Title: ...Happily Ever After
Author's name: Roxy
Beta: Rose
Category: Humor, Romance and Action. (M/L)
Rating: PG 13
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created by James Cameron and Charles H. Eglee. I don't own Dark Angel, though Noah and Lou do belong to me. I am making no money out of this.
Summary: This is my hit at a 3rd season. Max and the others are trapped in TC, surrounded by White's men. A new little sister comes along. Deck reappears (isn't he just our favorite bad guy?). X5s reunion. More Familiars and how to deal with them.
Notes: Keep in mind that I am not a native speaker. I had already posted this under the title 'Third Season' but I wasn't satisfied with the level of English and I didn't have any beta. There are some slight changes such as the insertion of the character Noah, that's from another fic I wrote ('Phoney Sentimentality')
... Happily Ever After
Chapter I: Getting Out
She didn't like planes. You had to sit in them for hours and she didn't like staying inactive for too long. She needed action, they all did. Usually, she would pretty soon draw attention to herself by getting up all the time, talking to her neighbors who weren't always in the mood to explain what they thought about the political system in South Indonesia and she would become very annoyed herself because she would be annoying those around her.
However, today, this trip was different. She had a lot on her mind, they all had. This plane was taking her to America, her mother country and yet the very last place she wanted to be. But she was needed there even if she wasn't quite sure how she was going to be able to help.
She couldn't just stay there at her parents' safe in England. That would be too easy and like said earlier, she hated staying inactive for too long. She couldn't have bared the others fighting for their rights, for her rights while she was spending her holidays surfing and tanning in the Caribbean.
It had all started with rumors on transgenic beings escaped from a secret governmental lab a couple of years before and now hiding in Terminal City somewhere in Seattle, Washington, USA. According to some reporters, many more of those 'genetically modified beings' were arriving from everywhere to get inside Terminal City, normal people were now afraid of a possible attack so the army had been surrounding what had become 'transgenic HQ'.
Well, if it was true, if all the others were gathering up in this 'Terminal City' (such a nice comforting name) then she was sure to find familiar faces there. Well, at least she hoped she would... The thought of being stuck with hundred of Nomalies (ew!) made her shiver. There are some fears you just can't get rid of, the important thing is just not to let them show in front of potential enemies or friends for that matter, if you see what I mean.
Her Mum was worried. But then again, Mums are always worried even when they don't have an adopted genetically engineered daughter going to join the transgenic lost cause in what has become a third world country.
How reassuring! So Mum worried, Dad upset saying she should mind her own business and ought to go snowboarding in the French Alps instead. That's the way Dads are: less sentimental but just as worried as Mums.
Anyway, she had made them understand (at least she thought she had) that she was needed and that there was no way for them to hold her back. They had given up, Mum had cried, asked William (the butler) to make an apple pie for the trip, cried some more, checked the weather in Seattle to make sure she packed adequate clothes while crying. Dad had mumbled something about her daughter being so stubborn it wouldn't be surprising if she turned out to be his real daughter. Then he had dragged her into a bear hug and wished her good luck.
She had promised she'd call as soon as she could but all three very well knew that given the givens, that wouldn't be before long.
She had a lot of questions and she knew Seattle was the only place she could have answers. There were those markings that had started appearing all over her body: when they disappeared, new ones always appeared somewhere else. She had no way of finding out what they meant so she had tried to ignore them, but she had lamely failed.
Dad had almost had a heart attack discovering them. He thought his beloved daughter had gotten a tattoo ('And an ugly one too' Mum had noted. 'Thanks Mum'). Then, when Dad had seen them fade away and then pop back again, he had got scared and no matter how hard he had tried hiding it, his dear stubborn daughter had felt it. For the first time ever since they had adopted her, both of her parents felt overtaken.
She had been granted high sensory capacity, more than any of the others. She could smell fear, any kind of feeling and any change of attitude. She was a human lying detector. Plus she also had an extraordinary sixth sense. Whether that was intended or not at her creation, she didn't know. But it was there all right.
You don't dream that your grand mother's dead when she is perfectly healthy without asking yourself any questions, especially when you find out the next morning that your grand mother really did die over night. She had a lot of intuitions of this sort about the others... Rather bad ones about Ben or Tinga...
