EXTRANORMAL OPERATIONS

VOLUME I: THE MAD CYCLE

Author's Notes:

Hello, again. As always, there won't be any other author's notes mid-story, so this will have to do. Basically, I have started a whole new series of Pokémon-fics, which will tell an entirely different story than my last one, but will mostly feature the same characters. In this particular story, I am drawing inspiration from X-Files and the like, but most of is just from my head. Isshu/Unova and Generation V Pokémon will feature heavily. I'm trying to keep track of the translations they're making and I'm going to use English names for Pokémon and locations if possible.

For the story itself, I cannot say much at this point, as it unfolds itself slowly. But a complex plot will follow, where the central characters are agents work for a shady group called Extranormal Operations. The disappearance of famous Pokémon Trainer Red causes an investigation which leads them to a complicated conspiracy, and legendary Pokémon are doing whatever they can to kill our pathetic "heroes". Fun for the whole family (or not)!

Well-thought and helpful reviews are always appreciated. Even if... no, especially, if the tone is negative. No pressure or anything, but every time you don't review, a Sandshrew will DIE!

PROLOGUE

1:06 PM. November 20th. The year was 2098. A cold afternoon in Olivine City. The waters around this once-beautiful port town in Johto were freezing. The ground was colored by thousands upon thousands of leaves, leaving the trees bare and colorless. During summertime, this lively town was filled with the chirping of the Pidgey, with the occasional Tentacool being stranded on the beach. Now, there wasn't a single Pokémon in sight, and it was rare even to see a human walking around at this hour.

Nervously, a short man left the local Pokémon Mart, going through the contents of his pocket. Amidst the receipts, used handkerchiefs and old Pokéblocks, was a package. He needed to deliver this to the local café, located across the road. The man's eyes shifted back and forth as he crossed the empty street. Someone was definitely watching… whether it was a criminal attempting to take him out, the Patrol Invest Group trying to take him away for "interrogations" or just a friendly neighborhood stalker… it didn't matter. The man found himself sweating underneath his several layers of clothing. Still, no one apprehended him as he stepped into the Olivine Café.

As the short, nervous man entered the café, the head waiter approached him immediately, smiling widely and holding a menu in hand.

"Welcome to the Olivine Café, good sir," the head waiter proclaimed, but the short, nervous man walked past him, as if he hadn't heard a thing.

Nonetheless, the head waiter followed while talking at the short man:

"Uh, sir… perhaps you would like to reserve a table? Or maybe you want to look at our menu? If I may recommend, sir, the Remoraid filét served with duchesse potatoes is today's special, and the accommodating sauce is one of the chef's most famous creations! Today, it comes with chopped Weepinbell leaves, though I may warn you, we leave the Stun Spore in them, so our food is not for the faint of heart. Sir? Sir?"

While the head waiter continued to advertise his product, the short man was nervously walking between tables, bumping into people and trying to look for someone. He then walked to the bar, but the man he was looking for was not ready for him.

"Sir? I-"

"Would you keep it down for a while?" the short man snarled at the waiter. "I'm looking for this person called… uh, Looker. Said he'd meet me here."

"A gentleman calling himself Mr. Looker did indeed reserve a table for two, but we could not get one on such short notice. He is waiting at the far side of the bar, on… that stool at the darkest corner of the restaurant. Now, the bartender has made a Krabby Cocktail mix that you will definitely enjoy. Our generous-sized menu is… umm, how was it again… 'chock-full of hearty fare for beefy sailors'! If you'd like to have a table for one, I'd-"

"For the love of God man, I won't tip you!" the short man snapped. "I just came here to meet my contact! I mean, my friend! Go wipe some glasses or something!"

Insulted, the head waiter left, while the short man made his way to the man sitting in the dark corner. Subtly, the short man sat on the stool next to his contact, made sure no one was looking, and muttered:

"Looker?"

"Identification first," the contact said. "You Isaac?"

"Yes, yes, isn't that obvious?" the short man, Isaac, whispered sharply. "Now are you Looker or not?"

"Not," the contact replied simply. "Detective Looker has other issues on his mind. I was sent here instead. My name is Palmer, Barry Palmer."

"No kidding…" Isaac said while growing increasingly edgier. "Uh… say… are you a cop as well?"

