
"I know, I will miss the way you scream from your hair pulling too."
Morticia enters the room
"Alright darling, Lurch is waiting."
"Okay Mother. I am ready"
Wednesday and Pugsley share a hug, Wednesday not completely enjoying it. She says her goodbyes to her Parents too. Wednesday gets in the car as Lurch drives off. They eventually get to Jericho County. She looks at some of the buildings she remembers from last semester. The hearse rolls up to the Nevermore gates and enters. Lurch opens the door and Wednesday steps out. She monologs again
"Nevermore seemed the same as ever. The same annoying people. The same clueless teachers. And just a little less serial killers. Maybe… that is"
"Lurch, you can go ahead and go. I'll handle the luggage from here."
Lurch nods and drives off. Wednesday puts her bag on her shoulders as she starts to pull her cello case
"That looks kinda heavy?"
Wednesday turns to look at the voice. Xavier. She rolls her eyes
"Need a hand?"
Wednesday sighs
"I suppose"
He grabs the cello and walks with her
"It's nice to see you again. Wish I could say you've gotten taller but…"
"Don't comment on my height."
"Just joking hehe."
Wednesday does not find it amusing
"I suppose the feeling of seeing you is mutual?"
She finds it hard to talk with him. She doesn't know why, but she feels the need to say something to him? Something from last year. She ignores it. They get up to Ophelia hall as they knock. A familiar girl with pink and blue hair answers
"OMG! I missed you so much!?!?"
Enid hugs her tightly, she gets pushed back
"Right… no hug unless it's a near death experience. Right! And Hi Xavier!"
She gives him a small hug too. She Whispers at him
"So… you two gonna hook up? Please tell me…"
Xavier looks terrified
"What!? No… no no no… of course not! We only texted a…. Enid's eyes grow shit…"
She glares at the two
"YOU have a f*cking Phone!? Just when were you gonna tell me!? We could've talked alllll break!? Give me your number now and I'll show you the ways of Facebook, and Insta, and Tiktok, and blogging and…"
"Enid!"
Wednesday interrupts
"Could you hold your thoughts for a second before I vomit!? You're giving me a headache and I've only seen you for 43 seconds."
Enid calms down
"Okay… you're right. I'm sorry. But hey, when were YOU gonna tell me Mr. Artsy Fartsy!?"
Xavier looks confused
"Me!? Would you want to break that kinda promise with her…?"
Enid looks at an already angered Wednesday
"I guess that's fair Xavier. So, I hear you and Ajax are now roomies?"
He nods
"Yep. The councilors said it should be fine."
Wednesday interjects
"I thought Gorgons could only be roommates with other Gorgons?"
Xavier clarifies
"As long as he wears his hat, and I don't walk in on him taking a shower… I'll be fine.*
Enid looks excited
"Speaking of Ajax… I'm gonna go see him! BRB!"
She walks out the door as Wednesday walks to her desk and places her Typewriter out of her bag and onto her desk
"Wow. Still using that old dinosaur huh?"
She looks offended
"Of course I am? It is the only true way of writing"
Xavier stands next to her
"What if you mistype a word? You just start over the whole page?"
Wednesday places her pages as she continues talking
"Only amateurs would make that kind of mistake in their work. Anyway, are you just going to annoy me or can I get some work done?"
Xavier looks annoyed
"Excuse me for trying to be nice? I thought you'd have a better understanding of friendship after last year?"
Wednesday gets up fast… but doesn't turn around, Xavier notices
"What? Did that break your thick layer of angst?"
Wednesday turns around. She somehow has a guilty look in her eyes despite being the same lifeless ones
"I… I… I apologize…"
Xavier looks less annoyed now
"It's fine… I know you don't fully get social interaction that well and…"
She interrupts
"No… not for that…"
"Huh?"
Xavier looks at her confused. Wednesday looks at him now
"I apologize for what happened last semester… for everything. Misjudging you, tricking you with the Rave'n, getting you arrested, and for ignoring your messages. Okay?. I should've listened to you more, not Tyler. I'm sorry…"
Wednesday sits down as that took everything out of her
"Wow, uh… that… thank you Wednesday. That means a lot from you."
Wednesday nods
"Consider us even?"
"Not yet…"
Wednesday looks confused
"Why?"
"I have some things to tell you. But first we need to get to that assembly. It starts in like 8 minutes. We get to meet the new principal"
Wednesday begrudgingly agrees and grabs her small bag. Thing jumps on her shoulder
"Hey Thing! How's it going buddy!?"
Thing makes a fist for a fist bump to where they collide. They make their way to the door and Xavier opens it. Only to find Enid who falls on the floor. Xavier looks confused
"Enid, what the hell are you doing? Wait… were you listening to us?"
Enid stands up and straightens her shirt
"Uh no…"
Xavier dusts some dirt off her shoulder
"Then what were you doing against the door?"
Enid panics
"Uh… I was scratching my head on the door. You know us werewolves. Always itchy! Hehe.
Wednesday gets mad
"Enid, there is nothing to spy on us for. Me and Xavier are just friends and that's it? Stop wishing a relationship into fruition."
Enid sulks
"Fine… I promise…"
She walks away. Wednesday looks at Xavier who kinda smirks
"What Xavier?"
He chuckles
"Nothing. Just didn't think I'd hear you call me, or anyone a friend"
"Would you prefer us not to be?"
She said sternly
"It's a joke, calm yourself. Let's get going to that assembly"
They walk out of the dorm and to the assembly area. Wednesday begins to think about Principal Weems. She starts her inner Monolog
"Principal Weems and I may have had our differences, but in the end she was not so bad. She did try and help me take down Laurel Gates. Unfortunately that is what resulted in her untimely demise. She deserved better."
She stands by the group of students as the new principal gets to the stand. He looks middle aged with mid length black hair. He has a five o'clock shadow and wears a black suit and pants. He begins his speech
"Hello everyone, my Nevermore students. It will be an honor to be the new principal at this fine and unique school. Now, I know most of you miss Larissa Weems dearly. But I assure you I will do everything in my part to fill that void"
A lot of the students look rather skeptical
"We hope you all enjoyed your forced vacation, and we welcome everyone back. And we hope you all healed well after last year's… unfortunate incident. But know this, we will take extra precautions with our students' safety. We would also like to give a special thanks to one of our students. Please, give a nice round of applause to our very own…. Wednesday Addams!"
He and the other students start clapping with praise. She looks around embarrassed and also sees Enid and Xavier happily joining in the applause
"We'd also like to thank some other students who helped on that dreadful night. Enid Sinclair, Xavier Thorpe, Bianca Barclay, Yoko Tanaka, Ajax Petropolus, Kent and Divina Waters, and Eugene Ottinger!"
Everyone cheers for the heroes of last semester
"We would also like to ask Ms. Addams some questions?"
Someone comes to her with a mic, Enid and Xavier step in front of her. Enid talks first
"Whoa, whoa! Wednesday does not like to talk in open crows…"
Xavier joins in too
"Yeah, yeah, she uh… gets nervous?"
The others agree. The Principal nods
"Okay, that's fair. We won't push anything on you kids. Oh I almost forgot, my name is Principal Kevin Fairbanks. Now, you may go on with your day. Classes start in 1 hour"
Everyone disperses. Wednesday grabs Enid's shoulder
"You didn't have to do that."
"It's okay, I know how my bestie is about crowds."
She smiles as she walks away. Wednesday walks into another direction. She ends up at the Bee Farm. She goes up to the little hut and knocks. A familiar voice is heard behind her
"Wednesday?"
Wednesday hears the voice and turns around
"Hello Eugene, How was…."
She turns around to talk, expecting him to be the same height. He's like a foot taller now she actually has to look up at him
"What happened to you?"
Eugene looks confused
"Guess I hit a growth spurt? Hehe"
Wednesday is now processing how he's so tall while she's still the same height
"Anyway, I see you have healed up nice?"
Eugene nods
"Yeah, everything's good. And I'm ready for a great bee year. Things are supposed to be going strong. Will you still join the Hummers again this year?"
Wednesday nods
"Possibly. Depends on what else is on my schedule. Well Eugene, I must be going. Goodbye"
"Later Wednesday!"
Wednesday leaves the Bee Farm aera. Eugene's sudden growth in height makes her more self conscious than she cares to admit. She walks through The Quad when a voice is heard behind her
"Hey Addams."
She turns around and sees Bianca Barclay at the fountain, also accompanied by her "side kicks" Kent and Divina
"Bianca. I see you still have your henchmen at your side?"
