The Rocket Orphan Initiative was created during the war-time to support orphans and protect them during the war.
Taking orphans from all over Kanto, they would bring them to a specialized facility created and designed to help support children so that after the war was over, they would have a place to stay and grow, to become helpful functioning members of society.
By letting orphans socialize with other orphans, they would hopefully create an atmosphere for these children to not only grieve but connect with one another and get over their traumas.
This news was attempted to be used by multiple media companies to alleviate the ongoing tension in the war, but with countless other, more important reports coming, it was shelved and later forgotten.
The Rocket Orphan Initiative was done quickly and efficiently, making sure all legal processes would be done to their utmost efficiency, quickly taking children from wherever they stayed.
Nobody was none the wiser, and these orphans would eventually fade in time as nothing more than victims of war, taken in by the kind Team Rocket organization, should people even find information relating to it.
But information about this initiative eventually disappeared from all corners of the internet.
The Rocket Orphan Initiative had started and ended before a week had even passed.
...
His consciousness came abruptly, his eyes wide open as his senses tried to adjust to the unfamiliarity of where he was.
The light was dim, and his black pupils expanded across his brown iris as they attempted to take in as much light as they could.
The air felt damp and cold, and the air ventilation was poorly done.
His back was laying on a cold mattress, his small body barely covered by a thin sheet.
His clothes and brown hair were just as dirty as before, which caused his surroundings to be stained with dirt, not that the place wasn't already dirty.
The light source came from a single lightbulb, flashing as if the power to it was constantly fluctuating, or perhaps it was simply broken. Or was it intentionally done, to give off an oppressive atmosphere?
His body felt rough and sore, but not to the extent he wouldn't be able to move his body. And it was getting better gradually.
Gazing left and right, he realized there were several other kids around him on the same mattress and blanket, though it seemed he was the first to wake up.
Each of the kids seemed to be worn down, like him. Worn down from the war.
The walls were a dark grey, made of materials that weren't wood or bricks, probably concrete. There were no windows, with the only source of air being a vent above him, too small for him to fit through.
The only exit he could see was a metal door with a small rectangular hole that he, once again, couldn't fit through.
He looked around for any hidden cameras, but couldn't see any.
Directing all his focus onto his ears, his ears took every little sound and vibration he could focus on. A little trick he had learned during childhood, but not without its flaws.
He couldn't hear the faint buzzing of electricity traveling through the wire, which was concerning considering there was a lightbulb directly above him.
He shifted his body slightly to get into a more comfortable position as he attempted to gather any information he could through his senses.
Panicking wouldn't do well in such a situation, and he had long gotten used to being in unfamiliar scenarios during the war, even if he wasn't anywhere near it. No, instead, he needed to think and observe so that he could live.
Time passed, and the first child woke up. Then, like a chain reaction, more and more began to wake up, their voices filled with confusion as they took into their new surroundings.
John could hear faint footsteps outside the door.
He quickly rose up like the other kids, not forgetting to put on a confused expression.
Wherever he was, it certainly wasn't normal that the kids would all wake up at the same time. In fact, he was the last to rise up. Whoever kidnapped him definitely had some sort of method to have knocked all these kids out.
'Wait... Kidnap?'
Before his mind could explore why his brain focused on that word so much, he heard faint footsteps beyond the door. And not too long after, the door opened at a slow pace, and in its place, stood a man with cyan hair cut short and smooth, like a buzz cut. his eyes a dark brown. His eyes looked over the group of kids with a calculative gaze as he stood with a slouched posture, yet despite his rather casual get-up, his presence screamed of professionalism.
The most distinguishing fact about him, however, was the small red R emblem on the pocket of his black shirt.
His brain, reminded of this symbol proceeded to blast him with information that he had briefly forgotten.
'Giovanni...' John stopped glaring at the man, hoping that he wouldn't be singled out. He needed more information. What could be said for certain though, was that he was kidnapped by Giovanni, and was most probably inside a Team Rocket base somewhere.
The man's eyes scanned over everyone in the room, and the kids went quiet. His eyebrows rose up in slight joy as he had a smirk.
"Seems like everyone woke up, huh? Good, that's good for me. Been awhile since we had a full class." The man spoke in joy, his posture slouching as the man lost the tension that had been on his body before.
