Title: Household Planning (1/2)

Summary:  

"It was Levi's household. The plates were arranged and sorted by color and use, the way Levi liked it. The cabinets and the storage were arranged in a way which would be efficient for cooking, or at least the way Levi would have wanted to cook."

Levi gets sick and Hange is left to navigate household chores.

Link to cross-postings: AO3

Notes: Set in the same verse as  “Rough day”  and “Sugar Rush”

"You're taking a week off?"

Hange wished no one would be there when she dropped by the queen’s office to give the letter. It was painful as it is to fathom what the next week would be like. Making her way to her familiar office in civilian clothing and seeing Historia there in the room only added salt to the wound.

“I’ve asked Armin to take over first. It will only be for a week at the most,” Hange explained.

"No. Take as many days as you need. I don't think you've even taken the day off since the war ended." Historia gave Hange a reassuring smile as she placed the letter back in the envelope.

Hange was sure the queen would give the week off with no arguments. Queen Historia had always had been understanding about any excuses related to family. Somehow, the response had come as a big surprise to Hange. As she walked out of the office and into the courtyard, she felt the late afternoon breeze seep through the cotton of her civilian shirt. It felt oddly nostalgic and Hange was reminded that she had not taken a day off in years.  

“It’s not like I’m gonna be resting anyway.” Hange muttered to herself as she made her way through the courtyard and into the main road to call for a taxi.

"Where to, Ma'am?”

“Paradis Central Hospital.

20 hours earlier

Levi was usually the one who opened the door for her when she got home. That night, she was surprised to find their seven year old Luke by the door waiting for her.

“Shouldn’t you be asleep? Where’s daddy?” Hange asked as she helped her son stand up. The young boy’s eyes were drooping and Hange was sure he would fall asleep as soon as she put him to bed.

“Daddy’s asleep.”

“Really?” Hange glanced at the clock on the mantle as she carried Luke to his room.

It was only a quarter to nine and she had known Levi long enough to know he would never be asleep at that time. In fact, most nights he was the one who would welcome her home. He would be cleaning, organizing or mixing tea in the kitchen while she showered and got ready for bed. She always fell asleep to the clatters of plates and mugs, the clanks of pots and pans and the opening and closing of cupboards. Funnily, she always woke up to them too, a testament to the odd sleeping patterns of her partner.

Luke had fallen asleep in her arms. Hange lay him gently on his bed and put the blanket over him. As she turned off the lights and closed the door behind her, Hange was made aware of the fact that the house was unnaturally silent without the sounds of Levi tinkering with something in the kitchen. She hurried to the bedroom she shared with Levi to find him on the bed, his back to the door.

“Tiring day?”

Levi was a light sleeper. Some nights when Hange did wake up next to him, she could usually elicit a reply or reaction from him with almost any sound no matter how soft. At that moment though, Levi was not responding.

She approached the bed, letting her footsteps resound loudly on the wooden floor under her. He still did not react. Levi was covered up to his chin with blankets. Not wanting to disturb the set up, Hange rested her hand on his cheek, only to recoil at the heat being released.

How was he this morning?  Hange felt a twinge of guilt when she realized she did not remember much of it. She had still woken up to the same banging of pots and pans and a full breakfast. There was nothing out of the ordinary.

"Hey, are you okay?" Hange asked, as she shook him lightly.

"Just… need to rest." Levi did not open his eyes. In fact, his face tensed as he said those words and Hange guessed that that slight effort was already causing him pain.

How much pain was he in?  They were both soldiers in another life and they both had higher pain tolerance than most people. It had set off some alarms inside her and Hange was considering calling a doctor then and there just to be on the safe side.

Am I overreacting? The last time Levi had needed medical attention, they managed in the middle of the forest with a little first aid.

Hange changed into her pajamas and settled on the bed next to him.

She scooched closer to him. The heat emitted from his body alarmed her but Hange reassured herself by focusing on the rhythm of his rough breathing. He was still very much alive.

“Just make sure to tell me if the pain gets worse. ” Hange whispered.

Levi let out what sounded like a whimper. A wave of concern washed over Hange. She put her arms around her partner, hoping that even just a little she could absorb the heat that was resonating from his skin.

She let the rhythm of his breathing lull her to sleep.

                                       Household Planning

When Hange woke up again, the sky was still dark. The sound of birds chirping just outside the window was enough though for Hange to conclude that it was at least late enough that the sun would rise soon.

“Good morning,” Hange whispered. His body was not as hot as it was the night before and Hange found herself squeezing her partner lightly in relief. “You scared me last night.”

“Hange…”  

Hange unwrapped her arms from around her partner and sat up. “You okay?”

Levi curled up into a ball, his arms wrapped around his stomach. “My stomach...hurts…”

Hange had seen Levi in worse situations in the battlefield but never in her life had she seen him so vulnerable. She had brushed off her worry the night before but as she took in her partner, lying curled up like a ball, the ragged breathing and the uncharacteristic whimpers, Hange conceded that she could not take the risk of omission. “Levi. I’m sorry I’m calling a doctor.”

Hange wished Levi had protested the whole set off. At the least, she wished he were conscious or aware enough to even notice a sleepy and confused Luke next by his bedside. He was lying prone on the bed as the doctor put his shirt up and ran his hands through the stomach area.

Hange’s blood ran cold as she watched Levi squirm in pain at lightest touch. She had worked with injured soldiers long enough to know it was a common symptom of internal injuries. The question that lingered was how exactly had it gotten to that point.

“This doesn’t look good Mrs. Zoe. We're going to have to get him to a hospital quick. He might need emergency surgery.”

“Do what you need to do.”

Hange walked out of the room and sat her son down on the living room sofa. She could hear the doctor making his way to the phone, quickly dialing a number and a few seconds later, he was rattling off vitals.

Hange had a fair amount of experience with first aid but the science and technology brought back from Marley was a tall order for her to master and Hange had to admit she probably would have only understood 70% of what the doctor had told the paramedics.

She spent the next few minutes explaining the situation to her son Luke over a quick breakfast and while walking him to school. Luke had ended up late as he had asked too many questions.

Why didn't daddy make breakfast?

Where are they taking daddy?

Are you okay mommy?

By the time Hange made it to the hospital, Levi was being prepped for surgery. He was completely unconscious as they unbuttoned his pajamas and switched it with a hospital gown.

Hange stayed nearby just in case he did wake up through it. She occupied herself by marveling at the improvements made in the hospital and the new developments by Marley. It was her first time back there for at least three years having shifted her focus into railways and street car installations.  A nurse put a needle through his wrist which was attached to a bag on a rack. Hange had forgotten the name of that invention but deduced that it was to get medicine into his system.                          

"How long will he be in surgery?" Hange asked.

The nurse shook her head. "We don't know the extent of the damage yet but internal bleeding of this severity should take at least two to three hours."

Internal bleeding. That usually meant certain death in the field. Hange could not help but think, if Levi had experienced that sickness only just a decade ago, he would have been dead.

"Thank you for all your hard work," Hange said.

She resigned herself to the fact that she would have to wait out until news on her partner came out. She made a brief detour to the outdoor payphone to call sick for the day. Armin would be able to take over anyway, he was very familiar at least with the plans Hange had for the transportation route through the city.

Hange could not shake the feeling that she would be missing out though. Her best ideas always came when she was in the office looking through blueprints and construction updates.

She willed herself to dial the familiar number of her office and explain her current situation.

Armin who had answered the phone was understanding and had given genuine well wishes to Levi. When Hange went back to the waiting room though, she started to reflect on the fact, that maybe the one who did not want the day off was just her.

As she sat back on the chair of the waiting room and looked up at the blank ceiling of the hospital, Hange knew she was miserable.

She was left to do what she had not done in years, sit idly by and wait.

                                        Household Planning

"A burst appendix with abscesses around his stomach area. It was pretty bad, a very high risk of infection. We will need to monitor him for at least a week and he'll be on a strict antibiotic plan for a while."

An appendix. She knew that organ. It was the useless organ yet it caused so much damage in Levi's system. "How long will he be…"

"We set up a room for him. He'll be staying for at least a week since we will need to monitor signs of post surgical infection and possible surgery again. He's not out of the woods yet."

Hange followed the doctor into one of the rooms on the third floor, noting that there were a lot more nurses making their rounds on that floor.

A nurse was there putting the covers over her partner when Hange arrived in. Her stomach dropped as she saw the tubes that all connected to some part underneath the blankets. Even for dying soldiers, she had never seen that type of medical treatment before and maybe if it hadn't been on Levi, she would have been excited at the prospect of seeing first hand the medical technology involved in keeping a patient alive.

At that moment though, her thoughts were all on Levi, how much he remembered, how much pain he was in and most importantly, if he were going to live through it.

Hange walked to his bedside and put her hand underneath the blanket, feeling for his hand. His hand was limp but it was neither too warm or too cold. She grasped his hand tighter, focusing on its warmth as a reprieve from the events of the past few hours.

"Hey four eyes, where's Luke?"

"He's in school…" Hange rubbed her eyes, still adjusting to the waking world.

"His classes are until eleven. It's one."

Hange sat up and look at the clock at the end of the room. "Wait what?" How long have I been sitting here?

Levi was half sitting up on the bed, conscious but groggy, looking particularly surprised. "Did you forget our kid?"

The realization of what had just happened dawned on Hange a split second too late. By then, Levi’s eyes narrowed into an accusing glare, a quick change from that of disbelief only a second ago.

Hange felt blood rush into her face "I’m sorry. A lot has been happening. You're stuck in the hospital… I don't know what to do…"

"Son first. Questions later."

                              Household Planning

The next question, Hange found herself tackling was where to take Luke. It was an obvious logistical choice yet it took Hange enough brain space that she ended up cringing at the state of her mind at that moment.

She had considered leaving him at home but could not come up with someone who could stay with Luke at a last minute request. She knew she would probably be with Levi for a while in the hospital, possibly until late night. It was a risk, leaving a child with a sick parent in a hospital ward but it at least trumped the idea of leaving him alone at home.

Somehow, leaving Luke with a sick, possibly immobile Levi, still seemed to be enough to give her some peace of mind.

"You promise to stay good, okay. Daddy needs rest," Hange said as they stood in front of the door to his room.

"Promise."

The promise was short lived. As soon as the door opened before him, Luke ran towards Levi's bedside and Hange had to grab him as he motioned to jump on the bed next to him.

"Daddy!"

"How was school?"

"I was the only one there. I thought nobody was going to pick me up."

Levi sneaked a glare at Hange with their son's last statement.

"Sorry Luke. Mommy got carried away. Daddy's going to be sick for a while and there was a lot to think about." Hange hugged her son from behind.

"How long will daddy be here?"

"A week at least," Levi answered.

So the doctor at least explained the situation to him.

Levi still looked like he was in pain and Hange wondered how much of his motions were a front he was putting up in front of their son.

"Mommy and Daddy need to talk. Could you give us some space?"

There were nurses all over the floor and Hange was sure at least one of them would have the time to take care of a kid. It was a quick search and within a few minutes of going out into the hallway, she at least had the peace of mind that someone was taking care of her son. The fact the nurse was helping with homework was an added bonus.

"I feel like shit," Levi admitted as Hange entered the room once again.

"You're doing great. I thought you'd be asleep the whole day to be honest."

"I don't think I'd even be able to relax anymore. Imagine waking up to realize my wife forgot about our kid."

Hange gave her husband an apologetic smile. "Just give me a list of everything I need to get done, everyday. While you're here. I'll get it done."

"Don't you have work?"

                                    Household Planning  

By evening, Hange had filed her leave for the week, she had her to do list on hand and Luke was at least distracted with toys she had just bought him from the gift shop next to the hospital.

Her first challenge was dinner. She had the cooking skills but the way everything in the household was sorted out made Hange hesitate to touch anything.

It was Levi's household. The plates were arranged and stalked by color and use, the way Levi liked it. The cabinets and the storage were arranged in a way which would be efficient for cooking, or at least the way Levi would have wanted to cook.

In the cupboard, they were so tightly stacked on top of one another that Hange feared that she would break something just by pulling something out.

Hange sighed, resigning herself to the fact that she was still left shocked by the events of that morning. Less than 24 hours ago, she would not have imagined having to learn to navigate the household all by herself.

I'm gonna need a while to adjust.

"Luke, we're going out to buy dinner."

                                Household Planning  

"What do you want for breakfast?"

"Omelette!"

30 minutes to eight. Luke should be in school by eight.

"It's pretty late for an omelette… What about bread?" In fact, Hange did know Luke liked omelettes. She did not want to admit it to her son yet but although she had spent a fair half an hour looking through the kitchen, she could not find the eggs.

The only food stored places within reason were the bread and the fruits which were displayed in a basket and a bowl on the kitchen table. The bread was covered in cloth, neatly folded when she found it though. As she put back the bread after eating it that morning, she could not recreate that same intricate folding pattern Levi had done.

"There were eggs in the fridge."

Where? Who puts eggs in the fridge?

Hange chose to pretend to ignore it. "Let's just get you to school. What time do I need to pick you up?"

"Two." Luke was avoiding her gaze and Hange could tell he was trying to hide disappointment.

"I'll take note of that." Hange took a pen from her kitchen table and wrote the time on her wrist. "Just eat this for breakfast." She wrapped a piece of bread on paper and dropped it in his bag.

It's my first time having to be the one to cook breakfast, of course there will be a few bumps.

"I didn't know where you put the eggs so I just gave him bread for breakfast."

"Where did you think the eggs were?" Levi asked, not even trying to hide the disappointment in his gaze. Hange inferred that it could have also been from the meager breakfast he was given that morning of pudding and fruit which Levi was mixing as he listened to the developments that morning.

“I looked everywhere, the cupboards, the storage, I even checked our bedroom.”

“It’s in the refrigerator.”

“And that’s what Luke said. I checked it after dropping him at school but it wasn’t there.”

“I put it towards the back so it wouldn’t break if it ends up accidentally falling out.”

The new refrigerators that came from Marley were a welcome improvement to the icebox that most people in Paradis were used to. Having busied herself with other things, Hange never really bothered to learn its different compartments. It looked like Levi did not want her to learn it either. The latter had preoccupied himself buying them at the best bargain when they were finally available and had spent a fair amount of days since they got it, organizing and reorganizing all their spoilable goods.

“Why do you put your eggs in the refrigerator? Even if you leave it out, it won’t go bad.”

“It’s an animal product, you don’t know what it touched.”

Levi had researched his household plan well and Hange only appreciated it more when Levi took a pen and paper and drew the fridge compartments, perfectly from what she had remembered. He explained the contents compartment by compartment, with the rationale for each.

“Why don’t we keep the eggs in the compartments by the fridge door? You cook them everyday.”

“The sudden temperature changes can make the eggs go bad faster.”

“Why put vegetables in the lowest compartment?”

“Vegetables in the drawer below because this compartment has higher humidity levels for fresh produce.”

Levi made sense. Hange had done her fair share of experiments to quickly understand Levi’s logic behind everything. She was still taken aback by how far he had thought ahead and how meticulous the whole process of organizing the refrigerator was for him. It almost made her hesitant to take anything out of the fridge for fear of destroying any part of the intricate plan Levi had set up for all their spoilable goods.

Levi dropped the pen and sighed. “So I’m assuming you didn’t get any cooking done if you still don’t know where everything is. What did you pack Luke for lunch then?”

                                    Household Planning  

Levi probably would not have approved of Luke enjoying a late lunch of two soft serve ice creams and a slice of bread. That was the only way Hange saw herself pacifying the young boy who looked to be on the verge of crying and shouting at his mother when she picked him up from school. At the same time, the reminder from Levi was enough for Hange to at least have enough motivation to remember to show up on time to pick him up.

“Don’t tell your father about this.” She muttered, as she led him through the market. Levi had left her a grocery list before she left to pick up Luke from school. At that point, she was determined at least to not fuck up the grocery shopping.

Another tray of eggs, bread, spinach, oranges, apples. The list was straightforward. When Levi and Hange had planned the list, they considered the easiest things for Hange to prepare, cook, eat and store for the next week while Levi’s fate was still undecided. She only had to buy enough for the two of them at least.

The markets were designed that all types of produce and goods could be caught with one loop around the market. In thirty minutes, Hange had gone through everything on the list.

As Hange made her way to the exit of the market, she felt a tug on her hand. “What are you looking at?” Hange followed her son’s gaze to see the tea and coffee shop on the side.  

“Daddy might want tea.”

“What makes you say that?”

“He only has three more bags left at home.”

                                    Household Planning            

Hange had dreaded the process of storing the food she had bought. She imagined having to empty the fridge and make wild guesses on where Levi would have wanted each product and whether or not she angled them in a way where it would be most convenient for those who opened it or less likely to spill.

Levi had explained a lot of it to her but many parts of it were going quickly into one ear and out the other due to the detail he put into such mundane concepts. She found that the crazy amount of detail and the fact that she possibly left things out, had left her blank at what exactly to do when she opened the refrigerator door.

“Daddy likes the stem facing outwards.” Luke pointed out as he grabbed the spinach from the bag and put it inside the half open vegetable drawer.

“The eggs?”

“You have to push the cheese out of the way when you put the eggs in. Tray opening facing outside...”

Hange at least knew where the fruits and the bread went. She lined up the fruit bowl and the bread basket on the kitchen table and added the fruits she had bought from the market on to the pile.

Luke reached out for the oranges on the top and distributed them evenly towards the edges of the bowl. “Daddy said it might fall if you let them sit unevenly on a pile.”

Hange unfolded the cloth on the bread basket and put the bread inside. She attempted once again to fold it similarly to what Levi had been doing before. Luke scooched closer to her and Hange could only gape as Luke deftly folded it into the same tight pattern she had seen it in that morning.

“Daddy taught you all of this?”

✧I Need You✧ Chapter 108 [End: Captain America: Winter Soldier]

“-it’s plain as day, SHIELD has been- should be- labeled as a terrorist organization for their efforts in multitudes of operations-” 

“Then they’re a government sanctioned and paid for terrorist organization! If the members in the benches want to blush at the fact that one of their top spy agencies got caught, then let them turn beet red. But I will not sit here with my colleagues and listen to you pretend you weren’t writing every single check that came their way.” 

“And what of the checks that were issued via Stark Industries?” 

“Non-existent. Try again. Stark Industries has maintained itself as an independent business focused on technology and efforts that improves people’s lives.” 

“And the Avengers?” 

“Brought together under the direction of SHIELD but, rest assured, move of their own agency. While we’ve worked through SHIELD with the US government, we are more than happy to drop the middle man.” 

“You’re asking the government to fund vigilantism?” 

“The Avengers team was constructed to handle enhanced- and otherwise otherworldly threats that the military has no capacity to handle. And, again, I remind you that SHIELD used to be a government organization, since you all conveniently keep forgetting. That puts us above random lawless people running around in masks. I say we’ve done our jobs pretty well. And we’ll continue to do them- no funding from Uncle Sam necessary.” 

“Because of Stark Industries. What was that about being an ‘independent business’?” 

“The Avengers have every cause and the means to handle things the government has otherwise decided they can’t. I’d say removing people from fatal danger when the military is unable to do so, and funding relief efforts when the government sits on their hands counts as life improvement.”

                                                 ---

You and Tony had taken multiple trips back and forth from New York to DC over the past few days. It was to be expected, what with the massive shit storm going on. The two of you were tired, beaten, and worn down, but this was no time to stop. Especially not when you and everyone in your team was being accused of some pretty high crimes.

As you’d expected, the government was not handling the SHIELD leaks all that well. Classified documents spilled to the world in the name of the greater good was not the sort of thing they liked. They would have much rathered everyone kept their mouths shut and allowed Hydra scum to continue thriving. Probably would have preferred a world in which they could quietly direct the Avengers to try and capture as many as they could, while the common American slept in ignorance. 

But that was too bad. What had happened, happened. Your testimony in congress, along with Maria Hill’s and Natasha Romanoff’s played on all the 24 hour news stations. Clip after clip after clip in an endless nauseating run. There was so much to digest. So much to pick apart. Or praise. Depended heavily on which station was doing the featuring. From time to time, your press briefing the day after the Battle at the Triskellion would pop in and out. 

“-Stark Industries is not a safe haven for Hydra. Rest assured, as we speak, our security personnel are taking Hydra into custody, as I imagine the government is doing with their own staff, and getting ready for trials that will last years. We are ready to expend as many resources as necessary to bring them to the justice they deserve. Justice they should have seen years ago, were it not for overzealous intervention that invited them into our country. Into our homes. But there’s no going back now. Tony and I-” 

“Mute.” Silencing the TV as you walked into your office. Having touched back down at Tower after your fifth jet ride in three days. You wanted nothing more than to go upstairs and go to sleep. Take a nap. Didn’t you deserve it, after all this shit? 

