Ghost From the Past
Folc4evernaday
Part 30
Note: Okay so I lied. There is going to be an Epilogue with the wedding in it. Um, yes there will be another story to go along with this one in the near future. No, I don't have a title for it yet. Inspiration will strike eventually I promise. I have a plot just no name. Bummer I know.
***
THOMPSON CAMPAIGN A FRAUD
RECOUNT BRINGS GARNER TO WHITE HOUSE
SUPERMAN LINKED TO STRANGE “MIRACLE SAVES” IN METROPOLIS
LEX LUTHOR STILL ON THE RUN
LUTHOR CORP BANKRUPT
CORRUPTION IN METROPOLIS PD EXPOSED
MAYOR AND GOVERNOR FORCED TO RESIGN
***
Three Weeks Later…Perry White smiled at the headlines in front of him as he made his way back to the Daily Planet. Things had certainly changed over the last month. Lex Luthor was still on the run from the authorities, but he no longer held the iron-clad grip on the city he once did. The officials that had been linked with the corruption had been booted out, and elections were being held this week to bring in an official elected by the people office for governor and mayor as well as appointing a new District Attorney and Superior Court Judge that had been compromised by Luthor. Yes, things were definitely looking up.
He stepped off the elevator and into the newsroom only to be greeted by a very irritated Ellen Lane standing by the elevator in a cream pantsuit and white blouse. “You’re late.”
“Excuse me??” He choked out, uncertain what crime he’d committed in her mind to give him such a greeting.
“I said, ‘you’re late.’” Ellen repeated in a huff, pointing to the conference room.
“It’s Saturday.” Perry pointed out in a gruff tone as she guided him toward the conference room.
“I agreed to have this rehearsal here at the Planet against my better judgment to accommodate your schedule, Mr. White. Don’t get smart with me.” Ellen wagged her finger at him.
“Yes, Ma’am.” He nodded, stepping into the Conference room which was littered with post-it notes marking where everyone was supposed to stand. The table and chairs had been pushed to the side. “What in the blazes…?”
“Don’t ask.” Lois cut him off, crossing her arms over her chest, “You’re late.” She was dressed in black and white striped cotton maxi skirt that hung loosely around her torso and white button blouse while the rest of the ‘wedding party’ seemed to be dressed in business casual attire per Ellen Lane’s orders.
“So I’ve been told,” Perry replied dryly.
“So have we,” Lucy added with a roll of the eyes.
“Repeatedly,” Clark added.
“Can’t have a rehearsal without the officiator,” Ellen said, looking pointedly in his direction.
Perry sighed, setting his paper and coffee down on the table that had been pushed to one side of the conference room wall. “Okay, I’m here, Mrs. Lane. Where do you want me?”
“Right here.” Ellen pointed to the pink post-it that had been placed on the floor with his name on it. He nodded and took his place. “Pete, you stand over here,” She pointed to the post it with his name in green. Pete got up from his seat and made his way over to his designated spot.
“Best man reporting for duty.” He gave a fake military salute causing everyone to laugh except for the unamused Ellen Lane.
“I’m not laughing young man.” Ellen warned, “I have been given four measly weeks to pull this off. This is no time for jokes.”
“Sorry.” Pete managed to squeak out. He glanced back at Clark and mouthed, ‘Yikes’ to him. Clark shook his head telling him to knock it off.
“Lucy, you’re across from Pete.” Ellen pointed to the purple post-it with Lucy’s name on it. Lucy got up from her seat and stood across from Pete. Ellen gave her an exasperated sigh, “Lucy, for God’s sake stop slouching…”
“Better?” Lucy cringed as she stood as straight as she could across from Pete, raising her shoulders at an uncomfortable height.
Ellen gave her an ‘ok’ signal then turned back to look at Pete and Lucy across from one another. “Can you two rotate forty-five degrees toward me?” They did as they were asked and Ellen nodded, “Perfect.”
She then turned her attention to the couple that was sitting at the table watching as their family and friends were subjected to the wrath of Ellen Lane. “Clark, you’re right here.” She pointed to the yellow post-it with Clark’s name on it. He got up and took his place next to Pete where the post-it was at. Ellen smiled, “And Lois you’re over here.” She pointed to the red post-it across from Clark. Lois took her place across from Clark as he took her hand, looking in her eyes with a smile.
