The Apex Squad(Wistful Beast and Urbane Heart)

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Wistful Beast

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"Sabra Draken. Squad 172."A clear voice called out.

Hearing her name being announced, Sabra committed the squadron number to memory and looked up to see a tall, thin man in formal military attire. He was currently calling out the names of soldiers and where they were being reassigned to. The blandly decorated room she stood in was occupied by dozens of soldiers who awaited their names, wondering anxiously where they'd be placed. Sabra held a duffel bag loosely in one hand, the bag possessing her few belongings. She currently wore informal garb, donning simple black and white camouflage cargo pants, tall combat boots, and a black tank top. Her brown hair was unkempt and done up its usual mohawk fashion.

Sabra began to pick her way through the crowd to leave, having recieved her new squad number. Pushing open a door, she was assualted by the cool air of the hall way. She was currently in the large base facility where a private U.S military cooperation currently resided. The location was confidential, but was somewhere in the Middle East around Turkey to better access enemy troops. Despite the fact that the base was near danger, it was far away enough for them to be in neutral territory. The building provided refuge from the oppressive sun rays. This area was generally close to the Mediterranean Sea, allowing access to water as well as rocky hills covered in sparse grass and vegetation. Outside there was also a sprawling training ground with obstacle courses and shooting ranges.

Sabra passed a few fellow soldiers in the wide corridor, the heels of her boots lightly clicking upon the tile floor underfoot. She headed in the direction of where she believed squadron 172 resided. Soon enough she discovered a wooden door marked with that same number. Under this was the black and white outline of a wolf's head, it's mouth contorted into a fierce snarl. "The Alpha Wolves" was the simple label under the symbol, allowing Sabra to know the sigil of the squadron. She had originally come from the Golden Eyed Hawks, having been one of their sharp shooters. After a year, she had bonded with some of the members, making this transition a tad bit unsavory. Sabra was bound to her duty and would move squadrons if asked, and she had been.

After quietly collecting her thoughts, Sabra opened the door and entered. Being quite observant, the first thing she did was scan the room. She saw a row of bunk beds with simple green covers and thin mats as mattresses, the beds pushed up against a concrete, windowless wall. Above the first of the bunk beds was the same wolf symbol she had seen at the door, making it obvious that a high ranked squadron member slept there. Inside the room were a few young men and women. They wore casual garb and either sat at their bunks and conversed, read, or slept. A few were even drawing and writing letters to family, phones being rather limited as of late.

A few looked up to Sabra when she entered, offering curious stares. One man with a buzz cut and an imposing figure rose from his seat on a bottom bunk and said, "Welcome to the Alpha Wolves, squad 172. That's your bunk there on the top. Here we expect obedience and behavior and not being a total dick. Tell me, what's your name?"

Sabra wasn't the most talkative of people when it came to casual banter, since she was more of a listener, but she still answered. "Sabra Draken, sir."she replied simply, looking up at him with a neutral expression.

"Nice to meet you, Draken. I'm Thomas Bane, or just Bane for short. I run this squad here and suggest you settle in before you meet my crew here."Bane said. It wasn't a suggestion, it was a clear command and Sabra could easily interpret this.

Deciding to avoid trouble, Sabra looked to the wall opposite of the beds and saw a row of lockers where soldiers kept their equipment, clothing, and other belongings. Fishing around for the combination she had been given earlier, she found it in the confines of her pocket and read it mentally. Then she opened up her locker and unpacked her clothing, setting it neatly on the attached shelf. She set two pistols inside along with some ammunition and lose knives. Next came the item that took up the most space in her bag. Sabra pulled out her Baset r93 sniper rifle, causing a few squadron members to whistle to show their admiration. "We got ourselves a sniper here."one commented, receiving additional remarks from others.

Sabra ignored them, finding no reason to confirm the obvious. She locked her sniper away, keeping a book out. In hand was an old fantasy novel that had been well used, some pages dog eared or dotted with light stains. The red binding was nearly falling apart, but otherwise the literature was intact. Sabra shoved her heel onto the rung of the short ladder attached to her assigned bunk, pulling herself onto the top bed. She sat upright, leaning her back against the cold, concrete wall. After a morning of conditioning, she was more than ready to relax for a while. Soldiers still conversed below, some seated in old couch seats that had been placed in one of the empty spots in the room. Sabra ignored their talking, not ready to be social at the moment.

