This chapter jumps three months ahead to October 2018 and will set up the main plotline of this fic. Ralph's introduction in the first chapter and the Cythonna episode in the second one could be considered the "warm-up arcs" of this story.
Chapter 3
Earth-38
(Evening)
Barry Allen and Kara Danvers ran in a streak of yellow-orange lightning and flew in a blue and red blur respectively on their way back to National City after having spent most of the day making many saves around the globe. The former was garbed in his new Flash suit, while the latter was clad in a new Supergirl suit that Winn had made for her a few weeks ago. It looked mostly the same as her previous suit, except for a pair of blue pants in place of a red skirt.
In a stark contrast to her moody and shut off attitude last year around this time following Mon-El's departure, Kara felt at ease, stress-free, and content. The same applied to Barry, who was happy with both his relationship with Kara and new life on this Earth.
Aside from the death of J'onn's father M'yrnn a week after the battle in Earth-1's Central City against the Earth-X and Earth-64 enemies, not much had happened in the last four months. Barry had gotten a job as a forensic scientist at NCPD a little over a month after moving to Earth-38, while Kara continued to work at CatCo as a reporter. As usual, Clark stayed mostly in Metropolis, tending to his duties as both Superman and a reporter for the Daily Planet. Alex, J'onn, and Winn continued their respective duties at the D.E.O. As for Lena, the bond between her and Kara remained as strong as it had become after the latter revealed her secret identity to the former.
Overall, life was fantastic for the Scarlet Speedster and Girl of Steel.
Barry was the first to arrive in his and Kara's apartment, with the latter appearing a second later.
"Too slow, Girl of Steel," Barry teased with a grin.
Kara glared playfully at him. "I may not be as fast as you, but at least I can very easily lift a skyscraper over my head and fly to space without the need to breathe."
"But can you phase, travel through time, or jump to another Earth anytime you want?" Barry countered.
"All right, you got me there, Scarlet Speedster," Kara admitted.
"Care to join me in the shower tonight?" Barry offered with a smirk.
"Sure," Kara answered with an eager grin. "I don't see why not."
"Let's go," Barry said.
He and Kara sped into the bathroom, suddenly out of their costumes and completely nude as they prepared for their shower.
Standing on a rooftop was a beautiful young woman with dirty blonde hair and blue eyes who was dressed in a pink jacket over a white T-shirt, blue jeans, and white tennis shoes. Her gaze was fixed on the apartment building across the street, focusing specifically on one window. Through the window, she saw Barry and Kara in their apartment, cuddled on the couch eating snacks and watching TV.
"They look so happy and peaceful," the young woman noted with a slight grin. "With no idea of what's coming."
She wiped away a lone tear that rolled down her cheek as she continued to watch the couple, who were completely oblivious to her presence.
(L-Corp)
Lena Luthor was sitting at her desk doing some work on her tablet when she heard a whoosh of air and felt a gush of wind. She looked up and saw Barry standing a few feet from her. He was dressed in all black, wearing a leather jacket, matching pants, and boots.
"Hello, Lena," Barry greeted in a neutral tone.
"Barry," Lena responded, surprised by his unexpected appearance. "What are you doing here?" She got up. "Is everything all right?"
"Everything's just fine," Barry answered.
Those were the last words Lena heard before her world suddenly went pitch-black.
Lena slowly opened her eyes as she came to. The first thing she noticed was that she was no longer in her office. Glancing around, she found herself in what she immediately recognized as an abandoned warehouse. She was seated in a chair, her hands bound behind her back in zip cuffs.
"Welcome back to consciousness, Ms. Luthor," Lena heard the voice belonging to Barry speak as the young man in question paced to the front of her like a shark circling its prey.
Lena struggled to free her hands, but it was no use. "What is this?!" she demanded, angrily. "Why am I tied to a chair and in a warehouse?!"
"My apologies for this arrangement," Barry said calmly with a smirk. "This is nothing personal, I assure you. Well, not personal for me."
"What do you mean?" Lena asked, peering at the smug expression on Barry's face. "What's going on with you? Are you under someone else's control? Are you a shapeshifter? A doppelganger? The Barry Allen I know doesn't seem like the kind of person who would knock me out in my office and kidnap me."
"Clever woman," Barry complimented with that smirk still on his face. "Not that I'm surprised you quickly figured out that I'm not Barry. After all, you and your family members were always known for their keen intellect."