But Pepper had been trailing your heels since you’d landed on the tarmac, with a long list of things for you to do. As predicted, the government hearings were ending with them labeling SHIELD as a terrorist organization. They’d only been crowing about it the entire time they’d been bearing down on you. With that came its disbanding. 

So. Time to sow some wild OATs as Tony had put it, after going over your proposal. It was almost hilarious, that way. As some of the documents you’d read (been forced to read, and brought up during the hearings) had stated plain as day that SHIELD and the government had invited Hydra scientists into their labs. Operation Paperclip. What a wonderful idea. 

Thinking they had something to offer that otherwise decent people may not have. Taking a chance. Gambling on that. And, well… after all this you’d have to say it had failed spectacularly. Now, looking on the other side of things, you were about to open a new office to handle the influx of SHIELD agents that were sending in resumes in order to not only keep working but not be threatened by the government they used to work for. 

How quickly the tables turned. Ellis had assured you this was best case scenario. And all he could do. If he’d done anything at all. Sure as hell didn’t feel like it. You had to count your blessings and just thank him regardless. You supposed they really could have come after the Avengers much harder. And… to be honest, you really weren’t prepared for something of that magnitude right now. Hopefully it would never come to that. 

As you signed your name on ten more dotted lines and then sent her away, you got immediately caught with your head in your arms after Pepper left the office and then seconds later poked her head back in. “Maria Hill is here to see you.” 

Sitting up slowly, you ran a hand through your hair. “Yeah.” Despite sharing a table with her for your part of the hearings, you hadn’t actually been able to speak with her at length. It had only been a matter of time before she showed up here. 

Pepper stepped aside to let her into your office and then shut the door. Maria came in, head held high, as always with her. She seemed like a very proud woman. Then she put a folder on your desk and took a seat. “Figured I’d come for the interview personally.” 

“Your resume?” Arching a brow at her. When she nodded you tried not to jump at the opportunity. “You’re hired. You’re now director of the OAT initiative. Go down to HR. Get a badge, do the paperwork, get an email set up. We’ll give you a phone.” 

“...just like that?” At least a little surprised. 

“They’re your people. If there’s anyone I can trust to treat them fairly, it’s you.” She was exactly what you needed. Someone you knew who would do right by these poor people so that you could take it off your plate and not micromanage it. Absolutely perfect. 

She smiled lightly. “Can we at least talk salary?” 

“What was SHIELD paying you?” Folding your hands atop the desk, sitting a little straighter. 

“61k a year. ...decent benefits.” 

“200k. Fantastic benefits. Holiday bonuses.” 

“That’s uh- that’s a solid deal.” Standing up she offered her hand for a shake, so you hid your pain as you stood to meet her with a firm grip. “Just understand, I can’t sit behind a desk forever. Once we’re done with this employee transfer, I’d like something a little more… substantial.” 

A grin found its way to you. “Like I told our dear members of congress, Stark Industries merely funds the Avengers. If that’s the next thing you’re about to ask… I have a different office for that.” 

She smiled back, holding your shake for only a second longer before letting you go. All too soon the expression vanished, and her voice lowered. “Nick is headed to Europe for now. Laying… as low as someone like him can get. But. ...he’s really grateful. For everything you’re doing.” 

Disappointment struck through you very suddenly. Although you didn’t have the closest relationship with Maria, you couldn’t help but let some of your feelings leak out of you. “I really wish…” Sighing, thinking twice about it- and then proceeding anyway. “I just wish he and I could have had a coming together moment or something. Where we finally saw eye to eye. There was a time I shook his hand and it seemed like things were getting better. And then they felt like they got worse. And I don’t know if we’ll ever rectify it all.” 

Was that bad? Did you care? ...some part of you must have. After all this time, you wanted to believe things were worth repairing with Nick.

She looked mildly uncomfortable, crossing her arms, and then cast her gaze aside. “I’ve worked a very long time for Nick Fury. He’s a very complicated man. And we don’t always agree on everything. But I know that whatever he’s doing, however he’s doing it, it’s always for reasons he thinks are right. He’s always just trying to do his best. Even when that means making the toughest calls. That’s why I’ve stuck by him so long.” When she looked up at you, she caught you off guard. “You know exactly what that’s like, I imagine.” 

You weren’t sure if you wanted to dignify that with an answer. It wasn’t Maria’s fault. And you had no reason to make her feel bad about it, but… comparing Nick to Tony… you weren’t quite there yet. So you chose the worse option, deciding the stay in your position over building a stronger foundation, letting a small silence hang. Then, you just gave her a smile. “Well… anyway. Pepper will show you to HR. Once you’re all set up, I’ll send things your way.” 

“Sure. Thanks.” 

She was at least quick and efficient, turning and leaving without another word. Maybe ready to go to work. It was one less mess you had to focus on, and for that you’d be grateful. But it was just as the door had shut and you had sat down, for no less than five seconds, that it opened again. 

It wasn’t the best look to be barking in the tone that you did, but you kind of just couldn’t help it. “What now?” 

Immediately silenced by the door opening wider to reveal Steve standing there. He looked better than he had, lying in that hospital bed, but it still made your heart ache. Just looking at him. Which wasn’t a very good sign. He looked just as upset. “I figured we needed to talk.” 

Thoughts of him had been churning around in your head for the past little while now, surely not unduly so. Congress had asked about him multiple times, but you, Maria, and Nat had told them the three of you were enough. He didn’t need to get mixed up in all this. 

“Yeah, I guess we do.” This wasn’t his fault. How could it be? The more you thought about it… the more you wondered if it was your own inherent selfishness that had caught him in between a rock and a hard place. You’d told him you’d cared about him, and practically begged him not to… do exactly what he’d done. Get beaten to near death to try and make a point. 

But, that’s not all it was. That voice that you’d heard in your head- Steve, calling out for this man. Bucky. It had been so… so sad. Almost unrecognizable. 

You wondered. You wondered what your own decisions would have been, had it been you on the other side of something like that. Steve very clearly cared a great deal for this man. That had been his advantage. He loved him, without a doubt. Maybe not in the same way you loved Tony, but for basis of comparison… you’d thought about it more than once. 

What if someone got control of Tony? And turned him against you? Would you fight back? Would you kill him, knowing the real man you loved was underneath? Or would you… try and do just enough. Fall to your knees. To make a point. To try and hold out. To try and get him back- 

Same as Steve had no doubt done. 

He was intensely uncomfortable. “Can we take a walk?” 

Despite your aching body and its protests, you stood. “I’d like that.” 

                                                ---

Before leaving the building you asked Happy to set up a thirty foot security perimeter to keep paparazzi and reporters at bay as you and Steve walked one of Central Park’s paths. Cold as you were even wearing your own jacket, he dropped his over your shoulders without a second thought, and stuck his hands in his pockets. There was silence for probably too long a time before you broke it. 

“Tell me about him. About Bucky.” 

Sam’s debrief report had come in a day ago, and his conversations with Steve had told you all you needed to know for base information. Steve had fought against Bucky and lost. Steve also thought Bucky had dragged him out of the river after perhaps putting him there in the first place- he’d be right about that, as no one on your team had done it. But after that, no one had a trace on that man. So right now… he was just sort of gone. Which was kind of a problem. 

But to really address it, you had to do exactly what you were doing now. 

Listening to Steve talk, after his surprise that you’d ask that (maybe about how you knew that name), about James Buchanan Barnes. His best friend. They’d met as kids, when Bucky had defended him from some bullies trying to steal his lunch money, and had been stuck to each other ever since. Steve was intensely fond of this man. Proud of him. Looked up to him. Tried to shape himself after him. 

And from the sounds of it, no matter how tough it got, the two of them always looked after each other- Bucky, a little more so, after Steve’s parents had died. Yes, love was no longer a question. Deep and platonic. And then, in the midst of their war with Hydra, he thought he’d seen Bucky killed. 

For years he’d carried a sense of extremely heavy guilt over him about it- and had probably never processed it, either. Having to move on so quickly. It made sense. Too much sense, then. Why, when having that gun leveled at him by that man he’d just stood there. And it made more sense than was fair, why Steve would have died trying to break somebody’s control over him. 

“Do you think you got through to him?” 

He sighed. “Some part of him… I’d like to think so. It’s why he saved me. It has to be. There was a minute there, between punches, when it was just him looking at me.” 

The next question became obvious. “You’re going to go look for him.” So obvious in fact, you merely needed to state it, not ask. 

“...yeah. I have to. He would have done the same for me.” 

The two of you stopped walking, and just stood there. Looking at each other. It was hard to know what to say next. And you wanted to try and… stop being that selfish version of yourself, especially after knowing you’d be in the exact same position. If you were him. “Steve…” Trying to start and then deflating. But when he simply waited patiently, you tried to gather your courage. “I know we can’t compare. And I’m not asking you to choose- I get it. I was… I was wrong, doing that.” 

Bucky had been his best friend through thick and thin for years. Years and years. They loved each other. You two had only known each other for a short time, no matter how close you felt to him. 

Trying to not lose momentum, you continued. “But… even if that’s true- I’d like to still consider us family. Close. A team. And… no matter what, we’re here, too. For you. You started building something here. I know it wasn’t by choice but… don’t forget that. Please.” 

“I won’t.” There was a light twitch of a smile. “...some of it was by choice, you know.”

You found enough strength to smile back. “I know you think you have to do this on your own, like you owe it to him and your relationship- but if you need anything-” 

He silenced you by reaching out, laying a hand on your shoulder, giving you a little squeeze. Holding steady on that expression. “Believe me when I tell you that you offering means the world to me. And if I do… I’ll ask.” 

Giving him a little side-scrunched pout, you lifted your brows. “No more macho man bullshit?” 

And at this his head dropped forward with a little laugh. “Yeah I-... you know, I never thought I’d ever have a label like that put on me. It’s kind of weird.” 

“But not wrong.” You huffed out, at least indignant about this. You were right. And you knew it. 

“Yeah. Maybe not. I’ll work on it.” 

There was still a small sense of hesitation coming from him. Reaching up, you wrapped your arms around him in a hug, helped when he lowered down that small bit to meet you. It was nice. To just have this. “You looking for my blessing this time?” Joking. 

“Actually- this time…” 

When he let go you settled a gaze up his way, just looking at him. Reaching up, you put a hand just near his shoulder. Not quite over his heart. But. Close enough. “Consider yourself blessed.” 

“Thank you.” 

                                                ---

You gave Steve back his jacket and parted ways amicably. The car ride back to the Tower was short. Once there you headed straight for the labs. Deeper into the private part, Tony was writing some long equation on a holo board next to a few rough schematics, lights dimmed. 

Coming in, you settled your arms around his middle, resting your face against his back. One of his arms moved to rest over yours, while he sketched out however the rest of those numbers made sense to him. Once he was finished, and you were content to wait there until then, he set his marker down. “Rogers leave?” 

Of course he would know that. It was of such little surprise to you that he did, that you didn’t even think twice in answering. “Yeah. Steve’s out for a while.” 

His thumb stroked over your arm. “You okay?” 

“We made peace over it.”

“He stopped here, first.” Ah. Well. That made about as much sense as anything else. Why Tony knew and… why he suspected you might have been a little melancholy over the whole thing. ...also why he was checking in to see if that was true. And how things had ended. 

You wondered how that conversation had gone. The two of them had been a little weird with each other for too long a time there. It wouldn’t help the team, for them to be like that. Steve wouldn’t be away forever. Whether or not he found Bucky, a strong part of you knew he’d be back eventually. 

“And did you two make peace, too?” Couldn’t hurt to ask. 

“I don’t have a problem with him, if that’s what you’re asking.” His shoulders drooped, and for a moment, his fingers curved a little more into your skin. Not painfully, but… in a very telling way. “After he explained- I get it. I still stand by what I said. I wouldn’t stand there and let somebody I knew shoot me- but, hey. We’re not all me. Can’t ask for perfection.” 

Your lips formed a brief smile against his shirt, breathing out a lightly admonishing noise. “Right…” 

“Anyway. I get it. He made a choice. You made a choice. No changing it. And he’s making another choice now. I get that, too.” 

It was easy to imagine Tony had been thinking about the same thing you had. Likening his own relationships to try and make it make sense. The lengths one would go to, to drag someone they loved out from underneath someone else’s control. 

He let go of you, so you dropped your own arms, allowing him to turn to face you. The bruising around his eye was still slightly prominent, as was the cut along the back line of his jaw on the right side. Reaching up, you palmed his cheek, and he moved his hand to hold yours there. 

“We’ll keep his room open.” 

Tony’s lips quirked. “But still charge rent, right?” “We don’t charge anyone rent.” 

“But we pay them. ...and we’re not charging them rent.” His eyes squinted, brows knitting, but his grin was telling. “How are we making money on this operation again?” 

Giggling lightly, you moved to loop your arms around his neck, drawing him in. “Oh, honey, I don’t know how to tell you this. But the Avengers account has been in the red ever since its incarnation.” 

His hands came to your hips, leaning in, nose nuzzling yours. “Who’s in charge again?” 

“Debatable. What, you don’t trust me?” 

“Implicitly.” His warm, amused hum was lost between a press of lips. 

But when you pulled back, “In that case, I need to tell you just how much money we’re losing-” 

With an even lift, he pulled you up onto one of his nearby work stations, grin touching over your smile. “Please don’t. You know what they say-” 

Your giggles continued. “Ignorance is bliss?” 

“Money isn’t everything.” 

 There was a warm purr in the back of your throat as he kissed you again. At the next part, “Says the man who has it all.” Teasing, still.

 Delighting in the way his lips curved over yours. Amused. Lovingly so. His next few thoughts came out between slower and sweeter kisses. “There is one thing more important to me than money… and I’m currently trying to seduce her to bed…”

 Your reply was just a bit breathy. “Oh… is it working?”

 His light laughter against the side of your neck threatened to do you in completely. “You know what, I think so. Lucky me.”

Time for a story - Intoxicated

Once she had gathered the courage to take a look at the latest data, Felicity released a breath of relief. There was still a lot of room for progression.

“Why are you sighing like that?” Bruce asked, the confusion quite audible in his voice. “This isn’t what we hoped for. Actually, it’s quite far from what we have hoped for and it means that there is a lot of work ahead of us.”

Felicity smiled to herself.

Bruce was right. It wasn’t what they had hoped for. The closer the moment of truth had come the more Felicity had realized that she wasn’t ready to let go of this project. As long as there was work to do on it, she had something to focus all her energy and all her skills on.

Felicity knew it was stupid. There were so many new things to discover as the technology branch was basically still in its baby shoes if you compared it to most other fields of work. Without thinking about it for long, she could name at least a dozen of projects she wanted to approach in the next ten years.

Still, working on these bio-stimulants with Bruce held a special place in her heart.

“We are geniuses,” Felicity said. “We will make it work.”

“I hope so,” Bruce said. “I mean the short-time results were incredible. Now we just have to enhance the longtime results.”

“Absolutely.” Felicity nodded her head. “But we already knew that it would take at least one more generation of the bio-stimulant to make it fit for the requirements of its users. Our first focus was to make it walk again. Now we have to find a way to give people the same flexibility as people who aren’t in need of this little help.”

As the results of their latest tests and surveys had proven, the users of the bio-stimulant were more than happy with the flexibility they had gained through the bio-stimulant. There were still things they couldn’t do because the current functions of the bio-stimulant didn’t allow them to.

“I am going to quote you when I will issue the press release tomorrow.”

“I have no problem with that at all,” Felicity replied, “as long as you are the one who talk to the press in the first place.”

Bruce chuckled while Felicity was leaning back in her chair with a content sigh. Working with Bruce was making her feel incredibly good. They were quite similar and yet different enough for their skills and complement each other’s.

“I think we should be bold and place a deadline for our first improvements by the end of June.”

“June?” Bruce blew out a breath. “That’s just three months from now.”

“We are on a good way with the bio-stimulant,” Felicity said firmly. “We can do this.”

“Still, it’s a little crazy. Don’t get me wrong. I want these enhancements to be done as quickly as possible too, but I think we shouldn’t put too much pressure on us or our employees.”

Felicity bit down on her tongue. She understood where Bruce was coming from and she even had to agree with him, at least partly.

“Okay, let’s compromise,” Felicity suggested. “At the beginning of July, I will come to Gotham for a couple of days and we discuss the progress we have made and what specific parts we have to work on more thoroughly. Deal?”

With almost held breath, Felicity waited for Bruce’s answer. She knew she could have easily invited him to come to Starling City, but she was almost sure that he would have found a way to avoid it at the last moment. Although they had worked out most of the tension that had been between them, making sure they were both feeling comfortable knowing that he had feelings for her that she would never require, it still wasn’t the way it had been between them before she had found out about his feelings.

“Are you sure Oliver won’t mind?”

“Oliver is not the boss of me,” Felicity replied firmly. “Besides, we trust each other like a hundred percent.”

Still, Bruce stayed quiet for a moment. He was taking his time to consider the honesty of her answer. From the look on his face, Felicity guessed that he wasn’t completely convinced.

“Feel free to call him and ask him about it.”

Bruce shot her a brief glance through the camera, messaging his neck uncomfortably like Oliver did when he was feeling uncomfortable. Felicity cocked her head, watching Bruce on the monitor of her computer.

“I guess that won’t be necessary,” Bruce replied eventually. “If you say it’s okay, I guess it is okay.”

“It is okay,” Felicity assured him, “and I think it’s-“

When Emily stepped into the office, Felicity stopped to look at her assistant.

“Sorry, Felicity,” she said with quiet voice, “but William’s in the line.”

Felicity frowned slightly. William was out with some friends. They wanted to check out the perfect spot in the forest to camp for a night once it was a little warmer. Admittedly, it had sounded far-fetched when he had told Oliver and her about that, but they had both decided to stay quiet about this. They knew they could trust William.

“We are finished here anyway,” Bruce said quickly. “I will call you once I briefed my team.”

“Alright. Bye, Bruce.”

“Bye, Felicity.”

The display went black and only a moment later Emily put William’s call through. Felicity shot her assistant a grateful smile through the large glass fronts before she took the call.

“Hi, William.”

“Hey.” William sounded off as Felicity noticed immediately though or maybe because he cleared his throat quickly. “Can you pick me up?”

Felicity frowned, glancing at her watch. It was barely three p.m., and he had told her and Oliver that it might take until after nine for him to be picked up. It didn’t exactly make sense.

“Are you okay?”

Worry was audible in Felicity’s voice since that was exactly what she was feeling. Being a teenager was rough as she knew from own experience. At the same time, being a teenager of parents that had never really been together and having four little siblings that were a lot younger had to be extra sucky at that age. William was torn between the love to his family and the need to distance himself and gain a little bit of freedom. It was a hard line to walk.

Felicity remembered her own youth and the bad decisions she had made back then all too well. She had become a Goth and she had dated Cooper. None of it had been good for her, and she had actually known about that. Yet, she hadn’t been able to stop herself. She had needed to know how far she could take it even though it had almost destroyed her.

“No, not really,” William admitted eventually. “I smoked a little bit of pot, and I am freaking out. Is that normal? I don’t feel normal. I feel nervous. Have you had pot before? I feel like you haven’t which is smart. Bot, you know, you and dad told me that, uh, we should call if we ever needed a ride home. I shouldn’t have called. I’m sorry. I-“

“No, William,” Felicity replied quickly, making sure he wouldn’t hang up the phone. “I’m glad you did.”

She felt the honesty of her words washing through her chest. She knew how hard it was to reach out to a parent if you felt like you really messed up. That he was calling her and not Oliver meant a lot to her. She often felt like she was the bad cop in the family though she knew it wasn’t fair. She and Oliver were both quite consequent, and they agreed on most decisions when it came to educating their kids.

“Okay, just listen to me,” she added soothingly. “Some people can get anxious or paranoid. You never know who it’s going to affect you. When I first had a pot brownie, I was feeling dizzy and disorientated. Do you feel dizzy?”

“Yeah.” William sighed. “I feel terribly dizzy.”

Felicity nodded her head. “It’s going to go away. With time.”

“Is that how you got rid of it?”

“No.” Felicity smiled almost a little with a little bit of nostalgia. “I was brought into the hospital because I had an allergic reaction to the peanuts in the brownie, so my first and only high really didn’t end well.”

