With Love We Can Be Human By James
Disclaimer
This is a story which deals with sexual/romantic situations between teenaged males. Should you not be of the legal age to read such material, or if you're offended, then please find something else to read. I can be reached at jamesheady1985@gmail.com for those who would like to discuss anything related to the story. Finally, please remember to donate to Nifty, as it keeps these stories and related materials free to the public.
With Love We Can Be Human
Forward
The following technological devices used in the final scenes of this chapter are of my own invention and imagination. I know of no such neurological devices, and a part of me hopes that nothing like this ever is created, but if it were to be then an even darker part of me wouldn't mind seeing them used on child-abusing scumbags like the two featured in this chapter. You guys should recognize the two abusers in this chapter from Chapters One and Three of this story. All that being said, enjoy.
Chapter 22
Todor
I looked in shock at the man who watched me as if registering the shock which was quickly turning to fear. I started to write a note when he began speaking.
"What if I was to tell you that we've started scoping out Michael's little love nest where you and your little boy toy are staying?" he began. "What if I was to also tell you that we started doing this earlier this week, and in our watching of the house, we saw someone looking similar to Torey Jacobson getting out of a car and go in to the house. Then maybe my partner and I hacked in to the records of that place, and we might have found that he's been living there for quite a while now. We hadn't quite finished with getting that fag straightened out yet."
"Fuck you!" Misho yelled at him.
I put a hand on his shoulder hoping that would get him to stop. I was truly afraid now; if what this Bastard was saying was true, then we all had been watched in general and Torey in particular. Also if it was true, then all of us, Torey included were in serious danger. I knew enough of Torey's situation and had heard Steve and Greg's names mentioned, and I was starting to get even more scared that these were the guys, and that they found Torey after all this time. I wanted to be out of that situation, and soon so Misho and I could get back to Michael, and tell him about what was going on.
"Aww now that's not the way to speak to your elders little boy," the driver said. "Looks likes No Voice there is trying to get you to relax, and I'd like to think he's also encouraging you to respect us as well. Also, I'm Steve by the way, Greg is beside me here. He'd say hi to you, but he's busy running both of you through the system we have. He's actually just confirming who both of you are."
"What do you want from us," I asked trying to keep my knees from shaking.
"We have a place that we can take you to at some point," Steve said. "Well, saying it that way presupposes that you would have a choice. You don't, and we will be taking you to the place where we can better help you. Oh, and we're also going to be coming for Michael. I know what you're thinking. Michael's not a child like you and Fuck Boy there, but he did harm our leader Martha, and we can't let that go unpunished. We'll take him with us once we get you all to where we will be taking you. We'll also be taking your friends as well."
"Our friends?" Misho asked.
"Yeah, Brandon, Austin, Dana, Ryan and Brandon's brother Zack," Steve said. "In short, we have created our own center for people like you, not only troubled teens, but ones who are within the LGBT Community as well. Don't tell me you two aren't a couple of disgusting Fagots, I can tell just by looking at the both of you. Yes, in case you're wondering, we are going to get you within our custody very soon, and you will be with us for a very long time. Why? Because we have officially declared war on the Teenaged Class of this country that at one time was great. It isn't so bad right now, but it could definitely be better. We're going to make it great again, I'd like to think that we're getting a head start on what Donald Trump would want to do if he gets in as our president. That being said, we'll either make the Teenaged Class in to the perfect robots we want them to be, or we'll kill them trying."
"You've basically admitted to conspiracy to commit Kidnapping, possible conspiracy to commit murder as well as possible false imprisonment all against children," I said. "You don't care who's even hearing you right now?"
"Lots of big words for a retarded mute freak like you," Steve said smiling cruelly at me.
"Michael has done well with teaching us, and he has given us good education where law is concerned with crimes against the young," I said. "I know the terminology."
"So do I," Misho added as he held my hand tightly trying to stay strong. I knew he was scared at this point.
"Yeah?" Steve said sneering at me. "Here's a little more terminology for you that he probably hasn't taught you."
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"The first term is C4," Steve said. "You two Fags know what that is?"
"Misho and I looked at one another. We had heard of it when Michael was teaching us about different explosives in a unit in our History Class about warfare.
