A/N: Hey guys! Sorry this is late, I was on vacation and I lost track of my days! Hopefully, there's enough in this chapter to make up for it ;) Enjoy!
Chapter Twenty-Three
"You have your own quinjet?"
Nick Fury turned and raised his only eyebrow at Alice.
"How did you think I got here? Magic?"
Alice rolled her eyes as he led the way up the ramp and into the bay of the parked jet. It was an older model, and she could see scratches and dings both outside and inside the hull.
"You should take better care of your ride, Nicky," Alice said, running her fingers over a blast mark on one of the struts.
"It gets me from A to B," he said, putting a hand on the headrest of the worn pilot's seat, "And that's the last time you get to call me 'Nicky'. Have a seat, Ms. Ripley."
Alice eyed the seat, then the spy dubiously. "Seriously?"
"I know it's not what you're used to. But-" He shrugged. "-call it a learning experience."
Alice felt uncomfortably like she was being tested in a subject before she'd even taken the class. But she slid into the seat anyway and examined the controls. They weren't all that different from the simulations she'd trained on before Clint had let her take out the real deal. Without really thinking, she went ahead and initiated the launch sequence. There was a slight rattle as the engines hummed to life and she adjusted down a notch to make things a little more smooth. She glanced up. Fury was watching her with an intensity that was uncanny for a man with only one eye. He gave her a nod.
"Take us out, Ms. Ripley."
Alice raised her eyebrows then shrugged, turning to glance back into the bay.
"Everybody locked in back there?"
Bruce and Klara smiled from their seats, though they both looked a little uneasy. Alice flipped the switch to lift the ramp, and it shuddered before the hydraulics kicked in with a hiss. She raised another eyebrow at Nick. He gave her the most deadpan expression Alice had ever seen in her life, which made her laugh.
"Alright people, let's blow this popsicle stand!"
She took hold of the stick and eased up. Despite the rough start, the engines were responsive once they were in the air. Alice made a small adjustment to her grip, compensating for the wider handling, and then pulled up above the trees. She saw the other quinjet lift off just behind them, and she waggled her wings a little bit, a pilot's farewell Clint had taught her. The others waved back, and Alice smiled as she pressed a cloaking button that looked aftermarket but serviceable. There was a whoosh of vibrating metal that ran the length of the ship, and Alice rolled her eyes.
"Honestly, Nicky, a little basic maintenance-"
"Nick."
She looked up at him and smiled sweetly, ignoring the dour look on his face.
"Did you ever meet Agent Thompson?"
Fury blinked, then gradually his expression relaxed into a feral smirk.
"No. But I read his report."
Alice's grin widened and she turned back to the controls.
"Strap yourself in, Nicky," she said, "Let's see what this bird can do."
Turned out, Nick Fury's bucket of bolts still had a little zip to her. The early afternoon sun was still sparkling off the windows of Avengers Tower when they circled in, Alice just managing to squeeze the larger jet into the hangar without adding any more scratches to her exterior. She cycled the engines down but kept them running for a fast takeoff, flipping the switch to open the back. Maria Hill was already waiting, dressed in her old SHIELD uniform and looking fairly pleased with herself.
"How'd she do, boss?" she asked, ducking inside and nodding to Bruce and Klara as they unstrapped from their seats.
"Not bad," Fury said, extending his hand to Maria, "She's not you, but she might do alright."
"Glad to hear it."
"So, you wanna watch the overhang on the way out," Alice said, unstrapping from the pilot's seat, "I don't think you'll have any issues, but-"
"Dr. Banner, I was wondering if I might borrow your girlfriend."
Both Alice and Bruce froze mid-stride and turned.
"No-" Bruce said, at the same time Alice was asking, "Why?"
"Because you're a decent-ass pilot," Fury said, ignoring Bruce's response entirely, "And where we're going, we can use all the decent-ass pilots we can get."
"And where's that, exactly?" Bruce asked, stepping back into the jet and looking just this side of venomous. Nick Fury did not seem cowed in the slightest.
"Where we're needed."
"That's not good enough."
"Bruce-" Alice reached for his elbow, but he jerked back, almost in fear, clamping his arms around his chest and glowering at Fury and Hill in turn. Alice retracted her hand but didn't step back. "-I'm not going to do you any good here. I'm not going to do anyone any good."
