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First Previous Next ​

Below Numiind:

Jax looked over the tattered, gaunt, haunted group of about two thousand civilians as they huddled together in the damp cavern below the ground. A generation was missing among them. The elderly and even the aged held and cradled the pups and the infants. There were fifty new pups in the press, fifty pups who… fifty pups who had plastic tags through their ears like wildlife, and some had thick welts raised beneath their fur. Jax tried not to think about that too much. If he thought about that too much, he might just go topside and get in the RNI's way.
The cavern shook, and some pebbles broke off of the roof. Jax didn't worry to much over it, since Kai and Mei had said that the cave could stand up to a decent sized bomb. It was probably the drop pods landing. He'd never been able to be as nonchalant as the Terrans seemed to be about it, but at least he never refused a drop. Not for the first time, he bitterly wished he had his armor. Sure, most guys don't buy their service armor, but he could have afforded it. He just could conceive he'd ever need it in his life after service. More fool him.
Rae came up behind him and put a hand on his shoulder, but when he went to shrug it away, she squeezed it tighter. "What's the matter? Who needs help?"
"You do."
"I'm fine."
"You're not. Jax, you're… Jax I…"
"I said I'm fine!" he snapped as he jerked his shoulder away, but when she made a sound of shock and pain, his head snapped around, and he looked in terror for the injury he had caused her. He saw only the anguish on her face. "I'm sorry. I'm okay. I'll be okay, please don't worry."
"Ash talks about it."
"Ash won't talk about anything."
"He used to be a thief." That surprised Jax so much that he couldn't make a sound from his slack jawed maw, so she continued, "Not for a while, but he's not proud of his past. He had turned his life around, got hired in construction. Got married, and she was pregnant. Full six litter."
"Was…"
"Yes, she was. She died when the hospital got hit."
"Why are you telling me this?" Jax asked as he fought the swell of pity before it could show on his face.
"Because Ash is worried about you too."
"Ash?"
"He's more observant. There's a reason you send him to scout."
"Too?"
"Yes, Jax. He's worried too. Him and me. Kai is to worried about making sure he knows how everyone will evacuate if they need to. Mei just wants to kill another bloodskin. But Ash and I can see it."
Jax slapped the stone with his tail and griped his rifle hard. He unclenched his jaw and said, "I shouldn't have let so many buy us time on the first day. I should have brought more down here. I could have-"
"How? Knock them out and drag them all down here under fire?"
"I don't know! I should have- somehow. I'm a veteran, I served with the Terrans in antipiracy patrols and saw three combat drops. I should be able to do more."
"You want to be up there."
"Yes! But even without my armor, I'd be a liabilty," he spat.
"You just said you've fought with the Terrans before," she prodded.
"You don't understand. Those aren't just Terrans, those are RNI Drop Troopers, Lost Boys Rapid Response Division. The training the Republic put me through for regular grunt standards makes our military training look like a pup's park. The Lost Boys make the RNI Drop Troopers look like pups playing in their father's fishing box. These are the guys who read My Side and instead of feeling sorry for Sneaky, felt that he did the necessary thing and wanted to be that brave. If all of us were trained, and all of us had armor, we could support, but it's not. If any of us went up there, best case we only get ourselves hurt. Worst case we get one of them killed to protect us, because they will. They won't even think about it. Just one, one Lost Boy, made all the difference back there. Do you think we'd have gotten in without him covering us from that bird's perch of his? I know you'd be hurt at least. I have fifty-one reasons to thank him."
"Oh…" she muttered. "Look at everyone still alive. Still free. The pups told me why they were beaten."
"Why's that?" Jax asked as a stone formed in his belly.
"Their parents disobeyed."
It took Jax a full ten seconds to pull back the snarl of pure hatful rage off of his face to be replaced with a milder expression of fury, "Genocidal, and slavers. Thank the Ancestors for the Lost Boys."
"Thank the Ancestors for you, Jax. For you and the men like you in the other towns, out in the hills, in the atolls. We'd have never held out this long."
"I'm fine. I'll be okay, you don't have to worry," Jax said with a transparent smile over his face.

In High orbit above Numiid:

Acolyte-Lord Narrex-Quinn gritted his teeth. He could hardly believe that four ships, mighty battleships though they may be, could have put him on such shifting sands. His own battleship was currently bombarding the nearest of the four Terran battleships with all of its plasma batteries.
"Acolyte-Lord, their shields do show signs of stress."
"Acolyte-Lord," another Initiate-Highborn began, "Our batteries do overheat, we must cease firing for cooling!"
"Make it so, launch missiles to keep the pressure up."
"I obey, Acolyte-Lord!"
"Cruiser five, move up and open fire upon that battleship," Acolyte-Lord Narrex-Quinn commanded over the communications network.
He watched as a single battleship suppressed the whole of his fleet, and the other three sped toward the planet. "All frigates, focus fire on that battleship!" he commanded, seizing the opportunity. The missiles crept toward the Terran battleship as the frigates maneuvered to bring their plasma lances to bear on the massive vessel. For all that, Acolyte-Lord Narrex-Quinn was denied the sight of the Terran shields finally buckling. "Acolyte-lord, if they can sustain that fire for another five seconds, our lances can be brought to bear, and finally overwhelm the Terran shields," an Initiate-Highborn announced.
"How fare the extraction ships?"
"Acolyte-Lord, they need only another thirty seconds to make minimum jump distance."
"Frigates, do not lessen your fire, we shall make them pay a price in blood for this system!" Acolyte-Lord Narrex-Quinn roared. Proximity alarms suddenly sounded, "What comes?"
"Acolyte-Lord, brace for impact! Our shields do fail!"
"Slingshot trajectory," he cursed.
One of the frigates broke apart under the Terran battleship's terrible power, and Acolyte-Lord Narrex-Quinn's lances came online. The gunnery officer did not wait for the order to fire, and the Terran shields finally failed, and hot plasma splashed across its hull. Acolyte-Lord Narrex-Quinn let a cruel grin spread across his face in anticipation of seeing the Terran vessel scorched into so much twisted and useless metal, but instead two of his cruisers and yet another frigate broke apart. "KEEP FIRING!"
"Acolyte-Lord," said his security officer, "We have been boarded!"
"HOW?! THEIR SHIP IS NOWHERE NEAR US!"

Above the ruins of a mining town:

Corporal Linus George hurtled toward the ground in his drop pod watching the last video communication that his brother had sent him. "So anyway, I don't know if we'll have coms capability once we're in Clans space, since something's fucked out there," Robbie was saying, "So you might not be able to get ahold of me for a spell. Don't worry, the We Sing is a good ship. She'll get us home. Huh? Sorry Linus, just because I'm an officer doesn't mean I get to hog up the phone. Keep the faith, see you when I see you."
Linus let the pain well up in him. He let the tears run down his cheeks, and he let it turn to cold fury before he hit the ground. His armored pod's grav bubble and inertial transferal systems had insulated him from the kinetic force of the impact. Not so much the armored vehicle he had been steering for. The charges placed at the seams of his pod hatch went off, sending said hatch through the surviving driver. He keyed his mic and said, "Alpha blue leader, boots down, team check in."
"Blue one, boots down, checking in," said Private First Class Andrew Lewis.
"Blue two, boots down, checking in," said Private First Class Joshua Clark.
"Blue three, boots down, checking in," said Private First Class Benjamin carter.
"Alpha Blue, all present and accounted for, Sarge."
"Good news, Corporal. Not that they had much that could have picked one of us out on the way," came Sergeant Thomas Mitchell's growl over the tacnet. Our area of operation is civvy clear, say again our area of operation is civvy clear."
"Requesting permission to switch to heavy ordo, sarge."
"Request logged. Sir, a fire team is requesting heavy ordo."
Lieutenant Mark Thomson answered in his dulcet tones not dissimilar to being raked over broken glass, "Granted. Heavy ordo clear for all teams operating in confirmed civilian clear zones. Keep your eyes peeled for stays though, got it?"
"Aye, sir," answered the entire chain of command.
"Nobody go hunting medals, we're out to get these cultists to get less eager to die," the gunny barked over the tacnet.
Linus was already swapping out his standard ammunition block for light armor penetrating explosive rounds. "Aye, gunny. No medals." In Linus's peripheral vision, a bird's eye view of his area of operation showed an infantry squad and a tank approaching him, a platoon of infantry approaching PFC Clark, and what looked like a group of armored troop carriers approaching PFC Lewis. "Blue three, find yourself a perch and provide support for Blue Two. Blue One, see that?"
"Aye, Blue Leader. I won't see it in a minute."
Linus opened up on the tank, putting three rounds directly through the joint between the turret and the deck, and half a second later they exploded, leaving a twisted hole through which Linus could put more explosive rounds, just in case the tankers didn't die from the shrapnel of the original explosions. "Time to go to work, Lost Boys. We remember the We Sing."
"Aye sir!"
"Don't sir me, I'm a corporal," Linus's team laughed at him. Linus still couldn't find his humor. Hot plasma bolts splashed against his battlescreen, and he started eliminating soft targets.
First Previous Next ​

With the draft approaching quickly, I wanted to throw out my final personal big board. I will include notes for prospects I am especially high or low on and my lottery grades.
Disclaimer: This is going to be a lengthy post; notes for my solidified lottery grades are longer than those outside of it.
-Tier 1: Upper Echelon-
1- Victor Wembanyama

• At 7'4 with his level of skill, this is a prospect who can truly be whatever he wants to be if he can buy into the Spurs system and stay healthy. Has a mechanically sound stroke that has shown promise from distance, possesses strong touch around the basket, a budding handle, and obviously can throw down dunks whenever he gets position inside. Will likely struggle initially against more physical interior defense. Nimble enough to clear the lane for his teammates driving opportunities. Will be a nightmare in the dunkers spot.
• Defensive game breaker. Some unreal blocks, can switch 1-5 and while not the best lateral mover from a defensive stance, will stay in front of guards a good amount of the time due to the sheer amount of space he takes up. Solid on the glass but leaves something to be desired in this area- I believe he can and will gain weight (has a better frame than guys like Chet) and rapidly improve establishing position in the paint on both ends as he does.
• I don't think his ceiling will be reached as the number one option in an offense or a primary playmaker like Jokic, despite having the ability to create shots and handle the ball I think asking him to do it consistently would be a disservice to his strengths. Wembanyama will excel as a generational defender and off ball offensive player, able to stretch the floor, play in the post, function as an unreal lob threat, and crash the boards. The Spurs are perfect for him and I am so excited to see him go to an organization that is unlikely to ask him to do too much. High floor in the Kristaps Porzingis mold, ceiling is incomparable.

2- Scoot Henderson

• High level athlete at point who has excelled against some of the best competition available for a prospect since age 17. Solid mid range game and a plus handle; while the driving and finishing ability draws eyes, I think his ability to get to his spots consistently is what really separates him from a lot of the other guard prospects in this class. Good pace which I am a sucker for, excels at changing speeds and has the best first step in this class.
• Head is constantly up- makes crisp passes moving downhill, out of the pick and roll. Plus playmaker and the ball handling accentuates this.
• Has the tools to be a plus defender.
• Highest floor at guard available, I would be shocked if Scoot is never a quality NBA starter. Reaching his ceiling will depend on how his shot selection, decision making, and 3 point stroke progress.
• Comparison(s): Markelle Fultz, De'Aaron Fox

3- Brandon Miller

• Assassin from distance at 6'9 with a functional handle and shot creation skillset. Quick release off the catch and seems to always be in the right position on the perimeter. Plus rebounder and is a more physical player than he is given credit for.
• Strong defender who can guard 1-4, good length and displays strong recoveries. Decent shot blocker. Never saw him singled out in a great defensive unit for Alabama.
• Very loose handle, slow shot of the dribble, will limit his effectiveness in isolation early in his career. Think he will be better suited attacking 1on1 via the triple threat and face-ups than off the dribble. Has some difficulty finishing at the cup when attacking downhill- showed flashes of a guy who can glide to the rim and kiss it off the glass, but is easily bothered by contact and seems to toss the ball up and pray a lot more than I'd like to see.
• Will take him some time to become a number 1 option in an offense or even a volume scorer, but should be an excellent role player early. Can see a number of outcomes for Miller ranging from bench piece to primary offensive weapon, but think there is a place for a guy with this skillset in any rotation.
• Comparison(s): Paul Pierce, Khris Middleton

-Tier 2: Solid Lottery Grades-
4- Taylor Hendricks

• A tall 6'9 with serious length, Hendricks possesses the plus athleticism, natural shot-blocking ability and defensive versatility to anchor an NBA defense. Can guard 2-5 effectively and is an excellent interior presence- can handle drivers head on and avoid fouling or swallow a shot a the help defender. Would like to see him be in better position more consistently, but this will come with time. Can struggle to stay in front of quicker guards. High floor on the defensive end.
• Lob threat and floor spacer at UCF, I have questions about the inconsistent mechanics but honestly believe shooting 40% from deep without a consistent release says a lot more good than bad. 78% free throw shooter backs up projection as a strong floor spacer.
• Somewhat of a black hole on offense. Handle is loose and inconsistent, but there is potential there. Flashes of shooting off the dribble. Well rounded and versatile prospect with a ton of upside.
• Comparison(s): Robert Covington with bounce, Jaren Jackson Jr. (ceiling)

5- Keyonte George

• Natural shooter off the catch, on the move and off the dribble with near flawless mechanics. Possesses an NBA level bag at all three levels, excels at creating space in isolation. The premier tough shot-maker in this class.
• Linebacker frame makes him an intimidating man to man defender when tasked with other guards; strong and can press his man. Good point of attack defender, inconsistent throughout the season for Baylor but showed flashes of being a high level on-ball defender. Must be in better position off ball. Serious swing factor- can be an excellent two way guard in the right system.
• On offense, downhill shot making and shot selection are questionable. I buy the finishing at the rim and flashes of driving ability long term- he gets out of control going downhill and too often tries to bully his way through bigger, well-positioned defenders. Has the handle to avoid contact- must work on his pace and poise in this area in order to use that pairing of strength and quickness to his advantage. Would like to see him work on the floater- prefers mid range pullups where a runner would fit his game better and likely result in a more efficient game around the basket. Think poor shot selection (as well as the defensive inconsistencies) stem from being asked to do a ton at Baylor.
• Playmaking is far and away the biggest swing factor for George and is why I am so high on him. Threw some really high level passes at Baylor and has a casual feel to the way he throws some very difficult passes- signs of a player who has a great feel for the game and opposing defenses. Operates comfortably as a passer or scorer in the PnR, is a good downhill playmaker and excels at threading the needle to cutters. Needs to become a more consistent part of his game, will come as he is not relied upon as the offense's only plus shot creator.
• Comparison: Jamaal Murray