"I see you know a little of what I'm talking about," Steve said smiling again. "In short, and then we have to go. In short, when everyone was gone a couple of days ago, and there was only a couple of guards, new ones I'll add who weren't quite on the ball with things, Greg and I were able to jam the cameras. Once we did that, we were able to go in to the house without any problems. We planted several rounds of C4 all throughout the house. We planted it throughout areas of the floor where there were a few boards that were loose enough for us to pull up. Once we did that, we secured it, and with this device, we can press a button and that whole fucking fag house will go up in pieces."
"This isn't making any sense," I said.
"Let me spell it out even more for you fag," Steve said. "You're going to agree to come with us. You'll come with us 48 hours from now, or we'll press the button once we force you in to our van. We know you're going to Brandon's house in a few days, so we'll just grab you there, get the kids from Brandon's house, then after leaving, we'll destroy that fucking piece of shit that Michael calls a house. I know that Ethan, Stoyan and a couple of the other kids will be with you, so we'll have all we want to take right there, so we won't need to go to the house itself, so we can blow it the fuck up once we're at our center and have you guys where you belong. If we don't see you there at Brandon's house at the time you agreed upon, we'll destroy the house, and we put C4 in Brandon's house when he and his family weren't there, so we'll destroy that house and anyone in it as well. You'll say nothing to Michael, and if you do, we might know about it."
Steve lowered the device that might or might not have been a detonator, and after I gripped Misho's hand hoping he'd get the signal, I turned. He got what I was trying to communicate. We ran faster than we had ever ran before! I was trying to mentally digest what this Bastard had told us, but it seemed like it wasn't real!
0000
Michael
"Check the other floors," I called out to Robin.
I went back in to the security building and sat myself back behind the monitor again. Todor stood outside the restaurant he and Misho had gone to that day, and I sat watching them continue talking with the men who I knew for sure now were Steve and Greg. Steve held up a device that he said was a detonator for C4, and little did he know that I was already having my men check for the explosive and any others on the premises. I was also having a team come to Brandon's house. Steve and Greg clearly thought that I as well as everyone else was stupid, and didn't know what they had done.
Yes, it was true that two of the new guards were just straight up incompetent, and they had missed the activity that would have alerted them to Steve and Greg breaking in to the house. It was also true that the cameras had been compromised, but I had a hand-held camera that was immune to their devices and saw it all that Tuesday when it had happened. I let them do what they had planned as far as planting the explosives went, but I had jammed their spying devices later that night when I saw that they were asleep, and removed all but two rounds of the explosive. I was trying to find the two rounds that were still active, but in place of the ones I removed, we planted fakes that would still link up to their equipment, and so they wouldn't notice anything wrong.
A couple of days before they broke in to the house, mine and Josh's dads received reports about a van that had been parked a few blocks away from our house for a few nights leading up to them being alerted about it. Damion was the one who saw it, and after doing a scan for equipment, the testing showed that the van was bugged with surveillance devices and he was able to get audio and video of them picking up the goings-on in the house. By some luck, they hadn't picked up any situations in which any of the people inside had been doing things with their respective romantic partners, so that was good, though I was more worried about them doing anything dangerous to the kids or to us. I didn't have to wait long to find out.
Shortly after Damion came to mine and Josh's dads, who came to Josh, Robin and the rest of us with the reports, we began through remote-connecting of Steve and Greg's devices and of their van, we started tracking them the morning leading up to the day they broke in and planted the C4. We heard all of their conversations to date, and we knew of their plans to take all the boys to where ever the Hell they thought they were going to take them.
After formulating our plan over the next couple of days after we started tracking and following them which started with us remotely tracking the boy's phones, which included Todor and Misho's, we got our plan in place to stop Steve and Greg's plans.
I watched on the monitors as Misho and Todor ran until they were far away from the restaurant, then I saw Todor get out his phone. A few seconds later, my phone beeped. It was a text from him.
After reading the text letting me know they needed me to come and get them, I got Robin, Damion and the rest of the team. It was time to get them, the other boys then tell them about what was going on.
As I got in the van, my dad came up to me before I could close the door.
"Chad and I found the last rounds of C4, and we have a team that's on their way to Brandon's house to get the rest since they planted the explosives there too," he said. "We've run scans on Austin, Ryan, Dana and Stoyan's houses as well. They're all clear, and have no explosives though."
"And our house is completely clean now?" I asked.
