Jaxon turned to look into the sky, eyes widening at the massive elemental helix slowly descending from the sky. There was no more time, but either way he had to hurry back to the guild to warn everyone. Jikan was on his way and according to the time mage; everyone had to be out of the building unless they wanted to be turned into dust. Pushing the doors open, Jaxon just started yelling. "EVERYONE! GET OUT OF THE GUILD RIGHT NOW! DON'T ASK QUESTIONS!"
"Huh…?" Sophie tilted her head.
"What's going on…?" Saraya questioned with a worried look. "Wasn't Sidney with you…? Where did he…?"
"DIDN'T YOU HEAR ME!? JUST GO!" Jaxon was ushering for people to move it. While most could assume it had something to do with the powerful mass of magic steadily dropping towards Fiore. Everyone began to hurry out the guild, though Mary was the last one to leave.
"You two really went to him, didn't you?" The Fire Make sensei asked quietly. "Based on your reaction…"
"That's right…" Jaxon nodded slowly. "He's on his way, and he's got Sidney with him…I still don't even know what's really going on here…"
"You'll find out soon enough." Mary nodded before dragging Jaxon outside into the snow.
Soon enough, Jikan finally made his way to the guild. He didn't care if everyone evacuated or not, he was going to follow through with this anyway. His lips curled in the slightest bit of disgust at the improvement of the rundown shack he used to call his home. The layout may have been different but he knew exactly where it was he needed to go: The Master's office. Twisting the knob and pushing the door open, Jikan stepped into his father's office and began looking around. Everything looked different, but there was one thing that would stay the same. The 'child' proceeded to feel along a blank wall as though he were searching for something…and he found it, pressing his hand along the bottom right corner to open a secret passage. "You've always thought of everything, didn't you old man…?" Jikan shook his head and stepped into the dark corridor.
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Lucy, Juvia, and Micaiah staggered around as the tower began to tremble from the amount of magic coming from it. The Dragon Slayers were all wrapped in the middle of it all, and currently there was no way to save them. The three of them were in front of the capsule that contained Blues, trying to beat on it to free him. "Come on…" Lucy grit her teeth as the absolute worst case scenario was occurring before everyone's very eyes. "There has to be a way to save them…! Something, anything…! It can't end like this…" Lucy was using the strength of Taurus to try and shatter the glass, while Juvia and Micaiah attacked it with all their might.
"Ngh…" Hisui watched with widened eyes at the threat that slowly continued to descend towards the country. Without a doubt, if that thing touched the ground Fiore was going to be finished…in more ways than one as well. The people were scared and there was naught she could do to ease their worries. The Jade Princess clasped her hands together...there was one thing she could say. "DO NOT LOSE HOPE YET! THIS IS NOT OVER!"
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"A magical sphere of that size will cause considerable damage to this country." Emeraude noted, eyes narrowing. "What do you intend to do with a country that you've turned into ash?"
"It matters not what's destroyed. Only what's left is important." Aiden said calmly. There was a serene smile on his face, as he felt as if victory was finally within his grasp for once. "Fiore will have no choice but to kowtow to me, now that they understand the power I wield. This, Fiore, is my win."
"No..." Alex grit her teeth. She had to get past Hyde to get to Aiden! She was concerned about the mysterious woman who was there, but she wasn't interfering at all either. She couldn't think about that right now. "I just need an opening..."
"Hm...?" Aiden narrowed his eyes. He saw something off in the distance, coming straight towards the tower. It was a large beam of magic that struck the falling helix, pushing back against it slightly. "What is that!?"
"Huh...? That's coming from Magnolia...!?" Alex's eyes widened.
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All the way from Magnolia, was Bisca manning the Jupiter Cannon. She had a feeling that it would be needed, and she was right to think so! "I'm not letting you have your way a second time!" Bisca shouted to Aiden, even though he could never hear her. Her actions spoke loud enough. Unfortunately, Jupiter wasn't going to be strong enough to completely overpower the helix, but it was doing a great job in slowing it down.
"Go, Mama!" Asuka exclaimed, cheering her mother on.
