Chapter Twenty-Four
Central City Mall
Central City
United States
10:02 – Central Standard Time
March 15, 2007
"No no, that's way too expensive," Wally complained, fearing for his wallet.
Giganta pouted at him, holding a rather pricey dress in her hands. "At least let me try it on."
"It's too expensive."
"I bet you'll change your mind when I'm in it," she teased.
Wally clenched his jaw. He really didn't want to say no, but considering it was nearly five-hundred dollars he was forced to make this an exception. "I really honestly most definitely can't afford it."
"Come on, when I'm modelling I'll pay you back," she said before leaning over to him and saying in a whisper, "Or y'know, we could just take it."
"What? No!" he said disappointed that she would even suggest it.
"Oh come on, you've said everything is too expensive so far. You just don't want to be here."
Wally rubbed the back of his head in frustration. She was right, he really didn't want to be here. "Okay, I'll go as high as two-hundred," he said. "No higher."
She put the dress back on to the rack. "Okay, I know a store that's a little cheaper, but still has fairly nice looking stuff. Everything here that's under three-hundred is ugly."
"Let's head there then," he said. "remember, it only needs to look good on camera."
"Yeah, you're right," she reluctantly agreed.
They left the higher tier clothing store and she led them down an escalator.
"This way," she said as they moved past the food court to a smallish clothes store at the end by the exit. "In here."
The two of them stepped inside. Wally smiled as he saw the price of a dress marked at fifty dollars. "These have a much better price range."
"It's all crap though," Giganta said.
He raised his finger to his lips to shush her. "They might here you."
"What the clerk? She knows this stuffs crap too, don't you?"
The clerk shrugged. "It's okay if ya don't have a lotta cash."
"And we don't have a lotta cash," Wally said.
"Fine," Giganta said as she began to look at the clothes on the racks.
"Ugly, yuck, wouldn't be caught dead in," she said as she looked through the clothing. "Half of this stuff won't even fit me properly," she commented.
She moved from section to section, thumbing her nose up at nearly everything. Wally was starting to become annoyed. He just wanted her to pick something and for them to be out. He was starting to feel hungry and needed to eat something soon.
"What about this?" Giganta asked finally, raising up a dress that was near the colour of her hair.
He smiled. "Looks good. What's the price tag?"
"One-fifty. You think I should try it on?"
"Definitely," Wally said hoping she would like it. He wanted this to be over with already. He was fed up.
She took it into the dressing room and a few minutes or so later she came back out in the dress.
She twirled. "What d'ya think?"
Wally smiled. "I think it looks good," he said. It did look a little short on her, but being well over six-feet tall, he doubted there were many clothes that would truly fit her properly.
"Best I'm gonna get with your tight budget," she said.
"It's for a reason," he said. "So do you want it?"
She shrugged. "Sure. It matches my hair, so it's got that going for it," she said. "A bit high on the legs, but I don't think you mind that."
"I think it looks lovely," he said. "You look really beautiful in it."
She grinned and even blushed slightly. "Thanks Wally."
Giganta headed back into the changing room and changed back into the t-shirt and jeans she was wearing before. The two headed up to the cash register and Wally pulled out his credit card.
Once that was done, they headed out of the store and Wally led them straight to the food court to get some lunch.
LexCorp HQ
Metropolis
United States
14:46 – Eastern Standard Time
March 15, 2007
"She is ready to see you, Mr Kent," the receptionist said.
Clark rose up from where he was sat, and made his way through the double doors. He then strode up past the aquariums, across the annoyingly long room, all the way to the desk.
Mercy Graves rose up from behind it and shook his hand eagerly, a pleasant smile on her face. She then sat down and leaned back in her swivel chair, while Clark remained standing.
"I was expecting Miss Lane. Though I suppose things do change. Still, I would have preferred to have been notified before hand. Anyway, let's get this over with."
"Yes, Miss Graves."
"Well, ask away. I am quite busy."
"Of course. I hope the hours aren't too long?"
She eyed him, before casting her gaze down his body, an almost predatory smile on her face. She then gestured at the chair opposite. "You might as well sit down," she told him.
He did so, albeit now feeling more unsure about this interview.
"You know," she said, leaning forward in her chair. "I've been reviewing security tapes, ones that involve Superman."
"Um, Superman doesn't have anything to do with this interview," he pointed out.