"It is," he said.
"Thank you," I said as I hugged him.
0000
Brandon
I sat with Torey in the living room after we had enjoyed a light lunch, and as he leaned in to my side and I put my arm around him, I heard vehicles pull up outside my house. It sounded like a lot of them, and then I heard several doors slam shut and men's voices.
"Oh damn," I said laughing. "I think they're coming for me. Tell everyone I love them, and tell my mom and dad that I have a fortune that puts Donald Trump's to shame hidden in the wall my bed rests up against," he laughed, but I knew he was nervous.
Loud banging on the door took whatever humor I had left.
"Brandon and Torey!" a loud voice yelled. "You both need to come out immediately!"
"What the hell," I said looking at Torey.
"That sounds like Michael's voice!" he said in a sharp whisper.
"You need to come with us now!" another deeper voice said.
This one sounded like Robin, one of the guys who provided security for Michael's center.
I walked to the door and stood in front of it.
Why are you guys here?" I yelled through the door.
"We'll talk once you open the door," Michael said, this time with none of the warmth in his voice.
He wasn't unkind, but I knew in his tone, one I hadn't heard before that something was wrong.
I opened the door and I was half-lifted, and half-dragged out to the van. I looked back and they were trying to be more gentle, but they were walking quickly with Torey none the less.
Once in the van, Robin got in the back with us and waited. He usually looked like a nice guy, and he and I had a few good conversations about Metal Groups we liked, and though I could see that he wasn't one to be messed with, I knew that he would do anything for anyone. What I saw now made me not want to be on the wrong side of his wrath. He had a stone-cold look in his eyes and I knew deep down that he was ready to fight, and even kill if it came to that.
"Robin what's going on?" I asked.
"We'll talk once on the road.
"Now!" I said sharply.
He leaned close to me looking in to my eyes.
"I never liked having my questions ignored either, but I don't have time for you to question me right now," he said. "We're taking you, Torey, Austin, Ryan, Dana, Ethan and Stoyan out of here and to the house. Some of our other men are picking them up right now, and Michael and I took on the task of getting you and Torey. We're going there, and all of your parents have been alerted. We have rooms for them in another wing of the house as well, so they'll be able to stay with you guys."
"They know to be careful with Ryan right?" I asked.
"They know, and they will," Robin said softening a little.
He eased back from me and opened up a case that he checked the contents of. I caught a glimpse of what was inside, and there were two long knives, the blades of which were sharpened to what looked like the thinnest of edges that could drop someone within a second or possibly less. There was also two devices that looked like the remotes that went to television sets. He saw me looking, then quickly closed the case after checking everything.
"Those knives could open someone up with just the smallest flick of my wrist," he said. "The two other devices if we needed to use them could well, make someone's reality as they knew it change quickly. Let's just leave it at that. I have to go in with Michael for a few minutes. We'll be able to see you from in the house, so if you need anything, just text us."
"Okay," I said.
0000
Michael
Robin and I went all through the house, and after finding all the C4 and deactivating it, we secured the house, then transported Michael and Torey back to the center. As we drove along, Brandon and Torey were in the back seat holding one another. I knew they were scared, and I hated parts of the job like this. I always feared that I'd be traumatizing the boys more when having to do things like this, but I knew it couldn't be helped. Finally though, we reached the center, and I helped them out of the van. Everyone else was there, and after all of us checked in with our parents, we all gathered in Torey and my room. We all compared notes and Ryan stayed sitting between Austin and I. Torey was on my right leaned in to me as I sat there with my arm around him.
"Those Mother Fuckers had been watching us all?" Dana said.
She was scared, but the anger was kicking in.
"I know," I said. "I can't believe it either."
"I hope one of those sacks of White Shit tries to get me," she said defiantly. I'd love to work both of those Cock Suckers over, show both of them what a High Heel Vasectomy feels like!"
"She wants to slam her shoe in Steve and Greg's balls," I said for Ryan's benefit.
"I can tell how mad you are," Ryan said watching her.
"I definitely am," she said softening a little so as not to get Ryan any more on edge than he already was. I've seen what this has done to you Torey, this fucking criminal ring they have going, and I want them stopped. I fucking hate people who hurt my friends. I hope they try to struggle and Michael and his men do whatever they have to do to them!"
"I'd gladly help," Ethan said.