She shook her head to get rid of these bad thoughts. The plane was landing and it was the first time she thought the trip had been too short.
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Things were bad... and that was the euphemism of the century. Things were really screwed up! What had ever happened to that nice normal life of hers...? Oh, yeah... she had opened the doors of the Manticore zoo!
Max was anxious and she wasn't really familiar with the feeling and so far, she didn't like it either. She was considered by all as the transgenic leader and therefore was in charge of the whole transgenic population. Boy, did she understand Zack now, even though looking out for twelve isn't exactly the same thing as looking out for... how many were they anyway?
"Max?" Alec burst into the room, "Look I know you got a lot on your mind lately-"
'You have no idea' Max thought but remained silent.
"-X1s, X6s, X7s, these are weird little fellows, X8s and more of Joshua's buddies, if you see what I mean, are coming in! This is crazy; we don't have enough supplies for everyone!"
"Alec I know! But before I take care of the whole Manticorian population, I gotta think of a way of getting our normal population outta here!" Max replied.
She was talking about Original Cindy, Sketchy and Logan of course. Ordinaries couldn't stay long in Terminal City because of the radiations. And the effects were starting to show up on all three of them.
Max had thought it through; it would be easier to get O.C. and Sketchy out of there making believe they were hostages... Logan was the trouble, Ames White knew him and he would track him down no matter what.
"Max?" Mole's grumpy voice groaned entering the room.
"What now?" Max sighed.
"Some weirdo says she's an X5 and asks to talk to the one in charge here" he groaned back.
"Is it really an X5 or is it another C.J. kinda X5?" she rolled her eyes.
"Dunno" Mole said lighting up his last cigar, "Girl seems young to me plus she looks... preppy"
"Preppy?" Max frowned.
"Yeah, preppy" Mole shrugged, "Like she's coming straight from Logan's family, no offence meant of course"
"Of course" Alec smirked.
Max had managed to wield the toughest creatures in TC and Alec just found that amazing.
"I don't trust her-"Mole started.
"Why am I not surprised?" Alec said immediately looking out the window as to pretend somebody else had said it.
If Max had the respect of all, Alec was far from impressing Mole and he really did not feel like getting involve in a fight with the reptile man in person but then again, keeping his smartass remarks to himself was something he couldn't do.
"I don't think it's an ordinary" Mole went on, "No ordinary can get through the military perimeter White and his gang's installed but she might just be a Familiar, you know, one of White's spy. Also says she's an '09"
"Maybe you're a little paranoid, Mole-" Max said getting more and more interested.
"Just a little" Alec repeated.
"-I don't think White would send one of his familiars pretending she's an '09 when I know all of them already" Max added.
Mole let out a grouching noise and went back to smoking his cigar.
"Anyway, there's only one way to find out" Max shrugged, "Check if her bar-code's for real. What's her designation?"
"Won't let me check it. Says she's X5 515" Mole said sending out another of smoke.
Max's tired expression was replaced by astonishment. During a second she thought her ears had deceived her.
"515?" she stammered.
"Yeah... Why? D'you know her? Is she really an '09?" Mole asked.
Without answering, Max got out of the room, rushed down the metal stairs, ran through a corridor to arrive in the main room where the transgenics had installed all their technical equipment.
Thoughts were also rushing in her mind. Thirteen '09s as they called them... thirteen. She had never found out who all the others were. She knew about Zack, Zane, Jondy, Syl, Krit, Ben, Tinga, Brin and herself but that still left out room for four others... Could it be that...? Only Zack knew that for sure.
She stopped in the middle of the room and her attention was immediately caught by an unknown yet familiar face. Long brown curly hair, pulled back in a carefully worked out pony tail , large almond shaped hazel eyes such as hers, a frail figure... no mistaking that, it had to be her, yet Max wasn't sure...
She had noticed her at once and her sixth sense told her it was Max, it had to be her. It was neither Tinga nor Jace; it was Max. Her gaze broke into a smile, washing away all of Max's last doubts, it was her little kid sister.
Max rushed towards her with open arms. Mole and Alec had tagged along and Mole watched the whole scene with a disapproving look on his reptilian face.