The twins toll their eyes as Kent speaks up
"We're more than just her "henchmen" Wednesday. We can do anything that she does."
Wednesday retort
"Except excelling at the Poe Cup. I look forward to a rematch in future team events…"
Divina steps forward
"That won't happen again. It was just a fluke, us underestimating you."
"Flukes are just excuses for things not going the way you intend."
Now Bianca stands up
"Alright, enough you guys. But I hope you sharpened up on your fencing. We WILL be taking the title this semester."
Wednesday doesn't even look threatened
"There is no need for practice, I have full faith in my swordsmanship."
"We'll see, Addams. Just you wait. Your ass will be handed to you yet again "
Wednesday looks bored
"My posterior isn't beaten easily… anyway I need to go. Herbology is starting soon."
Wednesday arrives at Herbology class. Being here again brings back some memories. Like getting smacked with a shovel. Weems' Death. And most importantly… Ms. Thornhill aka Laurel Gates. It's a good thing she's now rotting in prison. She takes a seat in the second row, as she feels someone else take another next to her. It's Xavier again
"We always seem to be desk mates, huh?"
Wednesday looks at her books
"It is not a coincidence when there are no assigned seats. You chose it"
Xavier rolls his eyes
"No shit… Anyway I've been meaning to ask something."
Wednesday looks up real quick
"Do not make things awkward, Xavier…"
He nods
"It's not my goal to do that. anyway, you mentioned that I wasn't the only one in your contacts, right?"
*It almost escaped her mind, she doesn't care to admit that either."
"Indeed."
She takes her phone out of her pocket and turns it on
"Can I see who it is?"
She hand sit to him
"I have been receiving stalker images. They involve me and you and me and… Tyler as well."
Xavier looks at them and nods, a bit worried
"I see… have you told anyone? This could be serious, you know?"
*Wednesday looks at him."
"Serious things intrigue me more."
just then Xavier sees something in the text feed.
"Whoa…"
*What? What is it?"
He points at the bottom of the screen.
"See those lines moving… that means someone is typing. Right now.*
The pictures that are sent are startling. One is of Xavier's dorm room. The other is Wednesday and Enid's room. And the last is of Xavier and Wednesday sitting at a desk in herbology class… where they are right now…
Stalker-
You don't just have to worry about yourself, Wednesday… your friends too…
"Holy shit… this is some creepy shit. "
"Don't worry. I will get to the bottom of this eventually…"
They meet the new teacher and finish class. Xavier asks her something before they go.
"Hey, there's been something I've wanted to tell you. Can you meet me at my Art Studio. Tonight? 9:00. It isn't anything weird, I promise."
Wednesday looks conflicted
"I will think about it. Do not tell Enid. She thinks there's something going… on… between us."
Xavier giggles
"She's a strange one, always following you like a wolf pup. Anyway, see you there maybe. Bye Wednesday."
The rest of the day goes smoothly for the most part as she heads back to the dorms. Wednesday goes back to Ophelia Hall and enters her and Enid's dorm. she Immediately holds a grossed out face
"Enid, what is that revolting stench burning my olfactory senses…?"
Enid perks up from her magazine
"What? Oh, you mean the sweet air freshener I just got? It's great. You don't agree?"
Wednesday looks nauseous
"It smells like a unicorn farted in here… super sweet and sugary… revolting."
Enid rolls her eyes
"I can't have anything that I like in here, can I? You get your clickety clackety typewriter, your giant ass Cello, your early morning meditation sessions, what do I get?"
Wednesday goes over to her bed and grabs a light jacket
"You get your phone? Your blinding nail polish and hair dye. Not to mention your obnoxious Korean musicals."
Enid breaths slowly, trying not to snap
"Do not… disrespect my K-Pop… Anyway where are you headed? It's like 8:30?"
Wednesday grabs her small bag
"I have an event to attend to. It's really nothing to blow a gasket over."
Enid squeals
"Is it… a date!?"
Wednesday nearly gags
"What? No? He just needs to talk?"
"So it is with Xavier… called it.."
Wednesday's not having it
"Enid, it is only a conversation. If there was something going on I would tell you. Now please… no more squealing… Thing, stay with Enid so she doesn't spy on me again"
Enid pouts
"Aw, no fair!?"
Wednesday journeys to Xavier's Art Studio. Arriving here fills her stomach with regret, for whatever reason she doesn't understand. She knocks on the wooden door. 15 seconds goes by, and no answer. Wednesday assumes that he isn't there and goes to leave when the door opens
"Wednesday. You made it. And you didn't break into my shed."
Wednesday turns around and walks in
"Don't expect that to be a regular occurrence. So, you said you wanted to speak with me?"
Xavier nods as he puts down his brush and turns off the radio
"Yes."
"Well, what is there you need to say to me?"
Xavier sits down on his stool to have a more eye to eye view of her
"Wednesday, I really appreciate you apologizing earlier. I know it sounds weird, but… I spent weeks wondering if you ever thought that. It's my turn to apologize now."
"You have nothing to apologize for"
He interjects
"Yes… I do. Obviously we both know we didn't exactly get along at some points, even though I wanted to."
She nods agreeingly
"That would be an understatement"
"I know… I know… I realize now, how much of a creep I looked. I didn't leave you alone when you asked. I shouldn't have told you who to and who not to hang out with. I was a total ass when you would tell me the other way. And then… when I said I should've let Rowan kill you. I… I didn't mean that. I was just angry and betrayed. You probably don't know this… but I even asked Bianca to erase you from my memory…"
Wednesday looks on, telling him to continue
"I'm so sorry. And after looking back, I don't know if I deserve to be your friend. So… if you don't want to be around me… I understand…"
Wednesday looks kinda overwhelmed by his venting. She honestly didn't realize how much he cares deep inside
"My conscience tells me that I should do what you've told me. To walk away"
She turns and looks at one of his paintings, a Raven
"But my conscience isn't always right."
Xavier's depressed face turns around into a hopeful one
"Wait… are you saying…"
Wednesday nods
"Yes. We can still be… Fff… frrr…. Friends…"
Xavier gets up to hug her but he stops himself. He's seen Enid denied hundreds of times so he brushes it off awkwardly
"I appreciate it. From here on out, I'll try to listen to you more."
"A small start would be to stop looking like a guilty psychotic serial killer all the time."
Xavier agrees with a nod
"Yeah… guess I did turn up at the worst times, eh?"
Wednesday looks at his painting more
"Indeed you did. Did you paint this recently?"
He walks up next to her
"Uh huh. I actually painted it last night at home. After you finally responded to me, I made that. Please… don't take it as I'm drooling over you or something?"
She nods no
"No. No, I get it. It's some good work. It's… amazing even. Oh, and if you tell anyone about this conversation I will shoot you with an arrow myself this time"
"Wouldn't want it any other way, Wednesday"
Wednesday walks away and gives a slight smirk as she turns to the exit
"I shall see you tomor…"
As she touches the door, her head jerks back and her eyes go wide as she falls back
Xavier: Wednesday!?!
He catches her as she falls. She sees a vision. She sees Xavier tied up against a wall as he's stabbed in the gut as he screams in agony. She then wakes up as Xavier is talking to her
"Hey? Hey!? You okay? You took a dive there. Was it… another vision?"
She stands up and brushes herself off
"Indeed…"
"What'd you see?"
She looks at him, actually kinda scared
"You… you were… stabbed…"
To Be Continued…
Cast-
Wednesday Addams- Jenna Ortega Xavier Thorpe- Percy Hynes White Enid Sinclair- Emma Myers Bianca Barclay- Joy Sunday Eugene Ottinger- Moosa Mostafa Divina Waters- Johnna Dias-Watson Kent Waters- Oliver Watson Morticia Addams- Catherine Zeta-Jones Gomez Addams- Luiz Guzmàn And Thing Portrayed By- Victor Dorobantu
Supporting Cast- Pugsley Addams- Isaac Ordonez Lurch- George Burcea Principal Fairbanks-

This probably shoots our chances of getting a bump in special pay as well.
With a likely 0% pay raise in 2024 and 2025, who is quitting?
I mean I seriously don't think my family and I can live in our townhouse and drive our current car for the next 2 years on my current examiner pay. Even if I get a step increase next year, it will not help much. I guess I could reduce my TSP. I have never felt so helpless.

So I (32F) had endometriosis for over 10 years which didn’t get diagnosed until I was 25 (every doctor just mentioned it being normal that I was in so much pain and bleeding so much that I had low iron). I had an amazing specialist in my home town who removed the cysts and apparently they were very significant. I had an iud inserted and never encountered any issues with period pain again and eventually stopped menstruating all together on the Mirena.