6- Jarace Walker

• Moving semi-truck of a basketball player who skies for some blocks that are just ridiculous. Can effectively guard 1-5, can struggle with foul trouble. Excellent man to man defender. Solid rebounder. Got pushed around off-ball a little more than I'd expect from someone his size. Extremely functional athlete on this end.
• Decent floor spacer who has made great strides as a shooter. Possesses good touch on put backs and set shots around the rim. Has a solid floater going downhill. Does not use his frame enough on offense and is not a very functional athlete. Very lethargic handle and does not create a lot of space- red flag for a guy who settles for mid range jumpers. Best as an off-ball player on offense. Until Walker is ale to get downhill in 1on1 or PnR situations more effectively he has a low ceiling on offense. Would like to see him work on his face up and back to the basket game.
• Believe everything he showcased at Houston will translate to the NBA, strengths and weaknesses alike. Also believe he is pretty close to his ceiling, but if that is very productive player who instantly upgrades any defense, is that such a bad thing?
• Fit is EVERYTHING here. One of the most difficult prospects for me to rank along with Whitmore and Vukcevic.
• Comparison: Paul Millsap

7- Dariq Whitehead

• Pure, rainbow jumpshot that is beautiful to watch. Hits the rim soft and rarely hits rim on a make- picturesque and at a 43% clip. Was fantastic for Duke this year as a catch and shoot guy, showed the ability to create space and shoot quickly off the dribble.
• The consensus is that Whitehead had his athleticism sapped by that foot injury and was never able to showcase it at Duke. When I watched Whitehead play this year, I saw multiple instances where he drove to the rim, elevated, took a strong foul, and put up a look that had a chance to go. These were plays where I said to myself 'Holy shit, look at that guy jump'. Has great body control in the air and didn't seem to be lacking the touch, strength or bounce to finish in the NBA.
• Flashed a smooth handle and stepback, would like to see him improve on using his handle to get going downhill towards the rim rather than step back beyond the arch.
• Just seemed out of sorts at Duke. In every game I watched Whitehead play, there were plays that highlighted just how smooth and special of a three level scorer he can be and other plays that highlighted how out of sync he was with the rest of the Duke team and his confidence. Seemed to not know 'when to do what' as a guy who did almost everything at Montverde.
• Am extremely high on Dariq Whitehead as a guy who showed the ability to score from all three levels and take over games at Montverde, and then once at Duke adapted himself to be a valuable and extremely effective role player despite being clearly out of sorts due to injuries. I buy his floor as a guy with the tools to contribute in a variety of ways, and think that he will only improve as he regains his confidence in his legs and gets more comfortable out there. There is a chance for a star here. A gamble I would 100% start considering at 7 or 8.
• Comparison(s): Gary Harris, Victor Oladipo

8- Kobe Bufkin

• Extremely well rounded game, good size/length.
• Crafty handle that he is able to maintain through contact, good pace to boot. Seems to always be doing something good with the ball at his own speed- I don't know how else to say it. Needs to add some counters, spins into/hops into some tough looks.
• Is a much better finishing guard than a lot of the other guard prospects in this draft; plays within his thin frame by consistently avoiding contact on the drive. Showcases great touch with either hand at full speed, love his layup package. Underrated athlete.
• Capable mid range scorer and a strong shooter from deep. Similar to Hood-Schfino- they are as smooth as it gets getting to their spots. Smooth mechanics and a high release as a lefty.
• Long frame with good hands on the defensive end; is a pest. Can guard 1-3, is a functional athlete on this end. High IQ defender who is in great position more often than not. Will be a plus on this end at the next level.
• Needs to gain some strength in order to fight over NBA screens, has the frame to do it. Will take time and is important for him to maximize his potential and skillset.
• Needs to become a more consistent playmaker. Seems to decide what he is doing with the ball early as opposed to reacting to the defense. This will come with experience. Has upside as a passer and is a solid playmaker in the PnR. Is not doing anything crazy as a passer, but moves the ball well and throws some nice skip passes.
• True combo guard
• Comparison: D'Angelo Russell

9- Maxwell Lewis

• Extremely gifted shot creator and scorer at all three levels. Excels at using a strong handle to get downhill consistently and is able to avoid contact consistently. Plus athlete who throws down some big dunks. Can shoot the ball effectively off the dribble or the catch from three and the mid range. Is able to operate extremely well in tight spaces. Excels at freezing defenders more so than shifting them. Has a bad habit of shuffling his feet off the catch when getting ready to put the ball on the floor, results in glaring turnovers. Very complete offensive game. Looks more like what people think Brandon Miller is than Brandon Miller actually is.
• Average passer, does not hold the ball too long. Can throw some high level passes at times, at others turns the ball over trying to. Makes the easy pass well enough.
• Struggles on defense, gets beat off the dribble and swipes at the ball too much. Needs to work on positioning off the ball. Similar to Jett Howard on this end- has all the tools, just seems to struggle. These are seemingly coachable issues for Lewis, but it is big red flag that he is a high energy player on this end yet still gets beat consistently.
• Context for Lewis is important- playing in one of college basketball's less talented conferences on the worst team in it makes him a more difficult grade. I find myself scoffing at the empty stats argument, however- the shots he is making and the way in which he creates them will function against higher level competition. The guys is, simply put, a very talented scorer. Furthermore, he was the only talented on ball scorer on the Pepperdine roster and was keyed in on by every defense he saw to an almost absurd degree, yet was able to put together some of his best games of the year against the best opponents on their calendar.
• I realize I am about 15 slots over consensus here. The mid-major really doesn't concern me; I buy the jumper, ball handling, and driving ability playing at the next level enough to warrant a team having patience with him as a defender and with the turnover problems. The offensive skills will especially shine as Lewis is allowed to operate off the ball and is not the focal point of defense's game plans. Am partial to prospects who have an elite, bankable skill: Lewis is an elite off the dribble scorer on the wing.
• Find myself asking what the discussion surrounding him would look like if he shot 53% from 3 towards the end of the season instead of the beginning.
• Comparison: Otto Porter Jr., Devin Vassell

10- Jalen Hood-Schfino

• The best playmaker in the class by a wide margin for me. Lethal in the PNR, excellent handle in tight space, fantastic pace and poise, can throw any pass in the book effectively. Sometimes gets caught trying to do too much and is somewhat turnover prone as a passer, think this is normal weakness for a guard.
• Lethal mid range jumper on the move and off the dribble, should be a calling card. Essential for a modern point guard. Solid mechanics and can pull deep range. I buy the shot extending beyond the arch long term.
• Defense is not a weakness. Not very switchable, but will hold his own against other guards.
• Must be a more consistent shooter from deep and improve his finishing- easily bothered by contact and not very elusive in the air. Is able to rely on solid floater game to avoid contact, but he must be able to finish at the cup to be a starting caliber guard in the NBA. Just an average athlete, but crafty and intelligent enough on the floor that I think he will improve here. More a streaky shooter from distance than a bad one.
• Have never seen a player completely dictate the pace and flow of a game one night, then fail to make a tangible impact whatsoever the next night out. It was almost confusing this year. Have to remember he is just a freshman, and the flashes of brilliance as a lead guard are too enticing.
• Comparison: Lonzo Ball

11- Cam Whitmore

• Elite athlete, this plays at both ends. Despite a lackluster handle, seems to get downhill and all the way to the rim often- is dynamite when he arrives there. Ideal transition finisher. Can go through or over defenders in the air. Capable shooter, slow release. Don't expect him to be a volume shooter.
• Excellent rebounder for his size, high energy defender. Very strong player, should be able to handle opposing 2s and 3s, small ball 4s on this end.
• Black hole on offense and does not have the shot creation skill to warrant this; I question his court vision and feel for the game. Do not see him being a plus shot creator; poor lateral mover and very stiff motions. All-around poor body control.
• No chance in hell he is 6'7. Low on Whitmore but athleticism, strength, and energy ability give him a good chance to be a valuable part of a good rotation and/or starting lineup. Really don't see the upside here the same way I see the floor.
• Comparison: Isaac Okoro

-Tier 3: Fringe Lottery Grades-
12- Anthony Black

• Versatile and competent defender who consistently uses his size and athleticism to make an impact on that end. Rarely rattled as a ball handler, makes the right pass consistently. High IQ floor general. Plus athlete on offensive end as well.
• Must improve as a shooter, mechanics could use some work. Like the flashes of shot creation he has shown, just needs to be able to maintain some level of scoring gravity to open up his playmaking at the next level.

13- Jett Howard
14- Jordan Hawkins

• Versatile 3 point marksman who is a plus athlete and a junkyard dog on both ends. I don't know how versatile he is, but I would want him on my team. Modern skillset and a high character guy, flashes of shot creation in tight space. Good in the mid range.

15- Cason Wallace
16- Ausar Thompson

• Love his skillset- elite athlete with a growing mid range and perimeter game, is a plus defender. Cannot find anything he did in OTE that Julian Phillips could not do (besides get away with overdribbling). Still, there is potential here that I cannot ignore, and his perimeter scoring is much further along than his brothers. Better finisher as well. Will need time to be a meaningful contributor, more than I think people are willing to recognize.
• Comparison(s): Josh Jackson, Terrence Ross

17- Gradey Dick
18- Tristan Vukcevic

• 6'10 with a high basketball IQ. Quick, consistent stroke from three. Great touch around the rim. Moves very well with his size, can run the floor and handle in the open floor. Willing and able passer. Needs to gain strength. Serviceable rim protector off the bench, best as a 4 on defense until he bulks up. A ton of upside here and I think if he played in a more visible league folks would be higher on him, have cooled off of throwing a lottery grade on him but think he is a great prospect and is being underrated.

-Tier 4: Solid First Round Grades-
19- Amen Thompson

• I will not deny there is some allure here as a big guard with elite athleticism and solid court vision. Worth a gamble in the first. What I will never understand is how someone who was inefficient against poor competition as the oldest player in the league, struggles to score from all 3 levels, and overdribbles to create any space in a half court offense is a consensus top 7 pick. Amen struggles to make layups and realistically is going to have a steep learning curve as a passer and ball handler in the NBA. Easily the lowest floor of anyone in my first round.
• Comparison: Donte Exum

20- Bilal Coulibaby
21- Dereck Lively II
22- Bryce Sensabaugh

• Excellent marksman from distance who can put the ball on the floor. Was asked to do a lot in the Ohio State offense and performed admirably. Strong finisher, good athlete. Very slow and stiff dribbler, does not create a lot of separation outside of his step back. I do not buy the shot creation, he is just a poor lateral mover.
• Poor, borderline awful defender no matter how you slice it.
• Comparison: Dion Waiters

23- Nick Smith Jr.
24- GG Jackson
25- Julian Strawther

• Pure shooter with a quick release and a serviceable game going to the basket. Great rebounder for the position, holds his own on defense. Gets sped up putting the ball on the floor and can get out of control, over relies on floater.

26- Sidy Cissoko
-Tier 5: Fringe First/Early Second Round Grades-
27- Kris Murray
28- Colby Jones
29- Mo Gueye

• Am consistently amazed this guy is not higher on boards. Was staying up until midnight just to watch him play. Superb athlete, rebounder and shot blocker. Makes a consistent impact on defense and is a strong interior presence. Potential as a shooter, improved almost 30% from the stripe from freshman to sophomore year and hovered around 28% from three. Raw prospect but if he can space the floor consistently in the future he is going to be a steal and a quality rotation piece; shooting mechanics are not a lost cause whatsoever.

30- James Nnaji
31- Rayan Rupert
32- Leonard Miller
-Tier 6: Solid Second Round Grades-
33- Marcus Sasser
34- Noah Clowney
35- Amari Bailey
36- Andre Jackson
37- Mike Miles
38- Julian Phillips
39- Terquavion Smith
40- Trayce Jackson-Davis
41- Ben Sheppard
42- Bobi Klintman
43- Olivier Maxence Prosper
44- Brandin Podziemski
45- Ricky Council IV
46- Charles Bediako
47- Kobe Brown
48- Jalen Wilson
49- Jaylen Clark
50- Jordan Walsh

See the previous posts: https://www.reddit.com/JurassicPark/comments/1419mpy/jurassic_world_the_hegemony_of_biosyn_dominion/ https://www.reddit.com/JurassicPark/comments/142b35e/jurassic_world_the_hegemony_of_biosyn_jwd_rewrite/