He gave her a meaningful glance, then turned and stalked down the ramp into the hangar. Alice followed him, glancing over her shoulder at Fury, who gave her a patient nod and turned into a quiet conversation with Maria.
"I don't like this," Bruce muttered, turning to face her, his arms still crossed, "Last time I let them take you off where I couldn't see you-"
"I know," Alice said, stepping forward, reaching up to cup his elbows, hating the way he flinched when she touched him, "I know. But this is different."
"How?"
"I'm going of my own free will, for one thing."
Bruce gave her a look that effectively conveyed he was not amused.
"And I know a little better what I'm getting into," she said, a little more gently, "I'm not the same girl you found crying in the Takeri's store."
He sighed and shut his eyes, leaning forward until their foreheads touched.
"I know," he whispered, though it sounded like it pained him, "I know you're not. That's my fault too."
"No," Alice said, brushing a thumb under his eye so he would look at her again, "Bruce, no. If I didn't want this, if I wasn't happy, I wouldn't have stayed. The only thing you're responsible for is encouraging me to help people. That's not a fault."
Bruce searched her eyes for several seconds.
"You really want to go?"
Alice smiled. "I do. I really do."
Bruce let out a huff of frustration. Then he lifted his head and looked over her shoulder, back toward Nick in the quinjet.
"You'll keep her safe?"
Nick nodded once. "You have my word, doctor."
Bruce grinned but it was ironic. "You've given me that before."
"And I kept it too," Fury said, never breaking his expression, "She's here, isn't she?"
Bruce let out a breath through his nose as if he had run out of air with which to protest. He took Alice's face in his hands, searching her face one last time before he leaned forward and kissed her, soft, gentle, like he was memorizing every nuance.
"Be safe," he whispered.
"Ms. Ripley?" Fury called from the jet, "We're on a bit of a tight schedule here."
"Coming!" Alice said, pressing another quick kiss to Bruce's lips, "I'll call when I can."
She passed Klara as she jogged back to the ramp and tossed the girl a cheery wave. "Keep an eye on him for me, Klara! Stay out of trouble!"
"I shall," the girl said, "Be careful, Alice!"
She looked back over her shoulder, watching as the ramp closed, taking Bruce and Klara out of sight. She let them go and allowed her curiosity to get the better of her.
"So," she said, sliding back into the pilot's seat, "Do we have coordinates or is this a "second star to the right" kind of flight?"
"Your coordinates are already plugged in," Fury said, tapping a few numbers on a keypad. The screen flashed red, then green, with the words 'Theta Protocol Initiated'. "All you need to do is fly."
Alice put her hands on the stick and settled in.
"I can do that."
Klara spent the next several hours doing little but watch Dr. Banner flit about his laboratory, moving small objects from table to table, opening and closing files seemingly at random, picking things up and putting them down again. By the time Clint Barton arrived at the Tower, Klara was almost as on edge as the doctor, and they both jumped at the sound of his voice over the sound system.
"Anybody home? I've got a box to deliver and it ain't flowers."
Dr. Banner fumbled and nearly dropped his electronic pad before he found the correct button to respond.
"We're here," he said, glancing at Klara, "Klara and I are here."
"Well get ready, Doc, I think this one's a special order just for you," Clint Barton said, "Better bring some wheels."
"Copy that."
They met the quinjet in the hangar just as the engines were cycling down. The back ramp lowered and Klara straightened, hands clasped behind her in a flicker of memory, the Einherjar returning from battle...but her heart dropped to her stomach when only one soldier disembarked, looking distinctly unhappy.
"Have you guys heard anything from Nat?" Clint Barton asked, a hint of urgency in his tone.
"No, why?" Dr. Banner asked as he pushed the loading trolley up the ramp and positioned it below the large metal box in the quinjet's cargo bay.
"The bastard got her," Barton said through gritted teeth as he helped load the box onto the trolley, "Pulled her right out of the jet before I could even-" He slammed a fist onto the metal lid with a force that made Klara jump. "Damn it, I had her!"
"Hey," Dr. Banner looked as if he might touch the archer's arm, but then thought better of it. "Natasha's smart. No way some hunk of metal is going to take her down. She'll turn up."
"Where is Captain Rogers?" Klara asked, unable to ignore the knot in her stomach any longer. She could not lose another...not another...