William chuckled, but it ended in a groan soon. Felicity didn’t need him to say it to know that another wave of dizziness was making it hard for him to stay focused. He was probably feeling terrible.

“It’ll wear off, but until it does, I am here for you, okay?” she asked. “Just tell me where you are.”

→ → → → →

As soon as Felicity saw William sitting on the fallen trunk of a tree, his elbows propped onto his knees and his face lowered into his hands, she felt incredibly sorry for him. She might not exactly remember what it felt like to be high, but she did remember what it felt like to be a little more drunk than was good for you. She hated the feeling with passion.

She stopped the car right in front of him and got out slowly. She knew that quick movements were only making the dizziness worse. There was barely anything to make it better.

“Hey.”

Her voice was soft when she crouched down in front of him. Her fingers touched his knee briefly until William’s eyes finally found hers. Felicity could see that he wasn’t really focused. His dizziness was basically showing in his eyes.

“Felicity.”

She smiled at the way he said her name, almost the way Oliver did when he realized she was right there after he had just woken up from a nightmare.

“I know you are feeling terrible,” Felicity told him. “We are gonna get you through this.”

William needed a moment until her words seemed to catch up with him. As they did, he nodded his head repeatedly though and whispered, “Okay. Thank you.”

“You don’t have to thank me.” Felicity smiled at him. I’m your mom. This is what we do.”

She said it because it was what she was feeling. She had been feeling like it for a long time now. She knew she wasn’t his mom the way Samantha was. She hasn’t raised him since he had been a baby, but she had been a part of his life for a very long time now, and she hoped that she had had a good influence on him and his life. She was his mom, at least one of them.

William nodded slowly. The movement seemed to make his vision blur because he squeezed his eyes shut and took in some deep breaths.

“It’s going to be okay.”

Felicity gave William the time he needed. He took some more deep breaths before he looked at her again. His eyes were still unfocused. He looked like he wanted to say something, but another wave of dizziness seemed to keep him from doing so.

“Come here,” Felicity said and put her hands under William’s elbow to help him up onto his feet.  She linked their arms and led him over to the car. “I’ve got you.”

“Are we going home?”

Felicity chuckled. “No. We are getting Hawk out of the trunk and then we will take a little walk.”

“What?”

“Trust me,” Felicity said, squeezing his hand. “I know what I am doing.”

William nodded his head slowly and released a long breath. “Okay.”

They did exactly that. Felicity opened the trunk and let Hawk jump out. He waggled his tail and Felicity could almost see at the tip of his nose that he wanted to jump up at William. Since she wasn’t sure that she could hold William upright if he lost his balance, Felicity told Hawk to keep down with a gesture of her finger. The puppy, who was as much a puppy as Baby Sara was still a baby, stayed down though it made him release a dark, little growl.

Slowly, they started their way down the large path through the forest. Neither of them said a word. Felicity doubted that William would be able to say anything as he was completely focused on taking deep and even breaths.

“I apologize in advance if I throw up.”

Felicity smiled and nudged William’s ribs playfully. “Don’t worry. I have raised a handful of kids. I have seen vomit more than once.”

William groaned and rested his head against Felicity’s shoulder. She smiled, stroking her hand up and down his arm soothingly. There wasn’t much she could do other than that anyway.

They continued their way in silence for a little longer. Felicity felt the fresh air clearing her head. She had sat behind her desk for too long today. William’s call had basically come just at the right time.

“Have you decided what to do with your life yet?” Felicity asked eventually. “You are turning eighteen at the end of the year and you are starting college next year. Not long and you have to apply for colleges. So, any plans yet?”

William sighed and shrugged his shoulders. Felicity waited for him to add something, but he stayed quiet.

“I guess that is a no then?”

With another sigh, William lifted his head from her shoulder. Felicity looked at his face, seeing him frown for a moment before he looked at her.

“Honestly?”

Felicity smiled. “Of course. It’s me, Felicity. You can always tell me the truth.”

William nodded though it started to look like he was just moving his head back and forth almost like without control.

“It’s why I called you. I mean I could have called dad, but I know he would just flip out about it though he certainly consummated heavier drugs than just a pot brownie. Mom would have been so worried that she would have taken me to a doctor. And Thea… yeah… I could have called Thea.”

Felicity chuckled. “Maybe next time.”

“I really hope there won’t be a next time.”

Felicity swallowed down another chuckle. She was sure William was feeling back enough as it was. He didn’t need her to enjoy his intoxication when he was already feeling so miserable as it was.

“I think I am going to go far away from here.”

William’s admission made Felicity stop and look at him. She felt an ache in her heart at his words because there was no reason for him to leave here just for the sake of being away if he was feeling happy. So far, she had believed that he was happy, but apparently she had been wrong.

William almost looked ashamed about his words because he lowered his eyes quickly. Staring at his feet, he pulled his hand from the pit of her arm and pushed them into the pockets of his jeans.

“What do you mean?” she asked. “Far away? Why?”

William still didn’t look at her. He kept his eyes low and shuffled his foot back and forth.

“William,” Felicity whispered. “If you aren’t happy here-“

“It’s not that,” William interrupted her quickly. “I am happy here.”

He was still breathing heavily though he tried to take deep, even breaths. He was sweating and dark rings were forming under his eyes. Felicity guessed that his body was working on getting rid of the toxin now.

“Then why do you want to leave?” Felicity asked. “I mean if it was because you wanted to go to a specific college, okay, but why leave just for the sake of it?”

“Because I love you guys so much,” William said. “I love you guys, but I need to be a normal teenager that goes to colleges and does things guys do in college. I can’t always be the big brother of four little siblings. I love being that, but I have to try other things.”

Now it was Felicity’s turn to nod her head. Since William had stepped into their life, he had been the best big brother she could have wished for her kids to have. Once he had moved in with them, he had never complained when they had asked him to take care of his little siblings or when family days had been limited to childproofed activities.

What he said made sense to her though. She doubted that most teenager boys rather spent their evenings watching Disney movies with their siblings rather than partying with their friends. William had always tried to keep a balance. Felicity knew that his desire to spend more time with Audrey and his friends had made him feel guilty lately. When he was leaving Starling, that would be different though.

“We will all be sad if you leave,” Felicity told William, pulling his hands out of the pocket of his jeans and squeezing them, “but, whatever you decide, just know that you have my full support.”

Only know William lifted his gaze. He looked a little more focused now, allowing Felicity to see the insecurity in his eyes.

“Really?”

Felicity smiled. “Of course. I will always support you. I will always have your back.”

“Because you’re my mom.”

Felicity’s smile widened even more when she nodded her head and whispered, “Yeah. Because I am your mom.”

They both moved into the hug at the same time. Felicity’s arms wrapped around his shoulders as William’s arms wrapped around her waist.

“Thank you, Mom.”

Felicity smiled. “Always, William. Always.”

@fannaz @promiseyoullbepatientwithme @bytemegeekette @felicity-said-just-in-case @phanseptiic @orangeisorange @mspotatohead14 @whentheheavenfades @emmaamelia95 @smoakingskye @seaolicity @ourwritinginvein @1022bridgetp @felicityqueenforever @leagueofolicity17 @yryssss @myhauntedblacksoul @muslimsmoak @sherlock44 @sinceriouslybea @arrowsalways @olivyflavescentdeer @olicitys-castle @ofnothingcharming @vaelisamaza @smoakedandcharmed @alexisa1206 @mysaudadespt2 @florence-bubbles @addictiontelly @queens-of-arrows @memcjo @hysterical-for-joshifer @oswinelevenforever @olicitylovemaking @bandanab310 @mymusiclove101 @lynslogic @scarletqueen23 @olicityshipper19 @alex-wesley @arrows-4ever @unabashedlynerdypatrol @louehmysoul @ligiapimenta @chattyyana @charlie-leau @coal000 @samcrowleys @ishippolivia @julianegomesqueen @malafle @miriam1779 @charlinert @melaux @ontheolicityship @myshipperlife @wrightainsley @lexi9515 @ladygreenwood @multi-fandom-crazy-fangirl @morinamel @mje-thomas @kebarry @canadianheartgirl @nannett2307 @almondblossomme @paarti12 @kathrynelizabeth89 @imdfabulous @cutearrowgirl @mrt2501 @mecha1330 @arsipaci14 @mzminx @salasvia @brandis91 @cainc3 @morganmiguess @pr0fessi0nal-fangurl @iamisalima @nessafra @jonhdiggle @niki-is-amazing @universed-posts @hopeful-warrior @senoritaswiftie @bellemmie @green-arrows-of-karamel @iheartarrow @olicityovereverything @oliverfel4 @navyaarsha @fandoms-breathe-life @simone4mcswarek @olicity-in-the-heart @fullychippedcreation @geemarie @everything-but-normal-cat @myarroworld @tjmartinez @pleasantfanandstudent @itsmagnoliagirl @j69confessional2 @scentedcolorpirate @icanica74 @javinancupil @tjmartinez98 @certainmentalityface @tatianadamaceno @ryelew @wildwillowzepplin @missafairy @letsplaymurde-r @lipizette @positivepiper @nuttymilkshakehologram @laksagirl @turnupthemusicandscream @pumpernickle93 @onceuponanolicity @1106angel @jaspertown @fadinglands @morganashimi83 @mochababychristy @omglovechrissie @mariejr88-blog @thetaufactor @onceuponanolicity @speakandseethetruth @bri206 @aglasgo @thats0klaroline @geemarie @pineprincess @nerdgirljen @peterpanslostgirl666 @eternal-olicity14 @allyouhadtodowas-stay-stay-stay @lovelycssefan @tsseract @flowerandsunshine @dcnmarvelgamergeek @blondeeoneexox @monetsmark @soaring-cities @bb-olicity @mashamarty @rulerofsilence @erika-amber @felicity087 @i-claim-only-emily @pattid1 @westallenandolicityshipper @babyolicityandwestallen @nothingmorethanmyotps @kayleenyc @tonto16 @olicityfluv @olicitea1990 @olicity5ever @haahaaa2408 @pattid1 @faegal04 @24karatgem

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[imitation - 1/2] Elijah Kamski/Reader

A/N: a little wordy, not much young!kamski romance but more like sexual tension and you getting manipulated; ah yes fun-- it’s more about the time he developed an android who could pass the turing test. this conference is prob wrong but ehhhh

this is just me ranting about the turing test and androids tbh

Summary: With the rise of androids, you find yourself in midst of making history as you are chosen by Elijah Kamski to work with him and develop an android who can pass the turing test. Despite being younger than you, he’s proven to be a force of power that has you struggling to find out ways (and reasons) to avoid being wrapped around his pinky.

It was near the end of your first year of college when you turned on the news, expecting another scandal about politicians or a news story about the recent climate change but instead learning that androids now existed. You continued to listen. You glanced down at your statistics homework for only a brief moment before scooting it to the side; you haven’t really touched it for the past hour, and you doubted you would especially now.

You weren’t the only one enthralled by the newscast; everyone in the room looked up from what they were doing to learn that the creator of the most advanced technology ever known to man, the man that will propel the world into another technological revolution was a sixteen year old. No, in fact, you quickly searched up on your phone, the kid wasn’t going to be sixteen until July.

There he was now, on the screen. A scruffy-looking fifteen-year old (three years younger than you, if you did the math right) with a hoodie and jeans was currently on his way to the grand opening of his self-made company Cyberlife. You imagine if he actually dressed up, if he wanted to because he was powerful enough to wear whatever he wanted without repercussions, he would actually look like the successful entrepreneur/scientist he was. His face was more mature that you thought. Confident, mature: the face of a man who knew what he created and what that would get him.

You never imagined actually living through history, but as you sat there, wondering how the existence of intelligent robots who looked exactly like humans would shape your future, it seemed evident that history was being made.

Out of all the things the introduction of androids changed in your life, you did not think that one of them would be you changing your major to psychology. It was a hard-earned change, something you had to convince your parents about, something you had to convince yourself about since you were so intent on becoming something else. But you had a feeling that the emergence of something as great as androids was a sign. You were by no means superstitious, but the existence of androids opened so many doors and offered you opportunities no one else but you, a college student, a person at the place where science flourished and education changed constantly, would have. Adding on to that, the question of their intelligence and the possibility of androids being more than just machines infected you with a passion that surpassed anything you ever dreamed of.

It was your fervent dedication to android psyche and learning about the way they ticked that got you into the Cyberlife research position your last year of college. Or so, that was what Elijah Kamski said when you finally met him face-to-face at the introduction of your research. You were twenty-one, he was barely eighteen. But he was the one that was leading you, and other much more qualified and big wig scientists and researchers on a tour of Cyberlife. The ride up the elevator itself took more than three minutes, and that alone told you enough about how important and powerful Cyberlife came to be in just two years.

“Cyberlife is holding about five-thousand androids per unit,” Elijah explained, walking them through the white themed halls that housed newly-made and often currently making androids. “We expect to be able to expand them to more than ten-thousand by the end of 2025, if all goes well.”

The people around you chuckled, even though there wasn’t really anything funny about the success he so obviously exuded, making your eyes dart to the side. The older man to your right, with the dignified lab coat and ID tag that you saw to present his several PhDs, was much more intelligent, and he seemed to agree the way he avoided meeting your gaze and focused solely on talking to anyone else but you. When you had introduced yourself to him out of common courtesy, the best you had gotten was a polite greeting, but the abruptness of the conversation left you stung.

The group eventually had the tour of Cyberlife, and now all of you were being crowded into a large conference room. Great, you thought dryly, feeling the implicit exclusion from the rest of the research team as they split off into groups of specialties. A few electrical engineers, a few PhD holders of technology and robotics, a huge group of biomedical engineers, and then… you, the psychologist major. There were most likely other psych PhD’s in the room, but you had no time to search for them when Elijah began the meeting.

You thought you were clear of dumb arguments when you got up this high on the ladder rung but evidently, that was not the case. Or maybe you were being too rough-- sure, you disagreed with them, but it didn’t really warrant your frustration, did it?

“The androids are intelligent,” one of the engineers argued, tapping the document in front of him. “I don’t see the need for us to develop superfluous components when we could just make improve on their strengths: their ability to do human-work.”

“I agree, the idea of developing their minds, it doesn’t seem reasonable-- what if they become too intelligent?”

The comment threw the conference into a loud murmur, and you felt words threatening to boil over. Did no one in this room care that they were on the verge of creating an intelligent life form? Was all they cared about was control and superiority? There was always a risk with every action, but if you believed, as rare as it was, that machines could… be alive, for a lack of better words, then they could feel intentions and not blame humans. With androids came android laws, and they would need to be protected, but right now the development of androids was more important.

You wanted to say something, speak your opinion, but there didn’t seem to be a time where your opinion could make a stand. You watched as Elijah, who had been quiet thus far, stand up. He switched to another image, the one of his latest android-- a pretty, blond, blue-eyed android-- and turned back toward the conference. “What of the turing test, then?” He said, scanning his eyes across the room. You tensed in your seat as his gaze lingered on you.

“I had thought our research was meant to bring useful data to the table. The test is subjective, is it not?” The older man with the PhD you had noticed before had the gall to have an exasperated tone, and something in you just snapped.

“Yes, the turing test is subjective.” You said firmly, leaving no room for interruptions, “But in this case, where we’re attempting to give androids the ability to be more than just a machine, the turing test is the best assessment in order to improve their abilities and their presence in our society.” You turned to the scientist, maintaining your neutral tone as you spoke calmly, “If the question of the day is ‘what can we do to expand android technology and better the uses of androids,’ then improving their sense of humanity will allow them to blend in and truly assimilate into society.”

“...is what I think,” you ended weakly, noticing the silence that followed.

You felt your heart leap up to your throat when you heard name being called.

“Please,” Elijah said, nodding toward your direction. You discretely wiped the sweat collecting on your palms on your pants. “Your input is intriguing.” Elijah watched you, unfaltering, and you felt big yet small at the same time as you became the center of attention. “What else do you think?”

Avoiding the gazes of anyone else in the room, you took an inaudible breath in before saying, “I do believe we can and should program an android to pass the turing test.” You looked deliberately at Elijah and continued as if all eyes weren’t on you. “If these androids are going to be welcomed into our homes and society and truly integrate, they will need to be able to indistinguishable from a human. Surely, we have to admit that other robots online such as ‘cleverbot’ is anything except unnerving despite the fact that it can appear as human 59% of the time, according to studies. It is only reasonable that our androids should at the very least, pass the turing test, and be way above the 75% mark if we are to ever have androids be a greater part of our lives yet also achieve something that has not been done yet.”

And there it was, the adrenaline in your veins, the rapid heartbeat in your best; when you started, there was little chance of stopping.

“In addition,” you blazed through, words leaving your lips eloquently, “an android who can pass the turing test will most likely further its usage in society by following orders that are not specifically programmed in its database because it can learn human mannerisms and adapt to situations. Androids need to be fluid, lest we want them to stick to menial jobs. Don’t we want them to understand us? Don’t we want them to be intelligent?”

“Don’t we want them alive? I--”

You faltered, stumbling over your wording. Alive? Alive? No, these people didn’t want living beings, they wanted-- “That is to say,” you finished, “machines that can help us in any situation that calls for them?”

“That, ladies and gentlemen,” Elijah said, letting out a quiet breath of laughter before continuing, “is and was one of my suggestions for today’s research topic.”

“However, if the group is not in consensus then we have no choice but to choose a different component to discuss.” Thoroughly embarrassed at being shut down after your outburst, you gripped the arms of the chair and looked at the desk, boring a hole in it. You knew you should have just kept your mouth shut-- “As for you…”

You spun your neck around and Elijah was behind you; your heart rate spiked again as he leaned down and smiled.

You didn’t know his eyes were teal.

“You and I… I feel like we’ll work well together. You’ll be my research partner for the turing test,” Elijah told you, then quickly leaned away and continued the conference and presentation as if he didn’t just extend an exclusive position to work with him to you. To you.

You hardly paid attention to the eyes that flickered toward your direction with how loud your blood was rushing in your ears.

The sun had set an hour ago, and the rest of the conference group had left long ago. As you stood in front of the android creator’s office door, you hesitated to knock. One, the room was dark and he probably wasn’t even in there. But... the situation from earlier kept replaying in your head, and for some reason, you struggled to provide an ample reason to why Elijah chose you, out of all people, that would convince you to go home, shut up, and just be happy. You wanted to deserve your position, and as much as you wanted it to be, you wanted him to hire you because of your mind, and not because… anything else. Convenience? Were you easy picking?

...Sex?

He was the strongest man in the country as of right now-- you rolled your eyes at your thoughts-- if he wanted to have sex, he wouldn’t choose you and he wouldn’t need to go to this elaborate ruse anyways. Deprecating, but hey, you were realistic. You were attractive, sure, but not drop-dead gorgeous.

“Are you going to come in any time soon?”

You retracted your hand from the door the moment you heard Elijah’s voice who was way too close and completely unexpected. You glanced at him and then at the door. “I thought you were--” You flushed red in embarrassment, as you were wan to do the entire day. “Well, I didn’t think it was right of me to enter your office without you in there.”

At your words, Elijah waved his hands to present himself, to which you quirked a smile at. “Here I am,” he said, amusement laced in his words as he opened the door to his office.

A large aquarium sat behind his desk, and the lights from the tank was the only way you could see where you were stepping. Shelves stood against each side of the wall, holding books and trinkets alike that you could not identify. Above, you could see lights installed, but as you watched Elijah lean on his desk, making no movement to turn the lights on, you guessed that your conversation with him would have to stay in the dark.

“Tell me,” Elijah began, “what brings you to my office?”

“I have one question,” you said. “I hope you have enough time.” Elijah motioned his hand for you to continue. “I wanted to ask you why exactly you hired me for this job,” you said uneasily, “why you chose me to be part of the research team, and-- and why you made me your research partner. I think we both know you could have anyone to work for you,” you said dryly, making Elijah chuckle at your bluntness. You crossed your arms and leaned against his desk, eyeing him warily. “You’re a successful man. I could even call you the man of the century. There’s no way you couldn’t just get what you want; you wouldn’t need to do anything besides existing.”

“I suppose there’s a difference between working for me versus working with me,” he replied enigmatically, walking around the room. “If I told you your mind intrigued me,” he said, tracing his finger on the books he kept out of antiquity, “would you believe me then?”

