[b]Team CODE Mission end [/b]


[hider=My Hider]
Cobalt felt the Grimm crash into him full force as it collapsed. The Grimm got up and threw Oswald, sending him flying into a tree where a loud crack echoed through the clearing. Than the Grimm threw itself onto Cobalt, straddling him to prevent him from getting up. Time slowed just as the Grimm pulled back for the first punch. Cobalt grabbed a handful of dirt and threw it at the Grimm's face, his head pounding from so much use of his Semblance. Time resumed normal flow and Cobalt lashed out blindly with a powerful right hook.

The look of shock didn’t help its situation much. Eyes had opened wide, surprised at the underhanded tactic of the Hunter. Maybe they all weren’t so honorable after all the creature thought, ever so slightly impressed. The feeling washed the way the moment the stinging dirt clouded its vision and broke its focus, forcing its eyes shut as it angrily growled. Wiping at its face, it blinked through the momentary haze just in time to be met with a brutal right hook from Cobalt. Its head snapped to the side as stars burst in its vision and it felt something pop within its jaw.

Glaring at Cobalt, it reset its jaw and hocked back some saliva. Spitting in the Hunter’s eyes in retaliation for the dust. Now, what to do? Just pummel away until nothing remained within the Hunter’s body so much as even a tiny twitch? Or take its time to enjoy the quality intimate moment? Punching its hammer-fist weapons together, the beast decided to savor it. Lifting the massive boulder of a hammer-head high, it let gravity do most of the work as the monster gradually began to flatten Cobalt skull.

Watching the battle turn against Cobalt, Oswald’s protective instincts flared into overdrive. There had to be [i]something[/i] he could do. Help was on the way. It had to be. Diamond and Emerald were fine, they could handle themselves. Especially if the professor had found them. If he’d survived a burst from that turret, there was no way she’d been caught off-guard enough not to survive the fall. 

Not far off from him were the two mercenaries...Carnal and Gorilla? He couldn’t even remember if they’d said their actual names. He hadn’t seen them move at all since they’d been attacked by this monster, so he had to presume they were…he had to assume that they were dead. Two more deaths on his conscience. 

Grunting and shaking his head to clear the thought from his mind, Oswald coughed up some blood and began slowly dragging himself towards their bodies. They had to have something he could use. Anything that could buy Cobalt even just a few seconds to get away from that thing. 

Cobalt grinned as the Grimm had to pop it's jaw back into place. He was about to get the asswhupping of a life time, but at least he got one good hit in. The Grimm spat on him and he momentarily wondered how sanitary Grimm saliva was. Then he saw stars as his head was smashed on with the Grimm's hammer fists. 

Eventually, Oswald reached the pair’s corpses. A fresh wave of guilt and disgust overtook him as he looked upon their mangled bodies, but he suppressed the feelings and began rummaging around in their gear. A grenade, ammo for their weapons, there had to be something. [i]Anything[/i] that would save Cobalt. 

A flare gun. 

The flare gun stood out like a beacon of hope. If he could alert the others to their predicament, they might have a shot. The ships overhead could annihilate that thing, if only Cobalt could get it off of him for just a second. 

He had to act. Blood was still dribbling out of his mouth, likely the result of a punctured lung or some other damage to his internal organs. Grabbing the gun, Oswald cursed as his side flared in pain, in protest of the movement. 

That didn’t matter. The pain didn’t matter. Oswald forced himself to his knees, then aimed upwards. He was close enough to the fight that whoever saw the flare would surely notice what was happening. 

All of his strength left him as he pulled the trigger, his body flopping to the floor as a solitary beacon flew into the sky. Once again, the colors around him began to fade into blackness. Oswald let a small smile cross his lips as he slipped once more into unconsciousness. 

