Topic: Subject Atysix

Atysix · Date: 2013-10-11 04:42 EST

Earth. 9:14 pm. Two weeks before Coma.

"Wren! Lexi!" The scream tore from my throat before I understood what I was seeing" it wasn't possible" our home, that couldn't be fire" Lexi" Wren" My feet were moving, and then, they weren't beneath me as I was jerked back by a man I hadn't seen. That's when I saw them, the group of men and the people kneeling at their feet, bound and gagged....my family' a gun to each of their heads.

20 minutes earlier.

"Daddy, what do tigers eat?" Lexi asks, her stuffed Tigger clenched in her left arm in a backwards hug as she stares at her plate which was long since devoid of the things she wanted to eat. Lonely broccoli sits before her and I knew she didn't want it any more than I did. I hated broccoli, she must have gotten it from me.

"Tigger won't eat your broccoli for you, Lexi." I laughed, "Tigers eat little girls like you! Rawr!" I growled and tickled her, the sound of her laughter clear as a bell as it rung through the house.

"I hope you are eating your broccoli children!" Wren called from the next room. Funny, she only referred to me as a child when I had broccoli on my plate. Fair enough. I looked at my four year old ::ahem:: four-and-a-half year old daughter and smiled conspiratorially.

"Of course we are my love, my honey, my sweet sugary wonderful goddess of a woman!" I gushed as Lexi giggled and spooned our broccoli into the trash. I winked at her and held my hand up for a high five. "Up high." I whispered. She slapped her little hand into mine and laid hers out flat.

"Down low!" she chirped. Grinning, I slowly brought my hand down, knowing what came next. Sure enough, she snatched her hand away with a squeal. "Too slow Daddy!" and off she ran to Wren.

I stood and put our dishes in the sink, rinsing them off as I listened to her little footsteps in the other room. By the sound of it she was headed for the couch. Wren's belated grunt signaling Lexi's flying leap onto her mother sure as ever. I couldn't help it. I laughed. The girl was as springy as I was, and it showed. I'd have to start training her in parkour soon. Maybe get her in gymnastics, she would love it.

I headed into the living room and pulled out my kit and the custom 1911 that I used for work. It needed cleaned badly and I'd been putting it off for a few days. Couldn't have it jamming when it mattered or Wren would never forgive me. It was bad enough without me getting shot to prove her right. Speaking of which, I felt her glare on my back. She could stare daggers when she wanted to.

I started taking the gun apart without looking at her, my hands automatically going through the complex machinery in the weapon as I spoke, checking first to make sure it was unloaded. "It isn't going to clean itself." I said simply. I didn't have to look to know she was glaring harder, and that a frown had crossed onto her beautiful face.

"You could at least wait until she's asleep. Teaching her violence is okay is not okay with me." She snapped. She must have found out about the broccoli. It was an old argument, and one she only brought up when she was upset about something else. My hands went through the mechanics of cleaning the triggers, mechanisms, clip, slide, hammer"

I sighed. "I would like to get some sleep, maybe we could all get to bed at the same time if I do it now." It wouldn't do any good, but at least I could say I tried at the beginning before it turned into a blow out. It always did.

She would be glaring at me more because I wasn't looking at her now. "So you teach her dishonesty, violence, and disrespect?" She's really angry tonight. I wonder what happened today to put her in this mood. She's as hot tempered as she is compassionate, and that's one of the things I love about her. But sometimes, she knows just what buttons to push.

I turned to look at my wife, noticing that Lexi was surprisingly fast asleep already with her head in Wren's lap. "I'm not teaching her dishonesty." I said, before I got the look. That look she gave me when I did exactly the wrong thing to do. Probably should have confessed about the broccoli. Hindsight right'

"You really think I don't see it every time you go and dump it in the trash?" Yep, it was the broccoli. But something stood out to me, Lexi was asleep"

"And what about you? Talk about dishonesty and she's sleeping right there when you tell me to wait until after she's asleep?" I shake my head and turn back to my chore, the fight had begun, no point in stopping productive work for something so pointless.

She's silent for a moment, probably staring at me in shock. Then she growls low. "I don't want that around our daughter and you know it." Ah the crux of the matter. "I won't have that violence in her life."

And there it was. The statement that did it every time and ended the argument for good. I looked down and saw that somehow my hands had put the weapon back together. Amazing what muscle memory could do. I picked it up and put it in my harness, which I slipped on as I stood. I looked at my wife, and said the words I regret more than anything I've ever said.