After releasing her kid sister from her embrace, Max dragged her to Alec and Mole in order to introduce her.
"Mole, Alec, this is my baby sister Lou" Max said grinning.
"We've met" Lou casually said shaking hands with Mole.
When she took Alec's hand, she froze and scanned his entire face.
"What's wrong kiddo?" Alec asked uneasy.
"You... remind me of someone..." Lou stammered.
"Ben" Max said, "You'll have to get used to the idea that... we all have clones" she added.
"Clones? What the-"
"I'll explain later" Max said, "Manticore had a lot of secrets"
"Think I need some serious catch up" Lou said frowning.
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"Are you sure we can trust him Zack?" X5 701 Syl said loud enough for the 4 X5s in the room to hear her but not enough for the one concerned to even catch a single word.
"You wanna help Max? Then we don't have a choice" X5 599 Zack whispered back.
"I don't like the idea myself" X5 344 Noah said out loud for everyone to hear.
She was leaning against the wall, her dark curls framing her caramel face in which her green eyes stood out.
Lydecker looked up to her and said:
"Can't blame you. But you gotta admit I'm the only one that can help you. If I didn't care, I would've let the government accomplish its plan without interfering and that would mean the end of all the transgenic and the end... of Manticore"
"What is it Deck? Feeling nostalgic?" Noah scoffed.
"Check it out" X5 471 Krit said turning the TV volume up.
"Authorities won't tell us much but this young lady seems to be the transgenic leader" the reporter said as the camera man was having a rather enjoyable time filming Max from head to toe "It seems the transgenics are willing to release two hostages though we don't exactly know how many they have. It seems that their leader is escorted by both a dog man and -oh, my god!- a reptile man as she is leading her two hostages to the boarders of the perimeter fence. The first hostage is a young white man. He seems quite terrified. And we all wonder how they'll ever go back to a normal life after spending a few days with nothing but transgenics. The other hostage is a black young woman who-"the reporter went on and on.
"These are no hostages" Zack said, "It's Sketchy and Original Cindy. They work with Max"
"Well, at least, they're out of this bitch" Syl said.
"I wonder where Logan is?" Noah asked almost to herself.
"How come you know Logan?" Krit asked her.
"It's a long story" Noah said.
"We should get started" Lydecker said, "We haven't got much time"
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Lou was sitting in the room in which the transgenics had installed their technical equipment. She leaned forward in order to look at her reflection in the computer's black screen, to check if her hair was still in place. But she was rudely interrupted as a blond head with blue eyes popped on the screen.
"Terminal City? Terminal City? ...This is Colonel Donald Lydecker... Do you copy? Identify yourself!" the voice coming out of the computer asked.
"I was told you were dead. What a disappointment!"
Lou loudly sighed. If you had been interrupted in the middle of doing your hair by the old jerk that had haunted your childhood and therefore found out that he was still alive, you would have sighed too.
"State your designation soldier" the voice ordered again.
"We're not in Manticore anymore Lydecker" Lou said annoyed.
"Who are you?" Deck asked again raising his voice.
"What? Don't recognize your precious kids? Heard you had spent half your life chasing us" Lou said even more annoyed.
Lydecker paused for a few seconds, like searching in his memory. He knew the '09s, he knew all of them and it didn't take him long to realize that the young woman in front of him was...
"X5 515-"
"-I prefer to be called Lou" the teenager replied dryly.
"I need to talk to Max"
"Well, that's rude! Not only do you interrupt me in the middle of setting my hair right but you also want to deprive me of the pleasure of having a quite cordial exchange of insults with you. Now don't you-"Lou started.
"Lou, what's going on?" Max asked from behind.
"Max? This is Lydecker"
"Lydecker? I thought you were dead!" Max frowned walking to the computer followed by Logan and Alec.
"So I was told" Lydecker answered, "Look Max, you're all in great danger-"
"Thank you so much for briefing me. Really I had no idea; I was wondering what all these militaries were doing outside. The thought never crossed my mind that they were maybe... laying siege to starve us!" she raised her tone.
"There's another danger Max and I have-" Lydecker repeated still calm.
"Oh, let me guess, you have a miraculous solution and you expect me to trust you?" Max interrupted.
"Does anybody care at all? I was in the middle of a-"Lou started.