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"It's just one measly blast!" Aiden scoffed. "It won't last."
But as he said that, Blue Pegasus and the Christina went into action. They were positioned underneath the helix, pointing their main cannons at the destructive mass of magic. "Are we ready!?" Ichiya asked.
"Yes!" Ren, Hibiki, and Eve exclaimed all at once.
"Firing the cannons now!" Hibiki shouted. Christina opened fired on the helix, adding to the Jupiter Cannon's efforts to push it back. This succeeded in slowing it down a little more, but they were still lacking the overall power to stop it.
"Them again!?" Aiden snarled. Now he was just getting annoyed.
"It's my turn!" Jenny jumped from the Christina as a white glow appeared around her body. "It's time for the debut of my newest Takeover: Dragon!" As Jenny's body transformed, her appearance was revealed. Metallic, armor-like scales appeared on her arms and legs, wings and a tail appeared on her back, and the look was completed with a silver helmet appearing on her head. The final touch was a gem that rested on her chest, currently purple in color. This was the Takeover of the Artificial Dragon Aiden used to fight Cynthia, and now, it was being piloted by Jenny.
"Is that...!?" Hyde gasped.
"My Artificial Dragon!?" Aiden slammed his hands on the desk. "No wonder I couldn't find it after we escaped the transport! That woman consumed it!?"
Jenny used her wings to fly above the helix, and the gem on her chest shone a multitude of different colors. She inhaled, slowly absorbing some of the magic within the helix. Even though it was composed of wildly different elements, the Artificial Dragon was capable of absorbing them all at once to a degree. She was going to do her part to weaken it. "I don't know how long I can keep this up for..." She admitted. This takeover was still a struggle for her, but this was the best chance to use it.
Blue Pegasus wasn't alone. Sensing the impending calamity outside, Cygnus jumped out of the tower, using his gravity to decease the helix's weight. It was still immensely powerful, and he struggled a bit, but he slowed its descent to a crawl thanks to everyone else's efforts. "Everyone move aside! The god of gravity is going to toss this thing into the sun!"
"I'd really like to see you try that, actually!" Jenny remarked. Getting rid of this destructive bomb in any way would've been great!
"I just need... a little more time!" Cygnus admitted with a forced smile. "That scientist really cooked up something dangerous this time!" He had no choice but to admit that Aiden forced them into a corner, but that wasn't stopping them from fighting.
"Get out of my way." That came from Minerva. After tossing Cain aside like the trash she found him to be, she focused her efforts on slowing down the helix as well. Territory magic swirled around the Helix. It was far stronger than she expected, so she was unable to simply be rid of it. But she was able to help everyone by completely bringing it's descent to a pause.
"Oh my." Emeraude watched with intrigue. "It's almost as if the entire country is coming together to stop you." She noted.
"They're just delaying the inevitable!" Aiden shouted. "It's pointless!"
"Pointless...?" Alex said with a faint smile. "No, it's not pointless...you just haven't realized it, Dad."
"Realized what?!" Aiden turned to Alex, the annoyance written all over his face. "No, it doesn't matter! I'll just increase the output, and...!"
"You can't beat Fiore. Whatever comes their way, they're always going to win! They've toppled angels, humans, demons, and dragons...what do you think YOU can do to beat them!?" Alex smirked slightly while pushing forward, launching herself ahead with all her might. Sturdy rock covered her body, on top of rigid scales. She entered Dragon Force, and she had one destination in mind. "Earth Dragon's Riot Horn!" Her target was Hyde. He wasn't paying attention due to the sudden development of Fiore's wizards working together to stop them. As such, Alex crashed right into his ribcage.
"Guwah...!" Hyde's eyes whited out from that strike. Alex slammed him into Aiden's desk and she flipped backwards, giving the two of them a peace sign.
"NO!" Aiden gasped. Alex's attack on Hyde also destroyed the control panel, meaning he couldn't control the cannon anymore!
"And you weren't going to beat me with such a narrowminded viewpoint!" Alex snickered. The momentum was shifting away from Aiden and she knew it. With everyone working together to stop Aiden, she knew she didn't have to worry. She'd rather focus on getting out! And she started to leave. "This is why...you'll never succeed, D...Aiden." She shook it off. Aiden was her adopted father, but he was not her parent.