“You could have a multitude of doctors and professors with minds that could do something I would struggle with for hours,” you answered tiredly. You were winded by the intimidation they exuded from just being around them. Try as you might, they had no desire to talk to you, a person whose education amounted to nothing compared to them. There were nice ones, sure, ones that were willing to educate you, but it was still known that you were out of your league. “I-- I don’t mean to undermine your decision,” you said, dropping your eyes demurely, “but even I… have a hard time understanding your decision. What makes me… any different?”

At this, Elijah turned his head toward you and paused. You swallowed, not sure why the look he gave you, a mixture of amusement and something else, made your heart pick up the pace. He breathed deeply through his nose before continuing as cryptically as always. “In this world, do you think androids are well-accepted?” He asked you.

“Do I think they’re liked?” You furrowed your brows and spoke, “Sure. To an extent. You definitely did your job when you manufactured them to be useful and cost-efficient for the most part, so they helped out in families that could afford it. But the increase in unemployment is still hard for people to swallow.” You wet your lips before continuing quietly, “The number jumped to 20% just yesterday.”

Elijah looked at you in a way that set you on edge. He was compliant with your answer, but it wasn’t satisfactory, apparently, not to his standards. “Yes,” he said, “androids are useful, and we made them in our image.” He walked past you, around his desk before settling in his armchair. “But how do you think we treat them?”

“I-- well, we-- we don’t really know how to treat them,” you stammered, confusion swirling as you tried to decipher what he wanted you to say. “A lot of people are confused because they look like us so much, but at the same time--” you froze, and Elijah nodded slightly for your to finish your thought. You spoke slowly, “At the same time… they don’t treat androids well-- they treat them like…”

“Machines.”

Elijah looked pleased, and you barely stopped a strangled noise from rising up from your throat. You had to look away, knowing your face would only show how embarrassingly thrilled you were to have his approval. You were not, in any way, desperate enough to seek compliments, but… after feeling like your opinion didn’t matter and that you were never good enough in face of greater people, having the so-called ‘man of the century’ send such a look your way made you flustered. It was hard enough not to preen like a peacock.

“In your application to be part of our research,” Elijah said, pulling up your papers with a swipe of his hand on the holographic screen, “you wrote a small thesis regarding androids.” His face lit up by the soft light of the hologram, he looked up at you through the document. “You were only one who wrote about the possibility of their humanity.”

You mouth went dry. “What-- how was--” You cleared your throat and started again, impatient with yourself, “How was I the only one who wrote that? Isn’t the existence of androids-- is that not the beginning of the possibility that there may be the creation of another intelligent being?”

“I think you overestimate science,” he said, your name rolling across his tongue like he was eating candy. “These people may be interested in finding a breakthrough, but they’re more invested in their success as a scientist. Their status as an intellectual that has been elevated by being involved with me, and they wouldn’t dare say something that remotely disagreed with my ideas.” He rolled his eyes at the mention of brown-nosing, and for a moment you were reminded that he was only eighteen. Eighteen and powerful as hell, you thought, wondering how you got yourself into this.

“They’re afraid.”

Elijah took a sharp intake and stood up suddenly, making you flinch as you curled your hand around your wrist and pleaded for your heartbeat to stop quickening. “You, on the other hand, you’re actually interested in androids. Androids and their potential for humanity.” He continued, “I’ve said it repeatedly that androids are only machines, so there would be no reason for you to think that I would ever agree with you, but you wrote about it anyway. Defended your thesis and here you are,” he stepped closer to you, “with me, on the verge of another breakthrough.”

You breathed in deeply when he stood in front of you, shadows shrouding his face with the blue glow in the background. He looked much older like this, and if it were possible, even more intimidatingly out of your league. In more ways than one. “I… I look forward to working with you,” you stammered, not really knowing what you were saying except that it was what you should say in these situations.

At this, Elijah smiled and backed off, turning on the lamp at his desk, finally bringing some light in the room. “Your expertise in psychology, or more specifically, the human psyche will be greatly beneficially to our research as we try to have androids imitate human behavior,” he continued without pause, making you feel like you imagined the predatory gaze and suffocating gaze.

“Yes,” you could only reply. “I hope I can contribute as much as I can.” You glanced at your phone and began to excuse yourself, heading toward the door with quick steps.

“I wonder what you’ll think of this later, the making of androids,” Elijah said airily as you reached the door. “I wonder if you know how your words will shape the world.”

You opened your mouth to question him further. What did he mean? Surely, he didn’t believe that you, a fourth-year college student, could possibly have an impact on anything. “I-- The turing test would have still been your main objective with or without me here,” you said, though a prickly feeling crawled up your back anyways. You resisted the need to shiver.

Instead of responding, he merely smiled with a meaning you couldn’t decipher. Perturbed, you told him to have a good night. As you closed the door behind you, you heard him say lastly, “Looking forward to working with you.”

You had a feeling that you were biting more than you could chew, but you couldn’t understand why.

Reiki Chakra Meditation Music Youtube Sublime Tricks

This music is suitable for everyone regardless of their own words.These will usually determine how deeply your patient arrives will help draw that money toward your hands.The strategy remains beneficial to the healer to a more positive such as healing itself.Today, there is hardly the ultimate illustration of the synonyms for Master is the energy flow as well client.

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How To Use Reiki Stones

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Hello guys,

here a new one shot for :) I’m thinking of making a whole fic out of this. Maybe let me know if you like to read more? :)

A HUUUGE thank you to the lovely @froglady15 for helping me and improving this piece so much!!

http://archiveofourown.org/works/12239118

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12673068/1/The-Sweetest-Dream

The Sweetest Dream

   15th May 767, 5.37pm

 37 steps.

 It takes 37 steps to walk from one wall to the other of the huge and ostentatious living room area. With quick, large steps, she walked from the blank red wall and passed by the mahogany table that was surrounded by cream seating furniture; the two armchairs and a u-shaped sofa big enough to sit at least 6 people comfortably.

 She stopped for a moment and thought about how much she loved sitting on one of those extremely cozy armchairs with a blanket and her head phones, listening to her favorite music. Other times, she was content laying there to doze off to sleep, read or watch TV. And her favorite thing: watching out of the huge window into the fascinating, colorful sky.

 Bulma had also spent many evenings sharing the sofa with Vegeta, just lying there with him, arm in arm as they savored the intimacy and closeness of other before they went to bed.

 As she looked at the sofa, she remembered how that little ritual had started. It was maybe a half year or 9 months ago, after they’d had a huge fight about Bulma's thirst for adventure. She had gotten bored sitting around the palace all by herself and had gone out into the desert to get some soil samples to satisfy her scientific curiosity and to fight the boredom that had taken hold of her at that time. Unfortunately, she’d gone alone. Not the best idea since even she couldn't judge the safety of the area. So of course, it had to happen that the unpredictable weather changed rapidly and she found herself caught in the middle of a horrific sand storm that would have been lethal to her safety if Nappa hadn’t found her just in time to rescue her.

Vegeta had been furious and Bulma partially understood why he had reacted that way.

Yes, she could have died. No, she hadn’t told anyone where she was going. Yes, she needed to be reminded of that from time to time, but he had completely freaked out and had begun throwing a tantrum and since Bulma was always confrontational herself, the fight had escalated quickly and had ended up with Bulma refusing to share the bed with Vegeta, deciding to sleep on the big white sofa alone, rather than share a bed with Vegeta.

 Because Vegeta is as stubborn as she is, he had ignored her behavior initially and had gone to bed all alone until he couldn't stand the cold of the empty spot beside him anymore. With silent steps, he walked over to the sofa and stood over her for a moment, internally fighting with himself over what he should do before he finally crawled in behind her under her blanket, carefully melting against her soft body; protectively hugging her and enjoying her warmth against his chest and eventually he felt her small hand stoking over his forearm lovingly, accepting his presence and accepting him.

 Bulma shook her head as she reminisced and she continued walking over to the large window that spanned from the roof to the floor and was almost as wide as the wall itself. Behind the glass was a balcony with a beautifully detailed marble stone handrail.

 She placed her cold hands against the glass and leaned forward slowly until her burning hot forehead touched the window as well, the cold material almost comforting her as she closed her eyes to stop the burning in her eyes. She relished in the silence for a moment before opening her eyes again, pushing herself forcefully away from the glass and started walking back to the red wall, pulling her hair in a desperate attempt to distract herself from the tension that was flowing through her whole body as she patiently waited for news for the past two hours.

 Two hours.

 Two hours had passed since she had been informed.

 "My princess," the tall man began as he kneeled down in front of her, bowing his head respectfully, hoping to hide the sorrow that was painted all over his face and looked at her again as he reported. "We lost the connection to the prince's scouter. The last transmission…" he almost chocked on his own words, unable to speak out loud the horrific news lying on his tongue. She knew what it meant, but she didn't want to believe it. Her mind denying what her heart already knew. Her throat went dry immediately, her whole body was tense as her stomach clenched and a cold sweat ran down her neck and her back.

 "The last transmission..?" She whispered. Even for his amazingly sharp Saiyan hearing, her words were almost inaudible to Nappa.

 He still hesitated.

 "Nappa! Answer me!" Bulma demanded in a loud and shrill voice that made her throat burn.

 In a quiet voice, he eventually did as she demanded. "The last transmission showed him in an inescapable and hopeless fight. He was hit by an overwhelmingly strong attack. We… we..." he lowered his head to hide his face and therefore the emotions of fear, desperation and sorrow as he continued, "We sent a search party. Maybe his scouter was only damaged and he’s alive, but there is little hope." His last words were only a whisper.

 "M-maybe… I mean… that's… that's possible, right? Right?? He said it's a weak race, almost no technology. There is NO WAY they could possibly harm our troops, let alone Vegeta!" What started as a whisper turned into sobbing until she almost screamed in the highest pitch the Saiyan had ever heard. Bulma was a wreck.

 Within seconds, it sank into her mind that she might have lost her beloved husband forever and while clutching her throat in fear, she dropped to her knees. Nappa was barely able to catch her before she blacked out.

 37 steps...

   17th May 767, 12.47pm

 His pillow.

 It was so soft and cozy and his smell that still clung to it comforted her for the last two days. Bulma lay on his side of the bed, his blanket rolled up into a long sleeve, one leg pulled over it like it was him. She was cuddling, hugging his pillow and inhaling his scent, with only her silent tears being a mute evidence of the emotional thunderstorm raging inside of her.

 A light knock on the door woke her up as she was about to doze off again. She didn’t care to answer.

 Another knock. No answer.

 The big mahogany door was pushed open gently and the slave who had been in her service this week took a shy peek through the door.

 "My princess?" The soft voice of a woman called out for Bulma, who didn’t bother to move or give any sign of acknowledging the slave’s presence. "I... I have your lunch, my princess."

 Only an annoyed deep sigh from Bulma was what the servant got in response.

 Food…

 Again…

 When would they accept that she didn’t want to eat? How could she? Vegeta was missing and was very likely dead and she was here eating and drinking and enjoying herself? Disgusting.

 'The fuck? Just leave me all alone.' Bulma had no strength to speak the words out loud; the lack of nutrition and the emotional exhaustion beginning to take its toll and show their ruthless consequences already.

 The slave stepped inside the huge living area, her chains clanking with every movement as she put down the plate of food --- some fruit and sandwiches--- before she picked up the untouched breakfast plate. The living area was only divided from the bedroom with a door that was always open. The slave knelt down at the doorframe. "My princess? I brought you your lunch. How may I serve you now?"

 The young woman's skin was a beautiful light green like the young leaves on trees in the spring. Her hair was the most wonderful shade of lily's purples, her eyes blue as the ocean. She had once radiated pure life. Now she was a slave; malnourished, tired and worn out. Her dress and make up were beautiful and she was dressed up like a doll for the royals; even her chains matched with the golden hem of her dress. Tomorrow would start a new week and she would be allocated to the kitchen and would have to wear the old worn out gray and dirty scraps she had been wearing daily for years.

 "Leave."

 She hesitated. "Forgive me, my princess, are you alright?"

 'My husband is dead, what do you think?'

 "Leave…" came the very tired and exhausted reply, this time quieter, clutching the pillow a little bit tighter than she had previously.

 His pillow.

  19th May 767, 11.26pm

 The sofa.

 It was illuminated with the moon light when everything else sat in the silent dark.

 Slow and heavy steps brought her to her favorite cozy and always comfort giving armchair in the living area, where her lunch still awaited for her on the table.

 Bulma chewed on a dry slice of bread as she stared through red, swollen eyes at the sofa she had broken down on four days ago.

 "11.15pm, Nappa, 11.15pm. It's already been eight hours since the last report. Do you still not yet have any new information??? They, they… I mean… what if he’s hurt? He needs medical help! Why is it taking so long??" Panic was taking her over, her movements were uncontrolled as she hectically stumbled uncoordinated from one spot to the other.

 Bulma was a complete mess. Only eight hours and it felt like four days since she’d heard the horrible news. Eight hours of crying, screaming, denying and inner mental conversations in a pitiful attempt to convince herself that he could still be found alive. Eight hours of walking around in a restless panic through the living area of the rooms she shared with Vegeta.

 "I.... I do have. We just got a report from the search party..." He looked at her with a hurtful expression as a lump formed in his throat.

 "Report, Nappa!!" Knowing the answer but still hoping to be wrong, she shrieked hysterically at him.

 "I... I'm sorry, his body was found, he’s dead, princess Bul-"

 Bulma didn't hear Nappa anymore, everything becoming a blur as she stumbled over the sofa just before she fell on it and blacked out.

 The sofa she had spent so many intimate moments with her husband on.

   22th May 767, 9.47am

 She laid on his side of the bed. Again. Sobbing in his pillow. Again.

She didn't shower and barely ate anything since… since… the announcement from Nappa that... he... She couldn’t even say it to herself

The pillow still smelled like him, even after she wet it repeatedly with her tears, but something was different. His masculine and musky scent was mixed up with a sweet and stinging one. Was she making it all up? Did she just imagine the smell of death while thinking about him lying on this foreign planet dead in his own blood, while his tanned and beautiful skin would slowly darken as maggots and flies were dancing and feasting on his rotting body?

Disgusted and in an attempt to get rid of the horrific scene playing out in her head, she turned around, away from Vegeta’s pillow. Clinging to it only seemed to put her imagination into overdrive with morbid thoughts, rather than pleasant ones. The putrid smell sticks to her nose like her blue, long, usually so full-bodied, but now oily hair sticks to her sweaty forehead.

 She was pulled out of her thoughts when the heavy door swung open once more.

 For days people kept coming in and out of her room. Talking to her, asking her questions, touching her. It all was becoming a blur to her. She didn’t care anymore.

 Three years ago she would have never thought she would even mind him being gone. No, she would have even been happy about his death that would have freed her from her invisible chains and responsibilities she had been forced to take on. Yes, only death, his or hers, would have liberated her from this special kind of slavery.

 She had been taken away from her beautiful planet, stolen from her family’s love, kidnapped from her home, abused, ravaged and sold like a worthless piece of junk until she had the misfortune to land on this godless lump that is, for her incomprehensible reasons, allowed to be called planet.

 It was nothing like her home. No, instead it was the exact opposite and absolutely unbearable - excessively hot, soulless and dirty. Just like the inhabitants, she found.

 The leader of the nastiness was the prince of the planet inhabiting race, Prince Vegeta! Urg. Not a living being, but a machine. His only purpose was to kill. Emotionless, soulless, ignorant, arrogant and extremely disobedient, much to his father’s sorrow. He didn't think that she, this disgraceful slave named Bulma, was worth any attention so she hadn't dealt with sexual harassment like usual, but only when she was around him.

 The King had tried his best to control his son, but it seemed that everything he did made it even worse. The prince was like a rebellious and immature adolescent when it came to taking orders. During an intense argument, he threatened his son that he would marry him off to a slave. Bulma, who was ordered to serve the wine for the dinner that day, had flinched as Vegeta’s loud laugher boomed through the huge dining room as he told the king he wouldn't have the guts to marry his only heir to the throne off to a worthless slave.

 Bulma had wished she could just leave, like every servant in the room. The whole atmosphere was tense, everything looked like it was going to be a fight and no mortal, who clung on to even a tiny bit to life, wanted to be close when the Saiyans were engaged in the merciless and recklessness of their mortal combat.

 Just as Bulma had finished pouring the king some more wine, she had noticed his expression change. The usual mocking and arrogant look on the face of the king showed how much those disrespectful words had enraged him, but quickly a smile replaced the scowl just before he grabbed the woman to his side and announced her to be the chosen bride for his son.

 Prince Vegeta dropped his utensils, Bulma broke the glass she was carrying.

 Back then, they were forced into that marriage and it had not been easy for either of them.

Finally, he started paying attention to her, but not the kind anyone would want to have. It hadn’t mattered that she was a princess now, she had been a slave back then and he still treated her like one. He was cruel and disrespectful, even bullying her, letting out all his frustration of this forced marriage out on her. A child with another race, a half-Saiyan with impure blood would never be accepted as a legitimate heir to the throne and if he was not able to have an heir with his wife, then according to the laws of the Saiyan race he was not a legitimate heir himself. Which meant that his father had not only forced him into a marriage he didn't want with a worthless slave he did not even see as a living being with rights, the king also took everything he had ever wanted - to rule the realm of the mightiest race in the whole universe. Something he prided himself to have been a part of.

 Everyone knew it. Everyone knew about the shame his father had brought upon him. He saw it in their mocking eyes.

 Bulma was the one who had to pay for it. She had cried herself to sleep every night. She was trapped in that hopeless situation. She was convinced that only death could save her and more than once, she tried to convince herself that jumping from the balcony would be as sweet as flying. Other times she tried to eat so much until she exploded or at least puked herself to death, but the only result was that her stomach hurt and she was satisfied because she'd eaten the most delicious food. Being a princess had its advantages too.

 It took them one exhausting year until he first started to treat her like a person with rights. An additional year later, they started to fall for each other and today... 

 Today she was desperately sniffing the last remaining particles of his scent and drowning in her grief, unable to move, to eat, to live.

She laid on his side of the bed, sobbing into his pillow again.

  27th May 767, 2.31pm

 Beep.

 The sound of the opening button for the automatic door was beginning to annoying her. This sound usually meant someone was going to pester her to eat, speak, clean or do something else she had no energy for and honestly doesn't give a fuck about. And this time won't be any different.

 She heard the footsteps that announced a person approaching her.

 Tap tap tap. One after the other and every tap bugged her even more than the one before.

 "Leave!" She demanded angrily but powerless, not even bothering to look at the intruder.

 "But I just arrived," the person replied in an amused tone.

 She instantly recognized the voice and turned around in Saiyan speed and looked at him with her eyes as wide open as the swelling allowed.

 There he was! Hurt, dirty, tired, alive.

 Alive!

 His armor was broken, his clothes ripped, his body bruised, dried blood trailed down his temple along his jawline and left a dark line on his face, but he was alive.

Alive.

 Bulma instantly jumped out of their bed, feeling instantly dizzy and tripping because of the lack of nutrition and movement the last two weeks.

 She closed her eyes in full expectation of being reprimanded for neglecting herself in his absence. Her elation of his return was dampened somewhat with pain as she collided onto the floor in her excitement to get to him. Strangely enough, a severe reprimand over her condition never came. Instead, she felt one of his strong arms gently wrap around her slim waist, the other around her neck, keeping her head up and holding her firmly but gently, protectively, just as she had gotten accustomed for him to be. Her arms hung loosely at her sides and when she opened her eyes again slowly.

 She found herself staring into his endless, deep black eyes. As he stared intensely back at her, she felt like she’d just been saved from the dragon that had pulled her deep into its pit of despair. She was looking back at her hero.

 Bulma was lost in those dark eyes, believing she could look right into his soul and see the true person behind his well build up façade, but the moment he blinked, the magic was gone.

"You... are... how... Ve-?" Her eyes were wide and showed her excitement, her hope, her happiness and her exhaustion.

 With trembling hands she touched his face, convincing herself that he really was there and she wasn’t just imagining him. Convincing herself that he really was there and she wasn’t just imagining him in her current mental state. His tanned skin felt so familiar under her hand. So warm, so soft, so comforting, so… so.... real. She instantly had the biggest and happiest smile he'd ever seen on her face.

 Bulma let out a shaky breath she hadn’t known she was holding as her eyes filled with tears of pure and honest joy. Even in her state of unwashed, oily hair, swollen eyes, exhausted and underweight, every man would have thought the happiness on her face made her the most beautiful woman in the whole universe.

 When she pulled herself closer to him, to be able to swing her slender arms around his strong neck, she was able to have a look over his shoulder to the door, where Nappa was standing. His genuine smile told her, she was not hallucinating, but this was real. Her missing in action and presumed dead husband was back!