Ellen took a step back seeming to take her hard work in. Perry couldn’t help but smile at the view he was afforded. Ellen with a scrunched up face, trying to decide if they needed to move any way to the left or right while Lucy and Pete fought the urge to burst into laughter, and of course, the soon to be bride and groom who seemed oblivious to the world around them at the moment.
“Okay, I think we’ve got everyone in place. Well, everyone, that’s here. Clark, when are your parents flying in? I should have someone meet them at the airport…” Ellen grabbed her notebook that they had all come to know as ‘the wedding book’ and began to write.
“Uh, I’m not sure.” Clark began, getting a worried expression on his face.
“I think Pete was going to pick them up. That falls under the best man duties, doesn’t it?” Lucy interjected, seeing a worried expression on the groom’s face.
“I was?” Pete asked before Lucy slyly kicked him in the shin, “Ow! Right, I’m picking them up. No worries.”
“Okay, that just leaves your father, Lois. Now, he swore on his mother’s grave he would be there. If he isn’t, I will wring him up and…”
“Okay, we get the picture, mom…” Lois cut her off, not wanting to hear the details of which Ellen was about to go into. “It’ll be fine. If daddy doesn’t show up, you can just walk me down the aisle.”
“Lois…” Ellen gave her a tender look of sympathy, quite the contrast to the woman they all had gotten to know over the past few weeks. “You’re not going to have to worry about that.” She reassured her. “He will be here…even if I have to hog tie him…” Lois laughed at the mental image and then sighed. “Okay, let’s get started here, shall we?”
***
In the dark hallways, underground Metropolis a man in a sharp suit and slick back hair made his way through the tunnels of the abandoned subway until he came to a large steel door with a key code molded to the top right corner. He punched in a code, and the door slid open, revealing a small laboratory. “Dr. Lane, how is the patient today?”
“I’ve done everything I can for him, Mr. Darryl, but without a power source I don’t know how much longer he’s going to survive…” Sam Lane took his glasses off, pinching the bridge of his nose in disgust. “When I signed on I was told this was a robotics project.”
“It is…” He motioned to the man on the table Dr. Lane had been working on. “Your robotics technology is going to work to help bring life back to those without a chance. Take Mr. Corbin here. Without you, he would have died. Because of you and your brilliant use of robotics he has a second chance.”
“He’s plugged into a wall. That’s not a life worth living.” Sam snapped irritably.
“I may have a solution for you on that end.” Mr. Darryl said, motioning for him to follow him, “The organization has dabbled in research for years focused on advancing our technology and bettering life as a whole here on Earth.” He turned the corner and entered another code. A blue light appeared, and a table appeared from below them, showing a display of colorful glowing stones the size of a human head.
“What in the world?” Sam stammered.
“Our testing on a meteorite that came to Earth around the same time this alien, Superman appeared. Some of these had no effect on him during his captivity while others had interesting and useful effects on him.”
“Captivity?” Sam asked in disgust.
“We couldn’t let that alien roam free without knowing what we were dealing with, now could we?” Mr. Darryl asked, “and you do know this information is of the strictest confidence…” He said darkly, his eyes narrowing. “That daughter of yours seems awfully chummy with him. Don’t get any idea…” With that, he pressed a button and pulled out a black stone meteorite from the display. “This should be the answer to all our problems, Dr. Lane. Let me know when Corbin is operational and we’ll begin testing.”
“Yes, sir,” Sam stammered heavily, taking the stone in his hand, “I, uh, will need to take next week off. My daughter’s wedding is coming up, and I promised her I’d be there.”
“Just as long as we’re clear on your role in the organization,” Mr. Darryl replied with a sly smile.
“Yes, sir, crystal.” Sam managed, watching as Mr. Darryl typed in a code to close the display and the table disappeared into the floor once more. His hand tightened over the black stone in his hand. What had he gotten himself into now?
***
After the rehearsal Pete joined Lois, Clark, Lucy and Jimmy for lunch at the local café, catching up on his travels and the happenings in Metropolis over the last few years. Lois had to make a quick dash to the restroom leaving Pete to relay his latest adventure to Jimmy and Clark while Lucy checked on Lois. “You should have been there. Rachel came with me on my first mountain lion adventure. We spent three days surveying the same area until he finally showed. He was getting nervous, and we needed to hurry and get the shots before he jumped the tree and went into some rough canyon country, making it impossible for us to make it to him before nightfall.”