"Me too," I said. "I just want this to be over though," I said. "If no one had known about what had been going on, then over the next few days we all would have been kidnapped."
"It's really fucked up," Torey said as he pressed up against me.
Later that night after we all spent time with our parents, we all met back in mine and Torey's room and talked for a bit. After Ryan and I talked and I reassured him that he would be alright and that he was safe, we all went to bed. I just hoped that we would all be able to sleep that night.
0000
Steve and Greg sat in their van after pulling up to the center. They knew nothing about the sabotage of their surveillance equipment, but that was about to change. Steve flipped to the band on which the house could be seen. He saw that everything looked in order, but when he checked the device for the status of the C4, he saw everything look normal for a moment, but then the screen which was a white color went black for a moment, then the words "Please Wait" flashed on the screen.
"Please wait?" Steve said impatiently. "Wait for fucking what?"
"Reconnecting," a soothing computerized female voice announced.
"What the fuck's that about!" Greg said getting even more impatient than Steve.
"Yeah," Steve said. "That's what I'd fucking like to know."
"Unable to connect to target device," the voice announced.
Steve changed back to the camera screen, and it too blacked out for a moment.
"Unable to connect to target view," it's voice announced. "Please advise."
"I'll fucking advise," Steve said punching the dashboard.
He attempted to check the C4 status of Brandon's house, and it too failed to give him the results he wanted. Then like an awakening, Steve understood.
"Those Mother Fuckers got us!" he screamed. "They must have done it and somehow got wind of our plans!"
"Calm down Steve," Greg said calmly. "We'll fix this!"
"Don't you fucking tell me to calm down!" Steve screamed as he grabbed Greg in a headlock. "We're so close to making society be what we want it to be! We're close to getting millions in our bank account, as well as laws passed to do something about the disgusting Teenage Class of our society! So don't you fucking,,,!"
Steve's raging was cut off as he felt a weird pressure in his head, then a high frequency, that first raddled his head, then set his teeth on edge. He went to speak, but no words would come out, then he felt an intense nausea, then he leaned forward violently shooting vomit from his mouth.
The feeling changed from nausea, but then as he focused, he saw bright lights in his peripheral vision, then within the field of his central vision, he began seeing dark shadows, but they didn't take form. They looked as if they were closing in on him. He tried to speak, but still his brain wouldn't form words, not even a scream. He had let go of Greg by this time, but Greg was clearly having similar troubles.
0000
Robin
I held the device that Brandon had seen earlier. It was a device that was essentially a lazar gun, that was programmed with features which would interface with the neuro networks of people's brains. It only needed a picture scanned in to it of the face of the person you wanted targeted as well as their name and other information, mainly medical, as well as neurological. We had gotten scans of Steve and Greg's brains from when they had been scanned when checked for any psychiatric disorders when younger and in trouble with the law. We had gotten access to those scans and once the device scanned them in and adjusted itself to their neuro networks, it could connect in to their actual neurons and do one of several things. It could paralyze someone by disrupting the area of their brain responsible for walking, moving one's arms and other motor functions. It could also stimulate the Postrema, the area of the brain which causes a person to vomit once sensing toxins, then another feature was the ability for it to stimulate the Occipital Lobes of the brain that made vision possible. It could cause hallucinations, as well as other visual disturbances. I had used it on a person who was tied to the Troubled Teen Industry a while back, and when using its visual disrupting feature, the subject once back to normal said that he saw bright colors, bright lights that felt like they were going to rip his eyes and brain apart, as well as seeing rats tearing in to him. When I used the feature that caused disturbances of the areas of the brain responsible for touch, he said he felt like bugs were eating in to him, then he also felt intense burning on his arms, legs and on his back, as if he was being held to a heated sheet of iron, not that I gave a shit what he was feeling other than intense pain, horror, disgust and fear!
The final feature was one that hyper-stimulated the activity of the neurons, the kind of electrical stimulation one has when going in to a seizure. This hyper-stimulation would last for five to ten minutes before we would have to stop and let the subject return back to normal. One subject we went past the 10-minute mark with lapsed in to a coma, then died two hours later. Once the autopsy was completed, by a doctor of our own choice, it was found that the device used in the hyper-stimulation mode would burn out the brain, and not only that, but fry the neurons, every single one of them which caused complete multi-system shut down, as well as multi-organ system failure, and Cardiac arrest soon followed.