Looking up from her now opened book, Sabra watched as a tall, blonde woman entered next. She was greeted in a similar fashion by Bane and assigned to the bed under Sabra. She realized she hadn't lucked out and received a bunk of her own, now having to share it with another. Sabra still felt slightly fortunate, as she had taken the top bunk. Sabra preferred higher vantage points, making the top bunk more suitable for her.
 
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Sabine had her head posted up by an arm as she awaited her name. Earlier she had thought she heard her name but it was some other girl instead. She sort of hoped they wouldn't be in the same unit otherwise things would get a little confusing. Sabra... was it? You remove the -ra and add an -ine and much confusion would be had. She had green camouflage pants tucked into a pair of black combat boots, wearing a gray tanktop since she had nobody to impress in this compound. It wasn't like back her days with the US Military where she had to be professional 100% of the time. Uniforms, protocols, and the lot. Sabine understood their existence but here she didn't have to worry as much. Off-duty, operators could wear whatever they wanted, which was something Sabine enjoyed. The freedom of choice in terms of equipment was also a huge plus, but Sabine stuck to what she was familiar with and stayed with her own M4A1. Reliable, accurate, and deadly, just the way she liked her guns. One other thing she liked about being with the Apex Company was that everyone was from different backgrounds here. She knew people from the SAS, JTF-2, Navy Seals, Green Berets, and all sorts of military forces. Sabine liked to keep her military background to herself, but it was clear she was American, but was she a SEAL? A Ranger? Nobody would know.

"Sabine Fox. Squad 172." A voice bellowed from within.

Squad 172... that was the Alpha Wolves. She had heard of their operations before, and they seemed like a tight-knit group before the botched operation a few months ago that caused the loss of a few of their men. She figured that Sabra woman that went before her was also going to replace a lost man. What was her purpose within the squad though? Sabine knew that she was a rifleman, but really she was a swingman. If the squad needed her to fill in another spot then she would be more than happy to do so. Sabine's best guess was that this Sabra girl was a sniper, based on the way she carried herself. Quiet, but deadly. Her olive green duffel bag was picked up and slung over her shoulder as she proceeded down the hallway. If one were to look at her, they would just see a stone-cold blonde with eyes that looked like they could bore boulder sized holes into you. Her hair was down for once in her life, covering her shaved sides as she searched for her new home.

Locating the squad was a very easy task, considering that their logo was sprawled on the wooden door, underneath the unmistakable number of '172'. Sabine only took a deep breath before taking a deep breath and opening the door, walking into a room full of hardened soldiers who knew what they were doing here. As she walked in, a man came up to greet her. One with a buzzcut and a face that had seen more than anyone could fathom. From what Sabine could see before her greeter came up to her, there were a few girls in this squad. Women in this company were welcomed big time, valued just as much as their male counterparts. The man introduced himself, Sabine only remembering the name Bane as that was what she would be calling him from here on out.

"I'm Sabine Fox. Pleasure to meet you." The operator said, before shaking Bane's hand and being shown around. Everyone seemed laid back here, sleeping, chatting, reading, or just relaxing in general. However, despite Sabine knowing that everyone was too preoccupied to notice her, she knew that eyes were on her. This woman was coming in as a replacement, so obviously she had quite a few standards to live up to. Sabine came prepared though, nobody needed to worry.

The blonde was directed to make herself comfortable and settle in before she did anything else, which was what Sabine was planning to do already. There were more eyes on her as she stepped away from Bane, including Bane's eyes as well. She already knew what people were thinking. What equipment did she carry? Does she really deserve to be here? Is she worth giving my life for? All those questions wouldn't be answered until their first operation together, but Sabine knew she had a lot to live up to.

She immediately located her locker, where she called upon her mind to find the combination she memorized earlier. A few seconds fiddling the lock later, and she was in. Her duffel bag was was gently dropped as she unzipped it, pulling out her Sig Sauer and placing it in the appropriate slot before she pulled out her signature M4A1. Sabine had definitely invested quite the amount of money in it, being outfitted with things like an EoTech EXPS3-4 with a G33.STS Magnifier, a Magpul Grip, and all that fancy stuff. She heard a few whistles but she just put her gun away in the locker, before pulling out the last gun she packed which was an Mk14 Mod 1 for more long distance purposes. The Mk14 Mod 0 had an entire set up already on it, so when things got too far for comfort, that was Sabine's go to weapon. The operator finally finished up putting her stuff away, putting the empty bag inside and locking the locker.