"Last I saw he was dealing with some collateral damage in Seoul," Clint Barton said, then looked up and seemed to really see her for a moment, his expression softening slightly, "I'm sure he's fine."
Klara swallowed a breath and tried to take control of her features again, bending to look through the window on top of the metal container. The light was dim but she could distinctly make out a face in the gloom.
"What is it?" she asked.
"The body Ultron was trying to make for himself out of the vibranium he stole," Barton said, shoving the container more firmly onto the trolley.
"From what it looks like here, they were able to achieve cellular cohesion," Dr. Banner said, making a few taps on the digital display, "Helen Cho is a genius."
"Where do you want it, Doc?"
"Oh, the lab," Dr. Banner said, blinking and stepping back, "We'll need to hook it up to the mainframe, see how much work we have to do to dismantle it and if any of the vibranium can be salvaged."
They had just gotten the container down the ramp and were heading back into the building when the sound of repulsors fired in the hangar, and Tony Stark came to rest beside them, stepping out of his armor with the ease of long practice and sending the empty suit speeding off with a wave of his hand.
"What do we have, Doctor?" he asked, with the air of someone trying to make a jest, but it fell flat on Klara's ears.
"Clint's brought us the Cradle from Seoul, we were about to hook it up and see what's cooking."
"Alright, ready for the world's worst game of Operation," Stark said, hurrying along beside them as Clint Barton shoved the trolley into the building and toward the laboratory, "I need some coffee."
"I was going to make tea," Klara said, "But I believe I can operate the coffee machine if you prefer."
"You're a doll," Tony Stark said, leaning down to peck a kiss to her forehead, "Black as you can get it is best."
"I will see what I can do," Klara said, working hard not to let him see how the unexpected affection had rattled her, "Clint Barton? Would you like anything?"
He blinked and the scowl on his face softened again.
"No," he said, "No, I'm good."
With a quick dip of a curtsy, Klara broke off from the group and headed for the kitchen, eager to feel of some use at last. She knew little of Midgardian science or technology, but she had at least learned how to brew coffee in her time at the Tower. It took only a few minutes to arm herself with a tray of three mugs, two with tea and one with coffee so black it seemed to suck in the light. She carefully made her way back down to Dr. Banner's laboratory but paused as the glass door slid open and she heard the tail end of what sounded like an argument.
"You have to trust me," Stark insisted.
"Kinda don't," Dr. Banner quipped, fiddling uneasily with his glasses.
"Our ally?" Stark said, pulling out the small device he kept in his pocket, "The guy protecting the military's nuclear codes? I found him."
He flicked the device and a hologram of swirling code filled the middle of the room.
"Hello, Dr. Banner."
Klara gasped and nearly dropped the tray she was holding. The two men turned to her in surprise, but she didn't even care.
"JARVIS!" she exclaimed in delight, setting her tray down on the nearest table and rushing forward to greet the friend they had once thought lost, "Oh, it's so lovely to hear your voice!"
"Likewise, Mistress Klara."
"Well, I guess the genie's out of that bottle," Mr. Stark said, pocketing his device once more.
"However did you manage to rebuild him?" Klara asked, passing her hand carefully over the rippling hologram in wonder.
"I didn't," Stark said, "He was still there, just scattered, buried in the internet underground. He didn't even know he was there until I pieced him together."
"So, you want me to, what?" Dr. Banner asked, gesturing at the metal container in the center of the room with a sort of frustrated helplessness, "Help you put JARVIS into this thing?"
"No, of course not," Stark countered, "I want to help you put JARVIS into this thing. We're out of my field here, buddy. You know bio-organics better than anyone."
"And you just assume that JARVIS' operational matrix can beat Ultron's?"
"JARVIS has been beating him from the inside without knowing it," Stark insisted, "Ultron didn't go after JARVIS because he was angry. He attacked him because he was scared. Of what he can do."
"No!" Dr. Banner exclaimed, ruffling his hair, "I can't believe this, I'm in a loop! I am caught in a time loop, this is exactly where it all went wrong!"
The two men continued to argue, but something...flickered, causing their words to fall away, to become muffled as if heard through a wall, and Klara's full attention suddenly rested upon the container, the thing they had called the Cradle. There was another flicker, and Klara moved toward it, stepping through JARVIS and reaching out a hand, bringing it to rest softly on the metal hull.