Act III - The Gathering of the Clouds

Mia Everett
Visually confirming Rainn's revelation, Victoria is shown in a cage inside Amelia Everett's lab, within Biosyn's Citadel. Mia does her best to comfort the scared and depressed Achillobator and her motivations are explored shortly after. It's revealed that due to her experience within the team who made the Indominus and the Indoraptor, Biosyn tasked her with reviving InGen's IBRIS program by breeding raptors with high obedience potential. However, none of the achillobators cloned by Biosyn proved to be trainable enough for the program's ambitions (even though they attempted to mimic Owen's experience by having keepers being there at the animals' birth), which displeased Dodgson and the other higher-ups, who are now favouring another research team, who focuses on a more intrusive way of controlling dinosaurs. Basically treated as a second-class researcher amidst a rather toxic work environment, Mia became desperate enough to hire poachers to capture Blue, which she intended to breed with their achillobators in order to finally have trainable individuals. As Victoria is not sexually mature, Mia is in front of a considerable setback and fears that Dodgson will pull the plug due to her lack of results, especially in this troubled period for Biosyn.
The tying noose
The next day, the intel collected by the UN agents (people involved in the Black Market, Biosyn's connections with it) are sent to the nearby countries, including Italy, where an arrest warrant is launched against Kayla.
On his side, Isaac Gibbon is contacted by Bigelow who tells him about the debacle of their mission in Malta, saying that Claire and Owen saved the grey guards from disaster. He orders her to stay in Italy for the moment and wait for new orders. Shortly receives, he receives a candidate for a desk job in the DSD: It's Franklin. Gibbon tells Franklin he heard about his bravery during the 2019 incidents and his past connection with InGen (Before the DPG, Franklin worked for it as an IT Technician), before asking questions about Claire as he is aware that she collaborated with him not only on some occasions in the past few years but also in the 2019 Costa Rican incident, where Franklin was the couple's companion while they were running from InGen's agents and the authorities.
Dubrovnik
The inhabitants and tourists of the Croatian seaside city of Dubrovnik are surprised when a Biosyn Quetzalcoatlus descends upon the old town and starts attacking people. As a joke similar to one in TLW with the Japanese businessman and his reference to Godzilla, some extra could yell in Valyrian "I left Westeros because of this!" or "By the Seven, not again!" (Dubrovnik was one of Game of Thrones' filming location).
Ramsay's email
In a manner similar to the Hawaii attack scene in Gareth Edwards' Godzilla, the Dubrovnik scene cuts just as the Quetzal swoops on the bystanders and we are now in the bar of Biosyn's employee village. Wu is watching the news of the Dubrovnik attack on the TV (there is even a declaration from Zoe Murdoch, in which she denies the pterosaur came from Auronzo's Sanctuary and was probably created by a rival company who somehow put their hands upon Biosyn Quetzalcoatlus DNA. In the bar, someone whisper that one of their Quetzals did escaped from the valley thanks to the temporary deactivation of the invisible fence system and that Dodgson has launched an investigation to know who's responsible) when he receives a mysterious email from Ramsay, which includes the name of some woman. Wu search it on the internet and ends up on IMDB where he discovers that the adult "Charlotte" on the videos is actually an actress who lives in London.
Arrest
In Rome, early in the morning, Kayla is arrested in her flat by the police as she is accused of illegal smuggling.
Viscontini
Following all the incidents in the Alps, the clash in the Sabine Hills and the recent Dubrovnik attack, people gets pissed at Biosyn and protests occur in several locations, including Rome. In the Italian Ministry of the Interior, Viscontini has an argument with Pazzi, declaring that they need to take severe actions against Biosyn but the minister retorts that taking large-scale actions against the corporation might trigger a whole deal of undesirable consequences, including deteriorating US-Italian relations due to the close ties between Biosyn and the US government. He won't risk that just because of some rumours, weak proof and small incidents. Viscontini retorts that soon, Biosyn might have an angry mob showing at its gates with the goal of driving it out of Italy.
Following Vuillier's instructions, Claire, Owen, Nyamu and Dougal leave Malta the same day and fly to the Eternal City, where they have to meet Viscontini in the AISI headquarters. There, they have a video call with Vuillier. He and Viscontini wants to send the trio of WDMC agents to Auronzo Valley so they can infiltrate Biosyn's facility, find compromising information and transmit them to the Italian authorities, hoping to finally convince Pazzi and the rest of the government to take action against Biosyn. However, one of the agents points out that they will need an entrance ticket as one doesn't simply walk into Auronzo, since the borders of Biosyn's lands are guarded and monitored while some people disappeared after going too close from the Sanctuary (anti-Biosyn activists, reckless adventurers, Grendel Corporation's spies, others from the AISI's and Austrian government). Viscontini declare they might have that ticket.
We cut to Kayla in her prison cell. The guard announces she has visit and she is brought to a room where Viscontini and Dougal waits for her. The head of the AISI and the WDMC agent then negotiate with her: In exchange for her freedom, she will bring Dougal, Claire and Owen to Biosyn's Sanctuary. However, Viscontini precise he'll have her hunted down if she ever betrays them.
Kayla raises the fact that she can't show up at Auronzo like this and needs a motive. Viscontini and Dougal then talk about the animals seized in Malta's black market.
Theo's Mission
That day, Wu summons Theo, explain the whole issue with the fake Charlotte and ask him to go to London, find the actress and question her about the videos so they can have proofs to show Maisie, who started to really become insufferable because of Dodgson's bad influence (in that part of the story, one of the few scenes where she's likeable is one where she and Drummond bonds over the common passion for dinosaurs). The ex-mercenary soon leaves Auronzo, taking a bus for Venice in the nearest village while Wu explains to Pellegrino and Dodgson that Theo had urgent family matters to deal with in the UK.
Leaving San Francisco
Desiring to supervise the Dolomites Crisis more closely, Vuillier fly to Italy.
Nine containers
As evidence of Biosyn's possible connections to the Maltese black market has been discussed on the news, Dodgson knows it's a matter of time before Vuillier, the Italians or the Austrians send people in Auronzo and expose Biosyn's misdeeds.
We then follow Pellegrino's POV as she oversees the exit of nine large mysterious containers from the Citadel and their departure from the airstrip just outside the valley. One of her subordinates asks what's inside and she answers that she has no idea, with Dodgson only giving her a series of instructions. They watch the containers being flown abroad.
The following day, Pellegrino speak about it to Wu and other employees with anti-Dodgson sentiments like Drummond. She notices that Wu is uncomfortable as they talk about it and realize he must be hiding something. Ramsay, who just arrived from the US in preparation for a big corporate event in the Citadel, almost surprise their discussion. As they're not sure if they can trust him or not, they pretend it's nothing. Wu then phones Theo and asks him about his secret mission's progress.
London
In London, Theo finds the actress from the videos and initially posing as a reporter, filming her in an interview, he then ask her questions about the videos and after some hesitations, she concedes to give him answers and reveals among other things that the shooting occurred a few months ago in some local warehouse, that the director of those videos is none other than Colin Trevorrow (who, desperate for a job after the debacle of the Jurassic World film, accepted to participate to that project, oblivious that Biosyn was behind it since a dummy company took care of the production).
AISI
Vuillier arrives in Rome and meets with his agents, Nyamu and Viscontini in one of the AISI headquarters' conference rooms, where a map of Auronzo Valley and its surroundings has been laid. Kayla is also there and offscreen, our characters talk about the plan.
At the end of the meeting, everyone but Vuillier and Viscontini leave the room. Both have a secret conversation during which the Italian say that the Grey Guard's Mediterranean Company, supported by the Austrians and secretly by him (as he fears that Biosyn has informers within the Italian government), are deployed in one of the villages near Auronzo, and is supposed to act as a Plan B should the Claire-Owen-Dougal trio fail, by taking a secret path through an old mine and a mountain pass before breaking into Biosyn's citadel. The WDMC agents don't know that and when Vuillier ask why, Viscontini answers that it's better that way (should the agents be captured ant tortured, they won't tell Biosyn that there is a second team) and that the secret path isn't safer as one of his spy was killed by some creature after taking it and arriving in sight of the valley. He thinks that a small dozen of grey guards have better chances surviving the pass' guardian(s) than three civilian agents.
To the Dolomites
The next day, in the middle of the morning, Kayla is preparing her plane in some airstrip near Rome and the seized creature from the black market is loaded in the hold (I have no idea which species to choose). Equipped by the Italians, Claire, Owen and Dougal say farewell to Vuillier, Nyamu and Viscontini. The Frenchman tells Claire that it's time to unleash the She-wolf upon Dodgson but Claire correct him by saying "Not the She-wolf. The Dragon." (in this AU, she has a particular connection with the dragon-like Indominus), implying she'll get the mission done whatever it takes. He and the other two men wish them good luck and the trio of WDMC agents climb aboard the plane. They soon take off.
Biosyn's aerial defense
Kayla's plane arrives in sight of the mountains which delimit Biosyn's Sanctuary. Informed of their mission by Vuillier and Viscontini, one of the grey guards is watching the plane through his binoculars as it passes over the village where they are staying.
Kayla is soon contacted by the Citadel's control room as they detected the aircraft on their radars and they ask her why she's coming. The pilot answer that she collected an animal which might interest them (she told the WDMC agents and the Italians that Biosyn doesn't have this particular species in their Sanctuary) and ask to land on their airstrip. While the Biosyn employees discuss, the plane is about to enter Auronzo Valley by the east, as that part of the sanctuary is the furthest from most of the buildings (while the airstrip is in the northernmost parts of Biosyn's lands, beyond the mountains with the frozen dam lake) and thus where Claire, Owen and Dougal has the best chances of landing unnoticed. The trio of agents take their parachutes and prepare to jump, but at the same time, Dodgson, who heard that Kayla was arrested by the authorities just a few days ago, fears that her plane is a Trojan horse and decides to activate the valley's "aerial defense". On the screen of one of the room's monitors, we see a group of dots heading straight towards the plane. It's actually a group of pteranodons, from the same toothed variant as those who appeared in Jurassic Park 3 (there is even at least one black male identical to the scrapped one from Johnston's film), and they just collide with the plane, crashing against the cockpit and getting turned to shred by the rotors' blades, damaging the plane (the scene is partly inspired by a cutscene from the Ninth Mission of Paraworld's campaign). Owen wonder why those pteranodons behave in a suicidal manner. Suddenly, the pteranodons retreat and as their window is shrinking, the agents know they have to jump now (they've reached the middle of the valley and their trajectory deviated northwards, towards the mountain dam). Claire jumps first but as Owen is about to jump in his turn, the plane is attacked by a Quetzalcoatlus and the Raptor Whisperer sees another and a few pteranodons chasing her fiancée, whose parachute opened. Claire shakes the pterosaurs off by disappearing into the valley's dense forest. As they will be grabbed by the attacking pterosaurs as soon as they leave the aircraft, Owen, Dougal and Kayla stay inside it and brace for the crash. The plane crashes down at the surface of the frozen lake by the mountain dam in the northern part of the valley.
Back in Rome, Vuillier, Nyamu and Viscontini are worried as they heard the agents and the pterosaurs' screams (they had an open channel all that time with Kayla's plane). They hope the agents will survive this ordeal and activate the beacons they were given before their departure.
Note: The fate of the animal they took with them is still unclear for me. It really depends on the chosen species. If it's something large and potentially dangerous, Kayla would probably want to drop it in the valley in order to have a lighter plane and not deal with it after crashing. But if it's a creature about the size of a small dog for example, they could free it as they leave the wreckage.
Gigantoraptor
We then cut to Claire hanging in the trees but instead of a Therizinosaurus (which already appeared in TRQ. Moreover, Claire had a small arc with this species in that story), she is threatened by a Gigantoraptor. The scene plays out much like the Theri scene from Trevorrow's version, with Claire hiding in a pond etc.. Once the Gigantoraptor walks away, Claire gets out of the pond and sees the fumes from the plane's crash in the distance, behind the mountain dam.
The dam lake
Before it sinks in the lake, Owen, Dougal and Kayla leave her plane and step on the ice. Under it, they notice a large shadow and know they better move away from the lake. They notice a ladder by the dam but as they head towards it, a Quetzalcoatlus or a Pteranodon lands on their way. They step back, moving towards an opening on the lake's surface. Suddenly, a giant 9-meters long temnospondyl (based upon an unnamed and fragmentary genus from Lesotho) burst out the water, almost killing one of the characters. Ensue a scene where our three protagonists have to evade both the pterosaur and the amphibian. The pterosaur ends up being dragged underwater by the temnospondyl but other pterosaurs arrive and to escape them, our trio climbs on the dam and rushes to its elevator, going down in the valley. Down at the dam's base, they notice it's dilapidated and Kayla tell her two companions that Biosyn sell some of its power to the nearest villages.
Note: The main doubt I have about this scene is having a temnospondyl living in the icy water of a mountain lake. It might be too much of a stretch so if you think it's not realistic at all, it will be scrapped from the scene (and perhaps be replaced by a juvenile Baryonyx or something like this, an animal which could be also the one our characters brought with them in the plane.
Plan B
Since the agents lost their beacons during the pterosaurs' attack and the crash, they couldn't tell Rome that they were still alive. Vuillier and Viscontini fear the worst and send a message to Laurenzo Cesare.
Droppings
Meanwhile, Claire started walking towards the dam, hoping to find her companions on the way if they made it out alive from the crash. When she hears a racket in the woods, she hides and a Biosyn tyrannosaur arrives. But it's not on a hunting mode and instead, it just leaves some droppings on a log near Claire's hiding place. After the predator leaves, she approaches the log and smears her face with the droppings, remembering her "Walk in the Park" with Owen when they searched her nephews during the Fall of Jurassic World (the droppings hide her smell, dissuading the other animals to investigate her).
Argument
An argument bursts out between Owen, Dougal and Kayla while they're walking south. The first wants to find his fiancée, the second says that their mission is more important, and Kayla is mad at both men since she lost her plane (and livelihood) because of the WDMC's mission. And unsure about her intentions, the two men distrust her but she tries to reassure them by saying that Biosyn can fuck off since they are also responsible for destroying her plane.
However, the Sanctuary's denizens remind them that they better be united or else it will be the failure of their quest.
At some distance, in the middle of the fog, they see the recognizable silhouette of a sauropod, that of an Argentinosaurus (the species was seen in the distance and mentioned earlier in the story. Instead of Argentinosaurus, it could also be another large titanosaur). However, this herbivore has the particularity of having a symbiotic relation with some small carnivore species within Biosyn Sanctuary (I'm more thinking about a pterosaur or a flying/semi-arboreal theropod than a strictly ground-dwelling predator. For now, the baboon-sized Variraptor is my candidate), with the Argentinosaurus letting those carnivores eat its parasites and the insects flying around it while the carnivores will let out an alarm call shall a large predator approach. It could be illustrated in a scene where an Acrocanthosaurus (the one from the Drive-in scene) is spotted by the carnivores as it passes by. The Argentinosaurus turns to face the larger predator, adopt a defensive posture, and as the acro hasn't yet moved, the smaller carnivores take off from the sauropod and flies straight to the acro's head. Harassed by those creatures, the Acrocanthosaurus retreats. Thus, if those small carnivores (which we'll call the Argentinosaurus' suite) are brave enough to attack a megatheropod, our three protagonists know they're not safe and that they better move away.
The Sanctuary's true nature
While still heading north, Claire's path crosses that of a bull Shantungosaurus. She move out of his way and stay still. She and the audience recognize the animal as he was already in the JW rewrite and TRQ (in the first story, he gained some scars after a fight with a few Metriacanthosaurus), where he was a secondary "character" (and a threat in a few scenes). Both have a peaceful scene where they make eye contact but that quiet moment is shattered when a gunshot resounds in the forest and the hadrosaur flees, badly wounded. Claire hides and in the distance, she sees a hunter, accompanied by a couple of Biosyn security guards and another employee which she presume is some sort of supervisohunting guide. Watching how the hunter is dressed and how he behave in the wild, she knows he's not a professional hunter but just a rich hobbyist and then realizes the Sanctuary's true nature: It's a hunting reserve. As the Shantungosaurus escaped them, the hunter express his discontentment at the guide, which promise to find him another quarry. They leave and following the blood trail left by the hadrosaur, Claire finds him by a stream. His wounds are too grievous and he's too weak to lash out at Claire, who kneels by his head, trying to comfort him in his last moments, up until his last breath. Watching another of her former park's animals dying fills Claire with not only grief, but also anger. She change her plans and heads back south instead of continuing northward, following the hunting party's track.
Note: It doesn't necessarily have to be a Shantungosaurus in the role of the animal shot by the hunters, but it have to be a recognizable animal from the previous installments for emotional impact and Claire's development (another candidate could be the Therizinosaurus from TRQ)
She later finds another hunting party. One of its members, a Biosyn guard, pulls out an item she recognize: a raptor resonating chamber. The guard use it like a bird call and soon, an Achillobator, arrive, believing it heard one of its kind. The poor animal is shot by the hunters, who scream in satisfaction before taking a picture with their quarry. They then brings it to the Biosyn vehicle waiting nearby but before they leave (after having a short conversation during they mention that another team captured the rex and is bringing it the paddocks), Claire deliberately attract the attention of one of the guards, the same one which used the resonating chamber, and he say to his companions he won't be long. He move away from the road and deeper in the woods, he fall into Claire's ambush. She kill him, loot some of his equipment (including the resonating chamber), hide his body and leave. Worried for his colleague, the other guard with the hunters orders the guide to drive them back to the lodge, and search his friend. But he too is murdered by Claire, who takes a small metallic box on him. Activating the box, she realize it's a sonic weapon she has seen before, in the hands of InGen Security's elite troops during the fall of Isla Nublar (it's like a weaponized version of the box Dodgson and his companions have in Crichton's TLW). She turns it off, take it with her and follows the hunters vehicle's tracks on the road, towards the lodge.
However, Claire ignores she's being watched, and not by human eyes...
Over hill
Cesare and his men leave their accommodation and head for the frontiers of Biosyn's lands. Leaving their vehicles near a ruined fort, the grey guards start their trek while the sun is setting behind the mountains ahead of them.
A bed in the trees
As walking through the valley at night would be too dangerous, Owen, Dougal and Kayla decide to find a resting place and climb in a tree. From it, they have a panorama on a nearby lake and notice they are approximately halfway between the dam and the Citadel. At this moment, we also have peaceful scenes with the valley's denizens at dusk (Pelecanimimus fishing in the lake, herbivores drinking nearby, the same Spinosaurus from the report at the beginning peacefully sitting on the bank like an oversized duck...).
Theo's peace
In the evening, just a few hours before his flight to Venice, Theo also passes by his former home, which he left years ago before joining Ken Wheatley's mercenary company. His ex-wife still lives here and noticing that she started a new life with another man and seems happy, he walks away in peace, leaving behind him the last picture he had of himself and her (earlier in the story, Theo is seen looking at said picture).
The secret path
Back in Italy, the grey guards find the entrance of an old mine and enter it, taking the path that will allow them to pass under the limits of Biosyn's lands.
Mercenaries
Mercenary troops land in Biosyn's airstrip and their leader is brought to the Citadel. He has a discussion with Dodgson behind closed doors.
Foes... or allies?
A few hours after nightfall, Claire finally finds a large old chalet with typical Tyrolean architecture: The Hunting Lodge (it's implied that it was built way before Biosyn bought those lands, when the area was still part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, before WWI). Claire remarks it's surrounded by an invisible fence (identical to the one from Jurassic World Evolution 2's Biosyn DLC) which prevents the animals from getting too close. Aware that the lodge wouldn't be a shelter for her and that its occupants probably outnumber her, she turns away from it, continuing to wander in the woods. But just a few minutes later, she hears sound in the nearby bushes. Aware she might be hunted, she is ready to use the ultrasound box and fight for her life. A pack of Achillobators shows up, menacingly walking towards her. At the same time, it starts to rain.
Claire first thinks of using the box and running away while the predators would be bothered by the sound but she knows it will be useless in the long run as they could track her all across the Sanctuary. She then remembers the reports she read earlier in the story, and especially that of the 2001 incident on Sorna, where Alan Grant and his companions walked out alive and unharmed from a close encounter with raptors.
In dire straits, she makes up a desperate plan and carefully, she pulls out the resonating chamber she stole from the Biosyn guards. She uses it and due to their bad experience in the sanctuary with the resonating chambers' usual users, the raptors get agitated but their pack leader tells them to calm down as Claire doesn't seem to be a Biosyn guard or a hunter. The pack leader walks alone towards Claire and sniffs the dried blood on her hands and clothes, realizing it belongs to other humans. Nothing happens for a moment and then the pack leader lets out a bark. Behind Claire, two raptors move aside. Slowly walking backwards, watching carefully the raptors' moves, Claire exits the circle made by the surrounding predators and continues doing so until she's at a respectable distance. At the beginning, the raptors just watch her but as she's heading towards the Hunting Lodge, she hears them following her. However, she is aware that they would have already pounced on her if they wanted to eat her and knows that they're more intrigued. Meanwhile, the rain intensifies (there could also be a storm).
Claire reaches the invisible fence, crosses it, and searches for its power source. But as she's sabotaging it, the Lodge caretaker (a gnarly-looking old local man) spots her and frightened by her look, runs away towards the building. She is forced to catch him and, after a short struggle, kill him with her knife before he can raise the alarm. After showing some trouble due to killing a probable innocent, she resumes her sabotage and the fence is deactivated. The raptors cross it and see Claire entering the lodge. Near its entrance, she finds a sword hanging on the wall as a decorative element and noticing it's still sharp, she takes it along with its sheath and heads for the rooms. Behind her, the raptors open the door and silently enter in the lodge. In the hallway which leads to the rooms, Claire stays still when the raptors walk past her as they head to the rooms and grin as her audacious plan is working. Claire enters one of the rooms, raises her sword blade over a sleeping hunter and when the time comes, thrust it into his body. Meanwhile, the raptors open other doors and entering the rooms, they rush on the sleepers. Slaughter ensues and only those who locked up their doors have the time to wake up, grab a weapon and fight for their very survival. Some of the lodge's occupants offer some resistance in the lounge but there, Claire activates the sonic weapon she stole and an ear-piercing sharp sound comes from it. While the raptors back off behind her, their common enemies kneel and scream in pain and Claire (who put on some earplug) slashes their throats, deactivate the weapon, and let the raptors tear the hunters alive while she raids some items (stuff like snacks, water, a first-aid kit, a map...) and leave, disappearing in the woods.
A bit later, she finds a small cave whose entrance is high from the ground and rest in it, sleeping until mid-morning.
The mountain's pass
At the end of their night-long ascent, the grey guards arrive in a pass/cave where they found human bones, which they presume to be those of the AISI's spy Viscontini told them about, and the remains of a Biosyn drone. Soon after, they are attacked by the guardian animal(s) the corporation left there to kill any trespasser coming from that direction. (I haven't chosen any species yet). They manage to defeat it (or them) and dawn break out as they arrive at a vista point which overlooks the valley. The grey guards observe it, the eyes of Cesare stop on the Citadel for a moment, and they retreat back inside the mountain to rest a few hours before descending into the valley. They send a message to Vuillier and Viscontini, telling them that they're inside the Sanctuary.
Traces of a slaughter
During their early morning patrol, a security team discovers that a massacre occurred during the night in the Hunting Lodge. They find clues indicating that someone helped the raptors and participated in the killings. The control room check the Lodge CCTV footage and fear spreads like wildfire among the staff when they discover the culprit is a sinister-looking black-clad hooded woman. Seeing that one of the figure's hand is a prosthesis and that the other wear a silver ring with a red gem, they realize it's Claire and Dodgson pretty much start to crap his pants (partly because one of the hunters was a very wealthy and powerful foreign client whose disappearance won't go unnoticed). Since she made it out alive from the plane's crash, Dodgson fears that the other WDMC agents might have too. When asked about the slaughter itself, Dodgson orders his staff to cover it up for the moment, as he don't want to worry the board of directors who are set to arrive later that day for a big event he planned in the evening.
Theo's return
Theo returns to Auronzo and Wu, who just learned about Claire's presence in the valley, tells him that they must get Maisie out of the facility as soon as possible since disaster tends to follow Claire like a shadow.
Taking the gloves off
However, Maisie has meanwhile discovered that the videos were another lie, by recognizing one of the scientists from the video, who also work at the Citadel (and who didn't aged, even though the adult Charlotte's video was supposed to be taken fourteen years ago). Aware that the gentle method is no longer considerable, Dodgson decides to use the hard one and Doctor Lesser locks Maisie in a cell within her lab, to which Wu can't access. Lesser reveal that it wasn't Wu who told Dodgson that she was a clone but the spy he has among Lockwood Manor's employees, and that the only true part in the video was the one about the genetic disease: Charlotte did had it, just like her mother Elizabeth before that (she died in 1993 and it was because of her Lockwood and Hammond fell out), and had the car accident which took her life didn't happened, the disease would have killed her a few years later. As he wanted Maisie to have a long life, Benjamin Lockwood asked the scientists he hired (there is a whole subplot about what they became in TRQ) to cure it and they did find a way. As the scientists' notes were accidently destroyed, the solution is now within Maisie's body, and Dodgson wants it so he can put new drugs on the market.
Before it's too late, Wu and Theo, with Ramsay's help, start organizing Maisie's evasion. The geneticist mentions a secret trail from WWI in the northeastern mountains: It's their escape route. He then heads for his lab, planning something else.
Tracking Claire
Curious about Biosyn's movements around the Hunting Lodge, Owen, Dougal and Kayla investigate it after the departure of the security troops. They discover evidence of Claire's passage and Owen tries to follow her fiancée's tracks. Kayla and/or Dougal make comments about the slaughter of the hunters.
Bigelow's last chance
Isaac Gibbon gives Jessica Bigelow a new mission: Go to Auronzo and ensure the evacuation of Lewis Dodgson and Biosyn's most important research. The agent ask her boss why and he said that he just received news that Biosyn is compromised. He also precise that it's her last chance after the Malta fiasco. Bigelow leave her safe house in central Italy and goes north.
Shady preparations
Continuing south, Owen, Dougal and Kayla see mercenaries positioning some sort of moveable antenna on a ridge which overlooks the road which connects the Citadel to the valley's northern continue, as finding Claire and entering the Citadel is more urgent.
The gathering of the clouds
One of the control room's employees ask Dodgson to come. He shows him footage from the Biosyn lands's southern gate, near the employee village.
Before the gate, a group of Carabinieri stand, showing to the guards and the security cameras a search warrant: The government finally decided to act against Biosyn. But Dodgson refuses to open the gates for the Carabinieri and orders the mercenaries who arrived during the night to intimidate them. The Carabinieri move away from the gate, with their leader warning against the consequences of such an action. At a respectable distance from the gate, Vuillier, Viscontini and Nyamu watched the scene. Soon, other groups of Carabinieri are deployed along the other entrances to Biosyn's lands. The siege of Auronzo has started.
Hearing about the siege's situation, some employees leave their post and head for the metro (which connects the Citadel to the village. Another loop also connects the Citadel to the various facilities across the Sanctuary, including the seven towers and the dam), in order to go to the village and then hoping to be able to leave Biosyn's lands before things starts to get too ugly but Dodgson's has the metro's station locked and commands them to go back to their posts. Seeing their CEO starting to act like Hitler in his bunker, they are afraid.
​
End of Act III.
See you tomorrow for Act IV