"Alright, I'll give you brats a brief run-down of what's happened to you, what's going to happen to you, and what's expected of you. Listen well, because I won't be explaining twice." The man rose his hands and raised his index finger.
"One! Yes, you have been taken by Team Rocket's special Operators and brought here to a Team Rocket facility. You have been taken due to your parents having connections with us, and they had signed a contract with us that allows us to take custody of you should anything happen."
John's eyes narrowed. 'Why would they add a clause like that to the contract? An oddly specific one at that. Were they responsible for-'
"Two!" The man raised his middle finger. "You have been brought here to be educated so that we may take you in as future Team Rocket aspirants, being taught and trained so that you may be as efficient an employee as possible. Think of this as an investment, if you know what that means. If you don't, tough luck."
'- my father's death? My mother too? Are all these kids here somehow related to Team Rocket? Were their parents in desperate situations like me? A conspiracy? Will they brainwash-'
"Three!" The man raised his ring finger. "We expect full cooperation during this time when you will be trained, and we expect you to get along with your peers, as they will, in the future, be your coworkers you will have to work alongside one another. Being in a bad relationship will only hurt you and the efficiency of the team, and we don't like that. And things we don't like will be fixed with punishment. Understood?"
'-us into becoming loyal Team Rocket grunts? Are they responsible for the war, too? And Giovanni? Is he an Operator? What even is an Operator? How does he become the leader-'
The man coughed into his hands, making John snap out of his thoughts. He spoke up again, "Do you understand?" He man asked, a menacing tone behind his words.
"Yes, sir!" A few kids, including John, responded to him.
"17, huh? Not bad, seems like this group has potential, too. Alright, stay here and socialize or something, I'll be back and bring you all to your future homes. Don't go making any messes now!" The man waved his hand as he turned around, closing the door with a click as his footsteps became quieter.
The kids all sat in fear, a few of them even having tears in their eyes when the man shouted.
'2, 4, 6... A total of 29 kids. 30, if I include myself...' John counted the kids in his head, thoughts revolving around his head as ideas started bouncing off each other.
'It seems I, alongside 29 kids have been kidnapped and brought to a Rocket base. And from what the man has said, we're not the only groups. It seemed the method they used to wake us up isn't perfect, and the more kids that woke up, the better. Does this make me different as I woke up earlier than the others? What does this say about me compared to them? Is it because my brain has developed faster than others?'
John glanced around at the other kids. Some were crying silent tears, others had blank expressions, but none had a reaction that would normally fit a child who had been kidnapped.
'Some are far more mature than others. If I recall, these kids are also the ones who woke up earlier than others. Does this have something to do with mental strength? Mental fortitude? Maybe age? Not only that, but these kids are far too quiet despite having been kidnapped. Is this deliberate? Had Team Rocket specifically picked these kids to be kidnapped because their maturity surpassed their age group?'
His face scrunched even more. 'And what's with special Operators? Is Giovanni an Operator as well? What is their end goal here? To ensure secrecy? And why did they only take the kids whose parents worked for Team Rocket? Legal issues? They became a criminal organization later on, so legality wouldn't be an issue with them, I'd assume. Unless this current leader is far different compared to Giovanni. But then what does this mean about the leader, and why did they do this?'
His body slowly got up as he stretched his back, his body sore from staying in such a cold environment. The other kids looked in his direction at his sudden movement but didn't do anything else.
'I don't have enough information, I don't know enough about this world and its inhabitants. I need to lay low, be the nice little kid they want and gather as much information as I can so that I can survive.'
He glanced at the kid beside him. He had navy-colored hair that was just as messed up as his own hair was, black eyes, and was one of the first few who woke up, and also someone who had replied to the man. His expression was stone-cold like he wasn't kidnapped in the first place. 'Was he a Grunt? Executive? Or was he also an Operator? How does the rank system work in Team Rocket? No, thinking about this won't help me in this situation. I need to get a grasp on the current information I could get. These kids. And besides, didn't that guy tell us to start socializing?'
John held out his hands, which were still covered in dirt, and offered a smile to the kid beside him.
"Hey, my name is John. Considering the fact that there isn't really much else to do besides listen to that guy, why don't we share some things about each other?" He smiled as he waited for the boy to accept his handshake. A deal, one bit of information for another.