~~

[b]”Hey, we got a star cluster popup!”[/b] The pilot exclaimed, calling back to the rest of the crew onboard.
Sam stormed her way to the cockpit to see for herself.
[b]”Who the hell is that? Is that one of our guys that made it from the wreckage?”[/b] she asked.
[b]”It’s got to be. Think it’s maybe a trap?”[/b] The copilot inquired.
Esther palmed the controls that lowered the back ramp and used her voice to issue an order to the pilots.
[b]”Get us closer! That flare belongs to our own!”[/b]

The pilots were about to protest but Sam stopped them. Whatever questions they had, she already knew Esther well enough to know the answers she would give. The pilots both shrugged and brought the airship towards a clearing closer to the location of the flare shot. The powerful updraft generated by the ship’s engines kicked up clouds of dust, pushing small trees and their limbs outward as the craft’s blinding lights cut on to allow easier observation of the area.

~~~

When the flare went up, the creature paused its assault on Cobalt’s face and whipped around to glare at Oswald. How was he still able to move? The monster didn’t have much time to think before the airship it had heard earlier made its appearance, blinding it with lights forcing it to shut its eyes and bring up its arm as a shield..

~~~

Satisfied with the distance between the ship’s off ramp and the ground, Esther jumped out and immediately raised her rifle. Her eyes scanned through the darkness and dust as she advanced, the platoon of mercenaries following shortly behind her piling out in a combat formation. Tony wasn’t far behind himself, closest to Esther when one of their own sighted the beast on top of Cobalt.

[b]”Contact!”[/b] A voice yelled. 

Instantly, all of the mercenaries snapped to the nearest cover and had their rifles trained on the creature. The ones unable to find cover hit the ground and assumed a prone position. As Esther continued to advance, refusing to duck behind anything, she raised a hand and issued a baffling command. Not surprised to see another one of those creatures and seeing the state her student was in, she felt it necessary to end this herself. Taking it a bit personally.

[b]”Hold your fire!”[/b] she bellowed, much to the confusion of the mercenaries who didn’t know her. But obey her, they did. Wary to still keep their rifles aimed true, just in case, not immediately opening fire.

Esther lowered her own rifle, instead touching at her knife and creating a copy of it. Flipping the copy in her hand, she held it by the blade’s edge as she prepared to throw it. Honestly she wished she had something bigger and heavier to hit the bitch harder, but she couldn’t risk Cobalt getting caught in the crossfire as collateral damage. Instead, she needed to simply get the demon’s attention and piss it off. Have it focus on her and maybe even have it charge at her.

[b]”Hey! Fucker!”[/b] Esther spat, malice and venom lining her few chosen words. Cocking her arm back, Esther expertly threw the phantom blade at the beast. Her aim on point, the tip of the blade embedded itself in the creature’s arm. 

The creature hissed, angry that it had even more opponents to contend with. No matter, it’s masters were surely freed by now and on their way. She sensed their presence in the distance, they were getting closer as the seconds ticked by. Removing the blade from its forearm and shattered it, the creature was greeted with even more blades thrown at it which it easily knocked aside. Sufficiently pissed, the creature stood and stepped over Cobalt to square up with Esther.

Expression hard and stony, Esther stopped and took up an open and wide fighting stance. A stance that begged the creature to challenge her, imposing, cocky, and arrogant. She waited for it to make the first move, banking everything on the creature to be reckless. Eying its weapons, she figured it to fight with a rusher/beatdown style. One of the worst types to contend with her. Looking at its face, she recognized the effects of a one of those that had popped a cursed pill. In the back of her mind, she was worried she may not be able to take it down in one go. She could only hope her boys did enough work to weaken it and make her job easier.

The creature nervously looked at the company of soldiers that had Esther’s back, unsure what they would do once it decided to engage. Then there was the fact of that gunship that somehow made it through the iron curtain of antiaircraft guns. Esther whistled and snapped her fingers, drawing its focus back on her.

[b]”Oi! I’m right here! Don’t you worry about them! Your opponent is me! What’s the matter, are you afraid? Didn’t you use one of those pills? Then what’s the matter, huh? I should be easy! Come on with it!”[/b] Esther continued to egg it on, she needed it to charge at her.

The creature was still unsure. What was this woman playing at? Sniffing at the air, it couldn’t detect any emotion that it could feed on. No fear. No anger. Just an unshakable confidence from Esther. How did she know about its pill? Had she fought its kin before and lived? If so, did that mean…?

[b]”Yeah, that’s right! I know all about you slime bags! Your little friend with the sawblades? We took care of her back in town! If you want to go see her, I’m sure she’s still crucified to some wall somewhere!”[/b]
Esther was talking too much, all she needed was one swing from the monster. What was it waiting for?