1950 = Giuseppe Farina
1951 = Juan Manuel Fangio
1952 = Alberto Ascari
1953 = Mike Hawthorn
1954 = José Froilán González
1955 = Stirling Moss
1956 = Peter Collins
1957 = Luigi Musso
1958 = Tony Brooks
1959 = Jack Brabham
1960 = Bruce McLaren
1961 = Phil Hill
1962 = Graham Hill
1963 = Jim Clark
1964 = John Surtees
1965 = Jackie Stewart
1966 = Jochen Rindt
1967 = Denis Hulme
1968 = Jacky Ickx
1969 = Jean-Pierre Beltoise
1970 = Clay Regazzoni
1971 = Ronnie Peterson
1972 = Emerson Fittipaldi
1973 = François Cevert
1974 = Jody Scheckter
1975 = Niki Lauda
1976 = James Hunt
1977 = Mario Andretti
1978 = Carlos Reutemann
1979 = Gilles Villeneuve
1980 = Alan Jones
1981 = Nelson Piquet
1982 = Keke Rosberg
1983 = Alain Prost
1984 = Elio de Angelis
1985 = Michele Alboreto
1986 = Nigel Mansell
1987 = Ayrton Senna
1988 = Gerhard Berger
1989 = Riccardo Patrese
1990 = Thierry Boutsen
1991 = Jean Alesi
1992 = Michael Schumacher
1993 = Damon Hill
1994 = Mika Hakkinen
1995 = David Coulthard
1996 = Jacques Villeneuve
1997 = Heinz-Harald Frentzen
1998 = Eddie Irvine
1999 = Ralf Schumacher
2000 = Rubens Barrichello
2001 = Juan Pablo Montoya
2002 = Kimi Raikkonen
2003 = Fernando Alonso
2004 = Jenson Button
2005 = Giancarlo Fisichella
2006 = Felipe Massa
2007 = Lewis Hamilton
2008 = Robert Kubica
2009 = Sebastian Vettel
2010 = Mark Webber
2011 = Nico Rosberg
2012 = Romain Grosjean
2013 = Nico Hulkenberg
2014 = Daniel Ricciardo
2015 = Valtteri Bottas
2016 = Max Verstappen
2017 = Sergio Perez
2018 = Kevin Magnusson
2019 = Charles Leclerc
2020 = Carlos Sainz
2021 = Lando Norris
2022 = George Russell
2023 (so far) = Lance Stroll
And some fun facts:

• 2013 was the only case of a driver becoming champion with 0 career podiums
  
• 2018 was the only case of a driver becoming champion in a team with 0 podiums in it's history
  
• 2013 was the lowest championship position to end up being champion (10th)
  

Challenge #66. Which challenge would be better suited for a tribute to U.S. Route 66? All locations of this challenge are along the Historic U.S. Highway 66. This highway was established in 1926 and was probably one of the most famous roads in the U.S. It was removed from the U.S. highway system in 1985 after it was entirely replaced by interstate highways. Parts of the old route live on as state highways. Get your kicks on challenge 66! Here is the soundtrack for your trip: https://youtu.be/IPrIxKxQZF8. :-)
Challenge link: https://www.geoguessr.com/challenge/8ZaJKSdFKRmgCzgbo
We don't play on the regular map this week. The threshold for 5k is a bit smaller than usual but all locations are pinpointable. For everyone who is new to this challenge series, this is the map that we usually play: US State Highways.
Deadline: June 13, 7 pm UTC (12 pm noon PDT, 3 pm EDT, 9 pm CEST).
You are facing a U.S. state route sign. Do you recognize the state without moving? How fast can you find the route number on the map? You have just one minute! Good luck and have fun! :-)
Please post your score as comment in this thread if you want to have it counted for the leaderboard (every posted score counts!).
Here are the results for challenge #65. Congrats to bdm6985 for winning the challenge with a perfect score!

Rank	Reddit Name	Result	Percentage	Points
1st	bdm6985	25000	100.00	100
2nd	saladpants77	24636	98.54	98
3rd	solarsensei	24617	98.47	98
4th	rtlewis123	23891	95.56	95
5th	fbrasseur	23440	93.76	93

Total standings of season 2:

Rank	Reddit Name	Points
1st	bdm6985	891
2nd	solarsensei	846
3rd	fbrasseur	743
4th	saladpants77	674
5th	rtlewis123	589
6th	gobluetwo	562
7th	kuhl_kuhl	388
8th	Ancient-Recover695	196
9th	GateUnhappy7484	89
10th	lemontree403	67

Hall of Fame

Season	1st 🥇	2nd 🥈	3rd 🥉
1	bdm6985	saladpants77	solarsensei

Last challenge (Just a short summary this week):
R1 - R4: We had highway signs showing the state names in R1, R2, and R3. All three locations were at intersections with major U.S. highways. We had the unique highway sign of Virginia in R4. There was a directional sign to "Route 301". Most VA state highways with three digits that start with a 3 are very short highways or are serving state institutions. Therefore, it was very likely that "Route 301" meant U.S. highway 301. Looking for the US highways and then scanning along the highways for the state routes was probably the best method to find the locations in R1 to R4.
R5: State outline of South Dakota. SD-1806 runs in several sections along the Missouri River. It continues as ND-1806 in North Dakota. SD-1804 and ND-1804 run on the other side of the river. The road numbers are references to the "Lewis and Clark Expedition" that took place between 1804 and 1806.

1st John   Chapter Two  

The Anointed learns upon us right [זכות, ZeKhOoTh]
[verses 1-6]  

-1. My children [ילדי, YeLahDah-eeY], write I to you [את, ’ehTh (indicator of direct object; no English equivalent)] the words the these to sake you not sin,
and if sins a man, we have to us an advocate [מליץ, MayhLeeYTs] before the father – YayShOo`ah [“Savior”, Jesus] the anointed, the righteous.  

“…ethics in the N.T. [New Testament] is never finally a matter of a ‘works-righteousness’ or code. The Spirit interprets our duty to us in various situations.” (Wilder, 1955, TIB p. XII 227)  

-2. And he is atonement [כפרה, KahPahRaH] for our sins,  

“`Ιλασμος [‘Ilasmos], the atoning sacrifice for our sins… כפור kippur … The word is used only here, and in chap. iv.10.” (Clarke, 1831, p. VI 862)  

and not upon our sins only,
rather [אלה, ’ehLah’] also upon sins of all the world.  