Sabine went to her bunk with the intention of relaxing, seeing that there was another girl on top. She did look familiar... it was Sabra, wasn't it? The girl with a similar name to her? As if having a similar name wasn't bad enough they'd be in the same bunk. Luckily they did have different last names so they would be easier to differentiate. Sabine wanted to introduce herself, but she was probably into that book of hers. Sabine wasn't much of a reader, so she would probably just relax and maybe take a quick nap or something as she lied down on the bed. Sabine sighed heavily as she finally settled in, thanking whatever entity was up there that she got the bottom bunk. The bottom was always cooler.
 
Sabra listened to the talking around her even though her eyes were trained on the small, black font scrawled across the weathered yellow pages in front of her. The woman's name was Sabine, which was too close to Sabra's own name. She groaned internally, expecting a future of being misnamed due to the presence of this other woman in the squadron. Peeking upwards from her book, Sabra couldn't help but watch Sabine put her belongings in her locker. Like the other members of this squad, she was curious to see what type of woman this Sabine was based upon what weapons she used. Sabra soon discovered that this Sabine was a rifleman, having pulled an M4A1 from her bag.

Sabra had a general distaste for anything that wasn't a sniper rifle, but she could manage to silently admire this weapon. She was more pleased by the extra equipment, as it allowed more distance. However, of course Sabra still found her Baset r93 to be more useful than any other rifle type, as she enjoyed distance, power, and accuracy. Sabra's primary weapon accommodated such desires, but her reliance upon the weapon often made close range combat more difficult. Sure she had learned to use her sniper while standing or moving if required, but it was hardly convenient in a chaotic situation where there were enemies that were too close to her. She would soon have to learn to work in smaller areas through training, as this program focused more on well rounded soldiers. However, soldiers were still hailed for the work they did with specific weapons depending on the task at hand.

Out of the corner of her eye, Sabra noticed that Sabine had retreated to the bottom bunk now. Sabra was fine with this situation, in little mood to go around and introduce herself to everyone. Too bad it didn't matter what she wanted to do or not right now, since the Alpha Wolves members were already whispering amongst each other and eying up the two newer women. Bane spoke up first from where he had sat on one of the couches, his almost seven foot tall figure allowing him to have authority even when sitting. "So, ladies. I know you're new to this squadron and I'm unsure of what your old squads were like, but in this squadron, we are actually polite. Why don't you two come here and at least become acquainted with the group."he said, voice showing again that this was an order instead of a mere suggestion.

Sabra raised her gaze from the pages of her book again, stifling a rude facial expression. She was not keen on going down and being all buddy buddy with her new squad members. Sabra did her duty and did her very best and believed that was all she should have to do. Sure she had accumulated a few friends from her old squad, but that didn't mean she had gained them easily of quickly. It took her a bit more time to warm up to others since she was a generally reserved person, preferring to observe and listen instead of speaking. If she did speak, she mostly used sarcasm or shorter remarks. Sabra didn't sugar coat or hop around any topics, being one to express how she felt. Sabra had only stifled her displeasure now since it wasn't the wisest to get on everyone's bad side this early in her transition into another group.

So Sabra closed her book wordlessly and shoved it underneath her pillow. Then she swung her legs over the side of the bed and hopped down, landing lightly and carefully. Walking towards Bane, the man offered a tight smile and gestured to an open couch. The old couch was red and leather, it's surface ripped in a few places to show deep yellow stuffing. Sabra sat down carefully at one end of the couch, casting glances at another that occupied the other end. It was a relatively short woman with deep brown hair that cascaded down her shoulders. "Hey, newbie. The name's Tris."she easily introduced herself, extending a hand across the couch to shake. Sabra reached out with a short moment of hesitation, taking the hand firmly and shaking once before releasing. "Sabra Draken."she replied, short and to the point as usual.