"Max? You're at the mercy of White's men. Why would I even bother if it wasn't to help you?" Lydecker asked.
"Because you've probably plotted something more twisted in that bent little mind of yours" Max replied.
"How about an open trash-Decki-down game?" Lou proposed.
"Max, I'm here with Zack and other of your brothers and sisters. You have to trust me" Lydecker said.
"Nice try" Max scoffed, "Zack's safe living a normal life, away from you, from White and his sick little gang"
"Not so far away" a familiar voice said as a blond man appeared behind Lydecker.
Max's mouth dropped open and her breath was cut. Lou looked from the screen to Max and then back to the screen.
"What? What's up with Zack?" Lou asked.
Alec put a hand on Lou's shoulder in order to make her shut up and gave her the-long-story-look, look that Lou was far from enjoying. Geez, turn your back around for twelve years and the whole world learns to turn without you! She leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms on her chest.
"How do we know you're not a clone?" Alec asked before Max could recollect enough breath to speak.
"Because no one can pretend being X5 599" Zack said proudly.
Max still didn't say anything.
"Fine, ask me a question and let's get on with it because you're in danger" he said harshly like the real Zack would have said.
Max still didn't say anything. Her eyes were still fixed on the blond man on the screen behind Lydecker. Suddenly they turned to pouting Lou who looked up questioningly. In half a second the teenager understood what his big sister wanted and forgot her bad mood. Her brows relaxed and she turned back towards the screen. She studied it for a moment.
"Hey, Lou" Zack said mellowing.
Lou didn't answer immediately; she frowned still looking at the screen. Then, she relaxed again, leaned back and casually said:
"Hey big bro"
Lou looked up to Max, standing beside her and nodded.
"Ok, what's up?" Max asked.
Lydecker then informed Max that an air raid was planned on Terminal City in five days, even though the press had declared that they were still human hostages within TC. The government could no longer hide the existence of transgenics, it therefore made sense for them to try and destroy them. The Seattle population around the area of TC was being evacuated and that meant no good.
"What the hell are we suppose to do?" Max asked panicked.
Lydecker had a plan and a place to hide everyone. Their job was to get out of TC.
"Easier said than done" Alec mumbled.
"Yeah, in case you hadn't noticed, we're a little... how shall I put it... surrounded!" Lou said harshly.
Lydecker than suggested using the draining pipes at first and then to dig at a particular place to make a tunnel, the transgenics were then supposed to reach the surface and get to... Max didn't even want to think about what the place Lydecker had found would be like. A new Manticore?
This was all secondary. If air raids were to take place and she had the responsibility of them all; she had to act, she had to do something no matter what. Yet, she couldn't feel but desperate and pessimistic about the whole thing.
"Five days! There's no way we can get everyone out in five days!" she pleaded.
"Max, you're underestimating Manticore. You have every single kind of soldiers ever created by Manticore, there are some that are specialized in underground business, just give them the map I've sent you, you'll be surprised. You've got to trust me on this, Max! We've got no time to loose! Think about Logan!" Lydecker said.
Lou sighed again. Yep, Deck had aimed right. Logan had been standing in silence behind them all along. Well, not exactly in silence. He had interrupted the conversation by his coughing every two seconds. Poor guy just couldn't hold his radiations. If he no longer needed his exoskeleton to walk thanks to Joshua's last blood transfusion, he hadn't become a transgenic. He was still a normal ordinary human capable of impressive things yes, yet high immunology wasn't part of it.
Max's heart seemed to enlarge in her chest. Logan was getting bad, he didn't talk about it, he didn't complain, but he was getting really bad. She nodded, took the map and asked Lydecker to contact her within a few hours. Then, she turned to Joshua and said:
"Call everyone, general meeting; we gotta work our way outta here before those jerks out there blow us up!"
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Everything was planned. First, they were going to use the pipes to get out and then those weird bright-eyed creatures were going to come in handy. Thanks to their incredible skills, they dug a tunnel large enough for everyone to fit and all this in less than four days, of course, all the others gave a hand, but they were the ones that did most of the job.
Everybody agreed that they would not be put back into another Manticore. Most of the transhumans believed in Max as if she was their messiah: they would follow her no matter where she would go.