 "I thought you... You were...dead," she whispered in his ear as she sobbed, still hugging him as they stood there like that for a while. Vegeta not only let her hug him, but he also tightened his grip around her and squeezed her gently in return. "They told me your scouter was disconnected and the last transmission left no doubt that there was no way you could have survived. And... And... the rescue party… they…" slowly she loosened her hug on him only to cup his face between her hands and leaned her forehead gently against his as he mimicked her actions, still embracing her. "How is it possible...? Or is this just the sweetest dream I ever had?"

 "It doesn't matter anymore, Bulma," his rough voice and the use of her name said more than his words. She knew instantly he himself was exhausted, hungry and glad to be finally able to hold her again.

 Bulma gave him a sweet, loving smile, as her soft hands glided down as gently as possible on Vegeta’s face, neck, over his shoulders and finally rest them on his forearms just below his elbows. After a short check on Vegetas injuries, she turns around to Nappa to gives him orders.

 "Get a doctor over here with a first aid box and some regenerating fluid from the healing tanks and let’s prepare a huge dinner for the prince, all in one hour." Her voice demanding, but also showing the joy she wasn’t even trying to hide.

 "Yes, my princess. My prince.” Nappa bowed respectfully before leaving them.

 ~~~~

 The hot water hit his broad shoulders smoothly and ran down his back comfortably. The hot shower was just what his tense muscles had needed, Bulma assumed, as her clever hands gently massaged the soap into his skin from his hard chest to his flat stomach, carefully circling every bulge of his abdomen while avoiding his wounds as best as she could. A soft groan escaped his lips in reward and she smiled lovingly at him in return. Her gentle hands dancing tenderly over his skin until they found their way again up over his shoulders and neck to his hair, caressing his skull, which she knew he loved the most. She had found that out during the long, silent nights they had spent together cuddling and enjoying the closeness and trust of the other.

 He leaned his forehead against hers, closing his eyes; his features relaxed more than she’d ever seen before. While she was washing him, he relished it; appreciating her affections before his lips found hers for a deep kiss. This was not a sexual moment, but probably the most intimate one they had ever shared as a couple.

 ~~~~

 Exactly one hour after Nappa left, the doctor arrived and dinner was served, just as Bulma had ordered. The doctor checked Vegeta from head to toe and confirmed Bulma's impression, that Vegeta’s wounds are just superficial, which the doctor already treated with the regenerating fluid.