The woman seemed a bit off put by Sabra's directness, but shook it off. Sabra sat on the couch with her back straight and arm resting on the arm rest, posture suggesting that she thought highly of herself. Bane gestured for the Sabine woman to sit next to Sabra. Sabra was too focused on observing the others that lounged around. There were about fourteen of them total. There was Bane, Sabra, Sabine, Tris, and quite a few others that either sat at the couches or were resting in their beds. Among them was a lanky, blonde haired man that introduced himself as Hans. Next to him on the couch across from Sabra were two other young men, one stocky with red hair and a matching beard, and other a bear of a man with a warm smile and kind brown eyes. None stood out too much, save for one young man who sat on the top bunk above the couches. He was currently sharpening a large knife, the metal hissing as he dragged the sharpener across the metal surface. "Hooray. More assholes to replace the ones that kicked the bucket."he grumbled, receiving many glares from that remark.

While Sabra didn't find the refusal to be subordinate very amusing, the man's courage was admirable to a degree. "At least they died heroically before they reached the point of bitterly mocking the deaths of others."Sabra spoke up suddenly, the focus now on her. She cracked a half smile, revealing that she had one single metal canine. The others weren't sure of how to react to the remark, half glad that someone scolded the man and half surprised that she had finally said something. Bane raised an eyebrow and the man that had been sharpening the knife, Toby, grunted angrily and cast Sabra a seething look.
 
Sabine raised an eye as the big man in front of them ordered them to get themselves acquainted with the squad. The rifleman only shrugged as she sat up, waiting for the girl above to clamber on down before Sabine departed from the bed herself. Back in her old squad, she was the best of buddies with her teammates. That was until they were disbanded and relocated to other units. It seemed that there were enough of them to fit into one unit each. She knew nobody in this unit and that was going to be a little bit frightening. However, she needed to make sure she was on everyone's good side by the time they embarked on their first operation. Out on the battlefield, everyone was a brother with the goal to make sure that the person next to you made it home in one piece. That was one of the things that was heavily emphasized in her time with the US Military before she left. Sabine put a hand on the metal frame above her, pulling herself up and letting Sabra walk past her before following behind her. This girl in front of her had an aura of mystery surrounding her, which intrigued the rifleman rather heavily.

As another lady greeted Sabra, a big bear of a man greeted Sabine, extending his absolutely Hulk-like hand as a friendly gesture to Sabine. "The name's Brian, but everyone here calls me Big Brown." He indicated, pointing to his eyes. "And you are?" Sabine looked the man over. He had this friendly aura around him, despite being in a line of work like this. She liked this man, he was probably real friendly and hard to piss off. Probably handled some seriously heavy weaponry. "Sabine, Sabine Fox." She smiled warmly, shaking his hand. Firm grip. If Big Brown had squeezed her hand any harder she might've lost her hand already. Thank goodness he was on their side. The other short lady was named Tris, but that was the most she knew. She only knew like four people.

None of the other people in her squad seemed eager to greet her. That was fine. The squad was currently going through a tough time and they weren't too happy to meet the replacements to their fallen comrades. Sabine understood their pain, so she took a seat on the couch, leaning back in it and looking at everyone else. She took one quick glance at Sabra, who sat up straight and carried herself like she was worth it. Maybe she was one of those arrogant types? Hopefully she wasn't an asshole. Nobody liked an asshole. Although... Sabra did have the sweetest hairstyle she had ever seen so far.

Her train of thought was derailed as she heard some guy comment on their arrival, the look on Sabine's face not too approving as she sank back in her seat. She didn't want to say anything to piss off anyone. Sabra apparently had a different idea in mind. As she made that remark, Sabine widened her eyes and stifled a giggle before seeing Sabra's metal canine. That was something that fascinated the rifleman. What on Earth happened to that woman in order to get herself something like that? And why only the canine? That was some attack dog stuff. There was clearly a lot to this woman, she wanted to find out more but she wasn't exactly the friendliest person in this squad. But to be fair, nobody could beat Big Brown. Big Brown just radiated friendliness.