So, they all agreed to go back because they knew they had to stick together if they wanted to fight and someday be able to live like 'upstairs people'. Even the most uncommon creatures, like Mole, secretly wished it was what their future was made of.
Day 5 came; the air raids were to start around noon according to Lydecker. Some of the X series had started going through the tunnel during the night, especially the ones with babies. They were evacuating TC progressively so the 'norms' outside wouldn't suspect anything. Transgenics had decided to keep showing an activity inside till the very last moment.
Max was sitting on the roof, staring at calm, sleepy Seattle in front of her. Everything was calm, too calm she thought. How did the 'norms' expect them not to sense that something was coming up?
Logan walked towards her. She could not see him as he was coming from behind, but she heard him quite clearly. When he reached her, he put his gloved hand on her shoulder. She grabbed it and squeezed it as he told her:
"I'm really proud of you, you know? It's a big thing you're getting yourself into"
"I know. I'm just not sure I'm up to it. They all seem to believe in me and I've never been so unsure about anything, are they right to trust me the way they do? Am I right to trust Lydecker? Am I not leading everyone into a trap?"
"Believe in yourself Max, do whatever feels right. I don't know if Sandeman ever knew such a thing was going to happen but it's as if you were made for this, to lead and defend your own kind. I'm sure that whatever you decide it'll be for the best"
"What am I going to do without you?" Max asked smiling sadly.
"You'll be busy and all, you won't even have the time to think about me" Logan shrugged.
"I'll come and see you once you're in the hospital. According to Lydecker, you'll be safe there: he's got you a new name, ID. Once again, it's according to Lydecker. He says he knows the doctors anyway and that-" Max said more trying to reassure herself than Logan.
"Stop worrying about me. I'll be fine, take care of yourself and your siblings, especially that new little sister of yours. Lou, some interesting new kind of X5. I mean I had already been confronted with mean killing machine X5, goody sociopath X5 and now I've met posh X5. Maybe you guys could start the Spice Girls again"
Max snorted but her smile quickly faded away.
"Funny isn't she? Yet, coming all the way here from England to give us a hand... She didn't have to... she could've stayed there living her little life, which from what I've heard seemed to be perfectly normal: parents, nice house, dog, studies, boyfriends she could actually touch"
"Everything you've always wanted to have and to be" Logan noted.
"I'm not feeling sorry for myself, I just think it's gotta be hard for her to leave all that to come and live here with us. I mean she's only seventeen, she's just a kid"
"I don't agree" Logan said, "I think she's never been a normal girl, no matter how hard any of you may try to fit in, you guys are different and it's up to us to get used to it, like Lou's parents did. And don't worry... I gotta feeling she'll get along just fine" he shrugged.
Max got up and left Logan alone on the roof. She stepped into the room where her sister was sleeping; it was four in the morning. Lou was lying on the ground, her head resting on her bag, sleeping like a baby. Max slowly leaned over her sister's ear and whispered:
"Time to wake up sleeping beauty, today's the big day"
"Is it morning yet?" mumbled Lou in a yawn.
"No, not yet but we've got business to do"
"Yeah, yeah..." Lou mumbled back, "Taking care of the others, making sure everybody's out before noon... I know, I know... When did I ever become Mother Teresa?"
"Please, you're sounding like Alec"
"You say this like it's a bad thing" Alec said coming from behind.
"Hum..." Lou snorted "Thought you were busy with cat lady"
"Nah" Alec replied, "Think she has a thing for those of us that are mostly canine DNA... if you see what I mean"
"Who'd have thought?" Lou yawned back.
"Cat lady? What are you? In heat 24/7 or something?" Max frowned.
"Max, don't try to understand the alpha male that I am. This is beyond your intendment" Alec said taking a superior look.
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Max was once again standing on the roof. TC was empty except for her, Lou, Alec, Joshua, Zen (X8 698), two X6s and Logan who was looking more awful than ever. Noon stroke and helicopters made their way through the clouds and circled TC.
"Militaries" Max sighed, "So always on time, it's almost pathetic! You'd think they'd have some sort of life"
"Well, look at Deck!" Lou shrugged, "Of course they don't have a life!"