"Hah..." Emeraude couldn't help but snicker a bit as Alex slipped past her.
"Emeraude, stop her!" Aiden demanded.
"I don't take orders from you." Emeraude scoffed at Aiden's audacity. Aiden growled at her as Hyde slowly regained consciousness.
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Jikan continued to walk down the pitch black corridor until he finally reached a large room, just as dark as the rest. But Jikan knew exactly where to go: straight ahead. Straight ahead was something only a few people of White Eclipse actually knew about…Reve, Sidney, Mary, and Jikan. Before the time wizard sat a crystallized figure before him. "So this is it…" He mumbled to himself while examining the male 'frozen' inside. "This is you at your best…a menace to Fiore…no, Ishgar at this level. It's the only reason I'm helping…I know you won't let me down, pops. You'll turn on them. You're too strong to look after a bunch of wannabe youthful mages…it'll get to you." Jikan was quite confident in his own prediction; he pulled out his patented clock – the almighty tool he used to control his powerful time magic. "Alright, Calium. Let's see what you were like all those years ago." With that, the clock began ticking, a magic seal shaped like a timer appearing on the crystal. "Pendulum: Accelerate!" With that the seal began to rotate rapidly, so fast to the point where it wasn't even seen anymore; time began to speed by on the crystal. How much time was passing? Well, as he said before…thousands of years. The crystal slowly started to deteriorate, leaving Jikan with a wide grin. Gradually, the crystal became no more…The very second the last piece of the crystal disappeared, a powerful bright light shot into the air, nearly destroying the entire guild as the enormous beam shot into the clouds above. Jikan had to shield his eyes from the light, but there was a wide grin stretching on his lips. "Welcome back to Ishgar, demon. Welcome back one of history's strongest mages…arise…CALIUM!"
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"A-Ah…!" Aira brought her arm up to shield her eyes from the blinding light exploding from the guild. "W-What's going on in there…!?"
"This light…" Kuro grunted.
"So…" Mary mumbled while shielding her eyes. "He actually did it…"
"Did what!?" Zalen asked, feeling just as clueless as everyone else. "What did Jikan do in there…!?"
"The Revival…of Eclipse Soul…" Mary clarified and the light slowly died down.
Standing in the middle of the rubble was a middle aged man…no longer plagued with sickness. Black spiked hair, fierce yellow eyes…and a magical aura that made everyone else tremble unknowingly. Calium was in his prime…and very confused at the panic going around. "Hm…?" Blinking, the First Master of White Eclipse looked up into the sky at the helix of magic that was suspended in the air.
"Oh. That's new." Jikan tilted his head. "Time ran faster this cycle because I entertained Jaxon's question...and yet, they're holding it off." How interesting!
Without even thinking about it, he extended his hand and an aura of Eclipse Magic exploded from around him. The entire helix of dragon slaying magic was drawn to him and he merely absorbed it, leaving those who witnessed the event speechless. With no effort, Calium then released the magic he gathered, shooting it off right back towards the sender: aka, Aiden's tower.
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The beams of magic struck the tower, causing it to tremble violently. Aiden, Hyde, and Emeraude staggered around while the tower shook…and slowly started to collapse on them. "W-WHAT!?" Aiden's eyes widened at the last second interference of his grand scheme. He finally won for once…but there was always something that stood in his way! "What is this?! What's going on!?" Because of the sudden damages, an alarm blared throughout the entire tower and red lights shone everywhere.
"T-This wasn't in my script!" Hyde exclaimed in annoyance. "Who dare wrote these revisions without my permission!?" Groaning, he decided to make a hasty exit. He made an effort to grab Aiden, but just before he could vanish, a falling piece of rubble separated them, and Hyde and teleported away without him.
"Hyde, wait!" Aiden growled. In his eyes, Hyde just left him! Ah, but of course, he had Emeraude by his side! At that moment, some rubble fell on him, keeping him pinned to the ground. "Gah! Emeraude...help me."