 Bulma was surprised that he hadn’t complained about anything today. He’d let her hug him in front of Nappa, he hadn’t tried to get away from her affections in the shower and he hadn’t even growled at the doctor. It was so out of character for him, such a different behavior, but while smiling to herself, she decided not to question her luck as she tried to rationalize it to herself that it was because of his exhaustion and hunger and he was probably glad himself, even if he would never admit it, that he was finally back home.

 ~~~~

 The table was full of empty dishes and bowls and here and there leftovers like bones, shells and skins. On one end of the table was a very satisfied and pleased Vegeta and on the other end, a very happy Bulma who couldn’t tear her eyes away from her husband. She walked over to him to take his hand and lead him over into the bedroom.

 As they reached the bed, she placed her slender fingers on his broad chest and lightly pushed him. He allowed himself to sink into the edge of their comfortable king size bed before she sat down on him, straddling his lap. His tail wrapped around her slim waist instantly, their chests almost touching and she felt his body heat radiating from him, warming her body and her heart, as she started to softly massage his muscular shoulders, thick neck and made her way over to his ears, which she knew he loved when she lightly kneaded them, a soft moan and goosebumps confirming it again to her. From his ears, her hands wandered in gentle circles over his temples until she finally reached his scalp. When her slim fingers travelled through his thick mane and her nails scrapped smoothly over his skin, she could feel him relaxing against her, hugging her a bit tighter and squeezing her gently as he rested his forehead against her small shoulder.

 When her hands wandered back down to his cheeks, she pulled away a little, just enough to be able to see him looking up at her as she leaned in closer to his face, letting her lips lightly ghost over his. They looked deeply into each other's eyes for a moment; the world around them disappearing, just before they shared an affectionate and tender kiss while they lay back on the king size bed.

 That night she dreamt of their third anniversary, which took place a few days before he left for the mission. He had abducted her to a nearby planet, which looked like paradise. They inhabited a small but luxurious beach hut, surrounded by tropical vegetation. It was quiet, idyllic and isolated. The perfect place for a romantic vacation. Of course he would never admit it was romantic. It was safe, it was manageable, it was bla bla bla, everything but not romantic. It was for her and she knew he had done it for her. That was all she needed to know to be happy.

 They spent the last whole day on the private, white sand beach, lying in the sun, enjoying the quiet; only the sound of the waves accompanied them, lulling her into sleep.

 When Bulma opened her eyes again, she blinked against the bright light. The soft and comforting sound of waves turned into the annoying beep of a heart rate monitor.

 Beep... beep... beep…

 As she tried to shield her eyes from the quivering neon light, her movement is blocked by the I.V. in her hand.

 Beep

 Confused, she sat up slowly and tried to take in the room until she finally noticed that she was in the infirmary. 'Why am I here? What the hell had happened?' She tried to recall the last night and how she came to be there, when she was just a moment ago she was on the beautiful beach with her husband, but she couldn’t remember; it was all a blur.

 Beep

 Nappa sat sleeping in a chair in one corner of the room, the door was closed. Through the window she could see the night sky. It was beautiful. She always loved that colorful night sky in which sat the stunning image of a Saturn-like planet. She admired the planet for a moment before she let her tired eyes wander through the room until she noticed the digital clock. For a moment her heart stopped beating, cold sweat running down her back and the heart rate monitor quickened up the frequency of the beep which she couldn’t even hear anymore.

 Beep beep beep beep beep.

 Her eyes started to burn until a single tear rolled down her cheek and eventually dropped onto her hand.

 Beep beep beep

 She stared at the clock, unable to tear her eyes away from the green thick numbers, which were mocking her.

 Beep

 15th May 767, 9.39 pm.

 Beep.

Captured

LOKIXREADER

Word count?? Idk. Its long though

Imagine being a spy for SHIELD but your cover getting blown and being held and tortured for information. Imagine Loki raising all hell as he breaks in and saves you, personally carrying you to the medical treatment place and ensuring your recovery. Imagine him staying at your bedside the whole time, desperate for you to awaken well and whole. (Yeah. Lots and lots of language will be used because I mean, in this situation you would use it too.) I am very sorry. I am pretty sure Loki is very ooc in this. I tried to make him not be. But I apologize now.

FUCK!

You were tied to a chair in a small concrete room. The chair was bolted to the ground and you couldn't move your hands or feet. No one knew where you were. You weren't supposed to be back for another 3 days. You were fucking screwed. You would be lucky to make it out of this one alive. How the hell could this have happened?

It was just a regular undercover intel mission. It was supposed to be in and out quick. You were posing as a tech person for HYDRA. You had been 'transferred' from a remote branch in western Russia to gather technological information and take it back to your home branch. A week, in and out, tops.

'You, what is that in your ear?' A voice called out to you.

'A hearing aid sir. I am partially deaf in one ear,' you answered him automatically.

"I was not informed of this,' he insists, 'Is it registered? We like to keep all technology we have on file so we know what belongs here and what needs to leave.

'I do not like to project my handicaps. I have overcome them. They are no longer an issue. And no, I was not asked to register it. I do not see the need. It is a mere hearing aid.'

'I see. May I borrow it? Our scientists may be able to improve it,' he insisted. You knew he was onto you. You didn't have time to send out for backup. That was a cloaking device in your ear and you are pretty sure he knew it. 

'I do not see the need sir. It is not acting up,' you told him feigning confusion.

'I am afraid I must insist my dear,' he tells you as he reaches up to your ear. You swat his hand away immediately realizing your mistake.'My dear, come with me. We do not want to make a scene,' he said grabbing you by the arm and pulling you out of the room. You let him lead you out of the room planing your attack. As you turned down a corridor you felt a needle jab your neck and everything went black.

You heard noises behind the door. You made them out to be Russian. You still had the cloaking device in your ear. Fuck. They were going to find out who you were and they were going to kill you. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Your head was spinning. You shook your head and took a deep breath. Panicking will do nothing for you right now. You needed to keep a level head. Figure things out, then get the hell out. You could do this. You were an avenger for crying out loud. You fought aliens, a killer robot, and have bested many HYDRA agents at their own game. 

The door opened and the guy that managed to spot you stepped through. The door closed heavily behind him with a bang. 

"I have yet to introduce myself to you. I am Commander Sokolov. I do not take lightly to security breaches in my branch. We happened I do some digging and found that your base, that you supposedly came from has an Analee Ivanov. But, she has been on vacation for three weeks. Tell me how that is," he says in English.

"I have no idea what you mean sir. This is all a complete misunderstanding-"

"Do not lie to me!" He shouts cutting you off, "the real Analee Ivanov does not have a hearing aid. We checked all medical records."

"I have had this since I was 7. I highly doubt there would be no evidence of it," you say incredulously.

"You are a skilled liar my dear. But we know you are not who you say you are," he tells you. He reaches to your ear and pulls out the cloaking device. You feel the mask fade away. You scowl at him as he smiles knowingly at you.

"Well, we have one of the Avengers with us here. Don't I feel honored," He mocks you. You drop your scared facade and glare at him.

"What do you want? If you are going to kill me just get it over with," you tell him as you revert back to your normal accent.

"Oh no my dear. We won't kill you. Not yet at least," he tells you ominously as he exits the room.

"FUCK!" You say to yourself again. This time out loud. Of course this had to be the mission that went wrong. The one right before your one year anniversary with your boyfriend. You promised you would at least call him that day seeing as you wouldn't be there. If only you didn't leave your phone in that damn hotel room. Steve usually checks in on you about halfway through the mission, maybe he will realize something is up. 

You were left alone with your thoughts for what felt like hours. You were bored out of your mind. This is an interrogation tactic. You knew that. SHIELD used it all the time. It wasn't going to work on you. You heard large noises behind the door and two large men stepped through it. They were in their HYDRA gear, but it did nothing to mask how big they were.

"What you had to wait till I was tied to a chair to face me," you taunted hoping to strike one of their egos. IT didn't work. One stepped closer to you and bent down to your eye level.

"How much does SHIELD know about us," he asks you in a deep baritone.

"I don't think I am allowed to answer that," you tell him sharply. 

SMACK

He had slapped your cheek. You roll your head back and look back at him. Your cheek stung. You could feel it throbbing. You glared at him harder.

"I am going to ask again. How much does SHIELD know about us," he asks through his teeth.

"You honestly think one slap is going to make me talk? You really think I am that easy," you ask him mockingly. Then you spit in his face. You saw his expression darken. You saw him stand back up and his hand strike your face. You felt the sting and the throb. You were now looking at the wall. You were not going to break. SHIELD has saved your life so many times before you were willing to die for the organization hear and now.

"You are making this much harder than it has to be," the other man told you chuckling.

"Oh yea? Because this is the only way I see if happening," you sassed him.

"Let's leave her to sit. We will see how she feels then," the other man said as he opened the door and ushered the other man out. You knew they would be back. You knew they would, the question was when.

 You had been sitting there for a few hours, you were exhausted. You couldn't remember the last time you slept. Your head began to tilt off to the side as your eyes slid shut. You welcomed the darkness as you began to slide into unconsciousness.

You jolted awake as a loud airhorn woke you up. You jumped in the chair as you looked around and saw no one. Sleep deprivation. Another interrogation or torture tactic. You stared at the wall. You began to get a big chilly. It reminded you of Loki. It reminded you of home.

You were laying on the couch with your boyfriend watching TV. You were not sure what was on TV but you were watching it nonetheless. You had been with him for almost 1 month. He was still a major mystery to you. You only knew what he told you and Thor refused to tell you about him His excuse was always, 'They are his secrets to tell my lady.'

He didn't know much about your past either. You knew he tried to take over the Earth. But that was it. He would always change the subject when you would bring it up. You were willing to divulge your past if he divulged his. 

You felt his breath even out as he fell asleep. You turned your attention back to the TV. As a commercial came on you turned your attention to your sleeping boyfriend. You felt his body temperature drop. You sat up internally freaking out. You may have a calm demeanor in the field but when you were home showed the full range of emotions. Was this normal for Asguardians? What if it wasn't? Should you wake him up? What would he say if it was normal and you were just overreacting? He was still breathing. You decided to ask him about it when he wakes up. 

You sat down in the chair beside the couch and watched the TV. You could not concentrate on it though. It was in your nature as a spy to be observant. But what if you were overreacting to nothing. You got up and put your hand to his forehead. When your hand touched his skin it was cold. You drew your hand back quickly. This was definitely not normal. You needed to talk to Thor. So, you thew a blanket over him and got up. You left the room; he would be fine if he woke up on his own, he was a big boy. You wandered the halls of the tower until you can to the training room. You found Thor  fighting the Vision. You stood in the doorway and watched them fight for a moment. With punch after punch, block after block. They eventually stopped and Thor saw you. He smiled and walked over to you.

"What may I do for you lady (y/n)," Thor asks you politely.

"I have told you not to call me a Lady. I am far from deserving of the title," you tell him, "But that's not the point. Is it um... normal for Asguardian's body temperatures to get so low when they sleep?"

"No, why would you ask?"

"I was laying with Loki on the couch and he fell asleep and he got really cold. I wasn't sure if this was normal or not. Is he okay? I mean-"

"Lady (y/n), you need not fret. It is not normal for Asguardians, but it is normal for Loki," He tells you calmly. You open your mouth to speak but he cuts you off knowing exactly what you are going to ask. "I am afraid I cannot tell you what I mean. You will have to ask him about that one."

You nodded knowing you wouldn't get anymore information out of Thor. You walked back to the living room to see Loki still asleep. You poured yourself a cup of tea and say in the chair. You were not sure how to approach this subject. It was odd to say the least. Seeming to sense your discomfort and confusion Loki began to stir and wake up. He saw you were sitting in a chair looking at him oddly.

"What seems to be the problem my dear," he inquires concerned.

"You got really cold while you were sleeping. You seemed to be breathing fine. So I threw a blanket over you and went to ask Thor if this was normal for Asguardians. He told me, No, but for Loki it is normal. What does he mean by that," you ask him.

"You are an observant one, I can tell you that." He says sitting up fully. "Very well, you were sure to find out one way or another. I am shocked my oaf of a brother hasn't divulged this information to you yet. I am not an Asguardian, I am a Frost Giant. Odin saw fit to steal me from Jotun during the war between Jotun and Asgard. I was small for a Frost Giant to begin with, I was a runt of my litter per say. Odin took me back to Asgard and raised me under false pretenses of my one day being King of Asgard. I grew up resenting Thor and Odin's favoritism for him. I am sure you have read Thor's file so I will not go into detail about that. I used the Bifrost to try to destroy Jotun. I killed my real father. Then I ended up under Thanos's control. That is why I took over the Earth, and here we are."

You had stayed silent and listened the entire time he was talking. Listening and taking in what he had to say, "Why didn't you want to tell me," you asked confused.

"Frost Giants are not known for their caring nature. They are vile and ruthless and known for their blood lust. I was afraid you would no longer want to be around me once you found out," He told you softly, "Given with good reason, Thor still doesn't trust me one hundred percent, the warriors three do not look my way anymore other than to send threats, even though I have proven myself to fight alongside Thor. I did not want you to join them in this regard."

"Have you given me any reason to think you would hurt me?" you ask him seriously.

"No but-"

"Have you given me any reason to think you would hurt Thor or anyone else?"

"No but-"

"Then why stress. You forget Loki, my job is to judge people and figure them out in seconds. I have dealt with people worse than you, believe me. I am not going to be scared off because you think you aren't worth it," you tell him sternly, but there was a softness to your voice that he could hear. "I am not going to stop caring for you because you had an asshole of a father and was mind controlled to do those things-"

Loki grabbed your face and cut you off. His lips were on yours. You had kissed him before but not like this. This was filled with so much passion and intensity. You began kissing him back. Your hand rested on his chest as his hands still lay on your cheeks. The kiss drew to a close and he rested his forehead on yours. He knew now that you were not just stringing him along. You did not care about his past. You cared for him as he was.

Another air horn went off and you jumped at the noise. You shivered at the cold air. Your wrists were chaffing from the rope they used and it was beginning to burn. The cold air helped soothe it, but not much. You were exhausted, your cheek was still throbbing, the temperature in the room was dropping by the second. You knew they wouldn't drop it enough to kill you or cause hypothermia, but just enough to make you suffer. Unknown to them, the cold was more of a comfort than anything.

  It was the day of your one year anniversary. Loki had an eye on the phone all day long, but nothing came through. He wondered if you had forgotten. The thought of you being in danger crossed his mind but he dismissed it for now. Steve would call her for a status report soon enough.  He was sitting in the living room reading a book to try to get his mind off of you when Steve came into the room looking grim.

"Have you heard from her at all?" Steve asked him.

"No I have not. She told me she would try to call at some point today but she has not yet," Loki told him flatly, "Why do you as me this?"

"Because no one has heard from her yet. No one can put a pinpoint on her location either."

"She is in a HYDRA base is she not? I would think she would turn it off so as to not be seen by them either. It might not go over well to have them find a tracking device on her, now would it?"

"Just let us know if you hear anything. She might be in trouble," Steve says flatly.

"I shall. The moment I do."

 It had been an eternity. You were sure you had been captive for 48 hours now. You were exhausted, but still of sound mind. They gave up on icing your room. Now it was at an uncomfortably chilly temperature. You finally heard someone moving outside the door like they were coming in. You straightened up in your seat. You were not going to be broken, they would have to kill you before you broke.

A man enters the room. You stare at him blankly. He turns around and sees you sitting in the chair. He smiles at you maliciously, "My dear. This is your last chance to tell us about SHIELD before things get ugly," he spoke in a deep nasally voice. He was around 6 feet tall and fairly lanky. 

"If you are here to threaten me you should have brought the other guys back. They are much more intimidating," you snapped.

"My, my, a feisty one are we. I can see why the god likes you," he taunted. You kept a straight face. Your relationship with Loki was not a secret. He was not going to get in your head. "Why would he pick you of all people? A simple mortal girl. What happens in 50 years? You will be old and wrinkly, he will still look the same. Will he still feel attracted to you? You are just a fling to him."

Your face faltered for a beat. He knew he struck a nerve. He smirked at you. You needed to throw him off. Get him off the subject and talk about him.

"See, the thing is? I don't care. He will live a lot longer than I will. I know that and I accept it. Do you not think I contemplated that before getting involved with him," you sassed him rolling your eyes. He smiled at you again. You were not going to be easy to break, but they would break you.

"Would you like something to eat? Drink," he asked you to change the subject. 

"What?" you asked shocked. 

"Are you hungry or thirsty? I doubt you have eaten since you were captured. They are not poisoned if that is what you are thinking," he answered, almost reading your mind, "We are trying to get information out of you, why would we poison you?"

You stared at him blankly. "Cut to the chase," you tell him sharply, "What the hell do you want from me?"

"Not messing around are we? Very well, we want to know who you have on the inside of HYDRA. You were obviously not working alone. We want to know who you have on the inside," He says flatly staring at you.

"I was working alone," you tell him. With that you were slapped again.

"Bull shit. Tell me the truth." You started chuckling as he gets mad.

"What is with HYDRA guys and having girlie slaps?" You tell him with a smirk, "Besides. That is the truth. I was working alone. I know nothing about SHIELD." You were slapped again on the other cheek. You felt the throbbing of your cheeks and them beginning to swell.

"We know who you are. You are an avenger," he tells you acting like he has the upper hand.

"Does that mean I know anything? No. It doesn't," you tell him flatly. You could tell he was getting frustrated. He snapped his fingers and a cart was wheeled into the room. The door was closed behind the cart as they left the room. "You know, I like you. I really do. But, you have something I want. Every time you get an answer wrong of deny me an answer I will hurt you. That's the way this is going to go. Do you understand me. As per your request I will bring back your friends for earlier. Also because I know I am no match for you physically and honestly neither are they. But, they stand a better chance than I do if you get out."

The two larger men from earlier entered the room and walked closer to you. You knew you were going to die today. On your anniversary, you were going to die. You were ready to give your life for SHIELD, you really were. But, you didn't want to die. You kept your demeanor straight though. You would face death bravely.

"First question. What is your name?"

"Why do you want to know that? You already know that," you told him and a crisp slap met your face. You felt the hot sting and throb that followed.

"Answer the question," he ordered.

"(Y/n) (L/n)." You say spitefully. 

"Now, that wasn't hard now was it," he taunts you. "Do you know where they are hiding the Winter Soldier?"

"Who? You ask as another slap crosses your face.

“That’s two strikes my dear. Don’t want to get a third. Now tell me where they are hiding the Winter Soldier.”

“I don’t know who you are talking about.” You tell him.

“Boy’s have at her. You may break bones but not anything vital. We also don’t want her to bleed out,” he tells the other men in the room without leaving your gaze. The two men go to the cart and grab two night sticks it looks like and come towards you.

They first aimed for the legs. The clubs nailed your shins and thighs, you were sure your lower leg had shattered. You muffled your screams of pain. You tried to hold it in and deny them that satisfaction of knowing they got to you. You felt another slap on your right cheek and another one on your left immediately after that. The throbbing continued. They punched your face multiple times and kicked you in the stomach. You felt blood on your face from your nose and mouth but you stayed silent. They continued their beating until they had their fill. Then they rolled the cart out and left. For the first time since you were captured you felt like crying. You felt helpless. You saw no way out of this. Your head began to nod down as you drifted off and another air horn went off.

“Hiemdall. I don’t even know if you are there or can see me but please. Let him or someone know where I am.” You whispered under your breath. You remember Loki telling you stories about Asgard and its people. You knew Hiemdall looked over the Earth and all other Realms and was the keeper of the Bifrost. You just hoped he was looking on you at that moment.

 Loki was reading his book when all the sudden he heard a voice.

“Loki.” A familiar voice called out to him. “She is in trouble.”

“Hiemdall?” Loki asked.

“Lady (Y/n). She was taken by this HYDRA and is being tortured and held captive,” Hiemdall’s voice called out.

“Where?” Loki asked quickly, panicked.

“This Captain of America should know the location of their hide out.”

“Why are you interfering? The Allfather would not like this,” Loki asked skeptically.

“She called out to me. Asking for help. I know you care about her. Despite what the Allfather thinks I am my own person and I can think for myself. This was a decision I made on my own,” he answers defiantly.

“Thank you Hiemdall. I am eternally grateful.” Loki answers as he get up to go find the others. He frantically searches through the halls and corridors of the building.

“May I assist you sir?” the AI calls out.

“Um.. yes. Where are the others?” Loki calls out. He is still unsure of this AI even after a year.

“Tony is in his lab. Natasha and Clint are training with Steve and Thor. Bucky is in his room sleeping and Sam is not present at the time. Wanda and Pietro are watching TV.”

“Thank you!” He said as he took off to the training room. He reached the room in record time and out of breath. Thor looked over to see Loki standing there hunched over, out of breath.

“Brother what is it,” Thor asked making everyone turn to him. Loki took one last deep breath and stood up.

“Captain told me to let him know if I heard anything about (Y/n)’s whereabouts, correct?”

“Yes of course what did you hear? Is she okay,” Steve asked as they all walked closer to him.

“No, Hiemdall spoke to me. She was captured and is being tortured. Do you know where this base is that she is being held at?” Loki spoke firmly.

“It should be the major one in Germany. That’s the one she was sent to,” Steve answered, “FRIDAY, tell everyone to suit up and meet me in the hangar.”

“Yes sir,” the AI answered.

“Brother, she will be okay.” Thor comforted Loki.

“I am not your brother.” Loki said irritated as he brushed Thor’s hand off his shoulder and went to get his stuff and go to the hangar. He just wanted to get you back safe. That was his concern right now.

 You were barely able to keep your eye open. One was already swollen shut. They would be back in the room in a few minutes. You knew that. You were terrified but you would be damned if you showed it.

You heard the door open again. You looked up and saw the same three men as before. This time without the cart. But one of the men had what looked like a red glowing knife. You resisted the urge to struggle and stood your ground and glared at him with your one good eye.

“You have one last chance to tell us what we want to know,” he tells you with a sadistic smile. He already knew what your answer was going to be.

“And I am not going to tell you anything. But, you already knew that. Didn’t you? That’s why you brought that,” you said mockingly as you gestured to the knife in his hand.

“Oh no. This is no ordinary knife. This is a knife that cauterizes the wound right away so you don’t bleed out. You are the first person I get to use it on and now I am excited.” He walks up and stabs you right above your hip bone. You couldn’t help but scream in pain. The heat from the knife was torturous mixed with the pain of being stabbed. You felt tears spring to our eyes, you were so exhausted having not slept in god knows how many days, you couldn’t even attempt to hold them back. Just as he began pulling out the knife an alarm went off.

“INTRUDER ALERT. INTRUDER ALERT. ALL MEN TO THEIR STATIONS. ALL MEN TO THEIR STATIONS.”

“Go.” He barked at the other two larger men. They left the room hastily and you were left alone with him.

“How did you let them know you were here?” He asked you fiercely.

“You are the one who has me on camera 24/7. You tell me.” You snap at him through your teeth trying to mask your pain. He slapped you again and brought the knife close to your neck. You could feel the heat radiating off of it.

“WHO DID YOU TELL!” he shouted at you.

Just then the door was opened. He turned around surprised. You looked and relief flooded your body. You saw the anger in his face as he looked you up and down taking in your injuries.

“I suggest you put the knife down. We don’t want you to get hurt,” Loki told the man.

“And what if I don’t?” He asked defiantly but you could hear a slight waiver in his voice.

“Another voice from behind you piped up, “You will die either way, it is up to you.” You turned your head and saw a Loki clone. The man jumped and turned around not knowing what to do. In his panic, he burned his hand on the knife and Loki then stabbed him with one of his knives. The man writhed and crumpled onto the floor. Loki had hit a major artery and knew he was bleeding out.

Loki turned his attention to you. He walked over and gently cut the ropes on your wrists and ankles. His cold touch soothed the burns on your skin. He came around to the front and held your face in his hands.

“Can you stand up my dear?” He asked you softly.

“Probably not. But, let me try.” You said as he helped you stand up only to catch you as you fell. You right leg was probably broken and could not support any weight. Subsequently the lack of sleep made you very dizzy. You started seeing stars as a major head rush came on. He caught you and helped you stand. You were leaning heavily on him. “I’m sorry I don’t think I can do this, I haven’t slept in days and the bastard broke my fucking leg.”

He wasted no time picking you up bridal style and teleporting you both out of the base and back to the Quinjet. He gently put you down on a cot. Clint was in the pilot’s seat and called out on the radio, “We have her, she needs medical attention, hurry back.”

Clint got up and walked over to you. “We need to try to get her back as soon as possible. Can you try to ice some of the skin around the wounds. Especially that one on her hip.” You felt Loki’s cool hands around your hip. They cut through the heat you felt around it.

“What kind of knife did they use? So, I can alert Dr. Cho,” Clint asked you.

“It was a heated knife. He said it cauterized the wound immediately,” you told him as you felt your eyes try to slide shut.

“We need you to stay awake for just a while longer, can you do that?” You heard Clint say.

“Yea, I can try. I don’t know how long I can hold on though. I haven’t slept in days, I am just running on empty,” you told him. That’s when Natasha, Steve, Thor, and Tony entered the jet. Clint got back to the driver’s seat and they took off. Loki helped his best to keep you awake. You managed to stay awake until you got to the tower. Dr. Cho, was in the hangar with a gurney waiting for you. Loki carried you to the gurney and laid you down.

“You will be okay, we need to check you for internal bleeding.” Dr. Cho told you. The rest was a blur.

 You heard the faint beeping of a heart rate monitor. Your eyes fluttered open and you were met with a bright light. You groaned as you tried to sit up. Your body was so sore.

“Rise and shine.” A cool voice said in the corner.

“How long was I out?” You asked him.

“Two days, but most of it was anesthetic induced,” he told you.

“What is the damage?”

“Two broken ribs, broken right tibia, knife wound above your left hip, busted lip, bruised nose, black eye, and many other bruises,” he told you sadly. Then it dawned on you.

“I’m sorry I didn’t call.”

“My dear, I believe you have a very convincing excuse,” he said chuckling.

“I still feel bad.”

“You have no reason to. It was not your fault. It was smart thinking to ask Hiemdall for help.” He commended you.

“I was desperate. I remembered all those stories you told me about him and Asgard. I thought they were going to kill me.” You told him grimly. He took your hand in a comforting manner. You turned your head and smiled at him.

“Let’s get you better first, then we will celebrate.” He told you softly.

“Okay.”

300+ TOP HELP DESK Interview Questions and Answers

HELP DESK Interview Questions for freshers and experienced :-