"You guys better go" Max said turning to Logan, Alec and Joshua, "We'll meet you as soon as the show starts"
She knew it would take longer for Logan to make it to the tunnel and once in, it would take him even longer to get through and back to the surface.
"What if the tunnel doesn't resist the first raids? What if it collapses? You'll be stuck here!" Logan said, "That wasn't part of the plan"
"Then, you'll have to blame our bright-eyed friends for the bad work they've accomplished" Max shrugged.
"I'm not kidding Max!" Logan said threateningly.
"They have to believe we're all still in here, there's no other way! I betcha some journalists paid a whole lot of money just to be in those helicopters to record the end of the ordinary people's nightmare and we're going to give them exactly what they want!"
"You heard the lady" Lou said, "So no argument, that's the plan now, besides I'm sure me and my big sis are fast enough!"
As usual, Max had decided something and she was not about to change a single bit about it. Plus she was backed up by posh X5 in person, so the others all gave up, even Logan.
He wanted to stay of course, but he knew that his physical condition would only slow her down and make it more dangerous for her. He had already stayed up until then, it was time to go. Joshua gave Max a sad look but he also reconciled himself to his little fella's will.
So they were left, just the two of them on the roof, looking at Seattle. Everything was still so calm except for the helicopters' roamings.
"Ready to do this all the way, little sis?" Max smirked.
"I'm no half ass" Lou shrugged, "All the way it is"
A first bomb fell over the building beside them, yet they didn't budge. Another fell on the other side and only then did they allowed themselves to move. They rushed back inside the building. Everything was already collapsing around them and some things were even on fire.
They jumped down the stairs and reached for the opening leading to the draining. Lou jumped in first ('Kids first' she said. 'Hey, I'm no kid!') and then Max closed the opening behind them so they would not get any of the wreckages. They ran through the draining, large enough for them to stand fully and be side by side, finally they reached the part where the transgenics had started digging and without a hesitation they both rushed into it.
It was dark, but their eyes could see perfectly, they ran without ever looking back, if they had though they would've seen the entrance to the tunnel collapse just like Logan had predicted it.
When Max and Lou reached the surface, they found themselves in the middle of nowhere and met with Joshua and Alec, safe and sound. A car was already taking Logan away leading him to a hospital, like Lydecker had promised. Max barely had the time to say goodbye for he was already in the car when she arrived.
How do you say good bye if you can't kiss, if you can't even touch? So, she just stood there, watching the car driving away, without ever taking her eyes off Logan. He smiled, happy to see she had once again made it. When the car was out off sight, Alec came near her and said:
"He was really in a bad state, I mean I know he wasn't in a good condition when we left TC and all but the way through the tunnel really tired him, at the end, he could barely walk and worrying about you didn't make it any better"
"I don't think I'm gonna see him for a while now. I hope he's gonna be all right" she said slowly.
"Max, get over it! The guy actually had a life before you, not a very thrilling life, but a life anyway. He can take care of himself" Alec smirked.
"Alec?" Lou said, "I think that if you don't shut up in the next two seconds, you won't have any thing left to go mess around with cat lady"
"Cat lady?" Joshua asked looking nervous all of the sudden.
"Nah, don't worry buddy" Alec patted him in the back, "I'm not the kind of guy that'll be standing in your way"
"Like you'd stand a chance anyway" Max scoffed.
"A chance to what? Stand in Joshua's way or to get busy with Cat lady?" Lou asked amused.
"Get busy?" Joshua repeated.
"Why do you always have to do this?" Alec asked Max.
"What?" Max asked defensively.
"Drag me down like that" Alec replied, "I mean what's our kiddo here going to think?" he added talking about Lou.
"Hey, I'm always open to switch from a trash-Decki-down-game to a trash-Alec-down-game?" Lou shrugged.
"You, young lady" Alec said pointing a threatening finger at Lou, "better watch your vocabulary when you talk to your big brother's clone"
"Shut up Alec" Max said walking away.
"Yeah, you wouldn't want to turn out like your big sister-" Alec told Lou in a confident tone though very well aware that Max could hear him.
"Alec-" Max said as a warning.
"-rude and playing tough chick" he added anyway.
"Shut up!" she said finally smacking him in the head.
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End of the Chapter
(please review!!!)