Unfortunately I had to go into emergency last night because I had developed the most horrific pain in my abdomen that was radiating though my body. I have private health insurance in my country (Australia) and went to a reputable private hospital. I was thinking it might be appendicitis or a blockage in my intestine because the pain was mostly in my gut and because I was vomiting. I also haven’t menstruated for years, so it didn’t occur to me that my endo was back.
I was kept waiting for 4 hours in emergency and was crying in agony and vomiting the whole time while pretty much everyone who arrived after me was seen first.
When I got taken into emergency, the male doctor examined me and told me that he thinks my endometriosis is back and I should take some pain killers and go home within a couple of hours. The nurses gave me endone and it didn’t reduce the pain at all and I was crying so much that they then gave me benzo to ‘calm me done’. This did nothing and I was still crying in agony and the doctor gave me fentanyl, which helped immediately.
I then begged the doctor to do some further testing as it felt like something more serious was happening. As a neurodiverse person I have an extremely high pain threshold and for me to feel pain like this indicated that something more sinister could be happening. He agreed to do a ct scan and the scans revealed that I had two endometrial cysts which were 6cm on each side of my ovaries. I asked if they had ruptured/whether there was internal bleeding and he said he can’t confirm because they would need to do an ultrasound first and I would need to do this externally after I was discharged from hospital. He also told me that I will need to leave at 6.30 am and contact my gyno on Monday to organise getting a procedure. He said he would give me an endone script to control the pain in the interim.
I asked if I could be discharged at 7.30 when the hospital pharmacy could distribute me the endone while I was there, because I live alone and was worried about how I was going to commute/access a pharmacy on my own while on such strong pain killers. My family lives in another state and my mother can only come over in Monday to help me. He said he can’t let me stay until 7.30 and that he can only give me one endone tablet to take home in the meantime and that my case isn’t seen as an emergency and they have done all they can.
Overall I found it very hard to get any answers from the doctor and felt pretty dismissed, I wasn’t sure if I was bleeding internally or if my ovaries have been completely destroyed, making me infertile. I also don’t know if this case can progress into something far more serious if I don’t get an immediate emergency procedure. He wasn’t able to answer any of these questions and kept on telling me to speak to my specialist.
I also read that he wrote that I ‘didn’t appear unwell’ in the discharge notes, which seems really odd as I spent the whole time crying and writhing in pain until they gave me the fentanyl. While he was assessing me I was able to reciprocate in discussion about my work etc, but I felt this exerted a lot of effort and I always feel inclined to be polite and bubbly even if I am not feeling well at the time.
I also don’t want to be insensitive to the fact that these medical staff are under immense pressure and likely dealing with a number of cases that could be more serious than mine.
Am I being entitled and overreacting or does this experience sound off? I have had years being ignored/misdiagnosed by medical professionals due to my gender (I didn’t get diagnosed for significant adhd until 28 (was misdiagnosed with bpd) and was dismissed all throughout my teens and early 20s for such severe menstrual pain and bleeding). Would love to hear any insights into this!

[WTS] [ON] Tokyo Marui Scar H NGRS 7+ Mags 700$
https://imgur.com/a/x34Frdy
Tokyo Marui Scar H NGRS
Comes with
7 Mid caps. 2 Hi caps Does not come with the QD Supressor! Foregrip Wired to deans Classic Army Stock Don’t know the name of the extended Handgaurd Bipod
Gun internals have been tested for compression and have a good seal It shoots around 230fps with .28s at 0.7 Joules.
The optic when I received the rifle worked LED and the zoom, however the day I went to game it, the optic failed me and no longer zoomed, it never was damaged in travel, I unfortunately paid a lot extra for this optic so I’m giving it away for free with the rifle. There is no rear iron posts for the rifle. The Front Receiver pin got lost on game day unfortunately it doesn’t affect much, there is almost no wiggle and it can be replaced easily
The recoil is super fun. And shoots very well. However I am recovering from an injury and can’t use the rifle for long periods of time. People have told me to get stronger yet medically i cannot, I prefer smaller weapons so I’m looking to let this one go. I also don’t play very often so i just don’t use it
I bought 6 Mid Caps for the rifle and some Kydex 7.62 pouches, I could toss those in for extra too if you want them as well they use Malice clips to mount and are sturdy
I am located in london and can ship, or pickup if your local. I can’t deliver unless your local.
This is the lowest price I will go, everything all together I spent an arm and a leg on to get this gun and wasn’t satisfied with it :( I am not looking for trades. buyer will pay shipping. Which is 30$ through Canada post.
//Vouches// Tony_Chen01 Valaska Josh zheng Marcus Lyngel Viking_3D_prints

Behind the larger moon of Nebo, the large hulking mass of ship named Glazier, was holding its geostationary orbit as the battle commenced below on the planet of Valhallah. Injured and inactive Marines, Sol Stellar Infantry, and Vaalorian Navy personnel walked the halls of the great ship, or were held in the Medical bay. Medical suites were filled to capacity and overflowing with casualties. Injured Vaalor and Humans were everywhere. Several Cariolinous could be found to be bandaged or missing bits or limbs. Blaine woke to the sound of a medical examination table beeping away in the background, and instantly regretted moving his head, which pounded like a bass drum. “OOooh, fuck! My head! What the fuck happ- UNJHH! Mmmff, fuck! That’s not good!” He said, looking down at his ribs which were bandaged and bloody. Looking around, he noticed he was alone, and so tried to heal himself. The flames ignited around his palms; and as he focused, a rib snapped back into place, almost rendering him unconscious. He cursed under his breath, and was about to try again, when Constance walked in. “Ahh! Captain! You’re awake! Good! Good… So, you’re not going to jump up and break my wrist so you can get back into the fight, are you? I must say, I’m no longer interested in trying to stop you. But, my sister is.” She said, looking him over. “What? Why would Glam want to stop me? She was all for getting away from the Aquila, when we were on our way here…” Blaine asked, puzzled. “She’s a mommy, now.” Constance said. “Oh.” Blaine croaked. “Are you sure you should be sitting up? You don’t sound too good. You do understand, you got lucky. You caught a round just as you came onto the shuttle, and therefore the others were able to slow the bleed long enough for you to make it aboard the Glazier. We were able to stabilize you with some donor blood, luckily enough. There’s two universal human donors on this craft right now, but there was three. Contingency Captain Richter was killed in action yesterday.” Constance said. Blaine groaned again. “Fuck. I’m gonna miss that asshole.” He said, a heavy weight seeming to slam into his heart. “You knew the Contingency Captain well, I assume?” Constance said, trying to gauge his mental state. “We were in a lot of situations together. We used to refer to him as ‘the human earthquake’. He was a demolitions specialist, Ms. Helsbane.” Blaine said. “How many made it out of Zubrim?” “Well, thanks to your quick efforts, Zubrim was lost without many casualties. We expected more. Twelve Sihn Rifles and all of Zubrim Air Defense made it out. General Sihn is alive and well, and you even saved two Seals. Marconia Traviar, and Ah’lahn Capia, both Seals of their own respective SkyKnight contingents. Here… you read the report. I expect you’re not going anywhere for a few days…” Constance said, and handed him a qwikslate. “Your translator is working flawlessly, Constance. Thought I’d say…” Blaine said, as he accepted the qwikslate. “The translator is off. I spent the last three months learning English. How am I doing?” Constance said, smiling expectantly. “Really freaking good! That’s