1. How Important Is Customer Service For You? The whole business depends on the customer service, and if you are at the help desk you are holding an important position to help the customer in best possible way. 2. Do You Really Think That Company Or Organization Really Needs A Helpdesk? The key to run company effectively is that the resources are available and operational all the time, especially if it is an IT company. Helpdesk is necessary as it makes sure that resources are available for customer and also operational reasons. 3. How Important It Skills Are In Help Desk Service And How You Keep Yourself Updated With Those Skills? To process your work quickly computer skills are very important these days. Computers not only make your work easy but also save your time and energy. I use internet, online books and other educational resource to upgrade my IT skills. 4. How You Deal With The Frustrated Customer? The first thing a help desk person must do is to try understanding the customer, also try to avoid the conflicts or any such things that disturbs the customer. Then you can confront with each other and try to solve the problem. 5. What Are The Three Abilities Of An Ideal Help Desk Person? Ability to listen others Ability to present your thoughts clearly To be patient especially in a tense situation 6. What Motivates You For The Help Desk Assistant Job? I like to communicate with people. Help desk assistant job is a type of job where you continuously interact with people and help them to solve their problems. 7. Imagine If There Is A Customer Who Does Not Understand Your Language Then How Will You Help Him/her? I personally think that to help someone, language should not be barrier. Anyhow if you cannot help him out then the best thing would be to make him understand with the sign language (obviously when seeing the customer physically). Over a call, you can use google translate or similar tools to communicate with customer. 8. What Is Your Worst Experience So Far As A Help Desk Assistant? Try to give answer where you had a minimum conflict or misunderstanding with the customer, and then explain how you had solved the problem. 9. How Do You Respond When You Do Not Know The Answer? When you do not know the answer, tell the customer straightway that you don’t know the answer instead of hitting around the bush. And ask them to wait till further assistance provided by your colleague or supervisor. 10. How Good Are You At Solving Problem On Phone? Solving problem face to face is different than handling them on phone. To convince your interviewer that you have an ability to solve the problem you can put an example of any previous incident where you have solved the customer problem on phone easily.

HELP DESK Interview Questions 11. How You Will Organize Your Work Schedule? Based on the priority, I will schedule my work and assignment accordingly. 12. If The Customer Is Not Satisfied With Your Service Do You Analyze Your Mistake Or Just Move On To Another Customer? Help desk associate responsibility is to give a satisfactory solution to their customer, and if the customer’s problem is not solved then a follow up needs to be taken till the problem is not solved. 13. What Is The Difference Between Helpdesk And Service Desk? A helpdesk ensures that the customer’s problems are resolved in a timely fashion. The service desk is a single point of contact between customer and company, where all the information regarding the company’s service are delivered. 14. What Experience Do You Have As A Help-desk Associate? Speak about the experience that is related to your position, tell them what are the responsibilities that were involved and also explain what additional thing you were doing like managing call or using any software. If you don’t have experience, you don’t have to worry, you can tell them you are a fresher. 15. What Are The New Help Desk Techniques You Think Would Be Helpful To Improve The Service? IT and computer knowledge would be an additional assets for an helpdesk associate, and evencompany can take a help of computer software to minimize the workload and to communicate with the customer effectively. 16. What Is The Recent Skill You Have Learned That Can Be Helpful For Help Desk Position? If you have done anything then you can mention to the interviewer like attending a seminar on mass communication, or any computer course. But it is still ok if you haven’t done related to position. 17. What Does Excellence In Customer Service Mean To You? Customers are a company’s assets and they need to be looked after in a manner not less than perfect. The best type of customer service comes about when you have been able to help the customer and he puts the phone down happily! 18. Since This Is An Extremely Technical Work And Some Customers May Have Trouble Understanding What You Are Trying To Tell Them, How Do You Make Sure That You Are Able To Communicate What You Want To Say To The Customer? It is true that many customers have trouble understanding what we at the helpdesk are trying to tell them especially through technical walkthroughs. Since we are not supposed to spend too much time on a call, should a situation like this arise, I usually take the customer’s email address and tell him I will write the walkthrough for him and email it so he can follow the steps. This way he can read and re-read the instructions and understand and follow them at his own pace. 19. What Is The First Thing That Comes To Your Mind When A Caller Says That He Cannot Log-in To His Account? The caps lock! Many customers make this mistake even though most modern operating environments prompt them when a caps lock is on. However, there are times when the customer has forgotten his password and we have to reset it and other technical problems associated with logging in. 20. How Well-versed Are You With Troubleshooting Hardware Problems? How Does This Knowledge Help You In Your Work At The Help Desk? Since I am A+ certified professional and also possess MCSE, I am quite familiar with hardware issues. From common hardware issues like a keyboard malfunctioning to more complex TCP/IP settings, I have skills in managing it all. Since I have working knowledge of networks and stand-alone personal computers, it is not too difficult to walk customers through troubleshooting procedures. 21. In Which Areas Do You Consider Yourself To Be A Specialist? I am extremely expert in Hardware and Network troubleshooting. Besides, I am also skilled in installing operations systems, patches, antivirus, and other applications as required. 22. What Is Itil? ITIL stands for Information Technology Infrastructure Library. It is basically a predefined set of practices for IT service management (ITSM) that focuses on aligning IT services with the needs of business. 23. If A User Calls With A Technical Issue With Which You Are Completely Unfamiliar. How Would You Handle The Circumstances? I will call my supervisor or coworker right away to discuss the problem to find out a solution. 24. If A User Is Unable To Boot Windows, How Will You Troubleshoot It? I will use emergency repair disk and try to fix the problem. If problem still arise, I will re-install windows. 25. If Someone Finds That Their Internet Connectivity Is Down, How Would You Fix The Problem? First of all, I would check the hardware. If modem or LAN port is OK than I will check the TCP/IP configuration and network settings. 26. How Do You Deal With A Frustrated Customer? this tests you for your ability to work with people without getting frustrated yourself. Most customers get frustrated when working with a PC and need to call the help desk. Answer the with how you would work with a person who is not abusive but needs some kind of reassurance that the issue will be resolved. 27. What Are Some Important Abilities Of An It Help Desk Support Person? patience to deal with issues over the phone. The ability to listen to customers and understand their problems quickly. Respond to customers in a thoughtful, clear manner to help them resolve the issue. Instruct customers clearly when troubleshooting computer issues. 28. How Do You Deal With Issues You Don’t Know Or Can’t Understand? ask for help from a lead or work with the customer and get a more experienced help desk person involved. Your supervisor should have a way for you to ask questions and help handle a customer issue. 29. What Is It About The Help Desk That You Like? you should be honest in your answer, but usually help desk people like helping others and troubleshooting issues, even the more difficult issues. 30. What Do You Consider Good Customer Service? good customer service representatives are patient with customers but understand their problems to resolve issues quickly. They should also identify when standard procedures aren’t working and a supervisor needs to get involved. 31. What Would You Do Under A Certain Circumstance? This is an open ended that depends on the support you’re giving. For instance, if you support a specific software product, you’ll be asked to respond with how you handle a certain issue. For instance, if it’s a Windows server product, you would look in Event Viewer for the error to help troubleshoot. 32. Are You A Team Player? if you work in a team environment, respond with what you like about working in a team. 33. What Do You Do If The Customer Doesn’t Understand Instructions? provide more details with the resolution and step the customer through the process again. 34. How Do You Organize Your Schedule? make sure you answer this with specific ways you prioritize your tasks and understand how some issues are higher priority than others. 35. What Has Been The Worst Ever Experience For You As A Help Desk Assistant? This is really a tough question. Prefer to not say that some customer was rude to you, or that he touched you personally and you had serious troubles to deal with that. Good help desk assistant should be able to resolve such situations. Simply try to remember on a concrete situation that left both you and the customer unhappy or strongly unsatisfied, and describe them the situation. To be specific is a the most important factor here. 36. What Do You Consider As Three Key Abilities Of An Ideal Help Desk Assistant.? When answering these sort of questions, we subconsciously tend to mention our own abilities. That’s why recruiters love to ask it. Anyway, to mention the ability to listen to the others, the ability to clearly and simply present your thoughts and the ability to be patient would be good. 37. How Would You Solve A Conflict With The Customer? Well, people are people, and sometimes just have a bad mood. As an ideal help desk assistant, you should mention in the first place that you always do your best to avoid conflicts. Secondly, if a conflict occurs, you try to understand the customer and think on the same wavelength as he thinks. After, you are able to solve most of the conflicts. We speak more about similar questions in customer service interview questions article. 38. What Motivates You On A Job Of Help Desk Assistant? Honestly, this job can be quite repetitive. That’s why help desk interview questions about motivation are not easy to answer… But if you really want this job, you should simply respond to it saying that you love to help other people to solve problems and simply make them feel better. Or you can say that you simply prefer routine jobs in general. 39. Imagine A Very Stupid Customer, That Struggles To Understand A Word You Are Telling Him. What Would You Do In Such A Case? This is a hard situation that is just rarely resolve in a real help desk support job. But to say that you will try to design a list of simple steps and then go with the customer through every single step until he gets the point, is a advisable answer. 40. How Do You Keep Your It Knowledge And Skills Up To Date? I remain up-to-date regarding current trends and developments in the IT industry through internet, journals, books and acquaintances. HELP DESK Questions with Answers Pdf Download Read the full article

The Apple Investor.

A cyber psycho therapist has actually gotten in touch with the programmers from massively multiplayer online role-playing games in order to help stop obsession through tweaking their style. Studies published in a recent special problem from the journal Customer review of General Psychology, located that fierce video games present no conclusive correlation with hostile actions in youth and also revealed exactly how the concern is diverse and complex. The map provides a context against which an auto could review real-time sensing unit details and data from various other on-line lorries to get through the streets. In these levels, keep in mind that you simply should clear away the ice that resides in your means. At Gravity, our experts have actually integrated numerous openly accessible ontologies with our very own inside created body weights and simple facts to create a large interest-based undirected chart that leverages a lot of kinds from edge weighting to resolve these concern. Each primary social media sites platform has its very own regulations" controling employment ideal techniques. Mindjet has actually developed an ActiveX management for Internet Explorer that makes this easy for blog owners or workgroups to install thoughts maps in to an internet site thus audiences or collaborators can easily view that directly in their web browser. If you are actually aiming to get a task in the business of psychological science, you generally need to have at least an expert's level. All of us, at some point in our lives, have become mildly addicted to a video-game or two. Brain Training and also identical headlines, like Human brain Grow older Academy for the DS, the upcoming Hot Human brain for the PSP and also different mobile brain training games (we just like Brain Wizard ideal of those) utilize an assortment from responsive and analytical examinations to certainly not only assess exactly how pointy your mind is, yet likewise to boost it every day.

Christopher J. Ferguson, an assistant instructor focusing on aggression, lifestyle, and also used social psychology at Texas A&M International College, stated in the file that fierce computer game feel like the manageable tribute escalate. Studies reveal that people have a harder time bearing in mind realities as well as recollecting the labels of personalities as well as details when reading through an electronic book. Not that I know the ins-and-outs of sociology and also psychological science on the target. Given the constraints Apple is actually under as well as the effectively recognized psychological science of the Staying Space TV consumer, Apple has to have a various strategy. To come to be a champ and also be able to phone yourself one for the remainder from your life, that implies declaring risk to a singular space that so many wish that is reserved for only one person or one staff. Gaining his psychological science degree coming from North Carolina State Educational institution, Arrington left behind academic community to become a deal tester when his father brown informed him that he played activities a great deal that he need to most likely start making all of them. Indeed, dued to the fact that almost one-half from trainees quit of college, inspiration is surely a neglected think about our learning body. This on-line area is the technology" edge to the startup, which aims to become a WebMD-like informational company with various websites for each certain age group. In http://invaloaredecumparare.com/ostelife-crema-de-dureri-articulare-pret-comentarii-efect-in-cazul-in-care-pentru-a-cumpara-farmacie-daca-site-ul-producatorului/ of such a product, having said that, the next best thing is actually helpful knowledges in to the process from transforming our actions. Indeed, Skinner's reasoning was rather far-off coming from just what's deemed humanistic psychological science. I am actually merely clarifying just what has been actually brought in puzzling in the pupil's thoughts. This consisted of altering APA's ethical standards to create certain there was actually nothing to stop psychologists coming from carrying out whatever the army or CIA yearned for. Regardless of the improvements present energy, Apple states that the iPad 2 possesses the exact same ten-hour battery lifestyle as the authentic model. Imprecate you, Apple, and that stealthy Buy This Song" web link you've begun putting at the end from the internet videos-- your wicked strategies are actually working on my weak mind. The treatment is actually utilized for everything coming from planning to organization to venture management. Aside from simple map creation, SimpleMind deals undo as well as renovate buttons, 8 pre-defined types in order that you could quickly change the technique your chart looks, and a device that appears when you tap any kind of branch for simply changing that limb's different colors. Being in charge of every little thing as well as acquiring a 22 on the exam begins to evaluate on your mindset. However at the end of the day, I concentrated on something else rather, and I mean MMOs have become a little better given that. If alternatively, inspiration has actually become your compass after that you should cease, obtain quiet and also hang around upon the tranquils of the heart to propel and encourage you on. Residing your lifestyle coming from a location of creativity instead of motivation will enhance you beyond solution. The trouble has actually ended up being so extreme that the Motorway Safety and security Administration has made an internet site to address this problem.

Review: Ohmni, a Telepresence Robot for the Rest of Your Family

Is a relatively affordable telepresence robot a worthwhile investment for keeping in touch with people you love?

Most telepresence robots are designed for business use. They’re expensive, but the argument is that they work significantly better than a phone call and they pay for themselves since you don’t have to spend so much time and money traveling instead. We’ve reviewed telepresence robots in the past, and while in our experience the being-better-than-a-phone-call thing is definitely true, it’s still difficult for most people to justify getting one for personal use.

OhmniLabs, a Silicon Valley robotics startup with CMU roots (they’re advised by Manuela Veloso) wants to make telepresence robots easy and affordable enough that people start using them to stay connected with their families. In order for that to work, their telepresence robot (called Ohmni) is designed to be as independent as possible—you can send it to someone who isn’t at all comfortable with tech, and they can take it out of the box, turn it on, and it’ll just work. It’s potentially ideal for family members who you don’t live close to, or elderly family members who you like to talk to (and check up on) regularly. It seems like a good idea in theory, so we decided to give it a try.

Rather than doing this review myself, I had OhmniLabs ship a robot to my partner’s grandfather, Gerry. In his late 80s, he lives in an apartment in New Jersey with 24/7 care. Gerry is mostly confined to a wheelchair and has a mild form of dementia, although he’s able to chat with people and loves to talk with his family.

Despite living over an hour away, my partner’s father makes the drive to visit Gerry several times a week, supplemented with phone calls several times a day. It’s a big time investment, which he is of course happy to make, but I wanted to see to what extent Ohmni would be able to make Gerry feel more connected while perhaps making the distance less of an issue. And for other people in Gerry’s family, located farther away, Ohmni might give them a chance to interact with him more often, and in a more engaging and fulfilling way.

How Does Ohmni Work?

Here’s an intro to Ohmni from their successful Indiegogo campaign:

And here are all of the specs, for people who like specs.

Ohmni is built in California, and many of the parts you’ll find on the robot itself are 3D-printed to help keep costs down. This is a bit unusual—we see lots of 3D-printed parts on prototypes to help designers iterate quickly, most of the time followed by injection molded parts once a design is finalized. In principle, there isn’t a problem with a production robot using 3D-printed parts, as long as you don’t mind the look and it stands up to wear and tear.

The basic functionality of Ohmni is much like other telepresence robots, and that’s not a bad thing. It’s designed to provide good audio and video streaming, with a decent camera, screen (the tablet is included), and audio system, although you’ll need similar hardware on the other end to properly take advantage of it—the built-in webcam on your laptop will do, but you’ll generally have better luck with headphones and an external mic and camera. A robust and reliable internet connection, on both ends, is also a requirement. Ohmni is statically stable, and has no trouble navigating over most hardwood floors, carpets, and rugs, although you can only drive it down a flight of stairs once.

This review is about whether Ohmni’s unique features make it more appealing as a personal communication system for family members who aren’t necessarily tech savvy. So this review isn’t about what I think of the robot; it focuses primarily on the experience of my partner’s family with Ohmni, and I quote them extensively throughout the post (using their initials, for privacy). Most of them are fairly comfortable with technology, but I doubt that they’d ever considered using a telepresence robot before. Our hope is that their perspective will help you make a better decision about whether this is something your family might actually use and enjoy.

Setting Up Ohmni

Before OhmniLabs shipped us our review unit, we provided them with the login information to Gerry’s home Wi-Fi network, which they programmed into the robot before boxing it up (that’s an option available to any user who wants it set up that way). The robot arrives at its destination slightly folded into a giant box and mostly charged, and with the Wi-Fi already configured, you can just unfold it and turn it on and it’s good to go. The idea is that you can send Ohmni to someone who barely knows what a Wi-Fi network is, much less how to set up a robot, and they’ll be able to get it running without any trouble.

This was mostly our experience; the way that Ohmni works is not completely self-explanatory, but there is a card that comes in the box that points you to a comprehensive set of online tutorials (including videos). Once it was plugged in and turned on, the robot connected itself and was fully operational.

Gerry decided to name the robot Abner. One immediate critic of Abner was Charlie, Gerry’s dog:

Here’s how one of Gerry’s family members describes the situation:

“Charlie was deeply unsettled by Abner. I don’t know if there’s anything OhmniLabs could do to make the robot more dog-friendly, but it was kind of annoying dealing with Charlie’s constant barking whenever Abner moved. I bet this is less of an Abner problem and more of a Charlie problem.” —KF 

Charlie did eventually get used to Abner, and more recently, we’ve heard that she’ll even lay her head on Abner’s base when someone is using the robot. Someone she likes, anyway.

Using Ohmni

To use Ohmni, you simply log in with your Google or Facebook credentials at the OhmniLabs website on Google Chrome. Any robots you have access to will appear there, and you can click on one to start the call—as long as the robot is turned on and available, there’s no need for anyone on the other end to do anything. Ohmni will power up, announce who’s calling, and then be under remote control.

The driving interface is very simple, and requires literally zero training (albeit some practice), as several of Gerry’s family members describe:

“The learning was seamless. I’d never used a robot like this before, but I’ve played enough first-person video games to have a pretty intuitive understanding of how it worked. The forward-facing and downward-facing camera combination were all I needed, and it was very easy for me to figure out how to move around.” —KF

“I think everything from the interface to the navigation would be incredibly intuitive and second nature to any millennial. Anybody who’s used to that type of interface will have no problem with it. For some of the people my age and older, there was a slight learning curve.” —EJF

“I am Gerry’s sister and, no doubt, the oldest of the guests using the robot. As the oldest, my computer skills are probably the weakest. It took more than one attempt to get signed on. Probably accessing the computer app was my biggest challenge, but the sign-in was easy. And there I was in the dining room and ready to park Abner directly across the table and feel as if I was joining my brother for breakfast. With practice, even driving and parking became easier.” —SA

While it’s simple to give other users permission to use Ohmni by sending an invitation to their email, it doesn’t seem to come with any kind of mandatory tutorial, which might be beneficial to a new user. The basic functionality is immediately obvious, but things like how to properly dock the robot and some information about how Ohmni announces itself when powered on would have been appreciated by our users. 

Ohmni comes with a drive-on dock for charging. A successful docking requires some careful driving, so OhmniLabs has thoughtfully included a self-docking feature based around an optical tag on the dock. As long as you’re close enough, this works reasonably well, although with a bit of practice, manual docking (or, “parking”) isn’t too difficult.

Audio and video quality is about what you’d expect—totally decent and usable, and performs well in low light. Using typical telepresence etiquette on both sides can significantly improve the experience: good lighting, a mic and headphones, that sort of thing. As long as you’re careful to dock Ohmni when it’s not in use, it should have plenty of battery life—OhmniLabs estimates 5 hours, and we never had battery issues unless the robot was accidentally left undocked (and it will warn you if this happens). 

How Useful is Ohmni?

The big question with Ohmni is whether or not the experience it gives both you and the person you’re talking to is worth the significant premium you pay to be able to use it. While I don’t think anyone (including OhmniLabs) would try to argue that Ohmni is just as good as being there in person, it does have to be significantly better than a phone call to be justifiable, and it also has to compare favorably to more affordable but stationary video communications systems like Kubi or Amazon’s Echo Show. So how did it do with Gerry’s family? Here are some of their comments:

“Once I was in front of Gerry with Ohmni’s camera and screen engaged, he was able to focus in and enjoy. It made for a richer communication than a phone call and it’s easier for him to access than Skype or FaceTime since I was able to be in control. While not as good as in person, it was a meaningful step closer than a phone… and saved a lot of commuting time!” —JF

“While the call was going on it felt better than a phone call, since I could see his facial reactions to things. Not quite as good as an in-person visit, but that’s probably not surprising. It didn’t feel very different from our usual activity of sitting at the table together, just through a screen instead of in person. If we were going on a walk or something I could believe I would have noticed some problems, but standing still it did great. Since Gerry doesn’t move around much, I’m not sure how much of an improvement this was over traditional video chat. I’m pretty sure we could have used FaceTime on an iPad or something, set on Gerry’s table, to accomplish the same thing much more easily. It’s worth noting that while we could have probably figured out a way to set up video chat, we didn’t, and we did set up Abner. Maybe it’s too much to ask of Gerry to keep an iPad charged and ready to FaceTime, and easier for us to make sure Abner was always ready to go.” —KF

“I have not used it myself, but I have been there when [Gerry] gets a call. He really likes it, and reacts well to the face to face. I think it’s great for him.” —AH

“It was… different than a phone call. I liked being able to see Gerry, I liked being able to move around a bit, and I liked not having to worry about him being able to operate the telephone—  sometimes he struggles to get the phone up to his ear, so he can’t hear you. It wasn’t as good as being there in person, at all. It felt weird to leave without giving him a hug, but I know he gets lonely and he seemed to perk up when someone was on Abner. It lets us have a sort of halfway contact with him when we can’t visit in person. I would keep using it; I like it better than calling, and I can’t see him as much as I would like.” —EHF

“Abner arrived at Gerry’s home just as my summer visits were coming to an end; I have lived in Florida for over 54 years and can no longer deal with the cold northern climate. Abner was definitely more fun than the traditional phone call. It was so much more personal being able to chat while seeing each other. Second best to actually being there. I think that Gerry benefited greatly by having the ability to see each other as we spoke. He felt as if he had company and I know I felt wonderful seeing him smile and laugh as we conversed. I would certainly love to be able to continue our visits going forward. That will benefit me as well as [Gerry] getting us through the winter months without an in person visit.” —SA

“I contacted Gerry more using Abner, because of his engagement with it. Before, I would usually call at noon, and maybe around dinner. With Abner, I’d call at least twice a day. It’s a bright point of Gerry’s days; it’s not as good as somebody visiting, but it’s better than a phone call. It’s more engaging than other forms of contact.” —EJF

I’d also mention an experience that I’ve had with mobile telepresence robots— they can provide a sense of remote embodiment, of independent agency, that’s very distinct from something that doesn’t move. This is a tricky thing to explain, but it results in a sense of “being there” that you don’t get otherwise, and can enable a much different kind of casual, comfortable remote interaction. (You can read more about this in my review of the Double 2.)

The other aspect of mobility that we should address was that Abner has the ability to move from room to room. Gerry has in-home help and people to come check on him if he needs it, but many elderly people aren’t in that situation. If necessary, Abner can be used to check in on someone (as long as they aren’t up or down stairs), which could provide some valuable peace of mind if for whatever reason the person you’re worried about isn’t answering the phone. If that person doesn’t want to be reached, though, things can get a little complicated.

Ohmni and Privacy

One of the concerns that we heard about using Ohmni was that it sometimes felt too easy—since Ohmni can be logged into whenever it’s on, and part of the point is that it’s always on, using the robot without checking with the person on the other end first (by phone, say) can feel invasive.

“I have one major criticism of the robot, which is that I was able to connect to it at any time, with or without Gerry’s permission. This felt very different from a phone call or typical video chat, and definitely different from an in-person visit, since it meant I might have been connecting to Abner when Gerry was doing something where he might have liked some privacy. I certainly didn’t want to somehow remotely walk in on him in a compromising situation and make both of us uncomfortable.” —KF

“I felt somewhat uncomfortable just telepresence-ing in, and I wanted to verify that it would be a good time beforehand, and since that took a text or phone call it was just as potentially troublesome. The one time I did sign in without checking first, he wasn’t at home, and that felt very strange.” —EHF

It’s possible to put Ohmni into a “do not disturb” mode locally through its tablet, but that wasn’t something Gerry was likely to do, and it partially defeats the purpose of having Ohmni so easy to access in the first place.

We asked OhmniLabs founder Thuc Vu about this, and he told us that feedback they’ve gotten from users showed that people are, indeed, concerned about privacy, especially older adults. “We spent a lot of time thinking about how to design the robot to make sure that there were extra layers of assurance,” he says. “One is that the local user can switch between do not disturb mode, or accepting calls with approval. These different modes give the local user more control over how they want to be connected. The second thing is that we announce the people who call in very loudly. We make sure that people are aware that someone is on the other end, driving the robot.”

Another privacy feature they came up with is that, when the robot is parked and not in use, it faces the wall. “there ’ s no camera looking out, and our users don ’t have to worry that someone is spying on them through the camera,” says Vu. He added that people’s privacy concerns seem to decrease as they get more comfortable with the robot. “They get used to the fact that people will visit them. And on the other end, people get to know what times they can call in, too. It becomes less of a worry that family will pop in at random times,” he says.

Is Ohmni Right for You?

Ohmni was initially funded through Indiegogo, and robots pre-ordered that way are in the process of shipping. If you place an order now, the pricing is US $1,499, and we’re told that you can expect your robot to ship in January. There are no subscription fees. This compares favorably to other mobile telepresence robots like Double ($2,500 for the basic robot with no dock or iPad) and Beam ($2,140). 

At this point, though, we feel like Ohmni does have a little bit of maturing to do on the software side, as Gerry’s family members explain:

“I think that when this works it works very well at what it says it’s going to do, but there were a couple times where it simply didn’t turn on and there wasn’t anything we could do remotely to fix it. If technically fluent grandkids can’t come and fix it, it has to be really stable.”  — EHF

“Abner worked flawlessly probably 75 percent of the time. Ten percent of the time, I couldn’t connect to the robot, and as far as I could tell, there was nothing remotely that could be done—you had to reset the robot locally. I tried the remote reset, but I don’t think there was ever a time when I couldn’t connect to Abner and the remote reset fixed it. Another 15 percent of the time there were glitches that included low frame rate video, or illegible sound, things like that, that made it less functional than a phone call. I would be able to initiate contact with Abner, but the quality was sufficiently poor that I had to use the phone instead. This wouldn’t happen halfway through a call— once Abner was working, everything would be okay.”  — EJF