"Depends on what you mean by 'cop'" Palmer replied. "I'm not of the HSF, or the P.I.G. or even the International Police. I don't beat hippies, pull over minorities, force people to file reports that go nowhere or drive around buying doughnuts. Huh… I guess you could say that I'm not a cop. More like a private investigator. But it doesn't matter right now. Say… take off that jacket and the hat… I don't feel comfortable talking to someone who might actually be a cyborg for all I know…"

"Fine…"

Isaac agreed to take off his hat and jacket, revealing his silly-looking, blonde, mushroom-style haircut and his pink shirt. It was no wonder this informant wanted to get into police protection - the man didn't seem like he could fight his way out of a sci-fi convention.

"Alrighty then…" Palmer sighed, trying not to laugh at Isaac. "According to the profile, you graduated from the Pokémon Ranger School in Almia, then became at technician who worked for Altru Inc, then quit and started working for Professor Hastings back at the school. Your IQ is 163, and so is, apparently, your height, in centimeters."

"Is this going anywhere?"

"Easy there, big guy," Palmer said. "So, what happened?"

"I was under the influence of Altru's CEO, Blake Hall," Isaac explained. "You probably have heard of him, he was arrested for illegal experiments a few years ago. After that, I stopped working for Altru, but it doesn't change what I've heard. It relates to the murders that happened three years ago… and of that mysterious disappearance shortly before."

"Ah, yes…" Palmer said, looking at another file. "Red… no last name given. A charismatic trainer hailed as the hero of Kanto. He defeated Team Rocket once, stopped a Moltres from burning down a town and became the Pokémon League Champion. He went undefeated until he gave his status to the current champion, Lance. Then, he started investigating the mysterious murders and… vanished."

"And I know how!" Isaac exclaimed, urging to give his info to someone. "But this really isn't the place to discuss it."

Isaac looked around him. The place wasn't full, but every person in the café was suspicious. The bartender, a young, blonde-haired woman looked like she had just listened to the conversation between Palmer and Isaac. Not only that, but she seemed to get plenty of drink orders mixed up.

"Hey!" a customer shouted at the bartender. "This isn't a White Russian! It tastes like crap!"

"Oh, whoopsie…" the bartender giggled. "I got the vodka bottle mixed up with that lighter fluid… oh, well. Try not to smoke just yet, hon."

Then the bartender proceeded to drop a glass, though it didn't seem like it was accidental, more like she had smashed it on the floor on purpose.

"Oh, clumsy me!" she proclaimed dramatically. "You! Hygiene technician, whoever you are! Clean this up or I'll report you to the INS!"

A janitor with at thick moustache soon arrived to the scene to clean the glass shards, though the rest of his face was mostly covered by his hat. For some reason, the janitor and the barmaid kept talking to each other, muttering so no one else heard what they said.

Isaac looked away from this scene, then looked around the café. Besides the drunkard vomiting on the bar counter, there were two sailors sitting and eating, and in another, larger table, four heavily smoking men sat, discussing softly. They all wore similar clothing, with a color scheme consisting of mostly light blue, white and grey. Complete with hoods and gloves and a shield-like logo, their uniformed-like clothing made them resemble knights of some sort, further making Isaac nervous.

Isaac shook his head and turned to face Palmer again.

"I don't like this place," he whispered. "We need to leave. Now."

"You chose this pisshole," Palmer shrugged. "Whatever you say. But first, I need to make sure that you have what I need. When you contacted Looker, you mentioned that you had this USB-drive with some important data… regarding this Pokémon… Heatran, was it?"

"Yeah, yeah, I have it, I got them from Altru's files…" Isaac muttered as he and Palmer started walking away from the café, towards the door. "This data can get me killed… or worse."

"Worse?"

"Let's just say that you don't want to know…"

But as Isaac and Palmer made their way to the exit, the four people in uniforms started moving. As in slow motion, Palmer saw one of them reach out for his Poké Ball, but Palmer reacted instantly, opening a Poké Ball that he had stashed in his sleeve.

Accompanied by a bright red flash, a Rhyhorn appeared from the ball, knocking down the sailors' table, causing disgruntled murmurs. Those soon went silent as all the other suited people drew Poké Balls, unleashing four Houndour on Palmer and Isaac, causing Isaac to shriek from terror and hide behind Palmer. Between the Rhyhorn and the four Houndour, a Mexican standoff was ready, but Palmer kept hoping that it didn't have to go that way. Instead, he opted for diplomacy:

"What do you want?" he asked the men in uniforms. "Maybe we can talk things over?"