"..." The boy stared at his hands before reluctantly taking it. Others watched our interactions with focused eyes, most of the kids who were crying had already stopped and were looking in our direction as well.
"My name is... Roy. From Viridian City. You?" He asked with suspicion in his tone.
'Well, it would make sense to be suspicious in this situation. I bet I would look quite weird to the other kids, huh? I did take the initiative to approach first, after all.'
"My name is John, and I'm from Pewter City! Or at least, the outskirts of it. But then, I lost my home after it was bombed. And now I guess I'm here! Wherever here is." He said, his smile never faltering once.
'First, I'll tell more details about myself. This would lessen his suspicion, and this information isn't exactly something important. And considering the state of these kids, they wouldn't have any problems with him living in the poor district of cities. I'll also gain sympathy or perhaps even be relatable to those who's suffered through the war like me.'
And clearly, it worked. Roy's guard had fallen much lower than it usually was, and the other kids also seemed to have a vague sense of familiarity with him as they nodded their heads.
'These kids had all suffered. What is Team Rocket doing?' The reaction of these kids was too much. He hadn't expected so many of these kids to be able to relate to him. 'Team Rocket must have deliberately chosen kids with similar backgrounds so that we would be able to relate to each other, and thus form closer bonds.'
A kid suddenly raised his hand. Everyone who could see it in their peripheral vision quickly turned to look at him.
"My... My name is Paul! I lived in Cerulean City with my uncle, but then he disappeared..."
And at once, the floodgates had opened.
"I'm Jenny, and I'm from Lavender Town."
"-name is Andrew, but you can call me Drew, and-"
Multiple kids started speaking out, sharing their stories, brief as it was. Finding that someone among them had been through something similar to them, they started to open up, with the knowledge that they weren't the only ones who had suffered through such situations.
John quickly directed his focus into his ears, attempting to memorize every bit of information. Some kids had only spoken of their names, others their cities, and some their entire sad backstories. Every piece of information would inevitably help him figure out what was happening.
'None of these kids have the same origins. They're all from different towns,' John quickly pieced out. 'Does that have any significance? I'm sure this was done deliberately, but I can't understand why they would do something like this. If they wanted us to relate to each other, wouldn't being from the same town let us form closer bonds?'
"-ello? Hey, I'm talking to you, you know?" A voice spoke out in indignation.
John stopped his focus as he looked at Roy. His hands brushed the back of his neck as he chuckled nervously.
"Hey, sorry, I was lost in thought for a second there. What's up?"
Roy quirked his eyebrows. 'Is this guy stupid or something? He brought up the conversation and then he gets lost in his thoughts?'
"Well... I was going to ask..."
...
In a well-illuminated room, filled with screens and computers, multiple Rocket members sat around, some looking at the screens that littered the walls, and others conversing with each other.
A purple-haired woman with a short bob cut who was wearing a white lab coat was looking at one of the screens.
A cyan-haired man opened the room and quickly looked over at a purple-haired woman wearing a lab coat. His eyes brightened as he walked his way toward her.
Standing behind her, he initiated a conversation.
"So, how's this batch of recruits? See anything special?" The man asked, his hands in his pockets as his eyes followed the gaze of the woman, staring at an inconspicuous screen.
"Vital signs show that a kid had woken up much earlier than expected, to the point that it could be taken as a record-breaking time. It's in this room, but the quality of the footage makes it nearly impossible to discern which kid it was. It seems like this batch which was initially found by Giovanni has some interesting kids." The purple hair woman explained, eyes still staring at the screen.
"Giovanni has always been lucky, huh? Seems like it won't be long before he'll be able to take Leader's place soon." The blue-haired man responded. "This is the 5th batch, right? How many kids are left?" The man inquired, taking a document from a nearby table, eyes briefly scanning the report.
"2 more, to make 5 batches. It's expected that only 2 batches will make it to the final selection, with the rest being relegated to Grunt status. This group consists of only Abnormals, so I have high expectations for them." The woman replied, eyes scanning the document the man had picked up before focusing back on the screen.
"Do you think this plan would really work, though? I mean-" Before the man could finish, the woman sent a gaze filled with pressure. The man quickly backtracked, "It's just hard to think about how this will lead Rocket to prosperity, you know? What can a bunch of abnormal children even do?" He finished with his hands in the air.