“The apostle does not say that he died for any select part of the inhabitants of the earth, or for some out of every nation, tribe, or kindred, but for ALL MANKIND: and the attempt to limit this is a violent outrage against God and his word.” (Clarke, 1831, p. VI 862)  

-3. And in this know [נדע, NayDah`] that we recognize [שהכרנו, ShehHeeKahRNOo] him: if we guard his commandments.  
-4. The sayer, “I recognize him”,
and has not guarded [את, ’ehTh] his commandments,
a worder of falsehood is he,
and the truth has not in him.  
-5. But [אך, ’ahKh] the guarder [את, ’ehTh] His word,
in same the man is completed [נשלמה, NeeShLeMaH], in truth, love of Gods;
in this know that in him are we.
-6. The sayer that he stands in YayShOo`ah,
as [the] way that walked YayShOo`ah, yes also is upon him to walk.  

……………………………………………………….  
The new commandment
[verses 7-17]  

-7. My beloved, not a commandment new write I to you,
rather [כי אם, KeeY ’eeM] a commandment old,
that was to you from [the] first.
The commandment, the old, she is the word that you heard.
-8. And in all that, a commandment new write I to you,
a word that is established [שנכון, ShehNahKhON] also in him and also in you,
that see, the darkness passes and the light the true already shines [זורח, ZORay-ahH].  
-9. The sayer that [כי, KeeY] in light he is and with that hates [את, ’ehTh] his brethren,
still is he [עודנו, `ODehNOo] in darkness.
-10. The lover [את, ’ehTh] his brethren stands in light,
and scandal [ומכשול, OoMeeKhShOL] has not in him.  
-11. But [אבל, ’ahBahL] the hater [את, ’ehTh] his brethren, in darkness is he;
in darkness he walks [מתהלך, MeeThHahLayKh], and he does not [ואינו, Ve’aYNO] know to where he walks,
for the darkness blinds [עור, `eeVayR] [את, ’ehTh] his eyes.  
-12. Write I to you, my children,
So [מפני, MeePNaY] that will be pardoned to you your sins on behalf of his name.
-13. Write I to you, fathers,
so that you recognize him [אותו, ’OThO], that he was from [the] first.
Write I to you, first-born,
so that you conquer [שנצחתם, SheNeeTsahHThehM] [את, ’ehTh] the evil.  
-14. I wrote to you, children,
so that you recognize [את, ’ehTh] the Father.
I wrote to you, fathers,
so that you recognize [את, ’ehTh] him, that he [was] from [the] first.
I wrote to you, first-born,
so that you strengthen,
and word [of] Gods is realized in your midst,
and you conquer [את, ’ehTh] the evil.  
-15. Do not love [את, ’ehTh] the world, nor [אף, ’ahPh] [את, ’ehTh] what that is in [the] world;
man, if he loves [את, ’ehTh] the world, has not within him love of the father.  

“… a love of the creature and the creation is disparaged over against the primal and everlasting ground of existence, the Father and his purpose….  
Such an emphasis is indeed exposed to the modern reproach of a false otherworldliness, and this passage has often been used to fortify such a piety.” (Wilder, 1955, TIB pp. XII 238-239)  

-16. For all that is in the world - lust of [תאות, Thah’ahVahTh] fleshes, lust of the eyes, and pride of [וגאות, VeGah’ahVahTh] the possessions [הנכסים, HahNeKhahÇeeYM] - not from the father is it, rather from the world.  

“For the lust of the eyes a passage in the Testament of Reuben¹⁰ (ch. [chapter] 2) is illuminating. It speaks of the ‘seven spirits of deceit’ which are ‘appointed against man’ of which one is the ‘sense of sight from which ariseth desire’ (cf. [compare with] also Ezek. [Ezekiel] 20:7-8). Jesus strictly warns against the eye as the occasion of temptation in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. [Matthew] 5:27-29)” (Wilder, 1955, TIB p. XII 240)  

¹⁰ “The Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs is a constituent of the apocryphal scriptures connected with the Torah. It is a pseudepigraphical work comprising the dying commands of the twelve sons of Jacob. It is part of the Oscan Armenian Orthodox Bible of 1666. Fragments of similar writings were found at Qumran, but opinions are divided if these are the same texts. It is considered Apocalyptic literature.  
The Testaments were written in Greek, and reached their final form in the second century CE. In the 13th century that they were introduced into the West through the agency of Robert Grosseteste, Bishop of Lincoln, whose Latin translation of the work gained immediately became popular. He believed that it was a genuine work of the twelve sons of Jacob, and that the Christian interpolations were a genuine product of Jewish prophecy; he accused Jews of concealing the Testaments ‘on account of the prophecies of the Saviour contained in them.’  
With the critical methods of the 16th century, Grosseteste’s view of the Testaments was rejected and the book was unjustly disparaged as a mere Christian forgery for nearly four centuries. Presently, scholarly opinions are still divided as to whether the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs are an originally Jewish document that has been retouched by Christians or are a Christian document written originally in Greek but based on some earlier Semitic material. The feasibility of the Jewish author hypothesis is increasingly difficult to defend, while the Christian nature of the book is a given. Scholarship, therefore, focuses on this book as a Christian work, whether or not it has Jewish original (Vorlage).  
A copy of the testaments is published in The Lost Books of the Bible and the Forgotten Books of Eden.  
The work is divided into twelve books, each purporting to be the last exhortations of one of the twelve titular patriarchs. In each, the patriarch first narrates his own life, focusing on his strengths, virtues, or his sins, using biographical material from both the Hebrew Bible and Jewish tradition. Next he exhorts his listeners to emulate the one and to avoid the other. Most of the books conclude with prophetic visions.  
The Testament of Reuben is predominantly concerned with admonishing lust, and the sinfulness of Reuben in his having had sex with Bilhah, a concubine of his father. It is likely that the author wished to cover the topic of fornication anyway, and assigned it for Reuben to discuss due to Reuben's relationship with Bilhah being recounted in the canonical bible. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Testaments_of_the_Twelve_Patriarchs  

…  

……………………………………………………….  
Distressor [צורר, TsORehR] [of] the Anointed
[verses 18-28]  

-18. My children, that is the hour, the last, and, like that you heard that [כי, KeeY] would come the distressor [of] the Anointed [αντιχρισος – antichrisos ~ antichrist], also now have risen distressors of Anointed multitudinous. From here know we that that is the hour, the last.  

“The actual term antichrist appears only in I and II John in the N.T. but the same figure is in view in the ‘man of lawlessness’ of II Thess. [Thessalonians] 2:3-4, in the great agent of sacrilege in Mark 13:14 and its parallels, and elsewhere. In our epistle he is identified with the ‘spirit’ of heresy (4:3) or error (4:6) as already come. He has in mind disturbers of the life of the churches generally and pretenders to messiahship or divinity in various parts of the empire. Words assigned to Jesus in the Gospels bearing on these events were thought of by the evangelists as fulfilled in their day. … The church fathers, rightly or wrongly, supply the names of Dositheus^11, Simon Magus^12, Judas Gallaeus, and later, Montanus^13, as having made messianic claims.” (Wilder, 1955, TIB pp. XII 243-244)  

¹¹ “The legendary background of the Pseudo-Clementine polemic informs us that the precursor of ‘Simon Magus’ was a certain Dositheus. He is mentioned in the lists of the earliest hæresiologists, in a Samaritan Chronicle, and in the Chronicle of Aboulfatah (fourteenth century); the notices, however, are all legendary, and nothing of a really reliable character can be asserted of the man. That however he was not an unimportant personage is evidenced by the persistence of the sect of the Dositheans to the sixth century; Aboulfatah says even to the fourteenth. Both Dositheus and ‘Simon Magus’ were, according to tradition, followers of John the Baptist; they were, however, said to be inimical to Jesus. Dositheus is said to have claimed to be the promised prophet, ‘like unto Moses,’ and ‘Simon’ to have made a still higher claim. In fact, like so many others in those days, both were claimants to the Messiaship. The Dositheans followed a mode of life closely resembling that of the Essenes; they had also their own secret volumes, and apparently a not inconsiderable literature.  
Dositheus (Dousis, Dusis, or Dosthai) was apparently an Arab, and in Arabia, we have every reason to believe, there were many mystic communities allied to those of the Essenes and Therapeuts.” http://sacred-texts.com/gno/fff/fff20.htm  
¹² “Simon Magus (Greek Σίμων ὁ μάγος), also known as Simon the Sorcerer and Simon of Gitta, was a Samaritan proto-Gnostic and traditional founder of the Simonians in the first century A.D. He appeared prominently in several apocryphal and heresiological accounts of early Christian writers, who regarded him as the source of all heresies.  
Simon Magus has been portrayed as both student and teacher of Dositheus, with followers who revered him as the Great Power of God. There were accusations by Christians that he was a demon in human form, and he was specifically said to possess the ability to levitate and fly at will. The fantastic stories of Simon the Sorcerer persisted into the Middle Ages, becoming a possible inspiration for Goethe's Faust.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_Magus  
¹³ “Montanism was an early Christian movement of the early 2nd century A.D., named after its founder Montanus. It originated at Hierapolis where Papias was bishop and flourished throughout the region of Phrygia, leading to the movement being referred to as Cataphrygian (meaning it was ‘from Phrygia’). It spread rapidly to other regions in the Roman Empire at a time before Christianity was generally tolerated or legal. Although orthodox Nicene Christianity prevailed against Montanism within a few generations, labeling it a heresy, the sect persisted in some isolated places into the 8th century. Some people have drawn parallels between Montanism and modern Pentecostalism (which some call Neo-Montanism). The most widely known Montanist was undoubtedly Tertullian, who was the foremost Latin church writer before he converted to Montanism. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montanism

 
-20. And you have to you the anointing [המשיחה, HahMeSheeYHaH] [from [מאת, May’ayTh] the Holy [one], and all of you know.  

“The word [anointing] is not used in the N.T. outside the present chapter.” (Wilder, 1955, TIB p. XII 245)  
““The χρισμα, chrism, or ointment, here mentioned, is also an allusion to the holy anointing ointment prescribed by God himself, Exod. [Exodus] xxx. 23-25. which was composed of fine myrrh^14, sweet cinnamon, sweet calamus¹⁵ , cassia lignea^16, and olive oil.”  

¹⁴ “Myrrh is a reddish-brown resinous material, the dried sap of a number of trees, but primarily from Commiphora myrrha, native to Yemen, Somalia, the eastern parts of Ethiopia and Commiphora gileadensis, native to Jordan…. Myrrh was used as an embalming ointment and was used, up until about the 15th century, as a penitential incense in funerals and cremations. The "holy oil" traditionally used by the Eastern Orthodox Church for performing the sacraments of chrismation and unction is traditionally scented with myrrh…” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myrrh  
¹⁵ “Sweet Flag, also known as calamus and various rushes and sedges, (Acorus calamus) is a plant from the Acoraceae family, in the genus Acorus. It is a tall perennial wetland monocot with scented leaves and more strongly scented rhizomes, which have been used medicinally, for its odor, and as a psychotropic drug.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweet_Flag  
¹⁶ “The spice now known in pharmaceutical literature under the name of Cassia lignea has, from time immemorial, been an article of trade from South China. Flückiger and Hanbury are indeed of opinion that it was the cinnamon of the ancients, what now bears the name being peculiar to Ceylon and unnoticed as a product of the island till the thirteenth century. (‘Pharmacographia,’ pp. 520, 521.) Cinnamon and cassia are, however, enumerated amongst the products of the East from the earliest periods; and the former was known to the Arabians and Persians as Darchini (dar, wood or bark, and chini, Chinese). It seems in ancient times to have been carried by Chinese traders to the Malabar coast, where it passed into the commerce of the Red Sea. In this way the statements of Dioscorides, Ptolemy, and others, are accounted for, who speak of cinnamon as a product of Arabia and Eastern Africa, countries in which there is no reason to suppose it ever grew.” http://www.henriettesherbal.com/eclectic/journals/ajp1883/03-cassia-lign.html  

…
-22. Who is he, worder false, if not with [בלתי, BeeLTheeY] the denier [הכופר, HahKOPhayR] in thus, that YayShOo`ah, he is the anointed?
This is him, distressor [of] the anointed: the denier in father and in son.  

“… not the Jewish refusal to recognize Jesus as the messiah; this denial would hardly be made by members of the church… it is the denial that ‘Jesus Christ has come in the flesh’. … The Doscetists made a separation between the earthly Jesus and the heavenly Christ. These verses sound very harsh and dogmatic to us (and cf. 5:10, 12). As a matter of fact, the impulse of the writer was not that of an inflexible orthodoxy: it was an appeal to the abiding dynamic witness of the Spirit, which quickens and leads into all truth. This Spirit was indeed related inseparably to the old oral confessions of the church (cf. Acts 8:37, RSV mg [margin]), but these evidently were already taking various forms, and the meaning of the term Christ, for example, had changed markedly.” (Wilder, 1955, TIB pp. XII 246-247)  
“Some have supposed that an Ebionite denial of Jesus’ messiahship is all that is intended here (so Maurice Goguel). But the second part of the verse makes it likely that Docetic-Gnostic issues are involved.” (Wilder, 1955, TIB p. XII 271)  
“There were certain persons who, while they acknowledged Jesus to be a Divine Teacher, denied him to be the Christ, i.e. [in other words], the Messiah.  
“He is antichrist that denieth the Father and the Son.] He is antichrist who denies the supernatural and miraculous birth of Jesus Christ; who denies Jesus to be the Son of God; and who denies God to be the Father of the Lord Jesus: - thus he denies the Father and the Son. The Jews in general, and the Gnostics in particular, denied the miraculous conception of Jesus: with both he was accounted no more than a common man, the son of Joseph and Mary. But the Gnostics held that a divine person, ᴁon or angelical being, dwelt in him; but all things else relative to his miraculous generation and divinity they rejected. These were antichrist, who denied Jesus to be the Christ.” (Clarke, 1831, p. VI 866)  

...  

……………………………………………………….  
Children of Gods
[verses 28 to end of chapter]   An Amateur's Journey Through the Bible

So I know for an atom to be neutral it needs to have the same number of electrons as protons but when a neutron is in the same position are the elements automatically neutral because neutrons have no charge?

Hi there. I was going to take a drive over the look for it, but I thought I would ask first. There used to be a statue of Clark, York, and Someone else (don't remember who). I saw news articles online that it had been removed. Have they put it back yet? And if yes, are all 3 still there? Thanks in advance!