The creature growled, gritting its teeth. Reason and clarity going out the window, that was enough for it to react. Focusing its power, it dug its feet in as it steeled itself. Esther smirked, knowing what was coming. To put the icing on the cake, Esther took her thumb and slowly dragged it across her neck. Making the motion of slitting something’s neck. The creature’s rage flared and it sprinted straight at her. Still empowered by the drug’s effects, the creature practically vanished when it did so. Alas, Esther still saw through its telegraphed intentions, the creature’s right arm reared back for a assuredly powerful right hook that would never even touch her. At the last moment before the creature’s hammer fist made contact, Esther exercised her favorite technique and used her Aura to reflect and counter the creature’s swing, parrying it. Blowing its arm away and leaving the creature wide open, a look of shock on its face.

Esther had to work quickly. Throwing out a sharp left elbow across its face, followed it up with a right hook, a knee strike to its abdomen, finishing her combo with an uppercut to leave the creature reeling and buying herself a few more seconds. Unholstering her sidearm, she chose her Ice-element dust ammunition and shot at its feet point blank to freeze it in place. Leaping backwards, Esther holstered her sidearm and unslung her rifle touching her palm to it. Summoning dozens of phantom rifles, she then surrounded and entrapped the creature in a dome of her guns and opened fire at it from all sides. Within seconds, Esther emptied the magazines of her rifles into the creature’s body completely shredding its aura and depleting it.

As the smoke cleared and the last shell casing fell to the ground, Esther dismissed her phantoms. Each rifle shattering in a display little specks of glimmering lights as the creature stood a ragged bloody pulp of its former self. With no more life to support its own body weight, the creature first fell to its knees in a slump before falling forward face first with a final solid thud.

Sighing quietly, Esther slung her rifle on her back and walked over to the corpse. With the side of her boot, she turned its body over so that she could look at its face before sharply kicking it across its chin to snap its neck with a satisfying audible pop. For good measure, Esther unholstered her sidearm and shot it three times in the head. Handgun still pointed at its unmoving body, Esther stood there in silence for a few moments before issuing her orders.

[b]”Clear the area! Secure a perimeter and tend to any wounded you find! Tell the bird it can land!”[/b] Esther shouted, still staring at the corpse.

Unsure of what just happened exactly, the mercenaries got to work and did as ordered. Sam nodded, looking up to the skies and pressing a button on the side of her helmet to radio the gunship that it was cleared for landing. Tony made his way to Esther’s side as the rest of the Abyss Walkers scoured the area and conducted their business. 

Cobalt felt every blow upon his head as the Grimm pounded on him for what felt like days. His Aura had most certainly been broken and he probably had a concussion. His vision was blurry as he tried to keep himself conscious, he could've sworn that he felt the Grimm get up he was so fucked up. He tried to grab at it to keep its attention off of Oswald, but he failed miserably. Gunshots sounded off loudly as he turned his head towards where the Grimm was heading. The guns stopped and he saw Esther heading towards what appeared to be the Grimm's corpse. Cobalt smiled and started to close his eyes, attempting to fight unconsciousness, but failing as he finally passed out.

As the ramp lowered Diamond had to resist the urge to jump out and charge. Another one of those things seemed to have Cobalt in its firm grip and was giving him hell. But she would be lucky if she had enough aura left for the landing, let alone any fighting. Furthermore, this nutcase huntress looked different somehow, more defaced and downright monstrous than the other one. And just about everybody on the gunship probably knew better how to deal with it.

It didn’t seem like Cobalt was the one who shot the flare though, so Diamond’s eyes zoomed over the field. The sight she came upon made her stomach twist. Two of the mercs and a familiar black and red armor laying still without any sign of life. As soon as the ship touched down, she took off in their direction.

[i]No, no, NO! Don’t you dare do this to me you idiots! You have no right to die, and I didn’t permit it![/i] she thought on her way over. Skidding to a halt, she didn’t need to consult her scroll to see if Oswald’s aura has been broken. His nose and thumb were evidence enough, and who knew what other injuries he had. She hesitantly checked his pulse and breathing, and was flooded with relief. It wasn’t too late for him.

It was then though that she noticed the gashes on his neck, and realized his fight was not yet over. Standing up, she waved her arm and yelled at the top of her lungs to be louder than the aircraft’s engines. “Medic! I got another one possibly poisoned!”