"Maybe not. But do you know what I noticed?"
"No?"
"That if you're on the scene, you make a rapid departure shortly before he arrives."
It took a lot to make Clark feel truly nervous. Right now, that was exactly what he was feeling. He hoped she wasn't going where he thought she was going.
"Strange that isn't it?"
He was wondering if she had figured it out. She was far from the best person to know that Clark Kent and Superman were, in fact, one man.
"I know you have some way of contacting Superman," she said, leaning further forwards. "I want to know what it is."
He suddenly started to feel more relaxed. "Maybe I do. But that's not what I'm here to interview you about."
Mercy leant back in her chair. "Have it your way," she said. "Now ask your questions."
He pulled out his recorder and started it. "I want to know about the change in attitude the company has undergone in the last year," he began
"Lex is no longer in charge," she said with a slight shrug. "It's not about making as much money as possible anymore. It's about growing the business, while not being a blight on the planet."
"So you saw Lex as being a blight?"
"Everyone saw him like that, especially at the end there. When he went all-out supervillain stocks tanked, the companies value plummeted. I had to pick up the pieces." She regarded Clark for a moment. "You don't like or trust me, do you?"
"There's no real reason I should," he replied.
"Fair enough. Now, I'm sure you're dying to ask a few more questions."
"Yes," he said. "Firstly, I would like to ask about the perceived change in ethics. You have reduced emissions from LexCorp owned factories by up to twenty percent."
"That is correct."
"But this company had bribed Governors and officials to have the emission regulations relaxed."
"Lex did that," she told him, webbing her fingers. "I for one care for the environment, unlike him. Perhaps not as much as some, but I understand that it needs protecting. It costs more money to manufacture with reduced carbon output, but it's worth it."
"Since we keep coming back to him. Is there anything you want to say about Lex Luthor?"
"Haven't seen him. Not in over a year."
"I didn't say you had. I Just want to know your opinion of him?"
"I owe him a lot," she breathed. "I'd probably be on the street corner right now, selling my body if it wasn't for him." She gestured at his recorder. "You can even put that in your article if you want. Truth is, he wasn't totally evil. He was just overly obsessive and had a steel focus that couldn't be broken. Once he had made his mind up about something, it was nigh on impossible to change it. People accuse him of being obsessed with money, but that was just a tool, a resource to him. At first, he thought that he knew best for humanity. By the end, he didn't care about that, or even the planet. Just the power."
"And what do you care about?"
"I want to prove to myself that I'm better than him. Profits are up, and I've raised wages of our lowest earners. Something he would never do."
"So, you're honestly trying to change LexCorp's image?"
"I'd change the name if I could," she retorted. "Naming a business after your family name is one thing. Naming it after your own first name is an entirely different thing."
"But it's evident that you're trying to change the image."
"Yes, I'm trying to change the image. The company brand has ended up with a lot of baggage. Over the last year, I've pulled it up out of the gutter that it fell into. It's been a lot of hard work, but in the end, it will be worth it I Think."
"It's also been noted that the company has increased donations to charities," Clark said. "Especially ones dealing with orphaned children."
"It's not just for tax breaks, if that's what you think," she told him sincerely. "I was given a lucky break. I think others deserve some help too."
"So, you've got a noble streak."
"Sure I do. Now I hope there aren't too many more questions because I'd like to wrap this all up soon. I am busy y'know."
"I'll ask just a few more if that's okay."
"Only a few."
"What do you make of the accusations of criminality towards the company?"
"I'm not Lex."
"That's not really an answer."
"Oh, but it is Mr Kent."
Sensing he wasn't going to get anymore regarding that line of questions, he decided to look down his notes, finding a worthwhile final question.
Unfortunately, he didn't get to ask it.
Mercy rose up from her chair. "It's been nice, but I am very busy."
"Just one more question, please."
"Sorry, but no." She made her way around the desk and stood next to him. She looked him up and down. "But maybe we can do this again some other time."
She held out her hand and he shook it before he turned off his recorder.
"I would like that. When can I expect another appointment?" he asked.
She rolled her eyes. "It was a figure of speech. I don't intend on doing this again anytime soon."
"Oh."
"Goodbye, Mr Kent."
He turned and left, feeling that this interview had been an utter disaster. He'd barely been able to get a tenth of his questions answered.