really impressive! Three months?!” Blaine said, astonished. “I’ve always been a fast learner.” Constance mused, happily. “That’s good…” Blaine said, distracted by the qwikslate. “I’ll… um… Leave you to it, then?” Constance said, and walked out, not waiting for an answer. “Yeah…” Blaine said, not paying attention. He tapped the qwikslate screen, and looked at the HUDvid recordings for Zubrim, and Operation Black Watch. He played through several recordings, taking in separate angles of the battle, trying to recreate a 3-d picture in his mind of the chaos. He rewatched his HUDvid, and realized what had really happened. As he’d run from the crash site to the Fort, he’d unknowingly passed within a hundred yards of the Mahl front lines. They had seen him, but he’d been too busy with trying to reach the Fort to notice. His HUDvid had recorded their positions, however. Five rows of at least a hundred Mahl warriors, had watched him limp passed, within a mere twenty yards of them. They hadn’t reacted, or broken cover at all. But, they had obviously taken notice of him if his HUDvid was to be believed. Blaine realized then, that these were no ordinary Mahl. These were well trained and disciplined warfighters, and they were leagues apart from the Mahl that had attacked Sol, in both space and capability. They were well armed, with plasma rifles and several recognizable firearms in their midst. Some of them, American made. Blaine saw the rifles from his homeland, and felt a pang of guilt and hatred in the same moment. He found new drive in that moment, and reignited the blue flames, trying again to fix his shredded insides. He felt things twist and knit, and a feeling of intense nausea welled up within him. Finally, he could handle the nausea no more, and he extinguished the flames and promptly vomited bile. Laying back against the bed, he felt his mind wander, and fell unconscious again. Sometime during his slumber, Constance came back in to check his bandages, and almost lost her mind when she saw the healed wounds. She remained silent, but quickly left and returned with Captain Krinski, and Glam. They waited in the medical suite until he woke up. “Mmmuh, Mornin’ Cap’n. What’s up?” Blaine said, coming around groggily. “I muzt know… how? Jhoo are healedt! Just jyesterday, jhoo ver on Deat’s doorshtep! How are jhoo alife?” Anastasia said. “Uhh…” Blaine said, hesitantly. “Look, I don’t care if whatever you did was illegal. We have a lot of injured who could benefit from the technology.” Constance said, eagerly. “Uhh… It’s… not technology?” Blaine said, hesitant still. “Then what is it?” Constance begged. “I need to know! There are people who need this, desperately!” “Spirit Fire.” Blaine said, looking at Glam. “Like, what happened to Fern when he died?” Glam said, curious. “Kinda. Spirit Fire cannot be wielded by the dead. But, the dead are the source. It is the power to heal, or destroy by fire. And it’s extremely rare. My great grandad could barely do what I can, and it’s got serious side effects…” Blaine said. “How does it work?” Constance said, desperately still trying to bottle it for later use. “The Ancestors choose an individual to heal others, by the energies of the Ancestral Eather, through the conduit of the chosen individual. Depending on the physical strength of the individual( I presume), the power can be super-strong, or mild. The energies are specific to the one being healed and the virtuosity of the act. What’s more, the energies can cause women to become fatally attracted to the individual if it’s a man, and vice versa. Also, healing oneself can be a horrible experience, let me tell you!” Blaine said at length. “Now, promise me on pain of death, that you’re never going to tell anyone. I’m serious!” He added, with a glare. “Y-yes! Of course!” Constance said, taken aback. “I don’t belief jhoo, Captink. Show meh. Or, I vill hafv jhoo trown in shainz, for lyink tooh jyur feddow vorfighterz!” Anastasia said, snarling slightly. “Captain, I believe him-” Glam said, trying to intervene before things went awry. “VELL, I DON’T! Andt ziss is shtill mine craft! VHAT DO I HAFV TOOH SAY OR DO, TOOH MAKE ZHAT CLEAR, CAPTINK?!” Anastasia roared. Three Brasscar stepped into the doorway, all sporting tasers, at that moment. “Uhm… This is going to get a hell of a lot more complicated the more people you involve, Captain. By the very nature of what they might see or experience! You do understand that if I am telling you the truth(which I really am), that you cannot keep it a secret with so many involved, right?” Blaine replied. “Corrinda, Please brink zeh Corporal in? I’m churr Captink Preiss vill not argue againsht healink hiz own crroo…” Anastasia said to one of the Brasscar. “Yes, Ma’am. “ Collinda said, and went to retrieve the aformentioned individual. “It doesn’t matter, then, if you end up getting me killed. Fine… So beit.” Blaine sighed, and sat up. At the same moment, Collinda walked back in carrying a very gravely injured Japfey on a stretcher, aided by yet another Brasscar. Blaine stood up and walked unsteadily to where the two Brasscar held the stretcher between them. “Corporal… You can’t tell anyone, clear?” Blaine said, as Corporal Japfey looked up at him with a wan smile and a distant stare. “Sure, Cap! I’ma butterfly!” Japfey said, his eyes crossing slightly. “And I’m a lepidopterist.” Blaine chuckled. He focused on the blue fire, and heard seven separate gasps as everyone collectively drew a deep breath of astonishment. Japfey shook his head, and looked around him. “Cap? The fuck, Sir? What’s going on?” “I’ll let you read the report and watch your HUDvid, Corporal. After which, you will speak of it to nobody. Is that clear?” Blaine repeated. “Y-yessir! I’m just slightly confused- how did I get here, and how did you get better? I watched your drop, remember?” Japfey said, stunned. “Watch the HUDvids, Japfey.” Blaine said, wearily. “Satisfied, Captain Krinski?” “I’m… Yah, Captink. I ahm satisfiedt. Jhoo may leave unhinderdt, andt ooll here are svorn tooh secretsee, jah.” Anastasia said, still in shock. “But-” Constance began. “No… C’mon, Sis. There’s other ways.” Glam said, realizing that what Blaine had been saying about his life being in jeopardy wasn’t just idle chat. Glam guided Constance out, who was still struggling to keep Blaine in her sight. “But, Glamrica! He could… Stop, dammit! I can walk on my own, girl!” Constance protested. “Then DO SO! The Captain needs to leave, and get some rest on his own ship, for HIS safety!” Glam snapped at her, shoving her out of the room. “Jess… for jyur safety, Captink… Please return tooh zeh Aquila.” Anastasia said, suddenly realizing the implications as well. “Yess’m. Are any others of my crew on board, Captain Krinski?” Blaine asked, as an afterthought. “Jess. Narah Sihn arrived ziss mornink. She’s vell, just berry scaredt. Her Fadder didn’t make it tooh zeh Imperial Palace, and zerr is no vord on his veraboutz…” Anastasia said. “Vy? Vhat is zoh important about zhat?” She added as Blaine made a beeline for the door. “James.” Blaine said, walking out. He searched the Medical suites first, finding them full of injured personnel. His heart ached to help them, but he knew the cost was too high to do so. Moving quickly, he found Narah staring blankly at a wall in the second to last Medical suite on that wing of the bay. He touched her gently on the shoulder, and smiled when she turned to look at him. Narah jumped up and wrapped him in a hug, so quickly it startled him. She held him like a vise, and started to cry silently. Then, stepping back from him and letting go reluctantly, she voiced her desperate fears. “He’s missing, and nobody knows what happened! One minute they were flying along, and the next they just disappeared off of the comlsink and tracking scopes! Nobody has heard a single thing from them since, and no demands from any would-be kidnappers! It’s like they just…” Narah stumbled through, and sniffled. “Disappeared. I understand. Get me a suit, and a dropzone.” Blaine said, his eyes flashing reddish behind the normal soft brown. Narah didn’t argue, nor did she wait for confirmation of what she thought she’d just heard. Without a second’s breath, she was running full-out for the shuttle bay, and skidded to a halt at the S.U, Aquila, before smashing the code into the doorway keypad. She grabbed his rifle, a fresh Seraphim suit, and his sabre, before stopping momentarily to stare at the particle beam cannon on the floor. She shook her head, looked at it again, and then shook her head again, before rushing back