Sabine then drifted off to the subject of fireteams. Where would she end up? Basing on Sabra's personality, she was most likely a sniper. A good one at that to carry herself that way. Sabine herself didn't mind wherever she went. She was a utility operator. On paper she was a rifleman, but really she could act as demolitions, support, recon, etc. There was an endless possibility to what she could do. Bane was the pointman for sure, most likely for the primary fireteam too. Big Brown was probably more of the heavy duty stuff. He probably carried around all the heavy stuff and did all the big boy stuff the rest of the team couldn't do.

The swingman once again caught herself staring at Sabra. The woman was just so intriguing, and she had no idea why. The metal canine, the hair-do. All that stuff. Who exactly was this Sabra girl? The awkward aura in the room acted as a huge detriment to anyone opening their mouth. Sabine took a deep breath and sighed. "Sabra, I don't mean to be rude... but what's the story behind that metal canine? That thing is pretty sweet..." Sabine asked, hearing a few 'hmphs' in agreement.
 
Sabra exchanged cold looks with the young man perched atop his bunk. The man seemed taken aback that a new squad member had dared to call him out, irked by the defiance and confidence. He was already silently hoping for this young woman's downfall, grunting quietly and sharpening his blade with twice the vigor. Triumphantly, Sabra allowed signs of victory to show through the glimmer in her eyes.

"Don't mind, Toby. He's sort of a douche when it comes to coping with losses."Tris commented on the sly to Sabra.

Sabra looked over and looked to Tris, showing she heard what the other woman had said. However, she made no attempt at a verbal response. She seemed to be thinking though, processing this information. Sabra didn't know much of Toby, but this was a start. She knew he reacted negatively to the new squad members and joked about the loss, suggesting he would make Sabra and Sabine's life more troublesome. It was especially unwise for Sabra to have made that biting remark, but sge had little regrets for her actions and had said what she felt was needed to say.

It wad only a matter of time until someone noticed her metal canine tooth. Sabra turned her head to get a better look at the woman who had breached the question. It was the Sabine woman, the one with the rifle and the bunk under Sabra. Sabra carefully observed the speaker, taking in her tall figure and a body build that suggested strengtg and experience through training. Blonde hair cascaded from this woman's head, illuminated by the florescent lights hanging above. Having made a decent observation, Sabra decided it was best to answer the question and get it over with. She knew well that not answering would only lead to her being pestered at a later date since quite a few people seemed intrigued my the dental oddity.

Sabra looked around replied simply with, "I lost my canine tooth after a ratger devasting punch from an enemy I was grappling with. Sure I took care of them, bit afterwards I needed a new tooth. There wad a lack of dental supplies at camp, only a spare metal tooth for the attack dogs."

"So, out of joke and necessity, I was given a metal canine as a replacement."she finished.

Sabra had gone over this short story enough to know that others woupd want another peek. To avoid being asked many times, Sabra again took another step in advance. Pulling up her lip, she exposed the sharp, metallic fang of sorts that had been surgically attached within her gums. It allowed her to eat as normal with even a more improved ability to tear, not that she needed it much. However, Sabra found that when grappling if needed that same tooth could tear flesh pretty easily since it was fashioned to improve the already lethal german shepherd dogs. Sabra wasn't too ashamed of her peculiar tooth replacement, finding it to even be fierce. While not ashamed, she did feel Inconvenienced by all of the questioning she received due to it. If Sabra was actually social, the tooth may have been a decent conversation starter.

Tris seemed amused, offering a light chuckle. "That's rather amusing. So shall I call you doggy, Ms. Draken?"she teased casually.

"That isn't the most favorable of nicknames, but I've had worse."Sabra said, not taking the time or breath to actually back up her claim.

Tris rolled her eyes, seeming even more amused by how serious Sabra appeared to be. Leaning back into the couch she decided aloud, "I shall call you Doggy now."

Sabra snorted lightly, receiving a raised eyebrow from Bane and another chuckle from Tris. Sabra was already uncomfortable thanks to being a replacement for deceased squad members, but the remarks and teasing were already increasing her discomfort.
 
Sabine didn't know what to do with herself as she made eye contact with Sabra. The woman really did have a stare that could go through people, and go on for thousands and thousands of miles. Was she examining her? She probably was. It was only natural for someone like her, who was completely new. Sabine was a considerable amount taller than the lady she slept under, but that didn't mean Sabra was a bad soldier. If she was here, she was likely an excellent operator. Everyone here had talents that were showcased in this environment. Their home army wasn't a proper place for them, which was why everyone here was at the top of their games. And people opposing nations even worked together like they were brothers their entire life. It was a beautiful sight to see, the one where all soldiers cooperated and treated one another like brothers despite their nationality. Stuff like that was out the window when they were all working towards one common goal.