Emeraude tilted her head slightly, staring at Aiden as he pleaded for her help. She took a few steps forward, looking down at the man in front of her. "...If you had the opportunity to do it all again, would you? Your experiments, from start to finish?"
What kind of question was that? "Of course I would! I don't regret a single thing I've done!" Aiden continued to hold his hand out, insisting that Emeraude pull him free. He knew she had the power to do so!
And yet, his answer only made her eyes narrow in disgust. "Then I won't help you."
"What!?" Aiden glared towards the woman. "Why not!?"
"This world has no need for a man who kills the mother of his child, and tortures that very child for their own personal gain. In fact, I firmly believe that this world...will be a much better place without you in it." Emeraude said coldly, turning on her heel, and beginning to walk away. "Your experiments always fail, because you don't understand the heart. And you never will. You've had your chance in the spotlight, and now, it's my turn. Think of this as...a succession." She smiled at Aiden, venom still her her eyes the whole time.
"No, wait!" Aiden pleaded as the rubble continued to fall all around him. "EMERAUDE! GET BACK HERE! EMERAUUUUUUUDE!"
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Luke and Yukino were trying to free Natsu from his imprisoned tube. Despite their efforts, they were unable to do any damage to it, and matters were only made worse as the tower started shaking. "We're running out of time…!" Luke grunted.
"We must be able to do something…" Yukino pleaded silently. Unbeknownst to either of them, Kai was slowly sneaking up on them with his sword drawn. He had full intent to end both of their lives then and there…
Just then, flames erupted from the tube and it exploded. Standing proudly was Natsu, lightning and fire erupting from around his being. His eyes locked directly onto Kai, a grin stretching on his lips. "I don't know what's going on here…but I do know that I owe you an ass kicking!" Lunging forward, Natsu reared his arm back, allowing the dual elements to swirl around his hand. "Lightning Flame Dragon's Firing Hammer!" Thrusting his arm forward, an intense wave of fire and lightning shot down the corridor, completely consuming Kai in the process of it all while destroying a section of the tower that was already falling apart.
"N-Natsu-sama…!" Yukino's eyes widened in shock and slight happiness. She was unaware of Kai sneaking up on them, but she was happy to see that Natsu was still raring to go as always. "W-We have to leave this place immediately…!"
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"Dune!" Reiss called to his spirit. On that command, the sand spirit nearly flooded the room with sand. Yes, Reiss and Tyson were aware time was running low, but the twins weren't going to let them go so easily just because of that. "Okay, Tyson!"
"Fusion Make…Sand Pit!" With that, Tyson opened up a hole in the sand and seemingly vanished from sight completely.
"What the…!?" Yukia looked around, but she couldn't sense Tyson anywhere. "Where the heck did he go!?" It was difficult for the girls to move due to the sand keeping a surprisingly tight hold on them. "What's with this sand, too…!?"
"Pay attention to me first!" Reiss exclaimed while darting through the sand with ease. Once reaching Yukia, he aimed a powerful punch at the female's temple. It was more than enough to send her flying back into a wall.
"Yukia…!" Yumia cried out in worry…but her sister's wellbeing was the least of her worries.
Tyson emerged from the sand behind Yumia, the length of his arm coated in solid stainless steel. "Fusion Make: I AM IRON MAN!" The unfortunate Hunter turned the very moment she heard Tyson's voice she turned, only to get slugged in the face. Yumia was sent flying right into her sister. "H-How could you punch an ADORABLE woman like myself in the face like that!? You brute!"
Tyson rotated his wrist and merely gave a shrug at Yumia's complaint. "I did the same thing to Micaiah once during the Rookie Tournament…broke her nose, too. I don't see the problem here."
"Ugh! We don't have time for this…!" Both sisters spoke in unison before placing their hands on the sand. An explosion of fire and water occurred, dispelling the sand to leave the foyer clean. "This is a waste of time that we don't have..!"
"…" Reiss and Tyson blinked at each other from the sister's speaking in unison. Before they knew it, both Twins left the scene…which only meant they should have left as well, the entire thing was collapsing after all.