“That sounds amazing…” Jimmy said, looking through Pete’s photo portfolio with the images taken on his hunt.
“It was the thrill of the lifetime. Initially, I’d been signed on to capture the ‘hunt’ of the mountain lion, but then they changed their minds and wanted to just capture some shots of him in the wild and in nature. Which I prefer. Never been too good at hunting game.” He gave them a wry smile.
“Me neither,” Clark crinkled his nose. “Never saw the point unless we were camping and there was nothing around.”
“Exactly!” Pete snapped his fingers, “I’m telling you, CK, this was by far the most intense project I’ve ever worked on. I’m not kidding; I pushed my body as hard as I could until my muscles wouldn’t go any farther. When we finally closed in on the tree, we had to cross a large rockslide under a bluff, and it was extremely steep. I knew one wrong step, and I would end up in the bottom of the canyon with a broken bone, and my shot was gone.”
“Clumsy Pete, fall, Nah…” Clark teased.
Pete laughed, “Thankfully Rachel was there to pull me back when I was stumbling. If it weren’t for her, we wouldn’t have gotten the shots at all, and I’d have ended up owing National Geographic a lot of money…possibly moving back in with mom and dad.” He joked with a sigh. Clark smiled back at him, “At first, I couldn’t see the lion. He was treed in a large Douglas fir, and the branches were too thick. I moved up the steep hillside farther, and there he was! We got some amazing shots. The landscape there is beautiful and the animals…” He smiled. “It was out of this world. Never been through anything like that.”
“It sounds incredible, Pete.” Clark smiled back at his friend.
***
Lucy followed Lois into the restroom, listening to her emptying her stomach, “Lois? Are you okay?”
“I just need a minute. I didn’t eat anything this morning and…” She let out a soft sigh, catching her breath through the bathroom stall.
Lucy sighed, “Lois, you seem to be having a lot of ‘forgetful moments’ lately. Unexplained sickness. Is there something you want to tell me?”
The door opened, and Lois dabbed the corner of her eyes with a tissue as she walked toward the sink, “I’m fine.”
“You were just throwing up. You’re not fine.” Lucy snapped, tugging on Lois’ sleave to force her to look at her, “What is going on?” Lois pulled out a travel toothbrush from her purse and began applying toothpaste to the brush after wetting it, staring at the mirror as she did so, not saying a word. “Why do I get the feeling you know what’s going on, and you aren’t telling me?”
Lois silently finished brushing her teeth then gargled with mouthwash to get the taste out of her mouth. “I’m fine.” She said quietly. “You don’t need to worry.” Her hand moved to her abdomen instinctually, and Lucy’s eyes widened.
“Oh, my God!” She whispered in a hushed whisper, “Are you pregnant???”
“Shhhh….” Lois snapped her head around to keep her volume down. “Not so loud.”
“Oh, my God!” Lucy wrapped her arms around Lois in a bear hug, “Why didn’t you tell me??”
“We didn’t tell anyone yet. Not even the Kents. We’re waiting till the second trimester to announce it.” Lois whispered softly, hugging Lucy back.
“Are you okay? I mean I know everything that happened with Jamie is horrible and awful and this doesn’t take anything away from that, but….”
Lois smiled back at her, “I’m okay.” She reassured her. “We’re okay.”
Lucy smiled, lowering herself to Lois’ stomach, “Hello in there little niece or nephew. You have the greatest mom in the whole wide world, and I can’t wait till you are born so your Aunt Lucy can spoil you rotten…”
“Lucy…” Lois laughed.
“What? It’s my job. It’s a rule. When you’re an aunt, you spoil the niece and nephew.”
“A rule, huh?” Lois chuckled at her sister’s logic.
“You better look out. Your grandparents are gonna spoil you something awful too.” Lucy looked up with a grin. “You two should probably start looking for a bigger place. Make sure you have a room dedicated to toys…”
“You’re not funny.”
“Who says I’m joking?” Lucy asked with a grin.
“Come on, we better head back out there before they send a search party after us,” Lois said, tucking her travel bag back into her purse.
“Hey, Lois?”
“Yeah?” Lois looked back at her.