"No, we failed!" Isaac whined. "Hurry, kill them and let's get out of here."

"Zip it, Isaac," Palmer said. "All right, you four… um, who do I talk to?"

One of the uniformed gangsters signaled the others to wait, then approached Palmer. The gangster's face was obscured by a gray hood and sunglasses, but spoke with surprising clarity. Palmer was able to recognize the voice as female.

"I agree," she said. "But we know that spotty pip-squeak behind you has info we need. So how about we negotiate about that? We are willing to, err… pay, even."

Palmer went over his chances. There was no way he could keep them talking long enough, and would be overpowered regardless. Perhaps the gangsters would go away with sufficient persuasion? Unlikely, but possible.

"No dice," Palmer said. "I suggest you don't even try to take the data."

"Your funeral, dude," the female gangster said. "Plasmas, attack!"

But before the four Houndour could prepare to attack simultaneously, something intervened. After another bright red flash, a Totodile jumped into view, launching a Water Gun towards the Houndours. Howling and whimpering, all four Houndour took a step back. The Totodile jumped directly into the empty space between the four Houndour and the Rhyhorn.

"Who sent that out?" Palmer wondered, looking around him. The barmaid and the janitor had disappeared. "Never mind, I've got a job to finish. Rhyhorn, use Horn Attack and get that gator out of our face!"

"Technically, it's a crocodile!"

Whoever uttered this last phrase was out of sight, and soon Palmer and the uniformed gangsters had to avert their eyes when another red flash almost blinded them. Out of the blue, a Sandshrew charged towards Rhyhorn. Despite its inferior stature, just being curled into a ball helped the Sandshrew to knock the Rhyhorn on its back.

The trainers behind the Totodile and the Sandshrew revealed themselves. First, the janitor ripped off "his" false moustache and uniform, revealing a young woman with dirty, frizzy black hair, wearing a blue denim jacket, jeans and a red top. Meanwhile, the "barmaid" also ripped off "her" clothing and wig, turning out to be a small, blonde-haired man with a constantly bewildered expression on his face - Kris and Shane.

"Extranormal Operations!" Kris announced, briefly showing everyone in the café her badge. "I'm calling an end to these shenanigans! We just came here for the data, so chill out! Agent nine. Agent nine!"

Shane didn't seem to recognize his code name, as he just stood in place, smiling goofily.

"Shane!" Kris hissed.

"Oh, sorry, I must have zoned out," Shane said after finally realizing what he was supposed to do. "Shrew, snatch the data!"

Shane's Sandshrew, creatively nicknamed 'Shrew', lunged towards Isaac, who shrieked out of terror. But Shrew simply snatched the USB-drive from Isaac's pocket, then scuttled back to Shane, giving the drive to him. But the moment Shane touched the drive, Kris snatched it from him. Shane just stared at his empty hand for a few seconds, then realized what had happened.

"Hey!"

"Sorry, but this is valuable," Kris said.

"I know that," Shane said and rolled his eyes. "I did well in practice! I carried that sugar bag around for a week!"

"Why the hell did you do that?" Kris wondered. "That wasn't a part of our training!"

"It wasn't?"

"Yeah. No."

"At least give me the memory stick!" Shane whined, trying to grab the USB-drive that Kris held too high for Shane to reach. "C'mon, be fair!"

"I already have a safe place for it," Kris said.

And with that, Kris quickly crammed the memory stick in her mouth and swallowed it. After gagging and swallowing for a few seconds, Kris finally managed to get it all the way down, and Shane just stared at him in shock.

"Aww crap!" he exclaimed.

"Yep, that's right," Kris said.

Shane was annoyed by Kris' obnoxiously self-righteous tone and the way she rubbed her belly while saying it, just to rub it in Shane's face.

"That reminds me," Kris said, "we have to pick up some tacos on the way to HQ. The boss probably wants this ASAP."

"Uhh… excuse me?" Palmer said.

Kris and Shane seemed to have forgotten that they were still in the middle of a Mexican standoff, with their Pokémon ready to attack, along with Palmer, Isaac, the uniformed gangsters, the other customers and employees, along with the Rhyhorn and the four Houndour. Kris raised her fist and coughed, trying to maintain her professionalism.