She turned back and it was then when she fully noticed the remains of two of the mercs, her torsos collapsed in on themselves. Diamond has seen a lot of gore, but after all that happened today, her body had enough. Barely managing to turn away before her stomach emptied itself, the stench fully slammed into her nostrils. The fates were cruel to them. They lived past the crash, but it did them little good. Diamond hazarded a guess the other two never made it out of the airship.

It didn’t take long for the team of medics to pour out of the airship and discover the two unconscious Huntsmen. Of course, after assessing the situation and their current conditions, the medic teams injected the boys with that odd concoction that they all doped with. After having administered their own brand of medication, the teams applied first aid to the boys and prepared them to be loaded onto the gunship on stretchers similar to Emerald’s. A few of the medics tended to Diamond, to ensure she was okay.

Tony stood by Esther’s side and stared down at the same corpse she was looking at. Uneasily he placed a hand on her shoulder. 
[b]”Hey.”[/b]
Esther slightly moved her head in his direction, only making a soft sound in response.
[b]”Hm.”[/b]
Tony was concerned for her wellbeing.
[b]”You alright?”[/b]
[b]”...You already know the answer to that, Tony.”[/b]
That, he did. She wasn’t alright.
[b]”We...found the others. The other Walkers that were on our ship.”[/b]
Esther was silent for a moment.
[b]”Oh?”[/b]
[b]”Yeah.”[/b]
Tony sighed and she knew what that sigh would mean. After all, if that creature was able to do that sort of damage to the Huntsmen, it was obvious what happened to her comrades.
[b]”...They didn’t make it.”[/b]
Esther scoffed, shaking her head.
[b]”I know.”[/b]
Tony wished he could itch at his head.
[b]”You don’t want to see them, do you?”[/b]
[b]”Not particularly, no.”[/b] Esther’s voice monotone and devoid of emotion.
[b]”I thought as much. I-...Ah...Y-...”[/b] Tony struggled to find the words.
[b]”Spit it out, Tony.”[/b]
[b]”Are you sure you’re going to be okay?”[/b] He knew they were all used to it by this point, but he couldn’t help but be a little extra concerned for his old friend.
Esther suddenly drew her handgun and shot a few more holes into the corpse of the creature, startling practically everyone save for Tony.
[b]”Oh yeah...I’ll be just fine. Just make sure my students are cared for, that’s all I ask.”[/b]
Tony nodded, walking away.
[b]”R-right.”[/b]

Consciousness briefly returning to him as he was being handled by the medics, Oswald groaned in discomfort. “Where...where’s Cobalt?” Looking around in confusion, he shook his head. “Is he...did he make it?”

Diamond shooed the medics away, directing them to attend to those that actually needed it. She went with them to check on Cobalt and then helped them haul the two back to the ship. The image was pretty gruesome. Four mercs dead, three of her people down for the count. [i]Who did this?![/i] was the only, angry thought rattling through her mind. Somebody set them up.

Oswald came to for a second, and brought her out of her train of thought about how to best and most painfully mutilate and maim a man. “He held on long enough. Bells are ringing in his head but he’ll be fine, so should all of you. Just take it easy, let them patch you up.” she said softly, gently bumping his unhurt arm. [i]Remember, happy thoughts.[/i]

Chuckling for a moment before a painful cough forced him to stop, Oswald nodded his head gently. “Good...thanks, Diamond.” Letting his head sink back a little and releasing a short breath, Oswald smiled for a few moments before passing out once more.

While the team of medics tended to the injured, a separate team worked to gather the bodies of the fallen and secured them in black body bags to be loaded on the other gunship separate from Team CODE. A third team worked to recover any equipment that was salvageable, both belonging to the Abyss Walkers and Huntsmen team. Just as a few of the mercenaries were steps away from boarding the ship that harbored Team CODE, the surrounding wood erupted with the shrieks, cries, and screams of an incoming Grimm horde.

Esther looked up, eyes scanning the trees ahead of her. Turning towards the ship, she saw the two mercenaries that held Oswald and Cobalt’s weapons and began to bark orders. [b]”You two! Bring that gun and shield over here! Be quick about it! All other Walkers drop what you’re doing and fall back towards the bird! Form a tight security perimeter and remain on standby!”[/b] Of course, the two mercenaries looked at each other briefly before running over to Esther. The rest did as they were commanded, save for Tony who accompanied the gear-carrying duo.