No one knew of this device save for myself, Michael and the rest of our group. It had been developed by Chad Andrews, Josh's father and some of his men. They had developed it a few years ago and were keeping it secret. I don't mean that they were going to keep it secret, then register it with the government or military, but that they were keeping it secret permanently. In other words, the government wasn't going to find out about it nor get its hands on it as long as we had anything to say about it. It was a deadly device for sure, but we used it only when there was no other options left, and it was less messy than guns and the other more arcane machines of death known to mankind over the centuries.
"Stop stimulation," I said.
"Please Wait," the device's gentle female computerized voice said. "Commencing Sleep Mode in five seconds."
It went in to its Sleep Mode, and I stored it away. Steve and Greg were slowly recovering, and I cuffed them and halled them out of the van and in to the security building. Once in the basement of the building, I dragged them down the hall to another set of steps that went in to a subbasement. Once down the steps, I stopped at a door. Removing a keycard, I slipped it in to the slot.
"Please wait," that same voice announced. "Disengaging lock in five seconds; please do not attempt to force the doors or you will be locked out for approximately two minutes."
I waited, and the lock was disengaged. I opened the door and with my device aimed at the two scumbags, I forced them to walk ahead of me. We were in a long hallway with doors on either side. They were for all intents and purposes smart doors with no manual locks or parts at all. They were also for all intents and purposes restraint rooms for anyone attempting to break in to the center. We would hold them here until the state police could get here to take them in to their custody. Only this time, I had no intention of letting Greg and Steve go anywhere with any police, State or otherwise.
I inserted another keycard in to a slot on the door nearest where I stood at the beginning of the hallway.
"Please wait," that same voice announced. "Disengaging lock in five seconds; please do not attempt to force disengaging process, or you will be locked out for approximately two minutes."
I waited.
"Locks disengaged," the voice announced as the door slid in to the wall sidewise, and I pushed Steve in to that room, then did the same with Greg with the room across from Steve's.
"Please insure that all personal effects are removed from detained subjects," the voice commanded.
I did so, then the computerized voice directed its commands to Greg and Steve.
"Please sit down on the bed, place your hands palms up down by your sides, and look directly at the camera for a bio scan," it commanded. They paused, and I knew they were scared. "I repeat, please sit down on the bed with your palms up and at your sides, and look at the camera for a bio scan, or you will be given corrective action."
They stood there, and the voice continued.
"Corrective Action Procedure will begin in 10 seconds," the voice stated. "10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Confirmation of Corrective Action. You have five seconds to stop the procedure, should you decide to continue, a shock of no more than 40 Volts will be administered for no longer than 20 seconds. Please state if procedure should be stopped, or if you would like to continue, please say: "Continue."."
"Continue," I said watching both of them coldly.
"No!" Greg yelled.
"You fucking Fagot Bastard!" Steve roared, then tried to run for the open door.
The electricity snapped him straight where he stood, and Greg was enduring the same treatment. It ended, then they fell to the floor.
"Please stand, walk slowly to the bed, and sit down," the voice stated. "Please sit straight with hands on either side palms up. Please look straight at the camera for the mandatory bio scan, failure to cooperate will result in Corrective Action Procedure."
They complied, and the anger was gone or at least eased up a little.
"Scan complete," the voice stated. "Heart rate is elevated due to possible physical stress as well as from Corrective Action Procedure. Blood Pressure is 150/99 for Subject Steven Howard and Blood Pressure is 155/103 for Subject Greg Edwards. Sedation to lower vital signs to safe levels strongly advised."
After I used the neuro device to paralyze them, I injected both of them, and it was a drug that would allow them to have enough time to comply with the computer's commands.
"Sedation administered," I said for the computer's benefit.
"Recorded," it said. "Subject Steve Howard and Subject Edwards you have an estimated time of two minutes to lay prostrate on the bed once shoes and socks have been removed. Failure to comply will result in Corrective Action Procedure. Also to note, Corrective Action Procedure if done past 10 times a day could result in heart damage, brain bleed and or various other detrimental effects on the human body. It is strongly advised that you comply with all of your custodian's orders, or you will be subject to Corrective Action Procedure for a third time during the course of being here."