Captain Khan of the UNISG second task force leaned on a windowsill and sighed. In the building ahead, the large greyish white apartment block, their enemy laid low somewhere. The famed stalker Strelok, who had been assigned as Khan's bounty target by his employers. When UNISG, the original one led by Major Hernandez, was liquidated, to Khan's dismay they had uncovered very little actual information he needed. But Strelok? He had been an advisor for official Ukrainian state researchers, and if the stories were true, he knew more about it than anyone else. Capturing him would be a jackpot, and Khan desperately needed one. His unit was a mere shadow of its former self, the blasted Redeemed had killed so many of his men, even his second-in-command Clarke had died in those reed-covered swamps by the crimson-armoured bastards.
Not that Khan really cared. Only Clarke and Bauer had been long-time co-workers of his, pushing along the Belt and Road initiative in Central Asia and dealing with potential hiccups in a very subtle ways, or running heavy-handed security on the mines owned by their benefactors in Asia. But neither was someone he considered a friend, in this line of work such was rare, and Khan was here merely to make money. The rewards were astronomical, but trapped here in an empty city, their allies having abandoned them and no clear way out even if Strelok was caught, Khan was beginning to wonder if those rewards were worth all this.
His clients wanted to gather as much information of the Zone and possibly blackmail Ukrainian authorities into co-operation, but every passing day a successful mission seemed less likely. Still, Khan was not one to give in so easily, he would see the mission through out of sheer boneheaded determination. Growing up in the vast and harsh Mongol steppe had not made him a quitter, and he had earned the nickname Khan among his peers for a reason. Khan sighed as Sergeant Němec entered the room to inform him of the squad being ready. Nine men left alongside Khan. They would have to be enough, for he did not know if their mysterious allies would ever return. Taking his rifle, Khan followed his Czech sergeant downstairs to begin the mission of a lifetime.
Not far from the UNISG hideout, Redemption squad that had caused them so much harm was on the move. And while Khan was not aware of his survival, the greatest menace to UNISG so far marched on with them. Never in his, admittedly short life, had Dimka been anticipating a fight this much. All the feelings of being tricked, betrayed and used built up to a crescendo of wrath boiling inside him, and Dimka could feel himself bursting from seams. Finally, after all this hide and seek bullshit, Dimka would face Khan in battle and hopefully kill him, avenging his fallen comrades and perhaps allowing him to find some information that made him, Sevka and Maus free men once more. Yet now was not the time to get all giddy with excitement over it, getting to that point would require winning the battle rapidly drawing closer.
"Dimka, you alright? You look a bit, eh, anxious.", Sanyok asked, walking beside Dimka.
"Sorry, it's just... We are so close to getting some closure. It's been so long that I've held my breath, being sure I would never leave the Zone alive."
"Ah, makes sense. Reminds me of the battle against Sin at the Generators, so much at stake...", Sanyok reminisced.
"And I missed it because of some Sin fucker decided to smash my arm to pieces! Suka blyat!", Dimuha groaned.
"You did get to mastermind a jailbreak of a century afterwards. And shoot bandits, which is super fun.", Dima noted.
"Aye, giving Livid the good news was satisfying, but had I been there at War Lab, perhaps... Perhaps Micha would still be alive.", Dimuha sighed, and Dimka could feel a shift in the group's mood.
"No, you would not. None of us knew what would happen there, and we all knew Micha's fate could have been our own. Had you been in his stead, we would still be inside that spatial anomaly.", Boris explained, and Dimuha seemed to ponder on it for a second before hesitantly nodding.
"Past is not something to dwell on too much. Hindsight is a wonderful tool but also a trap of thoughts and hypotheticals.", Meeker chimed in, having marched in silence beforehand.
"Robot man is right. There's things I'd wish I had done differently, but ultimately there's little we can change. Sometimes the best we can do is take heed from those events.", Rogue remarked.
"Indeed. And make those responsible pay.", Boris muttered quietly.
They continued on in silence, the conversation having turned sour for many of the veterans of the northern campaign. Dimka took the chance a look around him more carefully now, given that this could be one his last days in the Zone. They were travelling down an overgrown road, building blocks reaching for the clouds around them. A couple vehicles had been abandoned by the roadwalks, including a bright yellow DU-47 paving machine. Weirdly enough, moss had began to grow on parts of it, even those seemingly completely metallic. The Zone's flora was a wonder in itself, and especially out here in the Pripyat it seemed to take bizarre forms. Dimka felt some sadness about leaving, this truly was the frontier he had always wanted to find. But he had duties elsewhere... Or at least, he thought he had. Perhaps they would turn him into a desk jockey after this epic of a failure, Dimka pondered.
The scenery changed to a small park. There was interesting, cacophonic statue standing on a yard of a tall and dilapidated building. It was made with the finest Soviet visual styles, meaning it was as blocky as a gopnik's Lada and almost as filled to the brim with depression and broken vodka bottles. Boris signaled for everyone to spread out, and Dimka joined Sevka and Meeker on the left flank. They moved quickly through the bushy area, passing by a couple blind dog corpses. The gunshot wounds on them indicated that either Strelok's entourage had finished them off or the uninvited guests had made their way here before Redemption. Thankfully the former turned out to be the case, as a man in Sunrise/exosuit hybrid waved his hand at them. Seeing Rogue and Stitch among the squad, the man breathed a sigh of relief.
"Thank the Zone, we thought you were goners. Quickly, come inside, Strelok is on the second floor.", the man said.
"We're not that easy to kill. Ran into a few hiccups on the way, that's all.", Rogue replied.
"Like locking yourself into a metal closet.", Dima mocked.
"Alright Kamaz, let the others in but keep this one out. He is a threat to our sanity above all else.", Rogue ordered, and the stalker acting as welcoming committee scoffed.
After some back and forth insults and jokes, the entire group, Dima included, made it inside. Boris ordered Dimuha, Dimka and Dima with him to Strelok's hideout. On the way, Dimka noted that the legendary stalker seemed to only have two men with him, the Kamaz fellow at the door and Yakut, a man in a SEVA suit, guarding another entry into the building. Strelok was not a fan of security, or just confident in his abilities, then, Dimka wondered. On the second floor, Boris led them into a room where Strelok was sitting on an antique, ruined sofa. Dimka was quite surprised at seeing the legend himself, the man was nothing extraordinary by the looks. In fact, had Dimka ran into him in the Big Land, he would've probably taken the man for some lowlife, given his scrawny appearance.
"Boris! I am glad to see you again. I heard Rogue and Stitch got here alright, yet the international agent problem persists?", Strelok asked.
"Indeed. And on top of that, there is a Secret Service force looking for us and them here in the city. Led by Degtyarev of all people.", Boris answered, and Strelok's expressionless face contorted.
"I see. I'm fairly certain he isn't here only because of the interlopers. He's here to bring me back to the Institute.", Strelok sighed.
"Care to elaborate? What beef do you have?", Dima questioned.
"I deserted my post there. Too much oversight yet too little reaction to when I notified the higher ups of alarming development. The complacency of Ukrainian Ministry of the Zone of Alienation is incredible, I warned them years ago that the source of emissions could be utilized as a weapon and they repeatedly denied funding to an expedition to find it. So I took matters to my own hands. I am sure Alexander would have approved personally, but he also has to fulfill his duties. Now, it seems that those duties have brought him to capture me.", Strelok explained.
"If so, you can trust on us to keep your back. I respect the Colonel, but you and I are stalkers while he is a jarhead.", Boris said in a solemn tone, but Dimka did wonder that part of this declaration had to also be related to the two UNISG fugitives within the ranks of Redemption.
"I thank you, Boris, you are as steadfast ally as ever. I hope it does not come to violence, but if we must face him in battle, then so be it. But now, let us prepare for those... UNISG, was it?", Strelok said, and they quickly formed a plan based on Dimka's insight of Khan's character, Strelok's knowledge of the surrounding terrain and Dimuha's battle instinct.
Twenty minutes later orders were barked and battle stations mounted, but just as they were rushing towards the battlefield, an announcement on PDA network made all of the group's devices beep. Pulling out his PDA, Dimka looked at the message and a picture next to it. The SSU cross clearly visible on it, the message ordered Redemption and Strelok's group to stand down as the building was surrounded. Dimka shot a glance outside, seeing men in dark blue Berill and Skat suits mount up weapon's nests and sniping spots.
"Chyort, they got here faster than expected!", Boris shouted in anger and frustration.
"There's a launcher on them, get down!", came a shout from Yakut downstairs.
"This is your last chance. Surrender now and you will face no charges of treason.", Colonel Degtyarev's voice rang in the cold morning air.
"Do we resist? What do we do now?", Sanyok asked.
"Hold the line. Strelok, get the hell out of here, he wants you captured, but we may be able to bargain with him. Rogue, Stitch, Kamaz and Yakut, cover his ass.", Boris ordered.
"But the place is surrounded!", Kamaz protested.
"Not the tunnels below. I used them once before, and I checked this place before. There is an access hatch here. Stalkers, on me, we'll flee for now. Boris, I cannot thank you enough.", Strelok said, gratitude strong in his voice, and Boris only nodded.
"What now?", Dimka queried, looking anxiously at the outside.
"Now, we go out there and convince him that it's not worth his while to be fighting us.", Boris said, grinning, and Dimka gulped.
"That's in-...", he started, but the exoskeleton frame of Boris had already disappeared through the door.
Dimka watched Boris walk over the courtyard. The SSU agents pointed their guns at him, but lowered them once the familiar helmetless Skat-wearing man stepped between them. Degtyarev looked at Boris disapprovingly, as the hiss of his exoskeleton servos and powerpack faded between the husks of buildings. Boris raised his hand as nonchalantly as possible, stopping on his tracks a couple metres from the line of various special operative weapons.
"Good morning, Colonel.", Boris greeted.
"I presume you've come to surrender.", the secret service agent said, raising his eyebrow.
"Not really. You see, we were sitting here, on a picnic, and then you decided to pop in and ruin the fun. How very rude.", Boris replied in a mockinly paternalistic tone.
"Cut the crap, Boris. You disobeyed my orders, breaking the agreement we made in Zaton. And now you're actively helping a fugitive. I know you and Strelok have history, but me taking him back to the Institute is for the best of us all.", Degtyarev said, infuriated.
"I broke the agreement? Colonel, we agreed to be allies. Then you spat on that by telling me that my men were no longer welcome, after we had fought and bled for your cause. We have been nothing but loyal this entire time, yet we are discarded us the second we had done our task.", Boris retaliated.
"It was becoming harder and harder to keep it under wraps, especially when I had to bail your man out from Zhurov's custody. He lost a lot of good men in Cordon, I was in boiling hot water afterwards. But you are right, I should have been less blunt about it. And I apologize. But I also know you are stalling. As a sign of goodwill, hand over Strelok and your men can return to Meadow unharmed.", Degtyarev proclaimed.
"No deal. Strelok himself told us that he was merely shackled by the Institute, not allowed to combat threats to the Zone and Ukraine due to big shots withdrawing funding. Yet ever since coming to the Zone, he has led an effective raid against the resurgent Monolith, blocked Sin's grand plan and is now allowing us to finally cut down UNISG by voluntarily acting as bait.", Boris countered, adding the last point as a little white lie.
"That may be true, but I have my orders, orders which I have had to bend far too much already. I'm sorry, but it has to be this way.", Degtyarev sighed.
"Then it must. Cut me down then, for I will not abandon my allies. Unlike you.", Boris spat, and he could see even Degtyarev's facade of calm splinter slightly as he flinched at the insult.
Boris held his breath, knowing that death was staring at him from the rifle barrels of Degtyarev's men. The colonel hesitated, torn between duty to the government and personal feelings towards the inhabitants of the Zone. It was as if he was reconsidering the entire fabric of his being, and what he had actually been sent to the Zone to do. Boris would never learn what his decision had been, as the rightmost SSU agent was struck by a bullet cracking his helmet open. Two grenades landed on the feet of the group, and Boris lunged onward by instinct, kicking one of them further away. The blast from the other one tossed him to the side, his Absolver armour sheltering him and the special forces operators from worst of the blast. They were disoriented and stunned by the explosion, however, and gunfire rained on them. Two more SSU agents died, when Boris began pushing them towards the building, out of the fire.
"It's UNISG, they found us!", Boris shouted over the fire as the six survivors of the ambush darted across the yard towards the building.
Sniper fire struck the ground around them, and finally the foes showed themselves. Two UNISG troopers from Khan's squad, clad in looted Monolith Nosorog armour, jerked upwards from a nearby basement and began advancing. Their movements betrayed inexperience with exoskeletons, moving too quick and risking injuries to themselves or others around them, but the venerable armours would still protect them greatly. Dimuha led a charge out of the building block to buy some time for the retreating SSU, Sanyok and Sevka blasting at the UNISG stormtroopers while Dimka, Dima and Meeker kept the heads of the snipers down. The Nosorog battleplates took a beating, but given that their armour was thicker than a renegade with brain damage, they continued on unhampered. One flicked the launcher sight on his rifle and took aim, Dimka realizing a second too late what he was attempting to do.
"Grenade, spread out!", he screamed, but just that second he saw one of the SSU agent's Skat armour take a direct hit.
Dustcloud settled over the entire yard, and gunfire continued. Through it, Boris emerged to the half-circle formed by Dimuha's trio, dragging Degtyarev behind him. Another SSU agent limped out of the blast zone as well, holding a butchered but alive operator alift. Rest of the UNISG force had appeared, and they now pushed over the yard. Dimuha's armour took a hit, yet he soldiered on despite a broken rib and kept shooting at the advancing Nosorog pair. One of his shots lodged itself between the ceramic plates, keeping enough momentum to break through and strike the man's heart. Sergeant Němec breathed his last sigh and fell down.
"Fall back inside, we can't fight them in the open at this state!", Boris ordered as Degtyarev started to come back to his senses.
"We were fools, letting ourselves get ambushed like this.", the colonel muttered.
"Well you are special forces, alright.", Dimuha growled and shot his last burst as the machine gun ran dry.
They stumbled inside, where Meeker took the wounded SSU trooper further in for emergency treatment. Seeing the ex-Monolithian after such a long time, Degtyarev gave him a slight nod and Meeker smiled faintly. The others took positions on the windows, trying to remain in cover while the building was peppered by bullets. Dimka tried to spot Khan among the attackers, but the swarm of angry lead mosquitoes made it difficult. The lone Nosorog trooper lumbered on, struggling to control the suit. Boris told Dimka to focus on him with the Vykhlop, given that it had the best chance of punching through, while the others kept pressure on the other infiltrators zigzagging between cover towards the defences.
Dimka did as ordered, waiting for the agent to make a mistake. He was clever about using cover, only exposing himself for a brief second, but his inexperience with the large machine wrapped around him showed. When darting between a broken car and the corner of commieblock, his exoskeleton shot upwards with too much force. Shocked momentarily by the strength of the machine, this second of confusion gave Dimka enough time to center the scope. Aiming between the breastplate and Spartan helmet, Dimka squeezed the trigger and felt the kick of his rifle. Blood spurted from the wound, and the man slouched down like a powerless automaton. Yelling triumphantly, Dimka cycled the bolt of his rifle and took another target. With the armoured spearhead of UNISG broken, their attack slowed down, giving the initiative to Redemption.
"Target left, Dima and Sanyok, hose it down. Dimuha, Sevka and Degtyarev, on me, let's counter-attack!", Boris shouted.
"Since when are you ordering SSU officers around, stalker?", the lone surviving SSU trooper asked angrily.
"Since when my men did not run into an ambush and require the assistance of the men they were supposed to arrest.", Boris retorted and Degtyarev groaned.
"We wouldn't be in this situation if you had surrendered.", Degtyarev commented.
"Or if you had allowed us to ambush the UNISG.", Dima replied.
"Shut the hell up, all of you, and let's drive the fuckers back.", Dimuha ordered in turn, and this time everyone shot back into attention, realizing the folly of bickering in the middle of a battle.
Boris' Absolver ran through the dust and smoke, followed by Degtyarev, Sevka and Dimuha coming out of the building guns blazing. Dimka managed to squeeze a shot between car windows into the shoulder of a UNISG rifleman, killing him on the spot. The shoe was in the other foot now, with three heavily armoured stalkers bearing down on the internationals' force, Sevka giving fire support behind the spearhead. Three UN troopers keeled over after a sustained barrage of sniper and shotgun fire, all the while Boris and Dimuha suppressed the others with their machine guns. Degtyarev was not idle either, having used the suppression to flank around using the dense bushes. He was now at the same monument Dimka had admired earlier, and his Abakan racked up a tally of two more spies when he sprung the trap. These two had been hiding behind a rusting hulk of a ZAZ car, when two bursts from the odd rifle struck them down. That was when a pack of blind dogs and pseudodogs burst from the foliage, attacking Boris' group. They had to redirect their fire towards the mutants, with Dima and Sanyok opening up on the last hideout of the remnants of UNISG.
Now, the last two UNISG troopers were visibly panicking. Having expected to smash the defenders in a calculated ambush, they had missed the Redemption squad in the building and paid for it. They took off in a desperate last ditch attempt to escape. Dimka was watching them through his scope, angling for a shot yet failing to get a proper view of them through all the junk and flora dotting the field ahead. He was sure Khan wasn't dead yet, and seeing the battle draw to a close, the hotheaded part of him let loose. Anger gripping him, he left the Vykhlop on the windowsill, grabbed his handguns and stormed out with vengeance on his mind. Dima yelled after him but Dimka was already far ahead, racing across the asphalt to be the one to strike the final blow. Memories of the betrayal, his dead comrades, the framing of his allies as traitors and the attack on the checkpoint in Jupiter flooded to his mind and quickened his pace. Gripping the guns, he made it past Boris, Dimuha and Degtyarev who were still fighting the mutants.
"What the hell are you doing?", Boris shouted to him.
"Getting my payback.", Dimka replied quickly and continued.
He heard Boris shout something more, but more gunshots masked the order. Dimka continued, unwilling to let his most hated adversary escape. The two survivors were running ahead, towards the grocery store, when Dimka opened fire. He was using both guns simultaneously, so the fire was as accurate as that of a drunk bandit, but using the time old classic tactic of "throw enough shit at the wall and some of it will stick", he managed to cut down one of the UNISG troopers. Bullet hole in his back, the man fell down face first like a ragdoll. The last survivor made it inside, jumping over the makeshift barricade and forcing the wooden doors open.
Dimka was hot on the man's heels, and soon stepped inside as well. Turning on his night-vision in the dark corridor, he found the store to be a mess of doors and small rooms. A proper labyrinth. He continued down the corridor, guns trained on any possible ambush location. But the further he went, the more nerve-wracking the experience became. He saw no sign of his enemy, yet every shadow, every dark corner, seemed to hide him. Then, crossing one corridor, three shots rang out and Dimka felt sharp pain surge into his brain like a sledgehammer striking it from the inside. Dimka dropped to his knees, blood flowing down his leg. Khan stepped through the door, where three bullet holes had now appeared on the old wood.
"Torodov? You traitorous bastard, you're helping the enemy?", Khan said in an astonished tone.
"You would know traitors, you lapdog. The blood of my comrades is in your hands.", Dimka growled.
"So? You're soldiers, we're soldiers, our task is to kill one another by any means necessary. You got bested, and now the last of your company of idiots will die.", Khan replied calmly.
"Wrong.", someone else said, and a shotgun blast struck Khan in the centre of his torso, tossing him against the wall.
Sevka stepped out into the corridor and saw Khan attempt to reach for a sidearm despite his grievous wounds. Dimka, wounded and bleeding yet still sound of mind, fired him in the limb. Khan screamed in pain and let go of the pistol.
"It's your company that meets its end here.", Sevka said, and raised the shotgun.
"Perhaps... But... We are not the only ones after Strelok. You'll... see.", Khan replied, barely able to speak due to the agony of his wounds.
Dimka had had enough, and his revolver fired once more. The last of UNISG infiltrators died with a simple sigh and .45 ACP bullet in his skull. Major Hernandez's men, the original unit of Dimka and Sevka, had been avenged. Sevka stepped next to his friend, stuck a stimpack into his arm and bandaged his wound. Once colour began returning to the Bulgarian stalker's cheeks, Sevka sighed and reprimanded his comrade.
"I thought you learned from that scuffle with Skull that rushing off alone gets you killed."
"I'm a slow learner, alright?", Dimka argued, grinning.
"That much is clear. Now, let's check his pockets for our "get out of jail free" card.", Sevka proposed, and Dimka nodded.
They went through Khan's belongings, checking through the various pockets of his Mk. II suit. There was little to find there, but in his backbag, there was a document detailing some of the mission parametres set by Khan's employers. The liquidation of original UNISG was mentioned among them, and Dimka also pocketed the encrypted PDA of the traitor, hoping that Maus could decrypt it.
"That alone should help, but this here might be a jackpot. Alright, Mr. De Luca, seems like we're off the hook now.", Dimka commented, shaking the PDA.
"Let's hope so. But what do you think Khan meant when he said there are others looking for Strelok?", Sevka asked.
"Those men in black suits perhaps? I wouldn't worry, they ran with their tails between their legs when we stormed the hideout yesterday.", Dimka scoffed.
Sevka nodded hesitantly, looking at the dead captain laying on the floor. Yet Dimka's comment was quickly revealed to be dead wrong, when the sound of a helicopter engine echoed through out the city. Outside, Boris and Degtyarev raised their eyes towards the sky, and the black helicopter they had seen leave before now approached yet again.