"If you're not Barry, who are you?" Lena asked.
"Eobard Thawne," the villainous speedster wearing the face of his greatest enemy introduced himself. "Some also call me the Reverse-Flash."
"Thawne," Lena repeated in recognition. She looked up at him with a glare. "You're the speedster who was working with the Nazis from Earth-X four months ago. You also tried to kill Supergirl!"
"It's too bad I didn't finish the job," Thawne sneered. "It would've been a delight watching the Girl of Steel helplessly scream and writhe in agony while I cut open her chest and take out her heart. Bonus points for the fact that it would've meant taking from The Flash the object of his affection."
"You're a sick bastard!" Lena snarled, intensifying her glare. "You're an even worse psychopath than my brother!"
"Come on, Lena, I'm hurt. That's no way to speak of your own flesh and blood. We're a family and I'm a sentimental guy, which is why I had my new partner bring you here for the show."
A chill ran down Lena's spine at the sound of the voice she knew all too well. It couldn't be.
Walking up behind her was a middle-aged bald man with a goatee. He was dressed in a fine black suit and carried the demeanor of someone who knew he was smarter than anyone else on the planet. He stood next to Thawne and stared at Lena, the smirk on his face showing he was enjoying her shocked reaction.
"Hello, sis', long time no see," the man, who was none other than Lex Luthor, greeted.
Lena got over her shock as her face hardened. "Let me guess, Thawne helped you escape from prison and you two have teamed up to kill the world's heroes."
"No one helped me with anything, Lena," Lex stated. "I could've escape from Stryker's at any moment. That place is not a prison. It's a resort I can use to unwind, reflect on how things went wrong for me and such. I was biding my time, thinking and planning my next move. Then Eobard Thawne shows up in my cell five weeks ago and provides me the opportunity to accomplish my plans on a much grander scale."
"By killing Supermen and Supergirls across multiple Earths," Thawne added smugly, "while I, on the other hand, kill The Flash and his counterparts."
"You see, Lena, there won't be a single Kryptonian to stand in my way after I've killed them all," Lex explained with a smirk. "I will finally show people that I was never the villain, that I was the Man of Tomorrow all along. Most people may fear me now, but in the end, when they finally open their eyes and see who the real hero is, they will thank me for exterminating the alien filth that infests this planet."
"You tried to kill Superman countless times and failed," Lena pointed out in a cold tone. "What makes you think you will succeed at killing more than one version of him and his cousin? I highly doubt all the heroes across the Multiverse will sit idly by and allow that to happen."
"You make a good point there, sis'," Lex admitted. "Well, that's where recruiting my own legion of useful allies come in handy. Individuals who understand that I am after a way to save this planet, by freeing it from the overbearing presence of aliens, especially Superman, who think they can just waltz in and take what doesn't belong to them. It is time for us humans to take back what is rightfully ours."
"Superman and Supergirl are much more human that you will ever be!" Lena retorted.
"THERE IS NOTHING HUMAN ABOUT THOSE KRYPTONIAN PRETENDERS!" Lex roared like the madman he actually was. "THERE NEVER WAS AND NEVER WILL BE!"
"Why did you bring me here, Lex?" Lena demanded. "You know that, no matter what you say or do, I will never go along with your vile plans. Was it so that you'll have someone to gloat to?"
"Actually, I brought you here to enlighten you," Lex stated, before smirking. "Oh, Lena, I almost feel sorry for you. Being so smart, thinking you're in control, yet completely unaware that your friends have been lying to you from the start. Your boyfriend Jimmy, Alex, J'onn, Winn... even your own mother. The joke's on you, Lena. It's always been on you."
Lena frowned. "What are you talking about?"
Lex grinned, confident that his plan would work. "Kara Danvers is... Supergirl."
"And?" Lena asked, nonchalantly. "What does that have to do with anything?"
Lex blinked, taken aback as his grin vanished. "Wait, you knew? You knew that she was Supergirl?"
"I did, Lex," Lena answered, looking him hard in the eyes. "Leave it up to you to automatically assume she never would've trusted me with her secret and that telling me would've created a rift in our friendship, a word which you have no understanding of."
Lex glanced down in disappointment. "Well, that ruins a perfectly good offshoot plan I had of having you work against her in case I failed to kill her."