They complied and I took their shoes, socks and other clothing. In its place I gave them the simple hospital gown people where while hospitalized.
"Your destruction is over," I said. "We'll find Martha, and once she's been dealt with, you guys will be as well. You no longer will be allowed to abuse and kill children in the name of a perfect world."
I looked at both of them as they lay there drifting off to what I hoped would be a sleep filled with terror, horror, fear and unimaginable nightmares. After I reengaged the doors and locks for their respective cells, I locked the whole area then returned to the main house. I was glad to have those two pieces of shit off the streets.
Author's Notes
I surprised myself with the story going in this direction. I don't mean going in the direction of Torey and the boys having to deal with Steve, Greg and Martha. I had that planned all along at some point, in that it would come full circle for Torey. Brandon and their other friends would be involved as well, but what surprised me was how I came up with the device I wrote about Robin using on Steve and Greg in this chapter. I wrote this chapter tonight, and the idea suddenly came to me as I was writing. As I said in the short forward to this chapter though I know of no device like this in real life, and don't really want to. I actually take a cautious attitude with most if not all technology.
For example, people are going nuts and all but creaming in their pants about the so-called Self-Driving Cars that are being tested out on the roads. They operate not just off of Google systems, but it's AI-based. AI for those who don't know is Artificial Intelligence. No one is going more crazy over the possible release down the road of self-driving cars though than my fellow blind and visually impaired brothers and sisters in the Blindness Community. I won't go in to the disagreements I have with fellow blind people about certain things, and I sure as hell do have them, but I completely disagree with the idea of self-driving cars being available to myself or fellow blind people. This might sound cold and uncaring, but I don't believe it is, and I believe that it's the exact opposite in that I care enough about my fellow blind people for them not to test this kind of thing on themselves, and I sure as hell wouldn't get in one, I don't care if the thing has been on the market and has had all the bugs worked out of it for the last 20 years. This thing is essentially one big computer you're putting your body in to, and trusting that the AI will know not only where to take you, but that it will also have the know-how and have the code properly programmed in that will help it know 100% of the time avoid hitting a person walking on the sidewalk, rode or making sure that it doesn't hit another car.
Even if self-driving cars actually do become a thing, and especially more so for the blind, the problem is still that we have an 80% and beyond unemployment rate among the blind. It would take too long to go in to why, but the main issue is the continuing Institutional Discrimination we face from employers or potential employers. That being said, most of us have to use paratransit services most of which consist of little more than four or five vans most of which might not even be in your area, nor might they be able to always if at all get you to where you need to go. Then with the paratransit system up in Columbus here in Ohio, they actually are allowed to get a person to work in so far as the blind person they are transporting has a job, they can actually get them to work five or more minutes late, and though most bosses understand, mine did, the fact is still that this can be a problem if you're blind and work for a boss that's just an uncaring asshole and who won't take the time to understand. There are other issues as well, but the point is that paratransit systems while doing some good do have problems. Unless a blind person has a job in which they're pulling down six figures a month or year, then they're most likely going to be on SSI, SSDI or both, and be in a low-income apartment since that's about all they can afford, thus making paratransit virtually the only option for them, at least unless their family can help out, and that's presupposing that they're on good terms with their family, and that their family isn't the type to resent them for their blindness. These might be the only options they have, and self-driving cars would solve none of these problems, and not only would leave these problems to continue, but could also cause them to get worse. This would be as far as I'm concerned the worst possible outcome, and by now, everyone who's followed my work should know that I'm one who believes in getting at the roots of problems rather than just treating symptoms, which in this case self-driving cars would not even almost begin to do. They would at best put a band aid over a bullet wound.
All that being said, those are a little of my thoughts on how we should be more questioning about the advancing of technology, especially with AI, and should we continue with focusing on whether or not we could where technology is concerned, and whether or not we should, then we could very well at some point see something similar to Robin's device take shape.
As for things concerning the story itself, Martha will be making one last appearance in this story, and don't worry. For all of my talk of being ethical and moral, within these stories is where I give vent to my dark side by making the people who are totally amoral suffer rather than sitting and actively wishing for harm to come to people in real life. So Steve, Greg and Martha will have their last day soon and while I haven't decided how I'll finish off their story lines, it should be enjoyable for all concerned.
I hope everyone has a good evening, and I'll see everyone in Chapter 23.