"I'm a bit lost here…" Palmer said. "Who are you guys again?"

"Extranormal Operations, and that's all you need to know!" Kris said.

"Yeah, that's right!" Shane said. "Shane Stephens and Kris Zimmerman, remember the na - OUCH!"

Kris had to step on Shane's foot, but the damage had already been done. Suddenly, Shane also realized what he had said, and hastily tried to correct his mistake.

"Umm… I mean…" he flustered. "Uh, forget I said anything!"

"Wait…" muttered the drunken customer who finally seemed to grasp what was going on. "You're… a dude? But I groped…"

"Nope, you only got down and dirty with a pair of waterballoons!" Shane said. "And FYI, people don't usually like when random drunkards try to grope them. So that should have been your cue."

"Come on, Shane… I mean, Agent Nine!" Kris said. "Let's blow this joint!"

"Right behind ya!"

In total silence, Kris and Shane made their way towards the door. It wasn't until at there when they recalled their Pokémon and quickly ran to their car. The customers inside soon heard the doors slamming, the engine being turned on and the car quickly taking off. Finally, Palmer said what everyone was thinking:

"What the hell was that about?"

Route 39, driving towards the base

After visiting a Taco Bell and making the wrong turn three times, Kris and Shane finally got on the main road and started driving towards the HQ of Extranormal Operations. Seeing as Shane took great pride in his track record ("I have been the driver five times, and five cars have crashed! Not many people can do that!"), it was up to Kris to drive them safely to the base. Seeing as she had never driven before joining ENO, she was nervous, constantly leaning forward and tightly gripping the steering wheel while never breaking fifty. But as private motoring had been greatly limited over the years, there was no real traffic to speak of. Anyone who had the experience of being in a confined space with Kris and Shane more than two minutes could testify that those two could not keep their mouths shut, and once again, the four-hour trip to the base seemed like a short time, as Kris and Shane yammered about a variety of topics:

"…and that's my formula to cold fusion, really, it works, check it out," Shane said. "So, see, I know something!"

"Sure," Kris said. "I believe you. But that nuclear reactor you mentioned? I don't think a coat hanger and chewing gum would suffice."

"Of course you need plutonium and all that stuff," Shane admitted. "But really, I bet you five whatevers that I can build one tonight! Then we'll see who's delusional around here!"

"Bee tee double-u, Shane, there's no whatevers anymore," Kris said, keeping her eyes on the road, looking for the next road sign. "The currency is poké-dollars or something similar now. The new Committee that they established in Isshu... I mean, Unova, is working on that subject."

"Unova?"

"Yeah… that new region back east, they finally established a government there," Kris said. "We visited Karakusa Town once, remember? The region is inhabited mostly by Japanese people! I hear they do all sorts of wacky stuff out there, like… triple battles, Pokémon musicals and stuff. Oh, and everyone speaks Japanese, have Japanese names for everything… isn't that cool?"

"How Gastly!" Shane shuddered. "Probably everyone there are saucer-eyed freaks with unrealistic haircuts and ambiguous genders… oh, and see! I was right! The Japanese are trying to take over the world! I emerge triumphant again!"

"Shut up!" Kris snapped. "It's only a matter of time before they conform and start using English anyway, just like in all of the other regions. They're probably going to change the city names, too…"

"Doesn't make me any less right, though," Shane remarked, leaning back and smiling obnoxiously. "So, this new Committee… what does it, uh… you know… do?"

"Hell if I know," Kris said and shrugged. "It's all politics."

"I hear that," Shane said. "Only dictatorship works, I've been trying to tell that to people, calling their houses, trying to get into The Barry Williams Show, carrying signs, running naked around town while yelling about it…."

Kris decided to consciously ignore that last remark.

"Uhh… why dictatorship, Shane?" she asked.

"Because I'd make a great dictator," Shane said. "Yeah… I believe so. I would make myself King Shane… no, Mega-King Shane… no, Mega-Crimson-King Shane the Fourth."

"Oh, cool. Could I be your queen, then?" she teased.

"Nah, no hard feelings, but I would probably have to behead you," Shane said. "It's politics, Kris, you understand."

"I understand that I'm driving," Kris said. "And I literally have the power to end your life, right here, right now. I am the dictator in this car. You get me?"