"He's cute," his super hearing picked up Mercy whisper, as he reached the doors at the other side of the large room. "Maybe I should have booked a second interview."
The doors opened and he stepped out, a smile on his face. It was nice for Clark to get some attention instead of Superman for a change.
Watchtower II
Earth Orbit
15:22 – Station Time (EST)
March 15, 2007
Batman was going through all the footage available of the fight between them and the Gordanian ships down in the skies over Earth. Most of it was shaky footage shown on the local, national and international news and was of poor quality. Still, he managed to find what he wanted.
There was a sudden flash of energy and a shockwave of displaced air. He didn't recognise what it was or what it could be, but he suspected LexCorp. The big man himself might no longer be around, but he knew for a fact that Mercy Graves still had a military contract.
Batman's perusing and breaking into LexCorp's database revealed a project for an experimental warhead. It was essentially a heavy concussion device that had the potential to knock out energy shields. What he saw from the footage definitely looked like a concussion wave, especially with the exploding windows and the nearby car alarms being set off.
The question was what this new technology meant. Were they reaching a point where at least in the US, where the Justice League wasn't needed? He knew that was a long way off, if ever, but perhaps the US government thought that was the case.
If they did, then they were wrong.
Batman stood up and turned around as he sensed a presence. Stood there in gold and blue was Dr Fate.
The Agent of Order stepped forward, a vial of what looked like blood in his hand.
"I need you to analyse and store this on to the database. Then I need you to find if there's any matching samples on any databases on Earth."
Batman's eyes narrowed. "Why?" she asked.
"There is no time to explain."
Batman took the phial and a bright golden ankh appeared behind the sorcerer. Fate stepped into it and in a second both he and the ankh were gone.
The Dark Knight looked down at the phial in his hands. Fate didn't typically worry himself with things unless they were very important. That was enough to get Batman to do what he asked.
He left the small room and headed down to the lab. Once there, he sterilised all the equipment he was to use then dropped the vial into the scanner.
First, he decided to simply do a quick scan, which to his surprise threw up a 'UNKNOWN'.
He decided to do a full analysis, which would take up to an hour. He then sat down and waited.
Forty-two minutes later there was an indicator telling him that the full analysis was now complete.
He checked the readout, which indicated that the blood was human, or at least partially. Bringing up the exact numbers and composition showed that it was exactly fifty percent human, fifty percent unknown. That in itself was extremely unusual. An exact fifty-fifty split wasn't something that happened in nature. In fact, genetics didn't really work like that at all, which meant that this was an error, or something else was responsible for this result.
He saved the results and the analysis and then copied it to a thumb drive. For the next task, he would need the computer in the Batcave.
Wayne Manor
Gotham City
United States
16:51 – Eastern Standard Time
March 15, 2007
Batman sat in his chair while his computer ran through and compared every blood sample not only on his own records but on police records as well.
He looked around as Alfred descended the stairs with a tray holding a cup of tea and a plate of sandwiches.
Bruce took the tea from him and gave it a sniff, while Alfred put the tray down on the flat part of the oversized computer.
"It is herbal tea," Alfred said. "And the sandwiches are an assortment."
The Dark Knight took a sip and smiled. "Thanks, Alfred."
"You looking for something?" the loyal butler asked, looking at the screen.
"Trying to match a blood-type."
"I see. What type is it?"
"No known blood type. But it is human, or at least, half-human."
"Interesting," Alfred commented. "Do you know what the other half might be?"
"No. I was given the sample by Fate."
"Ah, I see. The magical fellow."
A beeping indicated that a match had been found. Batman pressed a few keys the frowned under his mask.
"Is there a problem, sir?" Alfred inquired.
"There's a lot of problems, Alfred," he replied. "First of all the future of the league and now this."
"May I ask what you found?"
"The blood sample is a match for some samples taken in Blüdhaven a few days ago."
"Are you going to Blüdhaven then, sir?"
"No, Salem."
"May I ask why there, sir?"
"Nightwing's there and he's connected."
"Master Richard? How is he connected? And why do I get the feeling that this is serious?"
"The sample was taken from the scene of a demon cult. Nightwing broke it up and stopped it. From what the police filed, it was supposed to be a sacrifice, but the victim escaped and disappeared."
"Do you believe it was an actual demon cult and not just some lunatics?"