Just before Esther could touch the shield and giant gun, Tony swatted her hand away.
[b]”Whoa-whoa-whoa! Just what do you think you’re gonna do, lady?”[/b]
Esther glared at Tony with an intensity that could melt through the faceplate of his helmet.
[b]”What do you think I’m going to do?”[/b]
Tony nervously looked around at the surroundings as the noises and roars of the impending swarm grew louder, closer.
[b]”You’re not going to try and take care of them all by yourself, are you?”[/b]
Esther scoffed as she placed her hands on Oswald’s shield and Cobalt’s 27-Smasher, stars brightly shining in her eyes as she prepared to weave a massive spell with her Semblance.
[b]”That’s exactly what I’m going to do, Antonio.”[/b]
Tony brought up his hands and shuffled about, flustered and confused.
[b]”You have all of us here! You don’t always have to do this alone, y’know! We can help!”[/b]
Focusing her Aura, she started to create copies of the Hunters’ weapons.
[b]”I don’t have to, I know. But I’m going to and you won’t stop me. Fall back to the bird, Tony.”[/b]
Tony threw up his arms and shook his head, slowly walking backwards with the duo.
[b]”You’re fucking crazy. Just what will this accomplish? You gonna feel better about yourself for a little? Shit, Vanessa..”[/b] Giving up, he didn’t know why he always tried to convince her to take it easy. She always got a little carried away. Retreating back, he issued a second warning to all of the Walkers in the area over radio communications.

Esther didn’t offer him any response or reaction. Instead, she peeled off her gloves as the flames of her Aura burned fiercely on her hands. Reciting the incantation that reinforced her Semblance’s abilities over and over quietly under her breath, she tightly clasped her hands together as she continued to summon more phantasmal copies of Cobalt’s unique rifle and Oswald’s protective shield. Within seconds she easily called upon dozens, then hundreds of them. Telepathically commanding them to create a formation. With Oswald’s shields, she formed a massive dome over the clearing they were all in. Leaving nary a gap that a creature with any size could penetrate, shielding the entirety of the gunship and every ally within. Just outside of her protective dome, she had the now thousands of phantom copies of Cobalt’s rifle surrounding them with their muzzles pointed outwards a full and complete 360 degrees. Continuing to create copies until she was finally satisfied, Esther then stood and waited.

With the original source weapons from which her phantoms were birthed safe at her side, she allowed the Grimm to get as close as possible before she sprung her destructive trap. To seal the deal and ensure the maximum amount of kills, she brushed her hand against her blade and summoned four copies. Sharply pointing a finger at the corpse of the dead creature still at her feet, she had her blades impale themselves at the creature’s arms and lift its limp cadaver high and to the center of her protective dome as a sick sort of bait. To taunt and anger the Grimm further by desecrating one of their own.

Esther clasped her hands together again, tightly clutching until she could start to feel her fingernails dig into her own skin as she grit her teeth. Steeling her resolve and focusing as much Aura as she could to empower her Semblance, stretching her abilities to her near limits. She could already see the shadowy and dark bodies of the Grimm swiftly moving in the treelines, as black as the night was. Steadying her breathing, she still waited until the absolute right moment. The Grimm were baffled as to what they were witnessing, unsure of what it was that Esther had exactly created for them.

[b]”Come on, come on, come on...You fucking bastards, bite!”[/b]
Esther’s nostrils flared, sweat on her face giving her an oily sheen.
Tony, back at the gunship looked at each of the Huntsmen. On one knee, he again issued a warning order to his fellow mercenaries as he tapped at his helmet with two fingers.
[b]”All troops, all troops! Be advised, shit is about to get really fucking loud and really fucking bright! I say again, shit is about to get loud and bright!”[/b] Removing his fingers from his helmet, he quietly muttered to himself. [b]”I hope no one has to use the restroom right about now. Sorry kids, this is going to wake you up.”[/b] Tony felt a little remorseful for the Huntsmen. Emerald was fast asleep and the two boys had just been freshly removed from the fray.