"There is something here."
The arguing stopped. She put her other hand on the lid and shut her eyes. It felt...like the girl. Like the Maximoff girl, the way her magic had not fled but had struggled. She could feel that same power here, sliding over her hands, her arms, trying to find purchase, a chink in her armor. Tentatively, Klara pushed back. It was like pressing against the skin of a bubble. It gave but did not retreat.
"Magic," she said, still probing, but not deeply, "Like nothing I've ever known."
She opened her eyes. The two men were staring at her.
"Magic is a weapon," she said, "It can be used for good or for ill. It all depends on the hands that wield it." She looked back over her shoulder, at the golden orb that encompassed the essence of what had proven to be a dear friend. "And I have never felt safer than in the capable hands of JARVIS."
She looked at Dr. Banner, straight into his dark, still-conflicted eyes.
"What do you need?"
The building Alice landed the quinjet on was perhaps the most nondescript building she had ever seen. It was gray, and blocky, and smack dab in the middle of nowhere, as far as Alice could tell. They were probably somewhere in the Midwest, but her coordinates hadn't exactly come with road signs. She set down and cycled the engines (there was a weird squeal in the right wing that she didn't like at all) as Fury and Maria lowered the back ramp.
"Welcome back, sir," Alice heard a man say as she was going through her final check and unstrapping from the pilot's seat, "How was your flight?"
"Fast and efficient," Fury said, and Alice allowed herself a small grin, "I assume you've gotten control of your...situation."
"It's taken care of. Mostly."
Alice spun around and hopped out of her chair, striding out of the quinjet while simultaneously trying not to seem too eager. The man Fury was speaking to was almost as nondescript as the building, dressed in a black suit and tie that reminded her fondly of Agent Thompson, the agent who had taken charge of her during the Chitauri invasion. This agent (because he had to be an agent of something, no one else would dress like that) gave her a bland smile that revealed nothing and then turned back to Fury.
"You got the Hulk's girlfriend?" He sounded impressed.
"She's a good pilot," Fury said, turning to Alice, "Ms. Ripley, I'd like you to meet Phil Coulson, Director of SHIELD."
Alice took the man's outstretched hand before she had properly processed all of the words in that sentence.
"Wait, Coulson?" She glanced between the current and former Directors for a minute, who both looked entirely too pleased with themselves. "What is up with all the dead people popping up lately? Dead people, directing dead organizations, with a lot of dead or dying tech." She glanced back at the old quinjet. "Seriously, has that poor bird ever even had an oil change?"
"I've been on the run," Fury said, finally sounding a little defensive, "And, you know, dead. It's hard to find a good mechanic under those conditions."
They were all headed toward what looked like a maintenance entrance, where Coulson swiped a badge and inputted a code. The door opened on a small room that contained only an elevator door. More codes were punched into the keypad and they all piled into the elevator together.
"So, how'd you pull it off?" Alice asked, turning to Coulson, "I mean, Nicky paid some people to fake his surgery-"
"Nicky?" Phil asked, leaning forward to give Fury a raised eyebrow.
"It's not an approved moniker."
"-but how exactly do you fake being stabbed through the chest with an alien spear?" Alice continued, ignoring the blatant hint.
"You don't," Coulson said, again with that bland smile Alice felt she could come to hate, "It's a long story."
"Oh, I would love to hear that one," Alice said, "Along with about six other people I could name just off the top of my head-"
"This is top secret information, Ms. Ripley," Fury said, leveling her with what Alice imagined to be his most intimidating stare, "Director Coulson's current status with SHIELD is a matter of the utmost delicacy, considering the situations he and his team handle on a regular basis. I am trusting to your discretion. Is that understood?"
All three agents were staring at her now, and for the first time, Alice remembered that she wasn't dealing with regular people. These were highly trained government agents, tasked with keeping the world safe from things that most people didn't even know existed. And they were all willing to go to extraordinary lengths to keep doing their job. Alice straightened a little bit under the scrutiny.
"Yes, sir," she said, without even a hint of irony. She was rewarded with only a small smile from Maria.
After what seemed like an eternity, the elevator doors opened onto a long hallway containing only a small, round man in a business suit wearing a professional grin and a triangular card around his neck.
"Director Fury," he said happily, sticking out his hand, "Welcome back, sir! And Agent Hill, what a pleasant surprise!"