"That blood would indicate that it was. If we are dealing with an actual cult connected to an actual demon then we could be in trouble."
"Trouble always seems to find us, sir."
"Yes it does," Batman agreed. "I'm going to take the Batwing. I don't know when I'll be back."
"Understood, sir."
Batman grabbed two sandwiches and began to munch on one as he moved off towards the aircraft.
Five minutes later, the Batwing was shooting off northwards towards Salem.
Central City Outskirts
United States
16:14 – Central Standard Time
March 15, 2007
After filling a whole memory card, Giganta and Wally had decided to call it a day. At least as far as taking pictures of Giganta was concerned.
The two of them were now sat on a bench by the river, looking at the images on the camera's tiny screen.
"These are really good," Giganta said. "If I do say so myself," she then added.
"Yeah. The only negative is that in some of these shots you can really tell the dress is too short."
"Not everyone can be normal-sized," she said, patting his head. "We'll have to go through them when we get back."
"Yeah," he agreed as he switched off the camera.
They both leant back and for several minutes, they watched the joggers, dog-walkers and the occasional boat or ship pass by.
"Fancy going somewhere to eat later?" Wally asked her.
She looked at him. While she was in the dress he had bought her earlier, he was in a white shirt and pants.
"Only if we go back to yours and you put something nicer on."
"Sure, we'll catch a cab home in a bit, tell the guy to wait. I know a really nice place we can eat that doesn't break the bank."
"I'd like that."
"Wanna take a walk along the riverbank first?"
"Yeah, that would be nice."
The two of them stood up and began to walk the path that ran alongside the river. Giganta weaved her arm through his and looked down at him and smiled.
The general consensus was that men didn't like dating women that were taller than them. She didn't know whether it was true, or if it was because women tended to be shorter, but it didn't seem to bother Wally.
"So, when are you heading off again to play hero?" she asked him.
He looked at her. "The nineteenth, but could be earlier depending on if I'm needed."
"Right, well we should make the most of it."
"You're not disappointed?"
"I am. I don't like the fact that you have to run off all the time."
"If things were different, I'd bring you with me."
"But all I have to do is prove that I've changed and that I'm a hero," she said.
"Yeah. Besides, before when you were bad you never did anything that I'd call really bad."
"I was the intimidator of the group. A fifty-foot tall woman tended to get anyone to give up. I honestly didn't have to do much. Well until you lot arrived and broke up our fun."
"I don't doubt that," Wally said with a chuckle.
The two went quiet as a man walked past with his dog on a leash. They said a friendly 'hello' to each other and continued on along the river bank.
"Truth is I did it because of Grodd. I followed him around like a child. I was infatuated with him as he had given me so much."
"But he tried to kill you," Wally commented.
"It wasn't that. It was that he had planted something in my head that wasmeant to kill me so I wouldn't give away his secrets. I was just a tool to him. So when Lex went against him, I couldn't wait to join his side against Grodd. Then when Darkseid came back and we teamed up with you guys, well." She stopped and smiled.
"Well, what?" Wally asked with interest.
"The cheers when we defeated the Parademons. The cheers not only directed at you but to me as well. It was nice."
"Then why the reluctance to be a hero?"
"Because I'm not a hero. I always gave up first because I'm not a fighter. I enjoyed the feeling of power, of people being afraid of me. But the feeling when they cheered me. I had never felt anything like that before."
"Then be a hero and you'll hear that cheer every day."
"I can't, I don't care for these people like you do. They're just strangers to me."
"They're strangers to me too. But it doesn't stop me from wanting to help."
"Even when the government wants to arrest you?"
"Even then," he confirmed. "Heroes have always been at odds with the government, with the law. They don't trust us and we don't really trust them. Its just the way its always been. Its the innocent that we care about. Making sure the little guy isn't stepped on."
"I honestly don't know if that sounds pathetic or really noble. You're a good person Wally. Something I'll never be."
"Not if you don't try," he said, putting his arm around her waist and giving her a side-hug. "You have it in you, I know you do."
"Me beating up a regular crook? sure, I could handle that easy. But fighting a supervillain with powers? No thanks."
"Easy steps," Wally said. "I'm not expecting you to fight Killer Frost."
"What about a costume?" she asked him. "I think something like yours would be nice. Form fitting, something that would show off all my curves. What do you think?"