"Since that plan of yours failed, what are you going to do with me now?" Lena asked. "What's stopping you from killing me tonight?"
"Call me crazy, but I'm partial to my relatives," Lex stated. "Just can't bear killing my own sister."
"Oh, yeah?" Lena scoffed. "Does that include the time when you hired John Corben to do exactly that shortly after I moved to National City and took over your company?"
"You're not still holding a grudge for that, are you, sis'? I've moved on from that ever since," Lex told her.
Thawne turned to him. "I understand Lena is your sister, Lex, but I would advise you to not let that fact cloud your judgment. She's one of the smartest individuals on this planet and friends with..."
"I am not killing her!" Lex snapped, glaring angrily at Thawne.
"Watch your tone," Thawne sneered, raising his vibrating hand and nearing it towards Lex's chest. "Or have you forgotten what I'm capable of?"
Lex continued to glare at the speedster. "I am not killing Lena. End of discussion."
"Very well," Thawne nodded, lowering his hand as he stopped vibrating it.
"Now, on with the show, shall we?" Lex stated, clicking a button on his watch before a green and purple suit of armor rapidly wrapped itself around his entire body.
Thawne extended his fist, allowing his Reverse-Flash suit to fly out of his golden ring. He sped into his suit and sped of the warehouse in a flash of red lightning.
In their apartment, Barry and Kara were still relaxing on the couch when a familiar vibrating figure in yellow suddenly appeared.
"Hello, Flash, Supergirl," Thawne greeted smugly in a deep and distorted voice.
Barry and Kara jumped up immediately, glaring furiously at their intruder. Lightning flashed in Barry's eyes, while Kara's eyes glowed brightly with heat vision.
"Thawne!" the two heroes snarled in unison.
"Catch me if you can," the villainous speedster taunted, before disappearing out of the apartment.
Instantly changing into their respective suits, The Flash and Supergirl wasted no time pursuing their enemy.
Earth-21
(LexCorp)
Lex was sitting at his desk looking at a tablet when a bright flash of light appeared in the middle of the office. He jumped to his feet and watched as a tall bald man who appeared several years older than him materialized within the light. The newcomer was dressed in an expensive black suit and was holding a large glowing book that Lex figured was magical in nature.
"Who the hell are you?" Lex demanded, regarding the stranger, who seemed familiar somehow, warily.
"I'm you, Lex Luthor, but from an alternate universe," the stranger replied with a smirk as he closed the book. "Earth-192 to be exact."
Lex slowly moved his hand near where his gun was under his desk while not taking his eyes off the other bald man. "Why should I believe you?"
"I'd honestly ask the same question if our roles were reversed," the man claiming to be an alternate version of Lex said. "We may not look or sound alike and we certainly have our differences, but in some ways, our lives are very similar. For instance, I too own a company called LexCorp and is constantly at odds with Superman and his Justice League." With an amused smirk, he added, "I still can't believe you were once friends with your world's version of that self-righteous Boy Scout. What's also shocking is the fact that Clark Kent of all people is Superman. I always thought such an idea would be preposterous, but to think my biggest enemy has been hiding in plain sight all this time? He must be planning an invasion."
"What do you want?" Lex demanded, not moving his hand from under his desk.
"I want to recruit you on an interesting mission of course," the other Lex stated, walking towards his counterpart. "One Lex Luthor is an extremely formidable individual as it is. Imagine what multiple Lex Luthors could accomplish if we combine our intellectual minds and vast resources. Think about it. By collaborating, we can finally put an end to the so-called 'heroes' of our worlds, starting with Superman."
Lex smirked, having already made his decision. "I like the sound of that." He moved from behind his desk and walked up to his counterpart. "If you truly are a version of me from another world, I'm in."
He held out his hand and the other Lex shook it.
"I knew you wouldn't turn me down," Lex-192 said with a smirk.
"I'd a fool not to accept such an enticing offer," Lex pointed out. "Exactly how many of us are you looking forward to inviting into our Council of Lex Luthors?"
"So far, you're the first alternate version of me I've encountered," Lex-192 stated. "One down, four to go."
"So six in total," Lex said.
"I prefer to keep the amount of members in our group at a limit if you know what I mean," Lex-192 explained.