It’s also unclear how often Ohmni will require more substantial maintenance, like updating the Ohmni software that runs on the tablet, or updating the tablet operating system itself. Stuff like this is easy for most users with even a passing familiarity with tech, but again, the whole point of the Ohmni is that the people with direct access to the robot shouldn’t need that familiarity. I don’t know if there’s an elegant solution for this, but it’s something to be aware of—every once in awhile, you’ll need get someone to poke around a bit and make sure everything on the robot is running as it should.

Since these aren’t major issues, we’re optimistic that OhmniLabs will tighten things up over time, especially as they ship more robots and get more real-world feedback. In fact, the company is already considering some additional features and hardware upgrades. A frequent request they get from users is the ability to play a video or display a photo on the robot ’s screen, so that it ’s easier to share media while using the robot. Other requests include making the height of the robot adjustable and the ability to zoom in and out with the camera. And of course,  they also get a lot of requests for an arm.

The upshot is that when Ohmni was working well, most of our testers seemed to agree that it was certainly worth using. The robot might have been even more useful to interact with people with a bit more mobility and independence than Gerry has; we probably didn’t take as much advantage of Ohmni’s mobility as we could have.

A telepresence robot, even a (relatively) inexpensive one like Ohmni, is still a substantial investment. While it doesn’t take the place of an in-person visit, our experience shows how it can make communicating remotely much better, for the people on both sides. The value of Ohmni increases the farther you are from the person you’re talking to, as well—Abner was great for us, but as some of OhmniLabs’ beta testers point out, it’s even more valuable for family across the country, or the globe. Software reliability is a bit of a concern at this point, but it’s manageable, and we think that it’s something OhmniLabs ought to be able to address in the near future. When they do, we’ll have no trouble recommending Ohmni as a useful and effective telepresence platform, and a way of staying connected with your family that’s way, way better than calling them on the phone.

“Abner is incredibly more personal and intimate than a phone call. I think it’s the combination of it rolling up and appearing to join the conversation, along with the video. The best thing about Abner is that Gerry loves it—when it’s working, he’d get a big smile on his face and say, ‘Here comes Abner!’ ” — EJF

[ OhmniLabs ]

Thanks to OhmniLabs for lending us a review unit, and extra special thanks to my partner’s family for giving Ohmni a try, particularly Gerry and EJF, and Charlie too!

Review: Ohmni, a Telepresence Robot for the Rest of Your Family syndicated from http://ift.tt/2Bq2FuP

Más Vale Tarde Que Nunca

Good afternoon my readers! Since I haven’t given you the pleasure to read my latest blog yet, I will give my best now. And after this there is another task about few thoughts from the events that I participated in; this is obligatory, since I missed the lecture about Ultrahack. (I have met Ian McCready already, heard about Ultrahack personally from him and he actually got me a job of some kind in the Upgraded Life Festival, so I’m kind of familiar with what was on the lecture) Let’s have a look at previous week’s findings about digital world. As the title screams in Spanish, better late than ever.

Kwame Afreh

This lecture was about designing a webpage. Mr. Afreh is a freelance web designer and also a former Laurea student. He got us all intrigued, when having a look at Laurea’s own website design as a prospective student’s point of view. This is after all something, that we all have done at some point, I assume, when trying to figure out where to study. It was clear that there are some wonderful aspects but also many things to develop to make it more user-friendly. This is our task in the SSM project as well; trying to figure out, how they could improve their online looks with some gentle face-lifting. Having suitable versions to all three; tablet, mobile and computer are the things our team has been around for as well. Responsive design does play an important role on what image the peculiar company wants to have within’ users. According to Mr. Afreh, this is not even difficult to re-make, just use building blocks to maintain the same idea throughout and test your design widely. There was great slide “Heuristics For User Interface Design: Jakob Nielsen” that I would like to share with you, with some valuable tips for designers of all kind. Jakob Nielsen is a Danish consult, who has written an exciting book called “Designing Web Usability”, which I highly recommend to read.

It is important to understand, who are your users and why do they visit your webpage. This way you can understand your individual customer needs. Mr. Afreh guided us to use only one column layout and avoid multiple same features, when designing new pages. In addition to that, simplified form fields make the page much more visually attractive. Last but not least we learned about SEO & Website accessibility in general and he asked us to take a look at the competitive websites and pick clues from those. For example, the Posti webpage layout differs quite a bit from SSM’s one and Laurea’s webpage is different from Haaga-Helia’s competitive one. I must say, one of the best university websites is maintained in Helsinki University. Very simple and easy access to whatever you’re searching for. This lecture’s objectives were to be able to define market, users and individual users of the webpage, create stories/cases (SSM has great potentiality to spread this even wider), apply design principles and after all, design a responsive webpage. Our team had some great ideas for SSM to use on their websites and social media altogether.

Jari Laine

From Aalto University, the next speaker talked about digitalization and IOT. Mr. Laine’s presentation was visual and very humorous, I found it very amusing. His presentation was divided into four sections; consumer behavior, competitive innovations, cost reduction and technologies available.

Consumer behavior

First Mr. Laine asked us to define digitalization in our heads and said that Facebook is out. I would a bit disagree, for this module is mostly based on Facebook and all my future events is to be searched there the most convenient way for me. All of my news medias are right there all in one place and my relatives & friends around the world easy to reach. It is very much true though that the digital natives play with different rules and consumers are used to digital services. E-shopping is more and more common and despite the easiness (laziness), I still fancy the old-fashioned way. It is a really good question; What might be the future of eServices?

Digital natives are already hyper-connected and today’s omni-channel thinking will impact other industries, which is seen in consumer touch-points. “Steve Jobs killed Nokia”, stated Mr.Laine and somehow I agree with that. It’s quite a bit ironic that Mr.Jobs is no longer with us and Nokia making a bouncing comeback with their 3310 version of the old school Nokia. Consumers can also be lured by not to making any changes at all, which was the case in Burberry’s tactics. Their label is represented, not consumed. Mr.Laine mentioned fast decision-making to be the key when purchasing online. For example, when buying online flight tickets, don’t get surprised if the prices bounce to skies a week after your first scroll;) There were few sources missing on his presentation of who actually count as digital natives, but he had gathered the data quickly I understood. It is tough to define who is an active user and who is still in denial. This reminds me of the complexity of experimenting new services to potential customers and Henry Ford. When creating the car, the reason he didn’t ask the customers what they wanted, was simply put in his words: “If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.”

Competitive Innovation

The saying “boys want what other boys want” is probably not the best to quote in a digital business blog, but I’m going to do it anyway. There is this technology hype that everybody wants to get their foot in. Start-ups are building digital services and traditional companies are challenged the way that they are forced to enter into digitalization. This means that the leading Finnish companies are having dialogue with customers online and via eServices even more, examples worth mentioning here are Fazer and Stockmann. They both have visually and strategically improved their looks online and created positive imago even further.

Cost reduction

Transferring services from traditional to digital world will eventually cut costs and this should get noticed in the public sector, says Mr.Laine. 3D-printing has already regenerated some items for good and works an amazing example on that what is possible in the world we live in today. Hospitals and medical students, warehouses and car factories and sports facilities are benefiting from this already, to name a few. Here’s a link to see what 3D-printing can do.

https://techcrunch.com/2017/04/07/adidas-latest-3d-printed-shoe-puts-mass-production-within-sight/ Adidas

Technologies available

Viking Line’s Digital Customer Experience was intriguing and informative. Shops on the go are already a savior for many people in a hurry and will be more and more diverse in the future. Our idea as an eService was that there could be just one platform to fill all the papers that need a governmental approval online. This could save some time and could be something to add on the digital registration of cars by Trafi. Similarly, voice recognition will be something that will revolutionize the technology, here’s a good example of that:

http://iamili.com/ WearableTranslator

All in all, technologies that eventually lack human to human touch, will more than ever need one thing for sure. TRUST. That is the valued part that is the glue that sticks the companies and customers together. Take a look at Uber, Airbnb and Tinder applications. Having tried them all, believe me, trust is the key.

Marcin Arcisz

The last speaker came all the way from Academic Work to show us opportunities that occur in the factor, where academic studies and work placement are possible to combine. Academic Work is doing business in cooperation with Laurea UAS. We got a nice presentation of what is the home of the young professionals and which are the new ways of recruiting. Through their company representation, we watched videos from their field of business and the examples shown were Kiinteistömaailma (“Who would ever want to be in the real estate business?”) website and imago upgraded and some talk about LinkedIn marketing & advertisement. Mr.Arcisz ended the presentation with “attitude is what counts” and that’s my thoughts exactly.

Laurea students’ Well-being Event in Seutula and Kivistö district

On a Saturday the 8th of April I got an opportunity to participate in physiotherapy student Jone Vallin’s scholarly thesis event. We worked together with Vantaa area entrepreneurs and students altogether for the well-being of the locals. The idea was to get the people living in Seutula and Kivistö area to come and familiarize themselves with the local offering and that’s where Laurea students hopped in. I was in charge of the marketing and informative site of the event with Jone. I was the only business student, since 95% were future physiotherapists.

There were yoga platforms, zone therapy sessions, massages, balance training, blood pressure tests, gym membership offers and Guasha-treatments. Then there was this option to do some beauty parlor treatments and the ladies went all crazy with that. I did measure my whole body fat and muscle mass with an expensive vehicle because it was free. Don’t know if I ended up laughing after that, but it was beneficial for my training.

What I learned when I wasn’t spending time online, but instead with people of all shapes and ages? I survived a long day with plenty of cups of coffee. I learned a lot from an elderly lady of 85 years old, when I stopped and just listened. I read people’s thoughts and feelings instead of online articles. I didn’t feel stressed after physical work. I slept way better that after scrolling Facebook in the evening. Sometimes it’s best to have these kinds of days as well, just to remind yourself that although everything is available online, you can still end up lost in Vantaa, if you don’t know where the right bus platform is (because your phone died!) and you actually have to talk to people instead of using GPS and online routes. Just saying.

Review: Ohmni, a Telepresence Robot for the Rest of Your Family

Is a relatively affordable telepresence robot a worthwhile investment for keeping in touch with people you love?

Most telepresence robots are designed for business use. They’re expensive, but the argument is that they work significantly better than a phone call and they pay for themselves since you don’t have to spend so much time and money traveling instead. We’ve reviewed telepresence robots in the past, and while in our experience the being-better-than-a-phone-call thing is definitely true, it’s still difficult for most people to justify getting one for personal use.

OhmniLabs, a Silicon Valley robotics startup with CMU roots (they’re advised by Manuela Veloso) wants to make telepresence robots easy and affordable enough that people start using them to stay connected with their families. In order for that to work, their telepresence robot (called Ohmni) is designed to be as independent as possible—you can send it to someone who isn’t at all comfortable with tech, and they can take it out of the box, turn it on, and it’ll just work. It’s potentially ideal for family members who you don’t live close to, or elderly family members who you like to talk to (and check up on) regularly. It seems like a good idea in theory, so we decided to give it a try.

Rather than doing this review myself, I had OhmniLabs ship a robot to my partner’s grandfather, Gerry. In his late 80s, he lives in an apartment in New Jersey with 24/7 care. Gerry is mostly confined to a wheelchair and has a mild form of dementia, although he’s able to chat with people and loves to talk with his family.

Despite living over an hour away, my partner’s father makes the drive to visit Gerry several times a week, supplemented with phone calls several times a day. It’s a big time investment, which he is of course happy to make, but I wanted to see to what extent Ohmni would be able to make Gerry feel more connected while perhaps making the distance less of an issue. And for other people in Gerry’s family, located farther away, Ohmni might give them a chance to interact with him more often, and in a more engaging and fulfilling way.

How Does Ohmni Work?

Here’s an intro to Ohmni from their successful Indiegogo campaign:

And here are all of the specs, for people who like specs.

Ohmni is built in California, and many of the parts you’ll find on the robot itself are 3D-printed to help keep costs down. This is a bit unusual—we see lots of 3D-printed parts on prototypes to help designers iterate quickly, most of the time followed by injection molded parts once a design is finalized. In principle, there isn’t a problem with a production robot using 3D-printed parts, as long as you don’t mind the look and it stands up to wear and tear.

The basic functionality of Ohmni is much like other telepresence robots, and that’s not a bad thing. It’s designed to provide good audio and video streaming, with a decent camera, screen (the tablet is included), and audio system, although you’ll need similar hardware on the other end to properly take advantage of it—the built-in webcam on your laptop will do, but you’ll generally have better luck with headphones and an external mic and camera. A robust and reliable internet connection, on both ends, is also a requirement. Ohmni is statically stable, and has no trouble navigating over most hardwood floors, carpets, and rugs, although you can only drive it down a flight of stairs once.

This review is about whether Ohmni’s unique features make it more appealing as a personal communication system for family members who aren’t necessarily tech savvy. So this review isn’t about what I think of the robot; it focuses primarily on the experience of my partner’s family with Ohmni, and I quote them extensively throughout the post (using their initials, for privacy). Most of them are fairly comfortable with technology, but I doubt that they’d ever considered using a telepresence robot before. Our hope is that their perspective will help you make a better decision about whether this is something your family might actually use and enjoy.

Setting Up Ohmni

Before OhmniLabs shipped us our review unit, we provided them with the login information to Gerry’s home Wi-Fi network, which they programmed into the robot before boxing it up (that’s an option available to any user who wants it set up that way). The robot arrives at its destination slightly folded into a giant box and mostly charged, and with the Wi-Fi already configured, you can just unfold it and turn it on and it’s good to go. The idea is that you can send Ohmni to someone who barely knows what a Wi-Fi network is, much less how to set up a robot, and they’ll be able to get it running without any trouble.

This was mostly our experience; the way that Ohmni works is not completely self-explanatory, but there is a card that comes in the box that points you to a comprehensive set of online tutorials (including videos). Once it was plugged in and turned on, the robot connected itself and was fully operational.

Gerry decided to name the robot Abner. One immediate critic of Abner was Charlie, Gerry’s dog:

Here’s how one of Gerry’s family members describes the situation:

“Charlie was deeply unsettled by Abner. I don’t know if there’s anything OhmniLabs could do to make the robot more dog-friendly, but it was kind of annoying dealing with Charlie’s constant barking whenever Abner moved. I bet this is less of an Abner problem and more of a Charlie problem.” —KF 

Charlie did eventually get used to Abner, and more recently, we’ve heard that she’ll even lay her head on Abner’s base when someone is using the robot. Someone she likes, anyway.

Using Ohmni

To use Ohmni, you simply log in with your Google or Facebook credentials at the OhmniLabs website on Google Chrome. Any robots you have access to will appear there, and you can click on one to start the call—as long as the robot is turned on and available, there’s no need for anyone on the other end to do anything. Ohmni will power up, announce who’s calling, and then be under remote control.

The driving interface is very simple, and requires literally zero training (albeit some practice), as several of Gerry’s family members describe:

“The learning was seamless. I’d never used a robot like this before, but I’ve played enough first-person video games to have a pretty intuitive understanding of how it worked. The forward-facing and downward-facing camera combination were all I needed, and it was very easy for me to figure out how to move around.” —KF

“I think everything from the interface to the navigation would be incredibly intuitive and second nature to any millennial. Anybody who’s used to that type of interface will have no problem with it. For some of the people my age and older, there was a slight learning curve.” —EJF

“I am Gerry’s sister and, no doubt, the oldest of the guests using the robot. As the oldest, my computer skills are probably the weakest. It took more than one attempt to get signed on. Probably accessing the computer app was my biggest challenge, but the sign-in was easy. And there I was in the dining room and ready to park Abner directly across the table and feel as if I was joining my brother for breakfast. With practice, even driving and parking became easier.” —SA

While it’s simple to give other users permission to use Ohmni by sending an invitation to their email, it doesn’t seem to come with any kind of mandatory tutorial, which might be beneficial to a new user. The basic functionality is immediately obvious, but things like how to properly dock the robot and some information about how Ohmni announces itself when powered on would have been appreciated by our users. 

Ohmni comes with a drive-on dock for charging. A successful docking requires some careful driving, so OhmniLabs has thoughtfully included a self-docking feature based around an optical tag on the dock. As long as you’re close enough, this works reasonably well, although with a bit of practice, manual docking (or, “parking”) isn’t too difficult.

Audio and video quality is about what you’d expect—totally decent and usable, and performs well in low light. Using typical telepresence etiquette on both sides can significantly improve the experience: good lighting, a mic and headphones, that sort of thing. As long as you’re careful to dock Ohmni when it’s not in use, it should have plenty of battery life—OhmniLabs estimates 5 hours, and we never had battery issues unless the robot was accidentally left undocked (and it will warn you if this happens). 

How Useful is Ohmni?

The big question with Ohmni is whether or not the experience it gives both you and the person you’re talking to is worth the significant premium you pay to be able to use it. While I don’t think anyone (including OhmniLabs) would try to argue that Ohmni is just as good as being there in person, it does have to be significantly better than a phone call to be justifiable, and it also has to compare favorably to more affordable but stationary video communications systems like Kubi or Amazon’s Echo Show. So how did it do with Gerry’s family? Here are some of their comments:

“Once I was in front of Gerry with Ohmni’s camera and screen engaged, he was able to focus in and enjoy. It made for a richer communication than a phone call and it’s easier for him to access than Skype or FaceTime since I was able to be in control. While not as good as in person, it was a meaningful step closer than a phone… and saved a lot of commuting time!” —JF

“While the call was going on it felt better than a phone call, since I could see his facial reactions to things. Not quite as good as an in-person visit, but that’s probably not surprising. It didn’t feel very different from our usual activity of sitting at the table together, just through a screen instead of in person. If we were going on a walk or something I could believe I would have noticed some problems, but standing still it did great. Since Gerry doesn’t move around much, I’m not sure how much of an improvement this was over traditional video chat. I’m pretty sure we could have used FaceTime on an iPad or something, set on Gerry’s table, to accomplish the same thing much more easily. It’s worth noting that while we could have probably figured out a way to set up video chat, we didn’t, and we did set up Abner. Maybe it’s too much to ask of Gerry to keep an iPad charged and ready to FaceTime, and easier for us to make sure Abner was always ready to go.” —KF

“I have not used it myself, but I have been there when [Gerry] gets a call. He really likes it, and reacts well to the face to face. I think it’s great for him.” —AH

“It was… different than a phone call. I liked being able to see Gerry, I liked being able to move around a bit, and I liked not having to worry about him being able to operate the telephone—  sometimes he struggles to get the phone up to his ear, so he can’t hear you. It wasn’t as good as being there in person, at all. It felt weird to leave without giving him a hug, but I know he gets lonely and he seemed to perk up when someone was on Abner. It lets us have a sort of halfway contact with him when we can’t visit in person. I would keep using it; I like it better than calling, and I can’t see him as much as I would like.” —EHF

“Abner arrived at Gerry’s home just as my summer visits were coming to an end; I have lived in Florida for over 54 years and can no longer deal with the cold northern climate. Abner was definitely more fun than the traditional phone call. It was so much more personal being able to chat while seeing each other. Second best to actually being there. I think that Gerry benefited greatly by having the ability to see each other as we spoke. He felt as if he had company and I know I felt wonderful seeing him smile and laugh as we conversed. I would certainly love to be able to continue our visits going forward. That will benefit me as well as [Gerry] getting us through the winter months without an in person visit.” —SA

“I contacted Gerry more using Abner, because of his engagement with it. Before, I would usually call at noon, and maybe around dinner. With Abner, I’d call at least twice a day. It’s a bright point of Gerry’s days; it’s not as good as somebody visiting, but it’s better than a phone call. It’s more engaging than other forms of contact.” —EJF

I’d also mention an experience that I’ve had with mobile telepresence robots— they can provide a sense of remote embodiment, of independent agency, that’s very distinct from something that doesn’t move. This is a tricky thing to explain, but it results in a sense of “being there” that you don’t get otherwise, and can enable a much different kind of casual, comfortable remote interaction. (You can read more about this in my review of the Double 2.)

The other aspect of mobility that we should address was that Abner has the ability to move from room to room. Gerry has in-home help and people to come check on him if he needs it, but many elderly people aren’t in that situation. If necessary, Abner can be used to check in on someone (as long as they aren’t up or down stairs), which could provide some valuable peace of mind if for whatever reason the person you’re worried about isn’t answering the phone. If that person doesn’t want to be reached, though, things can get a little complicated.

Ohmni and Privacy

One of the concerns that we heard about using Ohmni was that it sometimes felt too easy—since Ohmni can be logged into whenever it’s on, and part of the point is that it’s always on, using the robot without checking with the person on the other end first (by phone, say) can feel invasive.

“I have one major criticism of the robot, which is that I was able to connect to it at any time, with or without Gerry’s permission. This felt very different from a phone call or typical video chat, and definitely different from an in-person visit, since it meant I might have been connecting to Abner when Gerry was doing something where he might have liked some privacy. I certainly didn’t want to somehow remotely walk in on him in a compromising situation and make both of us uncomfortable.” —KF

“I felt somewhat uncomfortable just telepresence-ing in, and I wanted to verify that it would be a good time beforehand, and since that took a text or phone call it was just as potentially troublesome. The one time I did sign in without checking first, he wasn’t at home, and that felt very strange.” —EHF

It’s possible to put Ohmni into a “do not disturb” mode locally through its tablet, but that wasn’t something Gerry was likely to do, and it partially defeats the purpose of having Ohmni so easy to access in the first place.

We asked OhmniLabs founder Thuc Vu about this, and he told us that feedback they’ve gotten from users showed that people are, indeed, concerned about privacy, especially older adults. “We spent a lot of time thinking about how to design the robot to make sure that there were extra layers of assurance,” he says. “One is that the local user can switch between do not disturb mode, or accepting calls with approval. These different modes give the local user more control over how they want to be connected. The second thing is that we announce the people who call in very loudly. We make sure that people are aware that someone is on the other end, driving the robot.”

Another privacy feature they came up with is that, when the robot is parked and not in use, it faces the wall. “there ’ s no camera looking out, and our users don ’t have to worry that someone is spying on them through the camera,” says Vu. He added that people’s privacy concerns seem to decrease as they get more comfortable with the robot. “They get used to the fact that people will visit them. And on the other end, people get to know what times they can call in, too. It becomes less of a worry that family will pop in at random times,” he says.

Is Ohmni Right for You?

Ohmni was initially funded through Indiegogo, and robots pre-ordered that way are in the process of shipping. If you place an order now, the pricing is US $1,499, and we’re told that you can expect your robot to ship in January. There are no subscription fees. This compares favorably to other mobile telepresence robots like Double ($2,500 for the basic robot with no dock or iPad) and Beam ($2,140). 

At this point, though, we feel like Ohmni does have a little bit of maturing to do on the software side, as Gerry’s family members explain:

“I think that when this works it works very well at what it says it’s going to do, but there were a couple times where it simply didn’t turn on and there wasn’t anything we could do remotely to fix it. If technically fluent grandkids can’t come and fix it, it has to be really stable.”  — EHF

“Abner worked flawlessly probably 75 percent of the time. Ten percent of the time, I couldn’t connect to the robot, and as far as I could tell, there was nothing remotely that could be done—you had to reset the robot locally. I tried the remote reset, but I don’t think there was ever a time when I couldn’t connect to Abner and the remote reset fixed it. Another 15 percent of the time there were glitches that included low frame rate video, or illegible sound, things like that, that made it less functional than a phone call. I would be able to initiate contact with Abner, but the quality was sufficiently poor that I had to use the phone instead. This wouldn’t happen halfway through a call— once Abner was working, everything would be okay.”  — EJF

It’s also unclear how often Ohmni will require more substantial maintenance, like updating the Ohmni software that runs on the tablet, or updating the tablet operating system itself. Stuff like this is easy for most users with even a passing familiarity with tech, but again, the whole point of the Ohmni is that the people with direct access to the robot shouldn’t need that familiarity. I don’t know if there’s an elegant solution for this, but it’s something to be aware of—every once in awhile, you’ll need get someone to poke around a bit and make sure everything on the robot is running as it should.

Since these aren’t major issues, we’re optimistic that OhmniLabs will tighten things up over time, especially as they ship more robots and get more real-world feedback. In fact, the company is already considering some additional features and hardware upgrades. A frequent request they get from users is the ability to play a video or display a photo on the robot ’s screen, so that it ’s easier to share media while using the robot. Other requests include making the height of the robot adjustable and the ability to zoom in and out with the camera. And of course,  they also get a lot of requests for an arm.

The upshot is that when Ohmni was working well, most of our testers seemed to agree that it was certainly worth using. The robot might have been even more useful to interact with people with a bit more mobility and independence than Gerry has; we probably didn’t take as much advantage of Ohmni’s mobility as we could have.

A telepresence robot, even a (relatively) inexpensive one like Ohmni, is still a substantial investment. While it doesn’t take the place of an in-person visit, our experience shows how it can make communicating remotely much better, for the people on both sides. The value of Ohmni increases the farther you are from the person you’re talking to, as well—Abner was great for us, but as some of OhmniLabs’ beta testers point out, it’s even more valuable for family across the country, or the globe. Software reliability is a bit of a concern at this point, but it’s manageable, and we think that it’s something OhmniLabs ought to be able to address in the near future. When they do, we’ll have no trouble recommending Ohmni as a useful and effective telepresence platform, and a way of staying connected with your family that’s way, way better than calling them on the phone.

“Abner is incredibly more personal and intimate than a phone call. I think it’s the combination of it rolling up and appearing to join the conversation, along with the video. The best thing about Abner is that Gerry loves it—when it’s working, he’d get a big smile on his face and say, ‘Here comes Abner!’ ” — EJF

[ OhmniLabs ]

Thanks to OhmniLabs for lending us a review unit, and extra special thanks to my partner’s family for giving Ohmni a try, particularly Gerry and EJF, and Charlie too!

Review: Ohmni, a Telepresence Robot for the Rest of Your Family syndicated from http://ift.tt/2Bq2FuP