She wrapped her arms around her, holding her close, “You’re gonna be fine. It wasn’t your fault. You know that, right?”
Lois bit her lower lip, seeming to suppress the tears shimmering in the corner of her eye, “I thought I was supposed to be older sister here. When did we switch places?”
Lucy held her sister as she continued, “There’s a lot of training we go through when we’re starting out on the force, and one of the required parts is training on handling SIDS cases. I don’t know how that detective made it on the force as long as he did, but the things he did and the things he said were wrong. There are cases everyday about babies literally dying in their mother’s arms. No explanation. Just the same ‘Unexplained’ and ‘SIDS’ category. I read his report. There was nothing you could have done, Lois. There is nothing any of us could have done….”
“But he died alone…” Lois cried in a harsh whisper.
“He was in his room, staring up at that silly animal mobile with the light up stars you had to get him …and he LOVED. He was in his bed. He didn’t have anything in that bed that could have done anything to him. He was safe. He was loved. All he knew in his precious little life was love, and he knew that from you.”
Lois pulled away, grabbing a tissue to dry her eyes, “How did you get to be so smart?”
Lucy smiled, “I have this really great sister that taught me all I know. The rest I’ve learned these last few weeks in training at the MPD.”
“I love you; you know that, right?” Los smiled tearfully back at Lucy.
“I know,” She wrapped an arm around her waist, “You have to…It’s a rule.” Lois burst into laughter then finished cleaning her face to head back into the café to join the guys.
***
Clark looked through the photos Pete had laid on the table in amazement, “I’m glad Rachel was able to go with you. These shots are amazing.”
“Man, you’ve got to take me the next time you do something like this…” Jimmy said in awe.
“I’m taking a little time off from the road for a few months,” Pete said with a sigh, “but maybe when I head up to Antarctica, you can tag along. I’m always looking for a good eye.”
“That would be awesome!” Jimmy grinned in awe. “I still can’t believe I’m meeting you, Pete Ross, world famous photo journalist. I had no idea you and Lois were friends or you and Clark for that matter.”
“We stayed in touch over the years. Lois wanted to make sure Jamie had the best photos and who do you go to for the best?” Pete puffed his chest out as he spoke and Clark laughed.
“That is not what I said…” Lois corrected, taking a seat next to Clark at the table.
“Okay maybe I exaggerated a bit,” Pete offered them a smile.
“Pete was the one that refused to have any other photographer take Jamie’s pictures.” Lucy supplied giving Lois a smile.
Clark wrapped his arms around Lois, giving her a reassuring kiss on the cheek as Pete continued to backtrack, “I just didn’t want you to regret the photos. I bet your happy now, right?” He gave her his best broad grin, “That kid knew how to pose for the camera. Boy, could he smile…” He shot Lois and Clark an apologetic look, “I’m sorry I didn’t mean to…”
“You’re fine, Pete.” Lois reassured him, “You’re right. Jamie had a beautiful smile, and I’m grateful he had you taking his pictures for him. Almost the best decision I ever made.”
“Almost?” He asked.
She looked back at Clark with a loving look, “Almost.” She repeated.
***
Beneath the stones of the Van Dyne Crypt, inside the hidden steps, there was a passageway where a young woman sat vigil by the side of none other than Lex Luthor. “You have to keep your strength up, darling,”
“Gretchen, I am not a child.” He spat angrily.
“You’re still recovering from your ordeal, Lex. To have someone turn on you like that…” She sighed, “I will never understand why you trusted them.”
“They approached me about coming to Metropolis to broaden the organization’s reach. They needed me. Now they think they don’t need me anymore?” He scoffed bitterly. “Soon they’ll discover Lex Luthor’s wrath. “Soon.”
“Just you rest, Lex, you can plot your revenge later.” She soothed with a kiss.
***
Later that afternoon Lois sat on the couch, still in the cotton maxi skirt from earlier, as Clark finished bringing in the last of her boxes from her apartment. Clark had flown his parents into town earlier that afternoon, and after much debate, they had opted to stay in a hotel to allow room for them to finish transitioning apartments, so no one was in the way. Clark had changed into a sleeveless green shirt and black cotton shorts much to Lois’ appreciation.