At that moment, the horde of Grievers probed Esther’s creation by rushing at it. Throwing their bodies at the glowing and flaming shields and guns. With a wide sweep of her arms like an Umpire declaring a baseball player who had just slid to home base as ‘safe’, Esther activated her trap. Drowning out the roars of the Grimm, each phantom copy of Cobalt’s rifle opened up with a continuous blast of gunfire. The sound and look of which closely akin to hundreds of localized lighting and thunderstorms raging all at once. The earthshaking symphony threatened to deafen anyone without any protection or shielding and blind anyone curious enough to witness exactly what Esther could do when enraged. One could hardly tell it was night, each gunshot’s flash like that of a million photographers trying to capture that one memorable moment of a star athlete's title match of their career. The orchestra of destruction immediately ravaged the surrounding environment. Cobalt’s weapon being loaded with armor piercing ammunition aiding the iron curtain of fire, instantly ripping apart fully-grown trees like they were wet paper. Anyone could say with confidence that anything living within the wooded area ceased to exist, Esther sustaining the cleansing gunfire as long as she could. It appeared that the hellish firestorm Esther was unleashing lasted for an eternity, when in reality it was only for a few mere minutes. That was all that was needed.

The flashing lights of gunfire died down, an eerie calm and silence came upon the lands as Esther’s phantoms ran dry of ammunition. Not a Grimm could be seen or heard within the crater of death Esther carved into the land. The wind howled loudly in their place, no tree left standing to muffle their passage. The Abyss Walkers who didn’t know Esther stared at her in silent reverence, the stories they had heard proven true before their very eyes. The Walkers who already knew her, were unsurprised but concerned. Tony got to his feet and looked up at the phantoms, waiting for the beauty that came after each major usage of Esther’s special abilities.

Esther was spent, but she refused to relent and show it. Lowering her arms, she fought to regain control of her labored breathing. Quietly wiping away at her face to remove as much slick sweat as she could as her entire body trembled with restrained emotion. Clearing her throat a few times to herself, she slightly glanced over her shoulder at her ‘bait’. Sniffling, she snapped her fingers and dismissed her phantoms. The signature sound of shattering glass signalled the end of her Semblance, the fragments of which fell to the earth as little glittering shards of light. The entire scene a starkly contrasting but gorgeous view. It was as if the stars themselves floated about, bringing peace with them. All the while the land around them all had been decimated. Desolate and made barren from an unreasonable amount of mass destruction and carnage. If one squinted, you could see the border of the woods off in the distance to one end and the perimeter wall to the other. 

Tony took his cue and ran towards Esther. Sam, seeing Tony decided to do the same and ran out of the gunship. The two of them stood at her side and each took a shoulder to steady her in case she should fall. She wouldn’t fall of course, and angrily shrugged away their hands.
Sam was the first to ask, [b]”Vanessa, you alright?”[/b]
To which Esther replied, [b]”Just give me a damn cigarette…!”[/b]
Sam and Tony looked at each other sharing a look.
Tony shrugged.
Sam sighed and searched herself for her packet of smokes, fishing one out along with her lighter to hand to Esther. She was even about to light it for her before Esther snatched both from her and snarled, [b]”I have hands, I can fucking use them myself! Gods above, you would think all you mercenaries are titty-baby guidance counselors or some shit! Fuck!”[/b] Esther lit her cigarette and put it to her lips, taking a moment to herself as she pulled drags from it. Exhaling clouds of smoke, she looked to the two of them. [b]”Hail Skyhawk-2. Prepare to evac. This mission is over with.”[/b] Esther declared, her voice as clear and firm as ever.  Tony and Sam again looked to each other and slowly turned, walking away from her to carry out her orders. Sam stopped mid-way and turned to face Esther but her voice caught in her throat before she could again ask if she was alright, Esther’s raised middle finger her only response.

[i]”Fuck off.”[/i]
It said.

Sam about-faced and activated her comms with a touch of her helmet, calling for a full evacuation. They were all going home. Esther looked up at the little fragments of light left over from her Semblance, smoking her cigarette as she recovered and regained her composure gradually. Oddly reinvigorated from her half-finished cigarette, Esther turned and strided towards the gunship. In her path lay the body of the creature she slayed and instead of simply stepping over the corpse, she walked right on it. Taking care to even grind the bottom of her boots as she stepped off of the splattered remains. Taking one last drag from her cigarette, she removed it from her lips and flicked it over her shoulder. The smoldering butt landing on the corpse as a final act of disrespect and rebellion as Esther neared the lowered ramp of the gunship where everyone were making final preparations for the ordered evacuation. 

[/hider]