"Then I guess you won't have me in your lives at all." My tone was vicious and barbed, and I meant to hurt her with the words. The pain in her gaze, the hurt on her face? will haunt me forever. I stepped onto the porch, my hands trembling as I realized how deeply I'd managed to wound her. Maybe if I went to go and get some roses and some wine, she'd at least let me back into the house. I hadn't taken two steps from the stairs when my world when black.

Atysix · Date: 2013-10-11 04:45 EST

Earth. 9:14 pm. Two weeks before Coma.

"Wren! Lexi!" The scream tore from my throat before I understood what I was seeing" it wasn't possible" our home, that couldn't be fire" Lexi" Wren" My feet were moving, and then, they weren't beneath me as I was jerked back by a man I hadn't seen. That's when I saw them, the group of men and the people kneeling at their feet, bound and gagged....my family' a gun to each of their heads.

The weapons pointed at my family shut me up fast. I'm ashamed to admit it, but it was truth. I looked around at the men who held them. Looked like mercenaries, unmarked attire under tac gear from private retailers, non-standard weapons, and not to mention the baklavas over their faces. There were at least six; four of them were around Wren and Lexi, one stood off to the side and was probably the leader, at least one more behind me, though probably two or more. My pulse hammered in my ears a moment as one of them spoke" what was he saying" I couldn't hear over my heart.

?" anything and we'll put a bullet in their heads, then shoot out your legs and watch you bleed out you understand me?" An American accent, northern Midwest, and by the sound of it completely unbothered by the gun against my child's head. I got the idea and nodded, staring with wide eyes at the weapon. There was too much distance between me and them, and with a jolt, I realized they'd taken my gun.

The one who had been standing to the side came forward then, and surprise overtook my face as I realized it was a woman. She cooed softly as she knelt beside me "Adrian' I know things are scary right now but this will all be over soon once we get what we want. So just cooperate, and this will be much smoother I promise you? alright?" Her voice was distinctive, and I latched onto it. It was singsong, with a mixture of southern bell and west coast undertones that she hid with what was obviously speech therapy. Nevertheless I nodded again, even as I memorized her inflections.

A smile breaks under her mask. "Good. Now, here's the deal Mr. Takoma" We've been hired to kill at least one member of your family." She says brightly. My eyes widen and tears stream down my face. Wren starts screaming through the gag, struggling before the man behind her yanks on her hair roughly and screams at her to shut up. Then she's still, tears streaking her face. I looked to my daughter, fear had widened her eyes and she was crying quietly. I had to wonder what they had done to her to keep her so quiet, and it filled me with an impotent rage for a moment before I realized how helpless I was and it faded.

"I see you are starting to accept your situation Mr. Takoma. That's good. You are a fast learner. So I'll give you a present for being such a good student. A little tip. We can kill all of you, both of them, or just one. That is up to you. Remember that." She stands and reaches behind her, pulling a pistol from her waistband. My pistol" "Help isn't coming for you, so I want you to listen closely. There is a single bullet in here Mr. Takoma, just one. So I want you to take this and make your choice. One or the other. Do this and you and the survivor will live. We'll leave. If you do something foolish, like try to take your own life, or try to kill one of us or even me, we'll leave no survivors do you understand?" she says all of this as if she were explaining the rules to a tennis match or discussing how much sugar to put into cake batter.

My mind reeled" this couldn't be happening. This wasn't' it made no sense" But the pistol pressed into my hand was real. Familiar and comforting in a very sick way. I looked to my family' My wife stared back into my eyes with the strength I knew she had. There was no judgment, no anger, just a sudden peace as she straightened and nodded to me.

There was no choice here, not really. We both knew that.

Something shut down in that moment, something in my core broke. Maybe it was all of me that just collapsed; leaving only enough of a shell to do what had to be done. "Lexi" baby?" I called softly' She seemed lost, looking at me with tears streaming down her face. "Honey, I need you to close your eyes okay' Keep them closed" Just?" my voice broke, and I took a deep breath to steady myself. "Just keep them closed no matter what you hear ok honey." Her eyes squeezed shut, tears leaking from the corners as she curled into a little ball on the ground.

"I love you Wren." I looked into the eyes of the woman I loved more than anything else on this earth but for that precious little girl? and pulled the trigger.

Atysix · Date: 2013-10-11 05:02 EST

Earth, 11:36 am. Ten days before coma. Cleaning that gun became an obsession, a ritual performed multiple times daily in obeisance to a vow I had made only days before. The funeral arrangements were hard, how did people do this" The gun cleaning was a way to avoid thinking about it, if only for a little while. But there was a different way, another way, one I learned about when my employer pulled me aside at the funeral. He gave his condolences and patted me on the shoulder like everyone else, and then gave me a card. It had a phone number printed on one side; the other showed a hand scrawled note. "When you need something to do.? I got the message loud and clear, nodding to him gratefully before I spent the rest of the event in such a daze that my parents took Lexi home with them. I had to agree that it was necessary, since my daughter couldn't even look at me.