"I know exactly what you mean," Lex nodded in understanding. "Bringing too many Lex Luthors together at once could lead to disaster."
"That's right," Lex-192 agreed.
He opened the book and the two variations of Lex Luthor each vanished in a flash of light.
Earth-38
Thawne sped back into the warehouse and stopped next to Lex, who was waiting in anticipation as he smirked under the helmet of his Lexo-suit.
A moment later, The Flash sped into the warehouse, with a flying Supergirl in tow. The pair of heroes stopped dead in their tracks at the sight of Thawne standing beside a green and purple armor that they instantly recognized as the Lexo-suit. They also noticed Lena bound in a chair.
"Lena," Supergirl gasped in concern.
"Kara, be careful, he wants to kill you," Lena warned in alarm.
"Hello, Supergirl, nice to finally meet you," Lex sneered, standing in position.
Kara turned to him with a dropped jaw. "Lex Luthor?! How did you..." It then hit her. "Thawne. He helped you escape."
"What do you want?" Barry demanded, glaring at both Thawne and Lex.
"To get rid of Kryptonians and every other alien on Earth," Lex stated, before turning to Supergirl. "Starting with you, Girl of Steel."
"Bring it on!" Kara snarled, pressing her fists as she glared daggers at Lex.
As Lex released a glowing green blade from his gauntlet, Kara flew towards him unleashing her heat vision, which Lex blocked.
At the same time, Barry sped Lena out of the chair, freeing her hands from the zip cuffs in the process, and gently set her on the ground.
As Thawne sped off, Barry pursued him and the two speedsters raced around the warehouse in streaks of yellow and red lightning trading high-speed blows.
Kara punched Lex square in the chest, sending him flying back and crashing into the wall. She unleashed her freeze breath at him, but Lex recovered and flew out of the way. Lex fired several green energy blasts at Kara, but she easily avoided them.
"You might as well give it up, Lex! You'll never hit me!" Kara snarled.
"Ah, you may be right, but I'm always many steps ahead," Lex gloated.
Kara was suddenly sent flying across the warehouse by a powerful blow to the back. She crashed against the wall and landed on the floor. She looked up to see Hank Henshaw stalking towards her.
"Hank Henshaw," Kara gasped in shock.
"Cyborg Superman!" Hank growled. "It's time for you to die, Supergirl! And this time, I will finish the job!"
He hurled a punch down at Kara, shattering the ground instead as she rolled out of the way. Kara got back up and punched Hank in the face twice, staggering him back. She then kicked him in the abdomen and hurled another punch, but Hank caught her fist with one hand and punched her in the chest with his other hand, sending her flying off and crashing against the wall again.
Lex flew over and landed beside Hank.
"It's time to end the age of Kryptonians!" Lex declared, raising a hand and aiming his gauntlet at Kara.
He fired a green blast and Kara cried out in pain as it struck her in the torso.
Lex grinned evilly. "Not so Girl of Steel now, are you? You had a good run, while it lasted." He raised both of his gauntlets. "This time, I win."
Meanwhile, Barry pinned Thawne against the wall with one hand around the latter's throat and raised his other hand, which he vibrated.
"Go on, end it," Thawne taunted as Barry continued glaring hatefully at him. "END IT!" Barry stopped vibrating his hand and lowered it while Thawne asked, "What's stopping you?" He smirked. "Oh, I forgot. Barry Allen is above killing. Is that right?"
Before Thawne could react, Barry kicked him in the knee hard, causing him to fall down. He then decked Thawne in the face with all his might, knocking the villainous speedster out cold.
Barry sighed, looking down at his unconscious opponent with satisfaction and relief.
That was when he heard Kara crying out in agony and wasting no time speeding in the blink of an eye over to where Lex was attacking her with concentrated double blasts of kryptonite energy while Hank was doing the same with his blue eye beam.
Barry phased into Lex's suit, pushing the latter out of it and to the ground. Barry then vibrated within the suit, shattering it into many pieces as Lex glared at him.
"It's over, Lex!" Barry snarled. "You're going back to prison!"
"Not quite, Flash!" Lex shot back.
Hank turned to Barry and unleashed an eye beam at him. Barry easily dodged it and unleashed a powerful blast of lightning at Hank, who was staggered several feet back by the attack but managed to stand his ground.