out the door and barely stopping to close it again. Again, she tore off towards the Medical suite she had just left, and found Blaine staring at the same wall she had just been. “Uhh, Baby? I.. I’m not sure this is smart. I just… Maybe we should bring Rosey.” She said, looking at his feet, shamefully. “Maybe. Let’s not until we know. Where is Lisa, or Jupiter?” Blaine said. “Lisa is on board, with Hector. They should be in the Galley, right now.” She said. “Nav Officer Renhardt… She’s MIA, too!” “What? Wasn’t she flying the shuttle that brought me?” Blaine said, suddenly questioning just how long he’d been asleep. “Yeah, silly.. She… She went out after James and Daddy went missing, to try and find them. She’s a great pilot, but I don’t think she’s really qualified as a Spacejumper.” Narah said, hesitantly. “Can you take these? They’re getting heavy.” “Sorry.” Blaine said, taking the suit. “Then I'm going to need the Ortiz clan. Monster is always good to have in a fight. And Lisa can fly the shuttle and shoot, so we’re good for now.” “I’ll send her a.. Text?” Narah said, looking at him with a puzzled expression. “Yeah, a text would be a great idea.” Blaine confirmed, missing her query but answering it all the same. Narah stood in a corner with a qwikslate, typing like mad, while Blaine suited up minus the jetpack. This he carried with his rifle in one hand, and the sword in the other. Narah looked up from her qwikslate as he finished, and nodded. “Good. Let’s go shoot this goose, babe! I has a lot o’ questions what need answers.” Blaine said. Narah let out a short cackle, and smiled. “Yeah. Let’s shoot the goose! What’s a goose?” “Not important. C’mon…” Blaine said, putting an arm around her and guiding her towards the door. “Just what do you think you are doing, Captain?” Brashi’i said, standing in the doorway. “Where the absolute fuck did you appear from, and how do you guys keep doing that?! You and Jupiter both! And you, Narah! Just all of a sudden, Pop-goes-the-weasel, and you’re in my face!” Blaine said, finally letting vent to something that had been frustrating him for several weeks. “You really don’t know how well that neuro-link device works, do you? It literally retrained our bodies to walk much more quietly, after we took turns running through one of your sims. What do you think I was doing, when I was in the sim?” Brashi’i waved him off. “Well.. then you’re going to love learning this next trick… Love you!” Blaine kissed her on the cheek and Brashi’i promptly fell unconscious. “What was that? What did you just do to her?!” Narah squeaked, looking at the crumpled heap of woman on the floor. “Quickly, quickly… she’s not gonna be out for long…!” Blaine bustled her out the door. “But-” Narah said. “Goooo!” Blaine chided her. “It’s ‘the kiss of bliss’... a Martial arts technique I learned when I was a kid. She’s going to wake up in a few seconds!” “Fine! But don’t you ever-” Narah said, as he hustled her towards the Galley. “Shh! Hi! Yep! Just a human… Nothing to see here…” Blaine said, pushing her on, as people turned and stared at them. “Blaine… I’m not joking.” Narah said, stopping right in front of the Galley. “Neither am- OOF!” Blaine started to say, only to be lifted bodily from the floor by a hefty punch to his ribs. “What the fuck, you asshole! You just fucking punched a commanding officer in the chin, you human pile of gutless crap!” Brashi’i screamed from behind him as he collapsed. “dammit… Hi, Baby!” Blaine said, smiling through the pain. “Don’t you ‘Hi Baby’ me, you slippery fuck! Or I’ll punch something you can’t heal!” Brashi’i spat, turning blue as her rage welled within her. “Huuhhh…. GASP- I didn’t punch you… mmmnnngh… I pushed a vertebrae out of place, rendering you instantly unconscioussss… fuck! Why the ribs? Why always the ribs?!” Blaine said through tears and intense burning in his lungs, rolling slightly back and forth on the floor. “Whatever you did, IT FUCKING HURTS! You really thought I’d just let you walk out, no whatever and not a by-your-leave? You must be fucking crazy!” Brashi’i screamed, her fists still curled into tight balls and her face the image of twisted fury. “Yes. Precisely. Because, in fact, sweety… grunt… Enough time has already been wasted with being down. Which is why I’m not stopping, for fuck-all.” Blaine said, standing back up, still clenching his ribs. “And I’ll do it again, if you’re gonna try an’ stop me, Brash…” “Stop you? I just wanted to know what you were doing! Narah is on suicide watch until her father is located and retrieved. Or did you not know?” Brashi’i said, still snarling at him with intense venom. “Why would she want to kill herself? We’re literally going to get him?!” Blaine blurted out through the throbbing of his bruised ribs. “Why not say that, you stubborn fool! Why just knock me out, and run?” Brashi’i said, still breathing heavily. “Because..” Blaine wheezed, “I don’t have time for all of this crap!” “What the fuck is five more minutes gonna cost you?” Brashi’i spat. “Maybe my sister’s life, Brash. So, one more time… Get the ever loving fuck, out of my way!” Blaine said, finally catching his breath. Brashi’i said nothing, but stepped aside symbolically, using one hand to gesture forwards passed her. “Thank you! For Chrissake…” Blaine said loudly, and turned around to find Lisa and Hector staring at him, in utter amazement. “When and where, Caballero?” Lisa asked, seeing he was in no mood for small-talk. “Now. Shuttle.” Blaine said, nodding at Hector. Hector smiled and winked back. “On it, Cap!” Hector said, and dragged Lisa towards the shuttle bay. “Anything else, or can we go?” Blaine said, looking around at the crowd that was gathering to watch. With a lot of muttering and sheepish looks, people stepped back and made a thoroughfare for them, towards the shuttle bay. Blaine sighed, grabbed up his equipment, and walked the shame mile. Narah quickly caught up to him, and took his jetpack to carry for him. Blaine was grateful for the relief of pressure on his aching ribs. A shout sounded behind them, as Brashi’i vented her anger and strode into the Galley. “You ok? I heard the thump off that hit!” Narah said, trying to comfort him. “I’ll be fine! She used the wrong hand- probably the reason for the scream. Remind me to fix that for her if we make it back?” Blaine said, jokingly. “Yeah, right after I break my fist on her mouth.” Narah said, giggling. Blaine chuckled. “Damn, bloodthirsty, aren’t we?!” “Well, she did just try to stop us from getting my Dad. Thanks for not taking no for an answer, by the way…” Narah said, smiling at him. “I wouldn’t have, anyways. You know how I feel about our family… Now, imagine that I’ve felt that strongly about my sisters since we were little. You had nothing to fear… I was going with or without her permission.” Blaine said, and increased his pace. “So, this isn’t about my Dad?” Narah said, crestfallen. “I didn’t say that. I said that I have more than just him as personal investment, in this situation.” Blaine said. “Good save.” Narah said, smiling again. They walked onto the shuttle, and sat down, as Lisa negotiated their departure. This was made more complicated by the fact that they didn’t have any official orders or flightplan. Lisa finally got them clearance, by threatening diplomatic tensions between Humans and Vaalor. She turned off the comslink, and spoke solely to the four present. “We are flying into a shitstorm, with no backup, I’m pretty sure. Since that’s the case, I need to know, Cap- how much is this worth to you?” Lisa asked. Hector rolled his eyes, but stayed silent. “I’d shoot the President, to make it happen.” Blaine deadpanned. “My resolve knows no end.” “Ok… That’s good enough for me! Hang on… We’re in for a ride!” Lisa said, and dove for atmosphere. The walls of the shuttle began to heat up and glow, as they dropped through the atmosphere. Blaine felt as the shuttle began to shake from the buffeting, and Lisa pulled up on the yoke. “RRRrrr-you-son-of-a-bitch! Rah! Come about!” she grunted, as she pulled. The shuttle slowed, and started to become more aerodynamic. Lisa cruised to the coordinates that Narah gave her, and they came to a hover at 1500 feet. “We’re here…” Lisa said, and set the hover function to auto and stood up, stretching. Blaine stood up, and readied his rifle. Opening the door, he was met with a faceful of wind, and nearly sucked from the craft. He looked around at Lisa, with a smirk, and engaged his suit’s magnetic system. Looking back out the door, he asked, “You sure this is it? We’re a thousand feet up, at least!”