"Agent Koenig," Maria said, her smile widening a little.
"And this must be Alice Ripley," the man said, extending his hand with a grin, "I've read your file, of course, very impressive!"
Alice raised an eyebrow and glanced at Fury as she took the other man's hand.
"Um, thanks, I guess. I'm not sure what's so impressive, but-"
"Oh, lanyards!" Agent Koenig exclaimed, pulling a tangle of triangular cards out of his pocket, "I'm not sure I have all the right clearances, things being what they are, but-"
"Koenig," Fury said, his voice stern, but almost what Alice might have called affectionate, "We're initiating Theta Protocol. Immediately."
The little man's demeanor changed instantly, his grin morphing into a business-like expression.
"Of course, sir. This way."
He passed out the lanyards, and then led the way down the hallway to the single door at the far end.
"After you, sir," he said, extending a hand to the former director of SHIELD.
Nick took a step and swiped his lanyard card over the security pad with the confidence of practiced hands.
"Miss Ripley," Nick Fury said as the door swung open, "Welcome to Theta Protocol."
Alice stared for a solid five seconds.
"...holy shit."
"This framework is not compatible."
"The genetic coding tower's at ninety-seven percent. You have got to upload that schematic in the next three minutes."
Klara plugged in the last of the cables and sat back on her heels for a moment, surveying the work. As she stood, her hand rested on the Cradle, but the magic seemed to have quieted for now. She turned to Dr. Banner, ready for whatever came next-
"I'm gonna say this once-"
Klara's heart leapt as she spun toward the voice, but then faltered when she saw who stood in Captain Rogers' shadow.
"How about 'nonce'?" Tony Stark quipped, but the Captain ignored him.
"Shut it down!"
"Nope, not gonna happen."
"You don't know what you're doing!"
"Steven?" Klara asked, taking a slow, tentative step, her hand outstretched defensively, "What are they doing here?"
The Maximoff girl flinched as if the mere sound of Klara's voice caused her pain. Klara stopped moving forward but did not lower her hand.
"Trying to do the right thing," Steven said, "Same as us."
"And how do we know that, exactly?" Dr. Banner snapped, moving to stand beside Klara, "How do we know she's not messing with your head?"
"I know you're angry-" the girl began.
"Oh, we are way past that," Dr. Banner snarled, "I could choke the life out of you and never change a shade."
Klara's other hand reached out to clasp his wrist, as much in comfort as a precaution. This girl would not have him. Not again.
"Banner, after everything that's happened-" Steven tried, and Klara felt the doctor tense.
"That's nothing compared to what's coming!" Stark shouted.
Klara tried to move back, to pull the doctor away from the fighting and angry voices. If he lost his tenuous control here it wouldn't matter who was right or wrong, they would all be in danger. And as much as she wanted to put her hands on Steven Rogers, to break whatever hold the girl might have on him, he was not currently the most dangerous thing in the room.
She had barely managed a few steps when sparks flew in a blur of motion, and the boy, the brother, stood in the opposite corner, holding the ripped remains of the cable Klara had just meticulously placed.
"No, no, go on," he said, tossing the cable aside, "You were saying?"
A gunshot and the sound of breaking glass made Klara drop to a crouch on instinct, but the glass that shattered was from under the boy's feet as he dropped out of sight with a crash.
"Pietro!" the girl screamed.
"What?" Clint Barton's voice sounded from below, "You didn't see that coming?"
"I'm rerouting the upload!" Tony Stark shouted and Dr. Banner pulled free of Klara's grasp, moving toward the girl faster than Klara might have thought possible. Steven's shield went flying through the air, slamming into the sensitive laboratory equipment. Klara shot to her feet and rushed toward him, her hand outstretched.
"Steven, stop this!"
His blue eyes widened, and then suddenly she was on the floor, his body covering hers as a repulsor blast ripped through the glass behind them.
"Stark!" he shouted angrily, directing his fury at the man who had aimed the blast, but Klara gripped his arm to stop him, pulling herself upright.