"Kara!" Lena called out in horror as she rushed to her Kryptonian best friend, who was unconscious. "Kara!" She grabbed Kara's face and saw that her veins were bright green.
Hank unleashed another beam from his eye, but Barry avoided it before charging at Hank and shoving his vibrating fist into the cybernetic side of his opponent's face. As Barry retracted his fist, the blue light in Hank's cybernetic eye went out and the self-proclaimed 'Cyborg Superman' fell to the ground, motionless.
"Oh, you'll get over her, Lena," Lex said as if what he had done to Kara wasn't a big deal. "Everyone will." The female Luthor shot her brother a fierce glare as Lex continued, "This planet will be better off without aliens living among us. Many consider me the bad guy for some reason, but the truth is..."
Barry angrily grabbed Lex and slammed him against the wall.
"You better hope to God she doesn't die!" Barry snarled. "Because if she does..."
"You'll do what, kill me?" Lex asked with an amused smirk.
Barry raised his hand as if considering his decision. After a few moments, he lowered it.
"No," Barry hissed. "That's not who I am. Even if it were, you're not worth killing."
Suddenly, Barry, Lena, and the still-unconscious Kara each vanished in a flash of light.
Lex looked around in confusion, wondering what happened, before he noticed a pair of bald men, one of them holding some kind of glowing book that seemed magical in nature, in the warehouse. For some reason that Lex couldn't figure out, they seemed very familiar.
"Lex Luthor," the bald man with the book greeted with a smirk, "I have a proposition for you."
Lex walked up to the two strangers curiously. "What kind of proposition? Who the hell are you?"
"I'm Lex Luthor," the second bald man introduced himself, before gesturing to the first bald man. "And this is Lex Luthor too. We're each from another universe. I presume you've heard of the Multiverse theory, right?"
"I'm from what is called Earth-192," the first bald man explained, before gesturing to his partner. "And he's from Earth-21. This is Earth-38 from what I discovered. We'd like you to join us."
Lex regarded them in wonder. "You're both me. My doppelgangers."
"Yes, but we're better than you in some ways," Lex-192 stated, arrogantly.
"Considering that I was President of the United States before my displacement into the past and learned the secret identity of my world's Superman, I may as well be the best Lex in the Multiverse," Lex-21 pointed out.
"Why settle for President when you could be so much more?" Lex-192 pointed out. "A god, for example. President of the United States is beneath us."
"I always knew the Multiverse existed, but to actually meet other versions of myself," Lex said, before frowning. "I assume this recruitment involves getting rid of you-know-who?"
"If you're referring to Superman, most definitely," Lex-192 answered.
Lex grinned. "Well then, I look forward to comparing notes with you two. What now?"
"Right now, we meet the next version of us," Lex-192 stated.
He opened the book again and the trio of Lexes each vanished in a flash of light.
On the other side of the warehouse, Thawne regained consciousness and got back up. He sped around the warehouse, seeing no signs of anyone other than the inactive Hank Henshaw still around. It appeared that Barry and Kara had somehow forgotten to confine him, not that Thawne complained.
"You may have beaten me in our fight this time, Flash, but you won't be so lucky next time we meet," the yellow-clad speedster sneered.
He put his cowl back on and sped off.
Earth-50
(Arkham Asylum, Gotham City)
The Lex Luthors of Earth-21, Earth-38, and Earth-192 appeared in the cell of Alexander 'Lex' Luthor Jr., who was sitting on the floor in a corner restrained in a straitjacket. He was younger and shorter than all three of the visiting Lexes and had an insane look on his face that caused Lex-21 and Lex-38 to feel a bit uneasy.
"Well, what do we have here?" Lex Luthor of Earth-50 asked with an insane grin as he stood up and regarded the three strangers. "Three follicly-challenged strangers spontaneously showing up in my cell with a book that appears to be magical in nature. Something's definitely up. Are you here to deliver me from this abomination of a prison?"
"You could say that," Lex-192 answered, concealing the disdain he felt for this world's version of himself (or rather, this version of Luthor, since using the word 'himself' while referring to Lex-50 was insulting). "Lex Luthor, I presume?"
"Who wants to know?" Lex-50 asked, curiously.
Lex-192 opened the book once more and the four versions of Lex Luthor each vanished in a flash of light.
Earth-96
(Metropolis)
The four Lexes emerged in an alley in yet another universe.