"Say, Kris…" Shane said, now frightened as Kris pressed the gas pedal more firmly. "Did I already say how well you handled that situation there?"

"Whatever. I just wanted to get that thing over with. But thanks."

"Yeah, though you probably shouldn't have mentioned that we were Extranormal Operations agents…"

"What?"

Kris almost hit a Sentret crossing the street, but paid literally no attention to the road now, as she could just gaze at Shane.

"I wasn't supposed to…?"

"I thought you knew already," Shane said. "Sledge Hammer is pretty clear on that. ENO does not exist in the eyes of the general public."

"Why did you say anything?"

"Because I think it's funny when the boss yells at someone that isn't me."

"Shane, write this down…" Kris said while clenching her teeth together in rage. "Note to self: kill Shane. You got that?"

"Um… yeah."

Johto National Park, near the Extranormal Operations HQ

Slowly, Kris drove past the security of the National Park, and towards the western coastline. It was already night, and as everything was so cloudy, the only source of light were the flickering street lights. They barely lit the various stands around the Pokéathlon Dome, their destination. The extravagant dome wasn't where they were going, though, as Kris and Shane drove the car behind the dome.

The place looked rather innocuous at first glance: simply trees that separated the beach to the north from the dome. The dome itself didn't look so flashy when observed from behind: it was decaying, poorly painted and there was only a single door, which served as the employee entrance. Right near that squeaky door was a lone security guard, but he was not dressed in the standard blue uniform. Instead, he wore a black jumpsuit with the familiar sledgehammer-logo in the chest.

Kris stopped the car right where the security guard could see it, then honked four times and flickered the headlights. The security guard nodded and stepped into the dome. Kris and Shane waited for a few seconds. Then, what looked like solid wall near the door suddenly opened, revealing a secret entrance. Kris and Shane drove in and found themselves in a long, dark tunnel, that would lead them under the water and to the wilderness in the north. This was all routine to them now.

After the tunnel finally started ascending, a door opened at the very end. Kris and Shane drove through, and emerged in what seemed like an enormous complex built in the middle of a forest: the base of Sledge Hammer as well as Extranormal Operations. They were two, simple, cube-shaped buildings connected to each other via a walkway across the rooftops. The smaller but more cleaner and luxurious building to the left was Sledge Hammer's HQ, where the management of the organization resided, and were most of the laboratories were. To the right was a larger, more decaying building where Extranormal Operations and the rest of Sledge Hammer personnel were, along with the training facilities, the crew barracks, the warehouses, the armories and whatever else they could cram. Besides an electric fence that surrounded the property, nothing else was deemed necessary, as was expected that no one would find the base, let alone the secret entrance to it. There still were numerous Sledge Hammer guards patrolling the perimeter, most accompanied by a Growlithe, lazily scanning their surroundings with flashlights.

Kris parked the car to the parking lot, and Kris and Shane stepped away from the car and made their way towards the communications room, where they would report to their superiors. But before they could do that, they found the said superiors waiting for them at the entrance to the Sledge Hammer HQ.

Professor Elm and Blaine stood at the entrance, and both had crossed their arms and looked angry. As Kris was in command of the current operation, she had to take care of the ramifications as well, but she got along with Elm and Blaine well enough to explain herself. Because of this, she casually walked towards Elm and Blaine, pretending that she wasn't nervous at all.

"Hi!" she said happily to the two. "Umm… mind if I squeeze through? I need to report to the boss…"

"Professor Kaminko is in conference right now, Kris," Elm explained. "You can report to us, and we have a few words to-"

"What the hell were you thinking?" Blaine shouted at Kris and Shane.

Blaine managed to impose quite a threat to Kris and Shane, being as he was notorious for erratic behavior, had a loud, deep voice and was quite physically fit for a fifty-year old. Elm raised his hand and tried to calm Blaine down.

"Please, Blaine, you said I could handle this," Elm said.

"I changed my mind," Blaine snarled. "You're too nice! Mix things up a bit. Stir the soup. Tell them like it is."

"Very well, there's no harm in trying," Elm said. "Umm… Kris, Shane… I mean, Agents Five and Nine… your mission wasn't exactly completed according to protocol… by which I mean that we don't usually… umm…"

"Aw, gimme a break!"