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One final strike and Blues was released. He was awakened and stumbled forward. Heather and Waiston were awake and dizzy, but they could stand on their own.. "W-What the hell...just happened...?"
"No idea..." Waiston groaned. It was all a blur.
"My head hurts..."
"You're alright now." Lucy told the three of them with a smile.
"But we won't be if we stay here for too long!" Micaiah pointed at the exit. "We have to get out of here, fast!"
"Uh...?" Blues was still dizzy. He took a step forward, only for Juvia to help him out.
"Don't worry, I'll help you." Juvia gave Blues a faint smile. "Come on, this way!"
"Looks like you're saving me again..." Blues replied with a slight chuckle.
"No, we're just even." Juvia shook her head.
"Can you two save the flirting for later?!" Micaiah was already bolting ahead. She wasn't going to be blamed for leaving them behind when they were taking too long.
"JUVIA WOULD NEVER!" Juvia shouted, now dragging Blues along with her, Lucy quickly following behind. Micaiah was already long gone. She did what she could to pull Waiston and Heather along with her.
"She sure wasted no time leaving us behind." Lucy said with a sweat drop. But then, something strange happened...
"From behind."
A voice spoke to her. She vaguely recognized this voice as well. She wasn't sure why, because it wasn't anyone she knew. But she instinctively heeded the voice's advice. "Huh?" She turned around, only to gasp. She changed into her Sagittarius Star Dress, firing off a golden arrow that clashed with a sphere of light, causing an explosion within an already unstable tower.
"W-What the!?" Blues and Juvia turned around, only to see Aeon standing behind them.
"He's back on his feet..." Juvia narrowed her eyes.
"If you think I'll allow you to escape so easily, you have another thing coming!" Aeon said with a proud smile. "We always ensure that our jobs are completed."
"Do you really think now is the time!?" Lucy gestured to everything around them.
"An exceptional Hunter can complete a task no matter the situation." Aeon calmly adjusted his tie, his white hair flowing in the wind. Clearly, he was confident that he could manage something before the building collapsed.
Lucy, however, didn't feel like dealing with this. "Juvia, keep going and get Blues outside. I'll handle him and meet you outside."
"Okay." Juvia was sure Lucy could handle it. Even if she was a love rival, she was a friend and guildmate as well.
"...Sorry for being dead weight." Blues grumbled. It wasn't his fault, considering his magic was used in part of a weapon, but he still felt bad about it.
"Do not talk that way." Juvia shook her head as they went on. "Lucy will be fine."
"You're quite different than last year." Aeon said while looking at Lucy.
"That's right. I'm not the same girl you ambushed a year ago!" Lucy said with a grin. "I'm more than capable of holding my own against you!" As if she was really going to fight; she knew better than to waste time like that. So, she took her bow and arrow, taking aim at the area next to Aeon. Her plan was to release an arrow and use the explosion as a chance to escape. However, before she could actually fire, a rope wrapped around her arm, completely freezing her movements. "H-Huh!?"
"Hunters don't work alone!" That was Marta, who recovered from her defeat from Lisanna. She was standing to Lucy's right. "You were a fool to think you would escape us a second time! We're not leaving empty handed!"
"I can't move...this rope!" Lucy's body was completely bound by the magical rope Marta ensnared her with.
"Now!" Aeon pointed his hand forward, his palm shining bright. "A-Cannon!" That sphere of danger flew out from his palm, exploding against the helpless Lucy. She didn't actually fly backwards, but she slumped over after the sphere knocked her out. "Hahaha!"
"Finally. We can actually get our dues from that previous job." Marta grinned. The tower's state was no concern to them, because they had an easy out anyway. "We can take her to Pergrande after we're done."
"Indeed! All that talk, and for what?" Aeon laughed as he approached Lucy. "No matter who you are, none can withstand the might of my A-cannon!"
"..." Lucy was silent. She was unconscious, but a black and red aura slowly began to emanate from her. Her eyes then shot open, both of them red. The suddenness of it all caused Aeon to jump back.
"W-What!? How are you awake already!?" Aeon gasped.
"..." Lucy didn't say a word, but she glanced in Marta's direction.