"Ah, the smell of freedom once again," Lex-50 looked up in the air with a grin, before turning to the other three men. "As much as I appreciate this gesture of goodwill, explain to me what is going on here and why have you freed me from my confinement?"
"I take it you've heard of the Multiverse theory," Lex-192 told him.
"Ah, the Multiverse! Fascinating subject!" Lex-50 commented. "I am very interested in where this conversation seems to be going." His eyes widened as he stared at his three counterparts in wonder. "Wait a minute. Correct me if I'm wrong, but you three aren't from my world."
"You're catching on," Lex-192 said.
"And who exactly are you if you don't mind me asking?" Lex-50 inquired.
"Haven't you figured it out yet?" Lex-38 asked, annoyed by this clownish version of him. "You already know we're not from your universe."
"Think about it," Lex-21 added. "Why else would three bald-headed strangers from three different universes show up out of the blue in your cell and help you escape?"
Lex-50 was silent as he pondered that question. After a few seconds, his eyes lit up in realization.
"Oh, boy, you three are alternative variations of me!" Lex-50 exclaimed.
"Good, you figured it out," Lex-38 remarked.
"Let me guess, you three are putting together a legion of Lex Luthors so we can roam the Multiverse and kill the red-caped Gods in the sky! Kill Supermen!" Lex-50 said.
"Not just Superman, but the entire Justice League as well," Lex-192 said.
"Okay, challenge accepted!" Lex-50 exclaimed, eagerly. "I can't wait to kill the Supermen of our worlds and those who ally with him! But first," he stared down at the straitjacket he was still wearing, "a little help with this if you don't mind."
As Lex-192 opened the book, a shimmer of light momentarily flowed over Lex-50's straitjacket and it vanished, leaving him in the T-shirt he had on underneath.
"Ah, feel much better," Lex-50 remarked with a grin.
The four Lexes appeared in the prison cell of this universe's Lex Luthor, who sitting on a cot reading a book. Lex of Earth-96 was in his late fifties, making him older than his visiting counterparts.
"Lex Luthor," Lex-192 greeted.
"The one and only," Lex-96 replied, setting his book down. He stood up and curiously regarded the four bald strangers, who all seemed familiar for some reason. "Have I met any of you gentlemen before?"
"Not exactly," Lex-192 answered with mysterious smile. "As for who we are, you'll be very interested in the answer to that question."
"Come with us if you want a shot at freedom and taking care of Superman once and for all," Lex-21 added.
Lex-96 perked up at that, but before he could reply, he and the other four Lexes each vanished in a flash of light.
Earth-78
(Metropolis)
The five Lexes appeared in a prison cell in the next universe they visited. Sitting on a cot reading a book was this world's Lex Luthor, who was even older than Lex-96, being in his early eighties, yet could easily pass for over a decade younger and appeared to still be in vital shape for a man his age.
"Well," Lex-78 said, setting his book down and standing up as he curiously regarded the five strangers, who all seemed very familiar for some reason. "To what do I, Lex Luthor, the greatest criminal mind on Earth, owe the pleasure of this unexpected visit?"
"Well, Lex, we're recruiting multiple versions of ourselves across the Multiverse so we help each other get rid of the Supermen of our Earths," Lex-38 explained.
"As well as his allies," Lex-192 added with a smirk.
Lex-96 regarded his counterparts in wonder. "So you're all inter-dimensional variants of me, Lex Luthor, from other universes. That's brilliant! This provides me with a new and unique opportunity to finally expunge that annoying Kryptonian who keeps derailing my schemes!"
Lex-78 stared closely at his Earth-38 counterpart. "Strange."
Lex-38 frowned in confusion. "What's strange?"
"You bear a strong resemblance to my idiot nephew Lenny," Lex-78 explained. "Obviously, you're not him. You have a much better fashion sense." He turned serious, making eye contact with his counterparts. "Anyway, so a Multiverse of Lex Luthors, huh? First step of business, release me from my confinement and let's talk in a much more desirable setting."
"Of course," Lex-192 said, before he and his counterparts vanished in flashes of light.
So, I finally got around to my version of a Council of Luthors storyline. The versions of Lex involved are: Clancy Brown, Michael Rosenbaum, Jon Cryer, Jesse Eisenberg, Kevin Spacey, and Gene Hackman.