Blaine pushed Elm aside so he could chastise Kris and Shane himself.

"Listen up, you two!" he shouted, causing Shane to hide behind Kris. "I don't care how you did, you got the job done, and that's what matters! But you gave out your names? Are you stupid or what?"

"I vote for 'or what'," Shane said.

"Gee, news travel fast here…" Kris said and rubbed the back of her neck nervously. "Well, uh… okay, I have no excuses. We messed up. But hey, we got the data that the boss wanted."

"Ah, yes, and where might it be?" Elm asked politely.

"Err… well…" Kris said. "There's just one thing I need to do first. Mind if I use one of your bathrooms? It's just that the bathroom on our side doesn't even have doors, so…"

"All right, yes, you do your business, then, and hand me the data once you're ready…" Elm said.

After hearing this, Shane started giggling uncontrollably, and no one bothered to ask him why. It's just what he did.

"On a lighter note," Elm said loudly, over Shane's laughter, "we are pleased to announce that the staff Christmas party has just started, and we were waiting for you!"

"Christmas party? Unless my calendar is broken, I think it's November now," Shane said.

"Yeah, but if we want to do this sometime, we need to do it now. Everyone are getting the hell out for the holidays," Blaine said. "Even Elm here, since apparently my company isn't good enough…"

"We went through this, Blaine, don't bring it up now!" Elm chastised. "I have a daughter, you know."

"Gee, you have only said that about a million times by now, so I couldn't possibly know…"

"All right, newlyweds, you can do that later!" Kris said. "I really need to use that bathroom!"

"Yes, very well, Kris. Follow me," Elm sighed.

Kris was frantically jumping up and down now, so Elm had to escort her inside and open the secure bathroom doors for her at the second floor. Blaine and Shane followed the two.

"We prepared a surprise for you, Shane, by the way," Blaine said, sounding a lot more calm and fraternal now. "Your… friend, Cheren Black is also here… we made the necessary arrangements to get him here."

Shane's eyes brightened and he smiled upon hearing Black's name. Though he hadn't really felt like attending the Christmas party before, he was certainly going to do it now.

"Thanks!" he said. "Aww, man, isn't Black just the greatest? Hey, did he already tell you about the time when he-"

But when Shane started telling his story, Blaine was already halfway on his way somewhere else, leaving Shane standing alone in the cold, clinical corridors of the base. Deciding not to let this predicament bring him down, Shane started walking towards the other base, to the barracks, where the party was held.

The Christmas Party, Crew's Quarters

It started around at seven in the evening, but it last all through the night and well into the morning, with the party folk slowly disappearing from sight. Some spent the rest of their evenings in the bathrooms, others went to sleep and some just passed out in random locations.

It was a night of fun, when everyone could just relax even for one moment, forgetting their troubles, forgetting their personal problems and forgetting just about everything protocol-related. It was a night loaded with dancing, booze, gift exchanging, booze, karaoke, booze, philosophy, booze and even more booze. Even the most prudish people who could, for once, let their hair down and whatnot.

Elm and Blaine had arranged for the party, and while they weren't exactly the most social people, they had to keep their spirits high through the night. Kris and Shane attended as well, along with Shane's new friend, Cheren Black. Most of the staff working for Sledge Hammer and Extranormal Operations were gone, so besides Elm, Blaine, Black, Kris and Shane, there were only a handful of people: Lyra, who had troubles keeping her liquor in; Silver, who slurred life-changing philosophies with Lucas and Pearl; Leaf, who decided to go with water that night, as she didn't want her problem getting out; Lieutenant White, who wanted to challenge anyone she met to a match of arm wrestling; Dawn, who ranted about her recent purchases to anyone who agreed to listen; and finally, the happy-go-lucky Bel, who was there all the time, despite no one noticing it at any point.

Nevertheless, it was Bel who agreed to take a photo of everyone for the memories, and it had to be done before everyone got too drunk to forget everything about the night. They wanted the memories to last. As such, for the first time ever, everyone got truly along and came together. Kris, Shane, Lyra, Black, Leaf, Silver, White, Elm, Blaine, Dawn, Lucas and Pearl posed in one picture, being happy and getting along for the first time ever. And perhaps the last.

…wait. So, how did all this happen? How did these people end up working for this group and what the hell was going on? Better take a look into the past and see what caused this mess…