Lisa looked at him, and shook her head. “I can’t hear you!” “Helmets!” Blaine shouted, donning his. The rest of them pulled on their helmets, and the silence was shocking to behold. Everyone started talking at once. “We’re in the right area, right?” Blaine said. “Whoa, so quiet!” Narah said. “Middle of the fucking air! Narah!” Lisa shouted, crossing her arms. “God, thank you! I fucking hate HALO jumps!” Hector sighed. Unfortunately, all that was heard, was a cacophony of insane noise. “What?” everyone said at exactly the same time, which had the strange effect of sounding like a Beachfront quartet. This had the women giggling, and the men chuckling too! “Ok.. so… Are you sure this is the spot, Narah?” Blaine asked, as he got his mirth under control. “Yep. This is the marker from the computer. I didn’t change anything. We’re exactly where their beacon was last, before it disappeared. Lisa, spin us around slowly. Let’s get a good view of how this place looks.” Narah said, nodding. Lisa did as she was told, and sat back down in the pilot's seat. She disengaged the hover function, and started to rotate the craft. This caused the shuttle to slide forwards slightly, and suddenly the scenery changed. Instead of a windswept 1500 foot altitude without a bottom, they were a mere 50 feet up and maneuvering between trees in a tropical forest. “OH SHIT!” Lisa cursed, and quickly brought the yoke up as high as she could pull it without dislodging it. The shuttle shot straight up, and soon they were hovering over the top of the Amazon Rainforest on Earth, according to their instruments. More specifically, somewhere outside of Anza De Esparanza, Brazil. “What the… fack?” Blaine said, as a brightly colored Scarlet Macaw landed on the shuttle deck, and squawked at him. “Huh? Am I missing something?” Narah said. “Lisa, take us back! I need to check something!” Blaine said, a sudden realization dawning upon him. “Ohh, kay?” Lisa said, and hesitantly set the shuttle back towards its previously known position. They slowly maneuvered back through the trees, and then suddenly they were on Valhallah, again. Blaine smiled and shouted for joy, realizing the implications. “You wanna fill us in on what just happened, there? Or, should we just guess?” Lisa asked Blaine as Narah’s eyes got wide as saucers. “A laminar wormhole! A literal fucking laminar wormhole! BETWEEN EARTH AND VALHALLAH!” Blaine said, his face wreathed in smiles behind his visor. “Are you saying-” Lisa said, slowly catching on. “THAT THE LEGENDS ARE ALL REAL! THEY’RE HISTORY!” Blaine said, closing the door and smiling like a madman. “So, Thor, Meremere, and all that?” Lisa said, suddenly looking stunned. “Yeah, Thor, Moljnir, and all that!" Blaine confirmed. “So, if it’s a laminar wormhole, where is James, and where’s my Dad? Narah said, bringing everyone back to the reality before them. “They should be on one side, or the other. Your guess is as good as mine as to where. However, what’s bothering me, is why didn’t they just fly back through? James would have turned back!” Blaine said, at a loss for answers. “Just like you did. So.. Lisa? Take us back through, but keep the shuttle at 3000 feet, so that we can have time to deploy our wings.” Narah said, before sitting back down. “What’s on your mind, hun?” Blaine said, sitting down next to her. “Recon.” Narah said, stone faced. “Right. Well, where we came through at, I’m sure we hit a tree the first time. Perhaps we should start at the base?” Blaine suggested. “Good idea. Lisa, change of plans… I want you to get us as close to that tree we hit coming in, without landing right at its base, I want to make landfall.” Narah said. Lisa looked at Blaine. “What, you want permission?” Blaine said, smiling garishly at her. “Right. Back through. Don’t mind me if I change my pants afterwards! You SA’s are crasee!” Lisa said, and flew the shuttle back through the wormhole. “There’s a clearing over there… I’m gonna put down there.” “Ok, gear up, expect predators!” Blaine said, belting on his sword and grabbing his rifle. “What kinds?” Narah said. “Snakes, spiders, Caiman, Crocodiles, Jaguar, Ocelot, and Puma, to name a few. Big cats, and venomous snakes. Spiders as big as a dinner plate.” Blaine said. “I hate spiders, homie!” Hector said, staring at Blaine and turning pale as a sheet. “I fuckin’ hate ‘em!” “Then, keep your eyes peeled, don’t walk through any webs, and don’t panic if you see one. They’ll only chase you if you run.” Blaine assured him. “Ok… I’m good… Ok…” Hector said, nodding and psyching himself up. “Good. Don’t touch flowers. No matter how pretty.” He said, looking from Narah to Lisa. “Why?” Narah asked. “We’re in the rainforest. Everything here is trying to kill and eat something else. Nothing is safe. Even things that might seem so.” Blaine said, seriously. “Ok… So, what should we eat if we’re here for a while?” Narah said, being sensible about her questions. “Only what I hand you. Don’t eat or touch anything else, especially if it’s brightly colored.” Blaine warned her. “Why?” Narah asked. Blaine looked skywards for patience. Lisa came to his rescue. “Everyone knows bright colors mean venom or poison. Especially in the rainforest. With rare exception.” “Oh. You know, that’s not the case on Valhallah. Or my planet.” Narah said. “That’s why I asked.” “What’s your planet like, Narah?” Blaine said, trying to distract from the hike they were now embarking on. “Crazy enough, it’s a lot like yours. Just, venomous plants and animals are usually also trying to hide, whether predator or prey. Reds are normal. Yellows and greens, too. Most of the brightly colored plants only become so when fruiting. And most are not toxic. It takes an expert eye to be able to discern… What are you doing! You said not to eat anything brightly colored!” Narah suddenly shrieked, as Blaine peeled a banana. “Yes. I did. I also said don’t eat anything that I don’t give you. This, is a fruit known as a banana. It’s actually edible. Just, be careful when you pick them. See?” Blaine pointed to a large spider crawling across a banana leaf. “I’ll have to keep that in mind…” Narah said, as she stared at the slowly moving spider. “What’s that?” “One of the most deadly spiders known to mankind. Its bite would probably be harmless to you, but to us, it’s a very excruciating way to die, and very embarrassing as well. Basically….” Blaine said, before whispering in her ear. “Oh! That’s… both horrible and strangely … it kinda turns me on!” Narah said, smiling. “It’s not as nice as you think. It’d be like popping a bean, and never being able to rub it relaxed again, until you finally die from a heart attack. Us humans are naturally afraid of spiders, because of spiders like that.” Blaine said at length. “Yeah, sounds a lot worse when you say it like that.” Narah said, frowning. “Hey! That’s Archangel armor!” Blaine was suddenly right next to her, peering through the woods towards where she was pointing. A single scale stuck from a tree branch. Blaine looked down, and around the area across the ground. A large four-clawed bipedal print, told Blaine the worst was to fear. “Mahl.” Blaine said, as Lisa followed his gaze. “Oh, Christ!” Lisa said, terrified. “I thought they didn’t land on Earth?” “They didn’t, or these woods would be crawling with Brazilian and UN forces. No, this is a loner.” Blaine said, looking at the trail they left behind. “I’ll tell you this… James is being smart. She’s obviously being dragged. Your father is walking… With a limp, but walking.” He said, pointing to the trail leading from the tree through the underbrush. “How’s she being smart? She’s letting herself be dragged off by that brute! Why not just rip his arms off and beat him with them? She obviously can…” Narah pouted. “Precisely! She’s not! Which means there’s a good reason. Either she feels bested, or there’s a larger game afoot!” Blaine said, gritting his teeth and causing a vein to pop in his temple. “So, what do we do?” Narah asked. “Follow. In dead silence.” Blaine said, looking at her severely. Narah nodded, and followed him. They walked for the rest of the day, silent and slow. Blaine stayed in the lead, following the trail ahead. The Mahl stopped a couple of times, each time for water. They came finally to a tree, where the trail dead ended at it’s base. Blaine waited for the rest to catch up, and then smiled at Narah. Narah scowled at him puzzled at why he’d seem so happy at losing the trail. “Look up.” Blaine said quietly, grinning at Narah and the other two. A deep guttural growling roar, issued from a ball of fur halfway up the tree, sporting two others who were wearing Seraphim suits. “Hi, bonehead! I’m Blaine. You’ve got something that belongs to me. How’s about you give them back, and I don’t … make a mess…” Blaine said cheerily, smiling and waving to the Mahl. “GRRrrr, WHY SHOULD I?!” The Mahl said in a deep voice, which almost matched his growl. “Because! I’m allowing you to keep your arms. That’s more than she will do.” Blaine said, pointing to James. James smiled, and twisted around, grabbing the Mahl by his arm. “Ready, Freddy?” She snarled. “James! Wait-” Mordecai said, terrified. The Mahl made as if to bite her head off, and James changed. Her hair stood on end, and her face twisted grotesque. The Mahl stopped momentarily, looking at the savagely frothing woman in his claws, and suddenly had second thoughts about thinking her a mere weakling. That, didn’t matter, however. James ripped the Mahl’s head off of his shoulders, and spat down the creature’s esophagus. Then, they all came crashing out of the tree. Landing hard, Mordecai groaned as he lay still. James landed catlike, and ripped the offending Mahl’s bodily remains to dreg shreds, with her bare hands. Then, she roared, and passed out face first into the loamy soil of the rainforest floor. Blaine ran to Mordecai’s side, and looked him over. The elderly man had a broken wrist, and a large gash across his brow. Furthermore, he was completely unconscious. Blaine wasted no time, the blue flames glowing brightly in the failing light. Narah was at his side before he had finished, and watched, with tears in her eyes. “What about James?” Narah said, looking at Blaine as he finished and extinguished the blue fire. “Well…” Blaine said, and squatted next to her. He opened her eye, and checked the reactivity. He then became visibly worried. James wasn’t