As Sabra further elaborated on the backstory behind her canine, more insight was offered into the background of this mysterious girl. She must've been in quite a scuffle for something like that to happen, but yet she came out on top. She wasn't afraid to get rough when things got too close for comfort. That was something that was essential for a soldier in this sort of environment. This was a military all-star team. As she continued on with the story, she started to become more curious as how Sabra held up in a hostile environment. She must've been really good at what she did. Although, Sabine had never heard her name before despite her time here. Maybe she was new? Or maybe she just wasn't listening carefully enough. Sabine did faintly recall seeing her once or twice once she really thought about it, but she dismissed that once again.

The fact that Sabra had a metal tooth proved to be something really scary. One bite could probably tear a good part of someone's arm off with proper force. It was definitely like one of an attack dog, but why? Why this metal canine? And why did in god's name did someone decide to put that in Sabra's mouth? That must've felt weird, and she must've tasted metal the whole time. Sabine felt sort of sorry for Sabra who had to live with this, but she was sure she was used to it by now. She didn't want to pry further, Sabra seemed to get more and more uncomfortable the more people stared at it. The fact that Tris was starting to push some buttons really didn't help. Didn't want to provoke someone like Sabra. Although, Doggy was a pretty good nickname.

Before things got any worse, Sabine jumped into the fray of the conversation to make sure Sabra didn't end up demonstrating the full potential of her metal canine. "So... what's everyone's background, if you guys would like to share? I'll start."

Sabine looked around and noticed that all eyes were on her, "I'm American, I'm not specifying from where, but on paper I'm a rifleman, but I can be utilized for any purpose." She looked at Bane, the squad leader to confirm this. He only gave her an approving look.

Big Brown jumped in, "I'm Canadian, JTF-2, I handle the heavy things." That might've explained his warm and kind demeanor, living up to the stereotype of his people.
 
Sabra felt a sense of relief when Sabine changed the subject and freed her from further harassment. Of course Sabra could handle teasing and defend herself, but her methods of defense were usually frowned upon and therefore it was wise that her new squad didn't see what happened when she was irritated. Sabra wasn't one to hold back, which usually made any insults or defensive remarks from her rather intense. Her new squad members would learn soon enough that it was best not to push her until she was somewhat comfortable with them. While Sabra wasn't easy to befriend, she was a very loyal person once she did make friends. She could also accept jokes more easily when comfortable with someone else, though while extremely loyal, her trust and admiration was not easily obtained. It taken her a few days to become well acquainted with those of her last squad and even longer to befriend them. However uncomfortable she may be with others, Sabra was still willing to defend and even die for them if her task required it since she'd always be loyal to justice.

It seemed that Sabine had changed to topic to the backgrounds and roles of the squadron members, which was a reasonable subject for the time being. Sabra didn't learned many new details about Sabine, having known from her weapon that she was a rifleman and having assumed she was American or European due to her skin tone. Sabra did learn that Sabine could be utilized for other purposes, but disregarded that fact since it was true for most all in the program.

The man that they called Big Brown proved to be Canadian and worked with heavier artillery. Sabra had assumed these things already from his kind demeanor and bulky muscles. Tris was next to speak. "I'm Australian, from the Australian Defense Force. I work with the attack dogs and dabble in engineering."she said.

Sabra decided she should speak now. "I'm American and a marksman. I'm trained to use a sniper and engage in distanced combat to properly eliminate targets."she said, taking a brief look at the others.

Next was Toby who confidently said, "I'm French, from the French infantry. I deal with the nitty gritty combat and head on approaches."

Sabra looked up to him and nearly rolled her eyes. Of course he would have the courage to be one for close quartered combat. He seemed quite arrogant, but one couldn't easily overlook his well muscled build and eyes that suggested he had seen some shit. Sitting on the bunk beneath Toby was a young woman with short, black hair and bright green eyes. She had remained silent this whole time, merely watching them all. (Feel free to dictate this woman's name/nationality/role)
 
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