"Start off with something simple," he said.
"What like a goofy mask from the fancy dress store?"
"That's how a lot of heroes start out. We don't all get a fancy outfit."
"You did," she pointed out.
"I inherited that, kinda. The first Flash had a steel helmet and motorcycle goggles, so even the 'Flash' didn't start out in that killer outfit."
"So you want me to be a hero with some cheap mask? You're a terrible salesman. I'd be better off just wearing my pink dress and jewellery."
"You still have all that?" Wally asked.
"Yeah."
"That gold jewellery must be worth quite a bit. I don't know how much it would sell for, though."
"Tens of thousands," she told him. "Maybe more."
Wally's mouth fell open. "And you want broke-ass me to buy stuff for you?"
"It's the man's job," she said with a smirk, before nodding in understanding. "Yeah, you're right. Looking back it was maybe a bit excessive. But I like the look."
"It does look nice, but you were living in a crappy motel with thousands of dollars worth of jewellery in your travel bag."
"I can't sell it though."
"Why not?"
"Because it's all stolen," she told him. "Grodd got them for me. I got the wrong impression, thought it was a gesture of love. What an idiot I was."
"You're not an idiot, G," Wally assured her. "He had a way of manipulating people."
"I was willing to be manipulated."
"We all make mistakes."
"Come on," Giganta began. "I wanna grab that taxi if you still want to take me out to dinner."
He grinned and pulled out his cellphone. "I'll get one to pick us up at the old ferry depot," he said gesturing to the old abandoned structure ahead that had once been a ferry terminal.
He scrolled down and picked the saved number and ten minutes later they were both sat in the taxicab heading back to Wally's place.
Tower of Fate
Salem
United States
18:02 – Eastern Standard Time
March 15, 2007
Richard "Dick"Grayson had been walking around the room, looking at a few artefacts and taking in the paintings. Considering where he was, he had taken off his eye mask. There was no reason to hide who he was. Zatanna already knew him and the two aliens wouldn't recognise him and as for Inza, he doubted she would tell anyone.
That's when a familiar yet unwanted voice came from behind. "Interesting pieces, aren't they?"
He turned around to see Batman stood directly behind him.
"Where did you come from?" he demanded, hiding his surprise, but not his annoyance.
"I was let in," he said. "I'm here to see Fate, but it seems he isn't here."
"No he isn't, so why are you still here?" he asked in disdain.
"Because I'm also here to see you."
"Me? Why?"
"That demon cult you broke up in Blüdhaven."
"What about it? It was just some crazy cult trying to sacrifice some woman."
"It may be more than that. It seems what happened there might be connected to actual demons."
"Actual demons?" Richard repeated with a dismissive snort. "Sure, one of them was strong, but that proves nothing."
"We both know they exist."
"And? These guys struck me as lunatics. Nothing more."
"What of the girl they were attempting to sacrifice?"
"Don't know. She vanished. Don't know how she got out of there or where she went."
"What did she look like?"
"I Don't know. It was dark."
"How can you not know? You rescued her."
"She was in a hooded robe and as I said, it was dark. Hard to make out her features. Why is this important all of a sudden?"
Batman walked around him and looked at an artefact before turning back to Richard. "Fate came to see me on the Watchtower. He handed me a blood sample. It is exactly half-human, half unknown. I ran a reference and found an exact match."
Nightwing understood where he was going. "The match was from that cult's hideout. You think it's her blood?"
"I don't know," Batman said. "Was she injured?"
"I'm not sure. After her feet were freed, she managed to escape. Never saw it though. One minute she was there, the next she was gone."
"Did she get to safety?"
"No idea. She vanished completely. Left no trail, nothing."
Batman thought for a moment. "I'm going to return to the cave."
Nightwing moved in front of him, blocking his path. While he wished he could say his interest in the mysterious woman had been piqued, but in truth, he needed to get back to Blüdhaven. "I'm coming with you."
Batman regarded him for a moment. "Why?"
"For one thing, my car's probably still parked out the front of your house."
"It is, but that's not the reason you want to come along is it?"
"There're things I need to think about," he told his former confidant. "I can't do that here, or up there on your station."
"Fine," Batman said. "You can come."
"When are we heading off?"
"Now."
The two of them walked over to Inza. Batman spoke to her, "Remember, if he turns up, tell him what I told you."