“I think that’s the last of everything,” Clark said finally, setting the box in the corner with the scattered boxes he’d brought in from the truck Pete had driven over. Trying to explain their lack of need for a moving truck or movers wasn’t something they envisioned doing easily, so nodding and smiling was the way to go for the moment. Pete had gotten a ride from Jimmy back to the hotel, and the two of them seemed to be hitting it off pretty well.
“Looks a little crowded, doesn’t it?” Lois asked, crinkling her nose at the scattered mess in the corner of the apartment as Clark took a seat next to her on the couch.
“It definitely looks lived in.” He smiled back at her. “We’ll start looking for a place after we get back from the honeymoon…”
“We still need to decide on where we’re going,” Lois sighed, “Given that we don’t have to worry about airfare thanks to Superman Express we can go anywhere in the world.”
He leaned in to kiss her, “I don’t care where we go, Lois, as long as I’m with you.” He moved his hand to her abdomen, “How are you feeling? I noticed you made another dash to the bathroom earlier.”
“With all the wedding rehearsal stuff this morning I forgot to pack something to eat.” Lois said with a sigh, “For the most part as long as I remember to eat the morning sickness is almost gone.”
“That’s good.” He lifted her blouse up to press a kiss on the small bump on her abdomen. “You ready to start telling everyone next week?”
“Lucy knows.” She admitted shyly, “or she figured it out rather. Don’t worry she’s not going to tell anyone until we’re ready.”
He smiled, leaning back into the couch with her as his arms encircled her waist, pulling her to him. “I figured it was only a matter of time.”
“Me too.” She admitted sheepishly. “Lucy’s got a keen eye.”
“She knows you really well. She’s a good sister.” Clark reasoned, leaning in to kiss her.
“The best.” Lois smiled back at him weakly, recalling her conversation with Lucy. “She said they’re having her do a lot of training on SIDS cases on the force…recognizing the signs and all.”
“That’s good.” Clark nodded, wrapping his arms around her protectively.
“I wish they’d done that years ago. When they were investigating Jamie’s death…” She let out a shuddered breath, “It was the most traumatizing thing I’ve ever been through, Clark. This stupid detective kept trying to insinuate I’d done something to him before the ME’s report came back.”
“I’m sorry you had to go through that,” His arms tightened around her as she continued, burying her face in his chest.
“I had Lucy, and eventually Bill Henderson stepped in and got the guy thrown off the case but the things he said…haunted me for a long time. I would never wish that on anyone. Finding Jamie like that and then to turn around and get treated like a criminal…”
“It isn’t right.” He finished for her.
“I’d like to do something to stop it.” She said softly, “help bring awareness. Make sure people know SIDS is real and you can’t just assume that because your parents did something one way that it’s okay. Safe sleep has to be pushed. So many babies die every day because people don’t know any better and think it won’t happen to them. So many officers are uneducated on real SIDS cases….”
“I think that’s a wonderful idea,” He said, stroking her cheek, “a great way to honor Jamie’s memory.” He kissed her cheek, “What brought all this on?”
“Some stuff Lucy said.” She gave him a half-smile. “She knows me too well and wouldn’t let me out of the bathroom until she was sure I’d heard her repeating over and over ‘It wasn’t your fault.’”
“It wasn’t.” He reassured her, holding her close, “I read the report. There was nothing….”
“I know.” She smiled back at him, “At least I think I do. It’s an everyday mantra.”
He leaned into kiss her, stroking her cheek as he ran his fingers through her hair, whispering, “It wasn’t your fault.”
She laughed against his lips, “We should form a support group. Self-blamers anonymous.”
“We could start a revolution…” He teased.
She laughed against him, turning so she was laying on top of him “I love you, Clark,”
He stroked her cheek, “I love you, Lois, I’m so glad you crashed into me in front of Met U and into my life.”
She laughed against him, resting her head against his chest, “I wouldn’t say crashed…”
“Glided?” He offered, “Wasn’t that the verb you offered up a few years back?” She reached for a pillow and smacked him with it, “Either way I wouldn’t have it any other way. After everything we’ve been through…it’s worth it. As long as I get to spend the rest of my life with you.”
“Oh, Clark,” She sighed, touched by his words, she leaned in to kiss him, stroking his cheek as she ran her tongue against his lips, outlining his lips with the tip. His mouth parted against hers, slipping his tongue inside her mouth to meet her tongue enthusiastically. He groaned against her lips, caressing the back of her head as his other hand ran up the back of her thigh.