"No, I'm alright," she said and saw Stark over his shoulder, his expression of horror cracking with relief. She met Steven's eyes. "Please, dearest, this isn't what you-"
A crackling boom rattled the Tower, and Lord Thor appeared as if from the air itself, landing atop the Cradle with Mjolnir lifted high. Lightning pulsed and then streamed down as he slammed the hammer to the surface with a powerful clang. Klara turned her face into Steven's shoulder to shield against the blinding flash. There was a muffled silence, and then an explosion that washed over Klara with the same force she had felt when she'd touched the Cradle, a power that could not penetrate but streamed over her like a viscous fluid. She shuddered and turned to see-
A man crouched on what remained of the Cradle, a man like nothing Klara had ever seen before. He gleamed in the moonlight filtering through the windows, and his movements were slow, deliberate, as he unraveled to his full height and looked about. His eyes fixed on Klara for a brief moment, and Steven's arm tightened around her, but as quickly as his focus had come it moved on. Klara could feel it move, like a sliding sheet of cool metal over her skin.
His eyes fixed instead on Lord Thor, and without warning or hesitation, he lunged. Klara lurched forward, held back only by Steven's arm about her.
"Thor!"
But the prince was quick and clever, using the force of the creature's lunge to fling him up and over his head, through the glass wall behind him to the floor below. But it did not hit the solid floor, instead flailing to a halt just short of the outer windows, hovering and staring out at the city beyond. Klara threw off Steven's arm and ran to the prince, who clasped her shoulder and pushed her back behind him, his eyes still fixed on the hovering entity in the moonlight. He was clothed now, in a shimmering green and gold that set off the mauve of his skin. He floated down to them, settling in front of Lord Thor and looking at him curiously.
"I'm sorry, that was...odd. Thank you."
Hearing the voice of JARVIS from the lips of this being was equal parts frightening and comforting. Klara felt a knot of unease in her chest. Whatever they had done, it had succeeded. Now they could only hope that they had been right.
The sun was rising over the New York City skyline before Bruce finally managed to get away for a few minutes. They would be going soon, the others were already gathering in the hangar, but...he needed to do this. It might be the last time.
He stood on the balcony outside the lounge and stared at the phone in his hand for several moments before he finally worked up the courage to dial. She picked up on the second ring.
"Hey, honey!" Alice chirped. She sounded so happy. Bruce closed his eyes and tried to memorize the sound. "I heard about Seoul, is everyone okay?"
He took a breath to brace himself before he answered.
"We don't know yet," he said, pleased that his voice didn't shake, "He got Natasha."
"Oh my god," Alice said, her voice dropping, "Is she-?"
"She's alive," he said, "He's waiting for us. Back in Sokovia."
"Bastard," she muttered under her breath, and Bruce couldn't help but smile. "Are you okay? If you guys need me, I can grab the jet and be there-"
"No," he said, gripping the balcony railing to keep from shaking, "No, I'm...we're okay. We'll be alright."
The balcony door opened and Bruce turned, hoping his expression wouldn't give him away.
"That Alice?" Tony asked, and before Bruce could answer, he raised his voice to speak into the phone, "Hey Baby Bird, stay in the nest, we got this one!"
"That's so not my codename," Alice grumbled with a begrudging fondness.
"Pretty sure she's giving you the finger long distance," Bruce relayed to him, but Tony only grinned as if this were a compliment, "I'll be down in a minute."
Tony nodded and popped back out again. There was a moment of silence on the line, and Bruce reached into his pocket, pulling out the picture, Klara's Valentine gift. He'd made a habit of keeping it on him so it was worn now, a fold mark splitting the scene right down the middle. Right between them.
"Alice," he said finally, "I don't know what you're doing out there, but just...promise me you'll be careful."
"Can you promise me the same thing?"
The response was quick and decisive. She'd been expecting this. Bruce sighed, smoothing his thumb over the image of her hair, imagining the feel of it.
"You know that I can't."
There was another pause.
"Yeah," she said, "Neither can I."
Bruce clenched his jaw and resisted the urge to respond, to insist, to beg. Because he was painfully aware of the fact that he had absolutely no control over what Alice did. Especially now.
"I love you, Bruce Banner." He shut his eyes. The words were like a stab to his chest. "I can promise you that with all my heart."
"I love you too," he said because it was the reason he'd called in the first place, the most important thing, "No matter what, Alice. I will always love you."
And before she could ask what he meant, Bruce hung up the phone. He walked back inside and stared at the blank screen in his palm for a long minute. Then he set it carefully on the table and went to join the others.