"I will." She said. "Are you leaving?"
Batman looked to Richard who was securing his eye mask. "We're both leaving."
"Follow me," she said.
The two did and an ankh portal opened. The two stepped through which took them outside the tower. Both of them then promptly made their way over to the Batwing.
A few minutes later, they were in the sky heading south towards Gotham.
Downtown
Central City
United States
17:20 – Central Standard Time
March 15, 2007
Wally had found his suit and tie, which had been stored at the bottom of his closet in a heap. As such, it was rather creased much to Giganta's chagrin. The second annoyance was his choice of 'restaurant'.
"A pizza parlour?" she asked as they stood outside.
"Yep, they make the best pizza. You won't believe how good it is."
"You don't understand this dating thing, do you?"
"What's there to get?" he asked grinning. "You don't need to sit in an expensive restaurant to have a good time. At least here we'll be able to let loose a bit without the disapproving stares."
"It's a pizza joint, Wally," she said folding her arms. "People don't get dressed up to eat at places like this."
"We did," he said. "Come on, lighten up."
"I wanted romantic Wally. Pizza isn't romantic."
"Anything's romantic as long as you're involved, babe."
She rolled her eyes at him. "Fine, but this better be the best pizza I've ever had, or you're gonna be squashed flat beneath my heal."
"Promise?" he asked with a smirk.
"Let's just get in there before I change my mind."
Wally led the way inside. Giganta promptly took a seat at an empty table while he ordered. He then sat opposite her with that annoying smile of his.
"Wait till you try it," he told her. "It'll knock your socks off. It'll be one of the best pizza's you've ever had."
"I'll knock your block off if it isn't," she threatened, only half-joking. She really didn't appreciate their date being at what amounted to a fast food restaurant.
"Don't make promises you can't keep," Wally said, smirking.
She kicked him under the table. "Ow" he said, as he reached down and rubbed his aching shin.
She smiled. "I'm feeling better already."
Their drinks were brought over. She looked at the dark carbonated liquid. She picked it up and took a sip, finding it was coke. While it wasn't nasty, it certainly wasn't her beverage of choice.
It wasn't long till their order was delivered in the form of a pizza on a plate in the middle of the table, cut into slices, two more plates, one put in front of Wally, the other Giganta. The pizza was massive. It had a deep cheesy crust with cheese, tomato, pepperoni, onions and also stuff she didn't even recognise.
Wally picked himself a slice and slid it onto his plate. He then took a drink from his glass of coke before taking a huge bite. He smiled and nodded with approval.
Cautiously she reached forward and pulled free a slice for herself. "You're lucky I like you," she told him.
"Just try it," he said once his mouth was clear. "I promise that you'll love it." He then promptly stuffed it down, while Giganta watched him in disgust.
"You're not gonna try it?" he asked after a few moments
Giganta looked down at the slice on her plate then with caution, she picked it up and took a bite out of it. Grudgingly she had to agree that it quite delicious. It didn't change the fact that his idea of a good place to go on a date was a pizzeria.
"You like it don't you," he observed.
She nodded until she had managed to chew and swallow what was in her mouth. "Yeah, it's good. You're not off the hook, though. Next date I want to eat in a place with candles and Italian waiters."
"Sure," he agreed with a smile, as he took another slice.
"You have no real intention of doing that, do you?"
"If it makes you feel better, we can go somewhere you want to go after this, okay?"
"Sure. I wanna see what bars there are around here and maybe go to a club."
"Seriously?" he asked.
"Don't tell me you don't go out for a drink or clubbing?"
"Not really. Alcohol doesn't really affect me that much," he told her.
"Pfft, all men say that."
"No really. I get drunk for a few minutes at best, no matter how fast I drink the stuff."
"Well you'll just have to show me once we've finished won't you?" she said.
"You're on," he said as he gestured to the pizza. "You not taking another slice?"
She reached out with her free hand and grabbed a second one "You have the rest," she said before taking another bite of the one she already had.
"Sure?" he asked.
"Yes," came her reply.
She watched him as he grabbed the rest of the slices and began to scoff them down. It was both impressive to watch and also absolutely disgusting.
She, on the other hand, finished off her slice one bite at a time, then started on the second.
Once they were finished, the two of them headed out into the evening.
Updated December 2017