"It doesn't matter what we think, this is something Giovanni has ordered." The woman replied, before looking back at the screen. Her focus was once more trying to piece out who had woken up first. "And besides, it's just a few kids. Who's going to miss them anyways, considering their status?" The woman smirked. "They should see this as a gift instead, to be a part of something far greater than what the sum of their total worth could ever be."
The man sighed. "Well, I guess I can't argue against that, huh?" The man shook his head, "As long as it's Giovanni, I'm sure it'll work out. He's a man beyond anyone else I've ever met. Wasn't that why we joined anyways?" The man turned around, going outside the room at a slow pace. "It's about time for the others to wake up. I'll wake up any stragglers and lead them toward the resting rooms."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Don't do anything outrageous. Those kids are our future, you got that!?" The woman shouted at the man, only to hear the sound of the door creaking shut as the man left.
The woman sighed, before waving her hands at one of the Rocket members.
"Hey, write up a report to increase the quality of the surveillance cameras. I can't see shit with the quality of these, and I'll need some better footage to increase the quality of this whole indoctrination."
...
"That's a pretty stupid question, you know?" He told Roy, unimpressed by the question.
"Well, I just felt like you were pretty calm about this whole situation so I thought you might know more about what's happening compared to us, you know? It's not like there are other people who seem to be more calm about this situation compared to you." Roy explained to him, trying to reason his question wasn't stupid.
"I'm just calmer than you because I'm more mature than you. And who would want to be kidnapped anyways? It's not like I wanted to be kidnapped and signed a whole contract about how I now legally belong to Team Rocket. That's just dumb." John said, denying Roy's explanation and indirectly calling him stupid.
"What's a contract? And what do you mean legally belong to Team Rocket? Does that have anything to do with what that guy said earlier? So you do know what's going on more than us! You can't deny that!" Roy said in triumph.
"How does you not knowing what a contract is have anything to do with me knowing more about Team Rocket and, wait, actually, you kind of have a point there I guess, huh?" John took a step back as he thought about what he just said right now.
"Yeah! So what do you know about Team Rocket anyways?" Roy asked as he took the offense.
"I know a little more about them than you do, though that's mostly through my dad. I'm sure we'll learn more during our stay here, however long it is." John told him. 'Or at least, they'll show us what they want us to learn. Propaganda and all.' He thought to himself in exhaustion.
He did not want to suffer through propaganda for the next few years of his life.
"Well then, tell me what you do know-" John took off his focus on Roy's talking as he heard footsteps slowly approach the door.
"Hey, he's here," John told Roy as he held his finger over Roy's mouth.
Before Roy could do anything, The door opened, showing the cyan-haired man alongside another man with maroon hair. Their outfits were different, with the cyan-haired man wearing a black t-shirt with a red Rocket symbol on the chest pocket, with black pants. The maroon-haired man had a short cut with his hair raised towards the left, a fringe up. He wore a white shirt with a long-sleeved black underlayer. on the left of his chest was a bright red R logo, and black pants. The maroon-haired man stared at the kids with his eyes, which were the same shade of dark red as his hair.
The cyan-haired man with his hands in his pockets spoke up first.
"Alright kids, I forgot to introduce myself, so I'll do it right now. My name's Max and this red-haired brooding prick is Jerome. Not that I wouldn't be broody with such a boring name like Jerome though, so you can forgive his attitude." Max spoke as he held his arm over Jerome's shoulder.
"Get your hands off me, you good-for-nothing slob." Jerome shrugged Max's arm off as he entered the room.
"Alright, line up in a single file, or two, and follow me. Max will stand in the back. We'll be moving to where you'll be staying for most of your early life here. It's called the resting rooms and you will be informed of everything you will have to know for your foreseeable future." Jerome said as he stood near the door, clearly expecting the kids to start lining up.
"Isn't resting rooms such a boring and dull name, though? I feel like it could be so much better. I still don't understand why they gave Anabelle that boor the authority to name the rooms." Max spoke as he left the room and went to the left.
The kids stared warily at Jerome, before staring at themselves. Some kids have already formed groups from the brief exchange they had at the beginning and it could clearly be seen with which kids would look at who.
Mentally storing this information for later, John stood up first while grabbing Roy's hand, rising up from his mattress as he walked towards Jerome. Roy struggled a bit at first, before resigning himself to his fate.