reactive at all. It was like her mind was empty. Like her soul had left her body. Blaine whimpered, as he held her hand to his lips. He looked around, like a scared child, and then closed his eyes. Blue light lit up the undergrowth, and blinded Lisa and Hector as they slowly walked closer. “SOB… GASP! Not yet, kiddo! Not yet!” Blaine’s voice could be heard from within the giant blue-white halo. “Please!” “Uhhn… Bean? Wha? OH! Fuck…” James’ voice could be heard saying. The light subsided and left Narah, Lisa, and Hector blinking furiously and rubbing their eyes. Blaine could be heard crying, as he hunched over, but nobody could see well enough to understand why for several minutes more. Then James slowly rolled over and stood up, weakly. “Bean… It’s ok… C’mon! We gotta go! It’s getting dark again!” She said, panic rising in her voice. “I…I-I thought… Yeah. Let’s go….” Blaine said, tears rolling down his cheeks. They ran flat out, for several minutes, before Blaine shouted at them. “STOP! We need to set camp! Don’t run in the woods at night!” “Scrape a clearing! I’ll get some firewood, and you, go get a bunch of banana leaves. You do know what those are, right Narah?” James said, helping as much as she could. “Yeah, I know what they are. I’ll be right back.” Narah said, and disappeared into the undergrowth. “Uhm.. Cap?... Do monkey’s eyes glow?” Hector said, as he stared into the gathering night. “No. Why, Monster? Find a monster?” Blaine said, and chuckled at his joke. “Nah, for reals, Cap! Look!” Hector said, pointing at two reddish orange orbs in the undergrowth. “Whoa! Hector! You found our monster, alright! It’s the apparatus that is creating the wormhole!” Blaine said, noticing where they were. “See? There’s the broken tree we hit earlier, Narah… Narah? Sweety?” Blaine looked around, worried. Then, he heard a muffled squeak which sounded oddly familiar. “I’m comin’ hun!” Blaine bellowed, and tore off through the cycads and the bromeliads. He found her being wrapped up by a massive anaconda, and drew his sword. Swinging deftly, he struck the creature clear to its spine with a fatal blow, directly behind the snake’s skull. He then roared mightily, as he peeled the massive jaws from Narah’s shoulder. Sobbing in terror and desperation of breath, Narah wriggled free of the snake’s coils, and slithered her way back several feet from it, wiping her skin like she was covered in some slimy sludge. Her heart raced, and she sobbed harder as she stared in terror at the thing that had just held her in its coils and tried to crush the life out of her. James ran up, and realized what had happened. She walked over to Narah and sweetly said to her as she helped her stand, “I’m so sorry! Come on! Let’s get you away from here!” The two quickly walked back to camp, James taking the chance to see to Narah’s wounds. Blaine sliced a huge chunk off of the snake, and carried it back to the fire he’d been starting just previously. Building up a pile of wood, he concentrated on the crimson and gold flames, and then the pile leaped to life with flames flickering merrily. The smell of cooking flesh, mixed with the day’s happenings, drew the six individuals to partake without argument or aplomb. Smiles were in short supply, but were certainly easier to manage with meat to fill their bellies. Narah was still clammy, and therefore wouldn’t let anyone touch her. Blaine made a joke about who would have died first, the snake or Narah, and Narah smiled at his attempt to cheer her up. “Maybe we should just sleep in the shuttle.” Blaine suggested. Nobody argued the logic, and so around an hour later, they were all back inside of the shuttle. They fell asleep, unaware of the several sets of beady little black eyes that watched them from the topiary level of the forest. Mahl clung to trees all around the clearing, hanging upside down from the vines and Burna trees. They didn’t make a sound, and simply watched until morning light, before disappearing into the jungle treetops, silent as a wraith. —----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Brashi’i sat with her thoughts, mulling over her feelings on the previous day's activity, and wondering about the man she’d let go. Had he left and simply decided to not come back? Or, was there another, more sinister reason for his absence? She sipped her strong drink, and sighed to herself. If he was gone, then he would move heaven and earth, to come back to them. That much, she was certain of. A voice like a thunderstorm, pulled her from her revelry. “Vhat troubles jhoo, Madam Zeal? “ Anastasia said, as she sat down next to Brashi’i. “Nothing, Anastasia. I’m fine.” Brashi’i replied, haggardly. “I’m just worried about my crew.” “Vee hafv naht oolvays seen eye tooh eye, Brashi’i. Zhat does naht mean zhat I do naht vorry, tooh. I hafv mine own reasons, tooh vhant Captink Preiss tooh return unharmedt, jah?” Anastasia said, winking at the bartender. “I understand. Still, I’d rather not talk about it, kay?” Brashi’i said, delicately. “Zhat is fine. I vos only tryink tooh be friendly, Madam Zeal.” Anastasia said, accepting her drink from the slightly surly bartender. “Tank jhoo, Frankie.” “I have no idea what happened to them, where they went, or how to get them back. They vanished in the same place exactly, as Ensign Price and the General.” Brashi’i muttered, as a patron walked passed them. “Jyur man…. Zeh Captink… He is naht a childt. He vill be fine. Jhoo vill see!” Anastasia reassured her. “I know… It still doesn’t make it easier. Enjoy your drink, Captain. Good night.” Brashi’i said, downing the rest of her drink and leaving.

Defying a last-minute appeal by former President Donald Trump, the Texas House voted overwhelmingly Saturday to impeach Attorney General Ken Paxton, suspending him from office over allegations of misconduct that included bribery and abuse of office.

The vote to adopt the 20 articles of impeachment was 121-23.
The stunning vote came two days after an investigative committee unveiled the articles — and two days before the close of a biennial legislative session that saw significant right-wing victories, including a ban on transgender health care for minors and new restrictions on public universities’ diversity efforts.
The vote revealed substantial divisions within the Republican Party of Texas — the largest, richest and most powerful state GOP party in the United States. Although the party has won every statewide election for a quarter-century and has controlled both houses of the Legislature since 2003, it has deep underlying fissures, many of them exacerbated by Trump’s rise and influence.
Few attorneys general have been as prominent as Paxton, who made a career of suing the Obama and Biden administrations. One of Trump’s closest allies in Texas, along with Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Paxton unsuccessfully sued to challenge the 2020 presidential election results in four states.
Attention now shifts to the Texas Senate, which will conduct a trial with senators acting as jurors and designated House members presenting their case as impeachment managers.
Permanently removing Paxton from office and barring him from holding future elected office in Texas would require the support of two-thirds of senators.
Impeachment was supported by 60 Republicans, including Speaker Dade Phelan and all five of the representatives from Collin County — where Paxton and his wife have lived for decades. All 23 votes in opposition came from Republicans.
Afterward, Paxton called the vote “illegal, unethical, and profoundly unjust,” adding that he looked forward to a quick resolution in the Senate.
The move to impeach came less than a week after the House General Investigating Committee revealed that it was investigating Paxton for what members described as a yearslong pattern of misconduct and questionable actions that include bribery, dereliction of duty and obstruction of justice. They presented the case against him Saturday, acknowledging the weight of their actions.
“Today is a very grim and difficult day for this House and for the state of Texas,” Rep. David Spiller, R-Jacksboro, a committee member, told House members.
“We have a duty and an obligation to protect the citizens of Texas from elected officials who abuse their office and their powers for personal gain,” Spiller said. “As a body, we should not be complicit in allowing that behavior.”
Paxton supporters criticized the impeachment proceedings as rushed, secretive and based on hearsay accounts of actions taken by Paxton, who they said was not given the opportunity to defend himself to the investigating committee.
“This process is indefensible,” said Rep. John Smithee, R-Amarillo, who complained that the vote was taking place on a holiday weekend before members had time to conduct a thorough review of the accusations. “It concerns me a lot because today it could be General Paxton, tomorrow it could be you and the next day it could be me.”
Saturday’s vote temporarily removes a controversial but influential Republican figure in Texas and nationally. He has led an office that initiated lawsuits that overturned or blocked major Biden and Obama administration policies, particularly on immigration; sought to reverse Trump’s electoral defeat in 2020; aggressively pursued voter fraud claims; and targeted hospitals that provided gender care to minors.
The Legislature had impeached state officials just twice since 1876 — and never an attorney general — but the House committee members who proposed impeachment argued Saturday that Paxton’s misconduct in office was so egregious that it warranted his removal.
“This gentleman is no longer fit for service or for office,” said committee member Rep. Ann Johnson, D-Houston. “Either this is going to be the beginning of the end of his criminal reign, or God help us with the harms that will come to all Texans if he's allowed to stay the top cop on the take, if millions of Texans can’t trust us to do the right thing, right here, right now.”
Rep. Charlie Geren, R-Fort Worth, a member of the investigative committee, used his presentation time to criticize Paxton for calling representatives as they worked on the House floor to “personally threaten them with political consequences in the next election” if they supported impeachment.
Speaking against impeachment, Rep. Tony Tinderholt, R-Arlington, called the process “wrong.”