"W-What is this...?" Marta felt a cold chill going down her spine. Why was she afraid of Lucy of all people!? "No, get a grip, Aeon! It doesn't matter, she can't mo-!" And then, Lucy grabbed the rope with her bound hand. The rope that sealed movement was being broken through, which completely shocked Marta. "H-Huh!? H-How are...!?"
"This body..." Lucy's voice had a strange distortion to it. "This body is mine. Nobody is allowed to do with it as they please." Her grip on the rope tightened, causing a black and red spark to travel backwards through it. By the time it reached Marta, it exploded, throwing her backwards into the all.
"GAAAH!?" Marta gasped from the impact, panting heavily.
"Marta!?" Aeon turned to Lucy with wide eyes. Was this the change Lucy was talking about? No, something about this was wrong. The way those red eyes glared at him... "W-What...who are you!?"
"I'm not going back to Pergrande!" Lucy said while taking a step forward, her red eyes narrowing. "You will not take me back to that hellhole!" And then, she pointed her hand forward, releasing a potent sphere of black and red energy. Whatever it was, it exploded against Aeon before he had a chance to counter, and worsened the state of the already falling tower.
"Ngh...!?" Aeon held his arm, eyes wide as he stared at Lucy. Deciding this was no longer worth it, he grabbed Marta, and left through the opening that Lucy created.
"Get...back here..." Lucy growled, taking a few steps forward. Red sparks appeared around her body, causing her to cry out in pain for a moment. "Damn it...this body isn't strong enough yet..." She shook her head, deciding to head outside as well.
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"HA!" Erza swung another fist at the tube containing Wendy, shattering it completely now. Panting softly, Titania stared at Wendy as she walked out, looking a little exhausted. "Wendy...are you okay…?!"
"I…I think I'm okay…" Wendy nodded slowly. "Just a little exhausted…thank you, Erza-san…"
"Don't thank me yet…we still have to get out of here." With a firm nod, she began to lead Wendy out of the tower. Things were looking grim as the tower started to fall apart, a section of the ceiling falling directly towards Wendy. "…! Wendy!"
Wendy's eyes widened at the falling rubble. She was frozen and just shut her eyes and waited to be squashed. "Ah…!" She was pushed away quite violently, landing on her rear while staring up at the piece of ceiling that nearly fell on her. It was being suspended by…someone…not Erza. "Huh…?"
"What the…?" Erza stood in shock herself, unable to make out who this figure was due to the red light obscuring some of her sight. She could see one thing though…a familiar shade of black hair on a female figure.
"Get out of here. NOW." The female commanded. "I won't say it again!"
Wendy was frozen, because that female's tone sounded too familiar even with the blaring of the alarm. Most importantly…that scent…it may have been altered slightly, but Wendy's nose knew it too well. "Y-You're…"
"Wendy, we have to GO!" Erza wasn't going to waste any time on this just yet. She grabbed Wendy's arm to pull her up so they could escape from the tower.
Rose then let out a heavy sigh before tossing the rubble elsewhere dusting her hands off while watching Wendy and Erza run off. "I wasn't going to let some rubble take your life before I could." The demon huffed before leaving the tower the way she came. Her mission would be put on hold for the time being…
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Frosch and Lector left ahead of Minerva. After she defeated Cain and helped the others stop the helix from crashing into Fiore, she was taking her own path back to Sabertooth. But she then encountered Kyouka along the way, coming to a halt. This was someone new... "Y-You…who are you…?"
Kyouka smiled at Minerva endearingly, taking a step forward. "You've quite the potential within you, Minerva. I've come today to draw out that potential…there's so much, it would be such an absolute shame to let it go to waste, don't you think~" The Demon Gate practically purred at her sentence.
Minerva's eyes widened as Kyouka continued to approach. She was already exhausted from her battle against Cain, on top of expending plenty of magic during her part to hold off that miniature nuke, and considering the vibe Kyouka was giving off…she wasn't going to be ready for another fight. "Y-You…S-Stay away from me…!" And of course…the last thing one would hear from Minerva was a shrilling scream…
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Next Time: Crisis Averted