Jerome raised his eyebrows just an inch, to the point where John wondered if he had just imagined it before he spoke to the other kids. "Well, what are you waiting for? We don't have all day, and it would be much better for you to enter the resting rooms early than it would be to enter them late."
Some of the other kids with more confidence started to line up, which convinced the other kids to start lining up as well, though they had also consciously or subconsciously stood in the groups they were previously talking with.
"Alright, remember to follow me. This won't be a tour guide so don't expect me to explain every little room to you. That comes later after you get inside the resting rooms." Jerome spoke with a no-nonsense tone before he walked out of the room, the kids walking behind him.
After the last kid exited, Max followed them at the very back with a leisurely stroll.
John mentally cataloged a basic map of the area he could observe as he took in his surroundings. The hallway was long with multiple branching paths and doors and was surprisingly well-lit despite the rather somber mood it gave off.
John swept his brown hair aside as his eyes drifted over to Roy. Roy looked back before sending him a glare. John shrugged, before looking forwards again, ignoring Roy's glare which was getting harder the more he ignored it.
It only took 4 minutes before they arrived at a white door, which was much different compared to the metal doors he had seen earlier. It was easily distinguishable compared to every other room. 'Did they do this on purpose, so that the kids would be able to better know which door would be the "resting rooms"?' John briefly thought as Jerome opened the door.
Opening the door led to a brighter hallway that was painted white, which gave a much brighter atmosphere compared to what he had seen before. Following Jerome in, he could see the hallway in more detail.
The hallway, rather than continuing from the door into a straight path was spread into 2 paths. Doors were plated with numbers ranging from 01 to 15 from what he could see, each door also being painted white. The ground was a lighter shade of gray, with the ceiling being well illuminated by brighter lights. There were multiple vents that gave ventilation to the hallway, and each metal door also had a small glass window that could be seen through.
Jerome watched as the kids shuffled inside the hallway, and once everyone was settled he cleared his throat.
"Alright, this is the resting room, each room can hold 5 kids, and we'll let you divide yourself into groups, though boys are not allowed to be with girls. If you can't divide yourself into groups within 2 minutes, we'll do it ourselves. The timer starts now." Jerome spoke before standing near the wall.
Max walked beside Jerome, before engaging in a hushed conversation.
John tried to focus his attention on his ears to eavesdrop on them but was interrupted by Roy who proceeded to punch his shoulder.
"Hey, you jerk, what was that for? Pulling me to the front." Roy asked in a tone that conveyed no happiness. "If you wanted to stand in the front, you could've gone by yourself. You don't need to drag me along." Roy huffed as he crossed his arms.
"Well, I can't leave my friend alone while I go off, can I?" John spoke as he hung his arm across Roy's shoulder in a similar manner to Max.
"Eh? Friends? Who'd want to be friends with you?" Max asked in a dead stare as he took John's arm off. Roy grasped his chest with his hand as he gasped in distraught.
"Why, I can't believe it, Roy! What about the time we spent together, and-"
"Uhm, excuse me, would you mind if I partnered up with you guys?" A smaller boy asked John before he could finish his acting. Looking down, he saw a boy smaller than both him and Roy with what seemed to be mint-green hair in what seemed to be a bob with bangs that ended at his neck and olive-green eyes. His eyes gazed down as his hands were held together, clearly nervous.
'One of the kids who woke up along with everyone else at the end,' John observed.
Before Roy could reply, John quickly held his hand out. "Sure!" He said with a beaming smile. "We don't mind. Right, Roy?" He asked with an emphasis on Roy.
Roy rolled his eyes. "Yeah, whatever. I'm still mad at you." He crossed his arms again as he glanced at the smaller boy.
"Yes, thank you! My name is Blair, it's nice to meet you!" The kid, Blair, quickly held his hands together and bowed, before rising up, his eyes cheerful as he got over his nervousness in an instant.
John awkwardly took down his hand with a crooked smile and looked around, seeing that many groups of 5 had already formed before his eyes caught the eyes of 2 kids who were together observing the groups.
'Ah, if I recall correctly these 2 were the ones who didn't introduce themselves. Not only that, but they woke up around the same time Roy did.' John analyzed as he approached them.
"Hey, looks like you're not in a group. How about joining us? We're missing 2 people." He asked, hands extended.