Hey again, it's me, the guy who did that big poll 2 weeks back. I finally stopped procrastinating and compiled the results here (I meant to post this like a week ago, when the responses slowed down).
Anyway, thanks for the support on this! I got 90 responses, and the poll did much better than I thought it would. Here's the results:
(Below, the text in bold are the results, and the normal text are my comments. All percentages are calculated without the "Haven't watched" responses included, while the haven't watched percentages themselves are calculated with all votes counted. Remember that every question was required, so all questions had 90-91 votes). Hopefully my explanation isn't too terrible. If a percentage has a tilde (~) in front of it, the percent was rounded up to the nearest tenth.
​
John Lennon vs. Bill O'Reilly

• - John Lennon: 45 votes (62.5%)
• - Bill O'Reilly: 27 votes (37.5%)
• - Total: 72 votes
• - Haven't watched: 18 votes (20%)

Darth Vader vs. Adolf Hitler

• - Darth Vader: 57 votes (~64%)
• - Adolf Hitler: 32 votes (~36%)
• - Total: 89 votes
• - Haven't watched: 1 vote (1.1%)

Only one person said they didn't watch it. I checked the responses and the person who said that responded HW for 50% of the battles, so that's why. Not calling them out or anything, just thought you might be wondering
Abe Lincoln vs. Chuck Norris

• - Abe Lincoln: 57 votes (~71.9%)
• - Chuck fucking Norris: 32 votes (~28.1%)
• - Total: 82 votes
• - Haven't watched: 8 votes (8.9%)

Sarah Palin vs. Lady Gaga

• - Sarah Palin: 8 votes (~10.9%)
• - Lady Gaga: 66 votes (~89.1%)
• - Total: 74 votes
• - Haven't watched: 16 votes (17.8%)

Hulk Hogan and Macho Man vs. Kim Jong-Il

• - HH + MM: 62 votes (~79.5%)
• - Kim Jong-Il: 16 votes (~20.5%)
• - Total: 78 votes
• - Haven't watched: 12 votes (13.3%)

Justin Bieber vs. Beethoven:

• - Justin Bieber: 2 votes (~2.4%)
• - Beethoven: 81 votes (~97.6%)
• - Total: 83 votes
• - Haven't watched: 7 votes (7.8%)

With a percentage of 97.6%, Beethoven has the biggest slam dunk out of every battle on this list.
Albert Einstein vs. Stephen Hawking

• - Albert Einstein: 40 votes (~46.5%)
• - Stephen Hawking: 46 votes (~53.5%)
• - Total: 86 votes
• - Haven't watched: 4 votes (4.4%)

Genghis Khan vs. Easter Bunny

• - Genghis Khan: 55 votes (~69.6%)
• - Easter Bunny: 24 votes (~30.4%)
• - Total: 79 votes
• - Haven't watched: 11 votes (4.4%)

Napoleon vs. Napoleon

• - Bonaparte: 64 votes (80%)
• - Dynamite: 16 votes (20%)
• - Total: 80 votes
• - Haven't watched: 10 votes (11.1%)

Okay so at this point someone decided to submit a vote, so the results above are off by one vote. I'm not wasting my time changing it.
Billy Mays vs. Ben Franklin

• - Billy Mays: 13 votes (~15.9%)
• - Ben Franklin: 31 votes (~37.8%)
• - Vince Offer: 38 votes (~46.3%)
• - Total: 82 votes
• - Haven't watched: 9 votes (9.9%)

Gandalf vs. Dumbledore

• - Gandalf: 24 votes (~35.8%)
• - Dumbledore: 43 votes (~64.2%)
• - Total: 67 votes
• - Haven't watched: 24 votes (26.4%)

I believe this is the least watched battle. Apparently, more than 1/4 of this subreddit has not watched this battle
Dr. Seuss vs. Shakespeare

• - Dr. Seuss, Cat in the Hat, Thing 1 and 2: 12 votes (~13.8%)
• - Shakespeare: 75 votes (~86.2%)
• - Total: 87 votes
• - Haven't watched: 4 votes (4.4%)

I'm assuming that Thing 1 and 2 drag down the team a lot.
Mr. T vs. Mr. Rogers

• - Mr. T: 8 votes (~9.9%)
• - Mr. Rogers: 73 votes (~90.1%)
• - Total: 81 votes
• - Haven't watched: 10 votes (11%)

Christopher Columbus vs. Captain Kirk

• - Christopher Columbus: 31 votes (~39.2%)
• - Captain Kirk: 48 votes (~60.8%)
• - Total: 79 votes
• - Haven't watched: 12 votes (13.2%)

NicePeter vs. EpicLLOYD

• - Nice Peter: 27 votes (~38%)
• - EpicLLOYD: 44 votes (~62%)
• - Total: 71 votes
• - Haven't watched: 20 votes (22%)

Hitler vs. Vader 2

• - Hitler: 63 votes (~70.8%)
• - Vader: 48 votes (~29.2%)
• - Total: 89 votes
• - Haven't watched: 2 votes (2.2%)

Master Chief vs. Leonidas

• - Master Chief: 59 votes (~75.6%)
• - Leonidas: 48 votes (~24.4%)
• - Total: 78 votes
• - Haven't watched: 13 votes (14.3%)

Mario Bros vs. Wright Bros

• - Mario Bros: 27 votes (~31.8%)
• - Wright Bros: 58 votes (~68.2%)
• - Total: 85 votes
• - Haven't watched: 6 votes (6.6%)

Michael Jackson vs. Elvis Presley

• - Michael Jackson: 54 votes (~61.4%)
• - Elvis Presley: 34 votes (~38.6%)
• - Total: 88 votes
• - Haven't watched: 3 votes (3.3%)

Cleopatra vs. Marilyn Monroe

• - Cleopatra: 76 votes (~92.7%)
• - Marilyn Monroe: 9 votes (~7.3%)
• - Total: 85 votes
• - Haven't watched: 6 votes (6.6%)

Steve Jobs vs. Bill Gates

• - Steve Jobs: 30 votes (~33.7%)
• - Bill Gates: 36 votes (~40.4%)
• - HAL 9000: 23 votes (~25.9%)
• - Total: 89 votes
• - Haven't watched: 2 votes (2.2%)

This is the most balanced 1v1+1 battle. Kind of surprised that HAL got so many votes, I initially believed that people didn't like that part of the battle.
Frank Sinatra vs. Freddie Mercury

• - Frank Sinatra: 13 votes (~15.3%)
• - Freddie Mercury: 72 votes (~64.7%)
• - Total: 85 votes
• - Haven't watched: 6 votes (6.6%)

Barack Obama vs. Mitt Romney

• - Barack Obama: 84 votes (~92.3%)
• - Mitt Romney: 7 votes (~7.7%)
• - Total: 91 votes
• - Haven't watched: 0 votes (0%)

This is the only battle in which everyone stated they had watched it. Makes sense, it is ERB's most viewed video
Doc Brown vs. Doctor Who

• - Doc Brown: 26 votes (~33.8%)
• - The Doctor(s): 51 votes (~66.2%)
• - Total: 77 votes
• - Haven't watched: 14 votes (15.4%)

Bruce Lee vs. Clint Eastwood

• - Bruce Lee: 9 votes (~11%)
• - Clint Eastwood: 73 votes (~89%)
• - Total: 82 votes
• - Haven't watched: 9 votes (9.9%)

Batman vs. Sherlock Holmes

• - Batman + Robin: 6 votes (~6.9%)
• - Sherlock + Watson: 73 votes (~93.1%)
• - Total: 87 votes
• - Haven't watched: 7 votes (7.7%)

I bet Robin would've done better if he were a standalone option.
Moses vs. Santa Claus

• - Moses: 67 votes (~81.7%)
• - Santa Claus: 15 votes (~18.3%)
• - Total: 82 votes
• - Haven't watched: 9 votes (9.9%)

Adam vs. Eve

• - Adam: 25 votes (~34.7%)
• - Eve: 47 votes (~65.3%)
• - Total: 72 votes
• - Haven't watched: 19 votes (20.9%)

Gandhi vs. Martin Luther King Jr

• - Gandhi: 51 votes (~58.6%)
• - Martin Luther King Jr: 36 votes (~41.4%)
• - Total: 87 votes
• - Haven't watched: 4 votes (4.4%)

Nikola Tesla vs. Thomas Edison

• - Nikola Tesla: 69 votes (~83.1%)
• - Thomas Edison: 14 votes (~16.9%)
• - Total: 83 votes
• - Haven't watched: 8 votes (8.8%)

Babe Ruth vs. Lance Armstrong

• - Babe Ruth: 78 votes (~94%)
• - Lance Armstrong: 5 votes (~6%)
• - Total: 83 votes
• - Haven't watched: 8 votes (8.8%)

Mozart vs. Skrillex

• - Mozart: 71 votes (~80.7%)
• - Skrillex: 17 votes (~19.3%)
• - Total: 88 votes
• - Haven't watched: 3 votes (3.3%)

Rasputin vs. Stalin

• - Rasputin: 1 vote (~1.1%)
• - Stalin: 12 votes (~13.5%)
• - Lenin: 30 votes (~33.7%)
• - Gorbachev: 39 votes (~43.8%)
• - Putin: 7 votes (~7.9%)
• - Total: 89 votes
• - Haven't watched: 2 votes (2.2%)

This one. Actually suprised to see Lenin so high, I've never really seen anyone talk about his verse.
Hitler vs. Vader 3

• - Darth Vader + Boba Fett: 80 votes (~90.9%)
• - Adolf Hitler: 8 votes (~9.1%)
• - Total: 88 votes
• - Haven't watched: 3 votes (3.3%)

With the trilogy complete, Darth Vader wins best of three 2-1.
Blackbeard vs. Al Capone

• - Blackbeard: 20 votes (~24.7%)
• - Al Capone: 61 votes (~75.3%)
• - Total: 81 votes
• - Haven't watched: 10 votes (11%)