She moved her left leg to the side, so she was straddling him, pressing herself against him as she felt a familiar hardness press against her. He reached up to stroke her jawline with his hand, cupping her cheek, as he slowly broke off the kiss and whispered, “Thank you,”
“For what?” She asked, running her hand seductively down his chest until she’d found her target, outlining the solid length beneath his cotton shorts.
“Everything,” He whispered, “I don’t know how I would have gotten through all this without you. You never gave up on me...on us.”
She grinned down at him with a soft sigh, “I couldn’t.”
“I love you, so much, Lois, more than words could ever say,” He leaned in to kiss her, and she smiled against him, linking her arms around his neck as he dipped his tongue into her mouth and the intensity of the kiss turned deep and hungry.
“I love you too, Clark” she whimpered against his lips as one kiss became another and another, melting into a fiery inferno of desire as her hands roamed aimlessly up his chest, seeking the feeling of his skin beneath her fingertips.
***
Sam entered the laboratory, looking around to see if anyone was around. He’d watched Mr. Darryl type in the code from earlier. Those stones. There was something eerie about them. The look on his face when he’d been discussing Superman was a look of hate and fear.
From what he’d heard from both his daughters and what he’d read in the papers there was nothing to fear from Superman. He had promised to help protect the people of Metropolis, and he had. Lex Luthor had been brought down. He had stopped the Nightfall asteroid, saving countless lives and not once asking for anything in return. He was a hero. Someone to be thanked not feared.
He had to do something…
***
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” a voice from behind him shouted angrily.
“Exposing you for what you really are!” Sam said, lifting the case to all the stones. “It’s over. All of this…Superman has done nothing but…”
“Oh, you poor sap!” Mr. Darryl scoffed, “He’s got you finger wrapped and tongue tied just like the rest of the sheep out there…”
“I am not a sheep! What you’re doing is wrong…” Sam argued.
“Really?” Darryl pressed, taking a step toward him. “Well, you know what they say. If it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck…”
He pressed a button on a small handheld device, and a long panoramic screen of monitors came down from the ceiling, showing surveillance footage of his daughter and her fiancée’s apartment. He turned away when he realized what was on one of the monitors, trying to force the image from his mind. “You sick, disgusting sociopath…”
“You didn’t really think we’d let the alien go without having some sort of surveillance on him, did you?” He snarled, grabbing Sam by the chin, to force him to look at the screen. He squinted his eyes closed, unwilling to give the man the satisfaction, “When will you invalids realize you don’t make the rules. I don’t make the rules. The organization makes the rules. Did you really think the alien just showed up on Earth and decided….Hmmmm….there’s an asteroid I should stop it from hitting that planet?”
“He saved all our lives including yours!”
“He’s a LIAR!!!” Darryl snapped, tightening his grasp on Sam. “What you’re too STUPID to realize, Dr. Lane is this….he’s been right under your nose the whole time….”
“You’re out of your mind!” Sam snapped back irritably, fighting against the man’s grasp as he smelled old scotch on his breath.
“I’m out of my mind? Well, maybe you don’t mind….I guess that’s okay. We can just keep monitoring ….Your daughter will continue to star in all the footage…”
“You get those cameras out of her and Clark’s apartment now…They have nothing to do with this!” Sam snapped angrily.
“Oh, but they do, Sam. They do.” His grip on him tightened. “That’s your daughter allowing that alien to put his hands on her. That’s your daughter agreeing to carry his child. That’s your daughter with her ….”
He couldn’t take it anymore. He found the leverage he needed and threw a sharp jab in the mains’ stomach, freeing him from his grasp.
“You’re going to pay for that!” Darryl snapped angrily.
***
Clark's arms tightened around her as he held her against him. She let out a soft sight of contentment, resting her head against his chest, “Promise me we won’t stop doing that after we’re married.” She said wistfully.
He chuckled, holding her close, “Anything you want, Sweetheart,”
“How long is that list of endearments?” She laughed.
“Very, very long…dear” He whispered, leaning in to kiss her.
“Still perfecting it, I see….How long will that take?” She teased.
“For you, a lifetime,” He whispered before leaning up to capture her lips with his.
***
TBC...
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