The two kids looked at his hands, at his eyes, then looked back down on his hands. Then they looked into each other's eyes before the shorter kid slapped the larger kid's back, causing him to move forwards.
The larger kid had slick, jet-black hair angled to the left, nearly covering his left eye, eyes that were a deep black that sucked all the light out of his iris. Literally. John couldn't see the reflection of light in his eyes. The smaller kid had silver-white hair that seemed to spike everywhere and azure-blue eyes. Unlike the other kid, his eyes did have reflections of light.
The larger kid grabbed his hand before introducing himself. "I'm Baron, and he's Leo. We're twins." He said as he nodded at him.
"Do you know your eyes don't have any light in them?" John blurted out.
'Whoops, my curiosity got the better of me. Damn this impulsive brain.' he thought as he tried to think of a method to get rid of the tense atmosphere.
Baron froze, his expression tight as he looked at John. 'Why does everyone keep asking me that?' He thought to himself. 'This is the first time we've met, shouldn't people ask something else besides that?'
Leo broke the tension with his laugh. "Hah! It never gets old. Don't worry, it's some sort of birth defect thing, I'm not exactly sure. He can see perfectly fine like normal people though, so it's not that impactful." Leo walked up and shook John's hand. "Good to meet you, John, I assume?"
"Yes," John smiled. "The blue-haired guy is Roy, and the green-haired kid is Blair. Nice to meet you all." He said as he pointed to the respective individuals.
"Hey, why is Roy a guy and I'm a kid?" Blair protested. Despite his attempt to sound more masculine, it came out more whiny than his usual tone.
"It's because you're the shortest of us all," Roy answered, face dead-set as he looked at Blair.
John looked over towards the Rocket Members as Jerome took his back off the wall. The rest of his group followed his eyesight to see the man straighten his back as he looked at the group of kids, looking over at the small groups they had formed.
"Alright, kids! It seems you've all grouped up by yourselves. That's good. Rooms 1 to 12 are all taken, so you'll have to choose between 13 and 18 by yourselves. Doors above 15 are on the second floor, the stairs are on both the left and right. You'll stay in your respective rooms for a bit until we get everyone organized. Then you'll hear an announcement that'll tell you further details. Alright, get going! I don't have all day."
'Room 13 is the closest to the door, so I guess I'll take that.' John thought to himself.
Being the first to act once again, John opened door 13 and gestured to his group.
Following his lead, other groups started to spread out and take doors. Those who were slow were forced to walk up the stairs at the end of the hallway to get up to the second floor.
Entering the room, the first thing he looked for was cameras, which he could see none of. There were 5 beds all spaced out from each other at the opposite side of the door, a drawer, and a table in the middle with 6 chairs. The beds seemed much more comfortable compared to the room he was in earlier. The room was painted white with a yellow gradient on the walls that slowly got darker the lower it went. The floor was the same grey as the outside.
'Despite their best efforts to give off a cheerful vibe, this just seems more ominous than anything else.' he thought as he walked around the room.
The room was big, much bigger than the house he had lived in with his parents, but it felt much less homely compared to it. With a big open room barely occupied by only beds and a table, the room felt much larger than it was and also felt just as empty and hollow.
It seems the others agreed as all their faces cringed at the sight.
It started to settle in John's mind fully that he had been kidnapped ('Legally?') by Team Rocket and that he would have no way out of this facility and no chance for a normal childhood. Or life, for that matter.
John sat down on the ground in exhaustion. Partly from overusing his mental strength to direct his focus on his sensory organs, and partly from just the sheer magnitude of the situation he seemed to be in.
'I hope this world is based on the games,' John thought to himself, looking at the ceiling's fluorescent light. 'Otherwise, I might be stuck in this organization for the rest of my life.'
Whoops, totally forgot to give John an appearance. Yeah, he's pretty basic in a world with crazy hair colors, and I wanted to do that intentionally to make him seem more "boring" compared to everyone else. It'll come up later or something I guess, I'm not sure. I just felt like giving the MC crazy hairstyles with eyes the shade of emerald or whatever was a bit extravagant.
Also like, don't give me Power Stones or whatever those are. I'm not looking to monetize this as it's nothing more than a hobby, and I hate responsibility.
No Betas we die like men
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