“Don’t end our session this way. Don’t tarnish this institution,” Tinderholt said. “Don’t cheapen the act of impeachment. Don’t undermine the will of the voters. Don’t give Democrats another victory handed to them on a silver platter.”
The vote came as hardline conservatives supportive of Paxton’s aggressive strategy of suing the Biden administration were lining up in support of him. Trump — a close political ally to Paxton — blasted the impeachment proceedings as an attempt to unseat “the most hard working and effective” attorney general and thwart the “large number of American Patriots” who voted for Paxton.
Trump vowed to target any Republican who supported impeaching Paxton, adding after the vote: “What is our Country coming to?” In the evening, he called Abbott “missing in action,” asking followers on his Truth Social network, “Where is the Governor of Texas on his Attorney General’s Impeachment?”
As lawmakers listened to the committee members make their case, Paxton took to social media to boost conservatives who had come to his defense, including Trump, U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Georgia, and conservative radio host Grant Stinchfield, who tweeted, “Kangaroo Court in Texas.”
About 90 minutes into the debate, the official Twitter account of the Texas attorney general’s office began tweeting at members of the committee to challenge some of the claims being made.
“Please tell the truth,” the agency’s account said.
Under the Texas Constitution, Paxton is suspended from office pending the outcome of the Senate trial. The Senate had recessed before the House voted to impeach, and Patrick, who presides over the Senate, did not immediately respond to a request for comment about a timeline for an impeachment trial.
Because Paxton was impeached while the Legislature was in session, the Texas Constitution requires the Senate to remain in Austin after the regular session ends Monday or set a trial date for the future, with no deadline for a trial spelled out in the law.
The constitution also allows the governor to appoint a provisional replacement. Gov. Greg Abbott had not weighed in on the calls to impeach Paxton and his office did not immediately respond to a request for comment Saturday.
Impeachment represents the greatest political threat to date for Paxton, who has been reelected twice despite a 2015 indictment for felony securities fraud and an ongoing federal investigation into allegations of official misconduct that began in 2020.
The impeachment vote capped a tumultuous week at the Capitol. From Tuesday to Thursday:
Paxton abruptly accused Phelan of presiding over the chamber while drunk and demanded that he resign.
The House General Investigating Committee revealed it had been investigating Paxton in secret since March.
The committee heard a three-hour presentation from its investigators detailing allegations of corruption against the attorney general.
The committee’s three Republicans and two Democrats voted to forward 20 articles of impeachment to the full House.
Paxton, who was comfortably elected to a third term last year, made a rare appearance before assembled reporters Friday to criticize the process, saying he was not given a chance to present favorable evidence. He called impeachment an effort by Democrats and “liberal” Republicans to remove him from office, violating the will of voters and sidelining an effective warrior against Biden administration policies.
“The corrupt politicians in the Texas House are demonstrating that blind loyalty to Speaker Dade Phelan is more important than upholding their oath of office,” Paxton said. He added, “They are showcasing their absolute contempt for the electoral process.”
Many of the articles of impeachment focused on allegations that Paxton had repeatedly abused his powers of office to help a political donor and friend, Austin real estate developer Nate Paul.
In fall 2020, eight top deputies in the attorney general’s office approached federal and state investigators to report their concerns about Paxton’s relationship with Paul.
All eight quit or were fired in the following months, and most of the details of their allegations against Paxton were revealed in a lawsuit by four former executives who claim they were fired — in violation of the Texas Whistleblower Act — in retaliation for reporting Paxton to the authorities. Paxton’s bid to dismiss the lawsuit is awaiting action by the Dallas-based 5th Court of Appeals.
According to the lawsuit, the whistleblowers accused Paxton of engaging in a series of “intense and bizarre” actions to help Paul, including intervening in an open-records case to help Paul gain documents from federal and state investigations into the real estate investor’s businesses. They also accused Paxton of directing his agency to intervene in a lawsuit between Paul and a charity, pushing through a rushed legal opinion to help Paul avoid a pending foreclosure sale on properties and ignoring agency rules to hire an outside lawyer to pursue an investigation helpful to Paul’s businesses.
In return, the whistleblower lawsuit alleged, Paul paid for all or part of a major renovation of a home Paxton owns in Austin. Paul also helped Paxton keep an extramarital affair quiet by employing the woman Paxton had been seeing, the lawsuit said, adding that the attorney general may also have been motivated by a $25,000 contribution Paul made to Paxton’s campaign in 2018.
In their report to the House General Investigating Committee on Wednesday, the panel’s investigators concluded that Paxton may have committed numerous crimes and violated his oath of office.
Investigators said possible felonies included abuse of official capacity by, among other actions, diverting staff time to help Paul at a labor cost of at least $72,000; misuse of official information by possibly helping Paul gain access to investigative documents; and retaliation and official oppression by firing employees who complained of Paxton’s actions to the FBI.
The articles of impeachment accused Paxton of accepting bribes, disregarding his official duties and misapplying public resources to help Paul.
The articles also referred to felony charges of securities fraud, and one felony count of failing to register with state securities officials, that have been pending against Paxton since 2015, months after he took office as attorney general. The fraud charges stem from Paxton’s work in 2011 to solicit investors in Servergy Inc. without disclosing that the McKinney company was paying him for the work.
The impeachment articles also accused Paxton of obstruction of justice by acting to delay the criminal cases with legal challenges and because a Paxton donor pursued legal action that limited the pay to prosecutors in the case, causing further delays “to Paxton’s advantage.”
Taken in total, the accusations showed a pattern of dereliction of duty in violation of the Texas Constitution, Paxton’s oaths of office and state laws against public officials acting against the public’s interest, the impeachment resolution said.
“Paxton engaged in misconduct, private or public, of such character as to indicate his unfitness for office,” the articles said.
An attorney general had never before been impeached by the Legislature, an extraordinary step that lawmakers have reserved for public officials who faced serious allegations of misconduct. Only two Texas officials have been removed from office by Senate conviction, Gov. James Ferguson in 1917 and District Judge O.P. Carrillo in 1975.
If Paxton is to survive, he will need to secure the support of 11 senators. With the 12 Democratic senators likely to support his removal, any votes for acquittal would need to come from the 19 Republican members.
Several Republican senators issued statements Saturday evening warning constituents and others that their role as jurors in the upcoming impeachment trial prohibited them from discussing the case. In a television interview Thursday, Patrick said merely that he believed senators would be responsible jurors and “do their duty.”
A complicating factor is Sen. Angela Paxton, R-McKinney, Paxton’s wife. State law requires all senators to attend an impeachment trial, though whether she will recuse herself from voting is unclear.
Paxton’s political base lies in the far-right faction of the Republican Party, where he has positioned himself as a champion of conservative causes and a thorn in the side of Democratic President Joe Biden. Paxton has criticized his opponents as RINOs (Republicans in name only) who “want nothing more than to sabotage our legal challenges to Biden’s extremist agenda by taking me out.”
He also retained the backing of the state Republican Party, led by former state Rep. Matt Rinaldi, who frequently attacks Republicans he considers to be insufficiently conservative. On Friday, Rinaldi said the impeachment was Phelan’s fault for allowing Democrats to have too much influence in the House.
“The impeachment proceedings against the attorney general are but the latest front in the Texas House’s war against Republicans to stop the conservative direction of her state,” Rinaldi said in a statement.
Paxton also has maintained a close relationship with Trump and filed an unsuccessful U.S. Supreme Court challenge to the 2020 presidential election. Paxton also spoke at Trump’s rally in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021, shortly before the president’s supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol.
Ken Paxton has plagued Texas for far too long. I'm glad to see a modicum of justice being done.

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What are the drug tests like from pre-screening, to Academy and with randoms? I'm not a "user". I don't condone drug use, but I am on a small dose prescription medication that only shows on 16 panel tests and higher, or if ordered for as a separate test. When looking at the list of common drugs tested for, it's last on the list of substances they care to look into. I don't want to share what the medication is. It is Not labeled "may cause drowsiness" or "should not operate machinery" etc. BUT if I share that I take the medication, I may be denied/DQ'd (they will likely say it's a liability for firearm training or something of the sort). Or I could share that I take the medication, and they may not even test for it anyways (inadvertently shooting myself in the foot). This puts me in a real pickle. I don't want to disqualify myself for no reason. If they do test for Everything, then I need to work out a plan to get off my medication. My question is: Please, what are the urine analysis tests like for pre-screening, during Academy and other randoms? Do they test for Absolutely Everything under the sun? Or standard 5-8 panel tests? I feel I could end my career before it starts by being "too honest". Please help!