Miley Cyrus vs. Joan of Arc

• - Miley Cyrus: 6 votes (8%)
• - Joan of Arc: 69 votes (92%)
• - Total: 75 votes
• - Haven't watched: 16 votes (17.6%)

Bob Ross vs. Pablo Picasso

• - Bob Ross: 54 votes (~65.8%)
• - Pablo Picasso: 28 votes (~34.2%)
• - Total: 82 votes
• - Haven't watched: 9 votes (9.9%)

Michael Jordan vs. Muhammed Ali

• - Michael Jordan: 24 votes (~29.6%)
• - Muhammed Ali: 57 votes (~70.4%)
• - Total: 81 votes
• - Haven't watched: 10 votes (11%)

Donald Trump vs. Ebeneezer Scrooge

• - Donald Trump: 2 votes (~2.5%)
• - Ebeneezer Scrooge: 57 votes (~26.6%)
• - J.P Morgan: 32 votes (~40.5%)
• - Kanye West: 9 votes (~11.4%)
• - Death: 15 votes (~19%)
• - Total: 79 votes
• - Haven't watched: 12 votes (13.2%)

This one is weird. Meta-battles cause problems for polls because, well, do you need a winner for a story? I considered leaving this one out, and I also considered all the ghosts being put on one team, but I really just see these results as "Who had the best verse?", over who won the battle.
Rick Grimes vs. Walter White

• - Rick Grimes: 9 votes (~10.3%)
• - Pablo Picasso: 57 votes (~89.7%)
• - Total: 87 votes
• - Haven't watched: 4 votes (4.4%)

Goku vs. Superman

• - Goku: 67 votes (~81.7%)
• - Superman: 15 votes (~18.3%)
• - Total: 82 votes
• - Haven't watched: 9 votes (4.4%)

Stephen King vs. Edgar Allen Poe

• - Stephen King: 58 votes (~69.9%)
• - Edgar Allen Poe: 25 votes (~30.1%)
• - Total: 83 votes
• - Haven't watched: 8 votes (8.8%)

Sir Isaac Newton vs. Bill Nye

• - Sir Isaac Newton: 67 votes (~75.3%)
• - Bill Nye + Neil DeGrasse Tyson: 22 votes (~24.7%)
• - Total: 89 votes
• - Haven't watched: 2 votes (2.2%)

George Washington vs. William Wallace

• - George Washington: 29 votes (~36.7%)
• - William Wallace: 50 votes (~63.3%)
• - Total: 79 votes
• - Haven't watched: 12 votes (13.2%)

Artists vs. TMNT

• - Artists: 78 votes (~91.8%)
• - TMNT: 7 votes (~8.2%)
• - Total: 85 votes
• - Haven't watched: 6 votes (6.6%)

Ghostbusters vs. Mythbusters

• - Ghostbusters: 18 votes (~22%)
• - Mythbusters + B-Team: 47 votes (~57.3%)
• - Stay Puft Marshmellow Man: 17 votes (~20.7%)
• - Total: 82 votes
• - Haven't watched: 9 votes (9.9%)

Romeo and Juliet vs. Bonnie and Clyde

• - Romeo and Juliet: 61 votes (~72.6%)
• - Bonnie and Clyde: 23 votes (~27.4%)
• - Total: 84 votes
• - Haven't watched: 7 votes (7.7%)

Zeus vs. Thor

• - Zeus: 7 votes (~9.7%)
• - Thor: 65 votes (~90.3%)
• - Total: 72 votes
• - Haven't watched: 19 votes (20.9%)

Jack the Ripper vs. Hannibal Lecter

• - Jack the Ripper: 14 votes (~16.3%)
• - Hannibal Lecter: 72 votes (~83.7%)
• - Total: 86 votes
• - Haven't watched: 5 votes (5.5%)

Oprah Winfrey vs. Ellen DeGeneres

• - Oprah Winfrey: 55 votes (~78.6%)
• - Ellen DeGeneres: 15 votes (~21.4%)
• - Total: 70 votes
• - Haven't watched: 21 votes (23.1%)

Steven Spielberg vs. Alfred Hitchcock

• - Steven Spielberg: 4 votes (~4.8%)
• - Alfred Hitchcock: 15 votes (~17.9%)
• - Quentin Tarantino: 37 votes (~44%)
• - Stanley Kubrick: 9 votes (~10.7%)
• - Michael Bay: 19 votes (~22.6%)
• - Total: 84 votes
• - Haven't watched: 7 votes (7.7%)

Lewis and Clark vs. Bill and Ted

• - Lewis and Clark: 47 votes (~65.3%)
• - Bill and Ted: 25 votes (~34.7%)
• - Total: 72 votes
• - Haven't watched: 19 votes (20.9%)

David Copperfield vs. Harry Houdini

• - David Copperfield: 36 votes (~51.4%)
• - Harry Houdini: 34 votes (~48.6%)
• - Total: 70 votes
• - Haven't watched: 21 votes (23.1%)

I'm not sure, but I'm pretty sure this is the most balanced battle. Nvm, there's a closer one.
Terminator vs. Robocop

• - Terminator: 56 votes (70%)
• - RoboCop: 24 votes (30%)
• - Total: 80 votes
• - Haven't watched: 11 votes (12.1%)

Alright, we're moving onto East vs. West Philosophers. In the poll, I split it into two categories: teams and individual.
Eastern Philosophers vs. Western Philosophers (Team)

• - Eastern Philosophers: 41 votes (~47.1%)
• - Western Philosophers: 46 votes (~52.9%)
• - Total: 87 votes
• - Haven't watched: 4 votes (4.4%)

Eastern Philosophers vs. Western Philosophers (Solo)

• - Nietzsche: 25 votes (~29.1%)
• - Socrates: 11 votes (~12.8%)
• - Voltaire: 15 votes (~17.4%)
• - Lao Tzu: 1 votes (~1.2%)
• - Sun Tzu: 11 votes (~12.8%)
• - Confucius: 23 votes (~26.7)
• - Total: 86 votes
• - Haven't watched: 5 votes (5.5%)

So yeah, the Western Philosophers barely scrape the win both times. Also, an attentive reader will notice that the first part has 4 "Haven't watched" votes, while the other one has 5. Someone did the poll wrong.
Shaka Zulu vs. Julius Caesar

• - Shaka Zulu: 8 votes (~9.6%)
• - Julius Caesar: 75 votes (~90.4%)
• - Total: 83 votes
• - Haven't watched: 8 votes (8.8%)

Jim Henson vs. Stan Lee

• - Jim Henson (and Kermit): 14 votes (~16.9%)
• - Stan Lee: 21 votes (~25.3%)
• - Walt Disney: 50 votes (~57.8%)
• - Total: 85 votes
• - Haven't watched: 5* (6) votes (5.6%* (6.6%))

You might have noticed the weird haven't watched thing. It turns out, I accidentally left that question unrequired, so someone skipped the question, leaving it with only 90 responses. Due to the fact someone skipped, I assume they haven't watched.
Deadpool vs. Boba Fett

• - Deadpool: 40 votes (~47.6%)
• - Boba Fett: 44 votes (~52.4%)
• - Total: 84 votes
• - Haven't watched: 7 votes (7.7%)

J. R. R. Tolkien vs. George R. R. Martin

• - J. R. R. Tolkien: 70 votes (~85.4%)
• - George R. R. Martin: 12 votes (~14.6%)
• - Total: 82 votes
• - Haven't watched: 9 votes (9.9%)

Gordon Ramsey vs. Julia Child

• - Gordon Ramsey: 44 votes (~51.2%)
• - Julia Child: 42 votes (~48.8%)
• - Total: 86 votes
• - Haven't watched: 5 votes (5.5%)

Frederick Douglass vs. Thomas Jefferson

• - Frederick Douglass: 66 votes (~81.5%)
• - Thomas Jefferson: 15 votes (~18.5%)
• - Total: 81 votes
• - Haven't watched: 10 votes (11%)

James Bond vs. Austin Powers

• - James Bond (Daniel Craig): 26 votes (~30.2%)
• - Austin Powers: 41 votes (~46.5%)
• - James Bond (Sean Connery): 20 votes (~23.3%)
• - Total: 86 votes
• - Haven't watched: 4 votes (4.4%)

Bruce Banner vs. Bruce Jenner

• - Bruce BanneThe Hulk: 62 votes (~86.1%)
• - Bruce/Caitlyn Jenner: 10 votes (~13.9%)
• - Total: 72 votes
• - Haven't watched: 19 votes (20.9%)

Alexander the Great vs. Ivan the Terrible

• - Alexander the Great: 22 votes (25%)
• - Ivan the Terrible: 3 votes (~3.4%)
• - Frederick the Great: 36 votes (~40.9%)
• - Pompey the Great: 11 votes (12.5%)
• - Catherine the Great: 16 votes (~18.2%)
• - Total: 88 votes
• - Haven't watched: 3 votes (20.9%)

Well, let's talk about Pompey. At the start, Pompey was leading the poll, however people seemed to vote normally after that. I have my reasons for including him (aka it was funny), though you might disagree and that's totally fine. I would probably upset more people if I excluded him in any case.
Donald Trump vs. Hillary Clinton

• - Donald Trump: 74 votes (~82.2%)
• - Hillary Clinton: 16 votes (~17.8%)
• - Total: 90 votes
• - Haven't watched: 1 votes (1.1%)

Ash Ketchum vs. Charles Darwin

• - Ash Ketchum: 33 votes (~38.8%)
• - Charles Darwin: 52 votes (~61.2%)
• - Total: 85 votes
• - Haven't watched: 6 votes (6.6%)

Wonder Woman vs. Stevie Wonder

• - Wonder Woman: 6 votes (~7.1%)
• - Stevie Wonder: 78 votes (~92.9%)
• - Total: 84 votes
• - Haven't watched: 7 votes (7.7%)

Tony Hawk vs. Wayne Gretsky

• - Tony Hawk: 10 votes (~12%)
• - Wayne Gretsky: 73 votes (~88%)
• - Total: 83 votes
• - Haven't watched: 8 votes (8.8%)

Theodore Roosevelt vs. Winston Churchill

• - Theodore Roosevelt: 75 votes (~84.3%)
• - Winston Churchill: 14 votes (~15.7%)
• - Total: 89 votes
• - Haven't watched: 2 votes (2.2%)

Nice Peter vs. EpicLLOYD 2

• - Nice Peter: 19 votes (~26.4%)
• - EpicLLOYD: 53 votes (~73.6%)
• - Total: 72 votes
• - Haven't watched: 19 votes (20.9%)

This means that EpicLLOYD has won both times.
Elon Musk vs. Mark Zuckerberg

• - Elon Musk: 35 votes (~41.7%)
• - Mark Zuckerberg: 49 votes (~58.3%)
• - Total: 84 votes
• - Haven't watched: 7 votes (7.7%)

Freddy Krueger vs. Wolverine

• - Freddy Krueger: 5 votes (~6.8%)
• - Wolverine: 69 votes (~93.2%)
• - Total: 74 votes
• - Haven't watched: 17 votes (18.7%)

Guy Fawkes vs. Che Guevara

• - Guy Fawkes: 43 votes (~51.8%)
• - Che Guevara: 40 votes (~48.2%)
• - Total: 83 votes
• - Haven't watched: 8 votes (8.8%)

Ronald McDonald vs. The Burger King

• - Ronald McDonald: 18 votes (~21.2%)
• - The Burger King: 43 votes (~50.6%)
• - Wendy: 24 votes (~28.2%)
• - Total: 85 votes

- Haven't watched: 6 votes (6.6%)
George Carlin vs. Richard Pryor

• - George Carlin: 4 votes (~5.2%)
• - Richard Pryor: 2 votes (~2.6%)
• - Bill Cosby: 5 votes (~6.5%)
• - Joan Rivers: 37 votes (~48.1%)
• - Robin Williams: 29 votes (~37.6%)
• - Total: 77 votes
• - Haven't watched: 14 votes (15.4%)

Once again, I included Bill Cosby for the same reason as Pompey. Cosby did better than 2 people, but none of them did very well anyway. This battle was mostly in contention between Rivers and Williams
Jacques Cousteau vs. Steve Irwin

• - Jacques Cousteau: 14 votes (~17.1%)
• - Steve Irwin: 68 votes (~82.9%)
• - Total: 82 votes
• - Haven't watched: 9 votes (9.9%)

Mother Teresa vs. Sigmund Freud

• - Mother Teresa: 18 votes (~21.2%)
• - Sigmund Freud: 67 votes (~78.8%)
• - Total: 85 votes
• - Haven't watched: 6 votes (6.6%)

Vlad the Impaler vs. Count Dracula

• - Vlad the Impaler: 66 votes (~85.7%)
• - Count Dracula: 11 votes (~14.3%)
• - Total: 77 votes
• - Haven't watched: 14 votes (15.4%)

The Joker vs. Pennywise

• - The Joker: 58 votes (~68.2%)
• - Pennywise: 27 votes (~31.8%)
• - Total: 85 votes
• - Haven't watched: 6 votes (6.6%)

Thanos vs. J. Robert Oppenheimer

• - Thanos: 6 votes (~6.4%)
• - J. Robert Oppenheimer: 83 votes (~93.6%)
• - Total: 89 votes
• - Haven't watched: 2 votes (2.2%)

Donald Trump vs. Joe Biden

• - Donald Trump: 14 votes (~15.9%)
• - Joe Biden: 74 votes (~84.1%)
• - Total: 88 votes
• - Haven't watched: 3 votes (3.3%)

With that, all 3 election battles had the "winner" be the actual winner of the election. Curious.
Harry Potter vs. Luke Skywalker

• - Harry Potter: 39 votes (~45.9%)
• - Luke Skywalker: 46 votes (~54.1%)
• - Total: 85 votes
• - Haven't watched: 6 votes (6.6%)

Ragnar Lodbrok vs. Richard the Lionheart

• - Ragnar Lodbrok: 52 votes (~73.2%)
• - Richard the Lionheart: 19 votes (~26.8%)
• - Total: 71 votes
• - Haven't watched: 20 votes (22%)

Jeff Bezos vs. Mansa Musa

• - Jeff Bezos: 4 votes (~4.8%)
• - Mansa Musa: 80 votes (~95.2%)
• - Total: 84 votes
• - Haven't watched: 7 votes (7.7%)

John Wick vs. John Rambo vs. John McClane

• - John Wick: 43 votes (~51.2%)
• - John Rambo: 4 votes (~4.8%)
• - John McClane: 37 votes (~44%)
• - Total: 84 votes
• - Haven't watched: 7 votes (7.7%)

Lara Croft vs. Indiana Jones

• - Lara Croft: 51 votes (60%)
• - Indiana Jones: 34 votes (40%)
• - Total: 85 votes
• - Haven't watched: 6 votes (6.6%)

And that's it. If you made it down here, congrats, you just absorbed a bunch of useless info. Thank you for taking the time to read. I might do something like this again in the future, with opinions on things other than the winners of the battles (things like best battle, season, rapper). But not for a while, considering how long it took to compile this data. Anyways, that's my time, gotta set myself free.

Not sure if there’s a live show tonight but I’d love to hear the gang discuss McIlroy adopting the Spieth approach.
Lewis and Clark out there charting undiscovered shots around the Memorial.