Atysix · Date: 2013-10-11 05:30 EST

Earth, 2:34 pm. Nine days before coma.

Calling the number resulted in a recording of an address and instructions to bring whatever kit and EDC that I might normally take on a job. After gathering up my equipment and pulling on my riding jacket, I grabbed my helmet and opened the door to the Garage. The Ducati sat where it always sat, the one pleasure I'd splurged on after mine and Wren's wedding. I straddled the bike and kicked it on, the roar of the engine a small comfort as I backed out of the space and closed the Garage door with the remote on my key.

My printed directions were fairly clear, and the ride took under forty five minutes before I arrived at a compound of nondescript white buildings. Each as plain and cookie cutter Government Issue as it got. Parking across the street, I pulled my kit onto my lap and put both my boot knife and the twelve inch magnum tanto at my waist into the bag. My hand shook slightly as I drew my pistol" that specific pistol" but I managed to put it into the bag as well and close the zipper. Swinging it onto my shoulder, I started across the street and up the walk to what looked to be the main entrance, designated only by being the single set of double doors in sight.

Opening the doors, I walked into a reception area where a pretty young secretary smiled and asked for the card I'd been given as an invitation. She told me to sit down and that my employer would be with me soon, so I sat and thought about anything other than the recoil in my hand when I pulled the trigger. Rolling dice, internal combustion engine mechanics, steel grades for effective combat knives, more and more things ran through my head as I waited. When Evan walked in, he had a sad smile on his face. He was just the right amount of consolation, business, and old friend.

"Adrian, I'm glad to see you. I wish I could see you under better circumstances. But I thought you might need something to keep you busy. You never were one for inaction." He pats my shoulder as I stand and nod wordlessly. Not put off at all, he nods in return and motions for me to follow him. So I do. "We are working on a new training simulator, Direct External Sensory Neural Input, DESNI for short. So far it's proven very safe and effective. But we haven't tested it with anyone outside the military. So I thought you might be up for the job. Leaving Lexi for another detail wouldn't be feasible right now, but this would let you work right here in the city." He goes on and on about how this could be a golden opportunity for me to start a job that would let me take care of Lexi and still stay on my game. How this doesn't have to be the end of my career. But I'm not listening; I'm staring at the machine room we've just walked into.

Multiple monitors displayed a lot of data I couldn't begin to interpret. While I recognized some of the information streaming across the monitors like heart rate and blood pressure, I had no idea what some of the others indicated. As it turned out, I didn't have to know what I was looking at because Evan seemed dead set on explaining all of it.

"Here we can monitor almost every aspect of the trainee, from cardiovascular strain to neural output. The trainee is put under chemically, the resulting neural state being something close to lucid dreaming. Once under, the system loads a scenario and the trainee begins. We monitor the nervous system transmissions and use them to replicate the movement. In return, the trainee is given very slight electroshocks in order to replicate the movement in the muscles. So you see, this isn't just a simulator for your mind, your body will be trained as well." He seemed quite proud as he motioned to a tank that looked right out of a sci-fi flick. "This is the Tank. Where you'll run through the scenarios until you are either woken by failure, or you complete the scenario triggering the chemicals to wake you up." He smiles. "Adrian, this is safe. I promise you. They just want the data to prove to the higher-ups that it's useful. We've never had any adverse effects. Now it's just a matter of proving that the system makes a better soldier." He gave me a reassuring smile as if that were supposed to quiet my fears.

But the fact of the matter was" I had no fears. I wanted this. I wanted an escape. So as I turned and returned his smile, I extended my hand.

"Sign me up.?

Atysix · Date: 2013-10-11 05:44 EST

Earth, 10:08 am. Three days before coma.

"The contract is just a formality Adrian. We are protecting your interests as much as ours. It guarantees you a specific amount and credit as a researcher." Evan's voice was smooth, his suit as crisp as ever. The slicked back hair I'd always made fun of because it made him look like he was bald from a distance with its strawberry blonde color. It was a wonder the man worked for the military. "Besides, it's a standard government research confidentiality agreement. You know how the R&D boys love their secrecy. An NDA is the least you could give them." He chuckled amiably at his own joke. "And I even managed to work a little favor for you. Check it out." He winked and pointed to the designation line on the contract. It read, Subject 86: Atysix. I had to smile; Atysix had been my handle for a long time. A lot of people knew me by that name, and it was good to see it here.

"Thanks Evan. Thoughtful of you." I said quietly. Evan seemed surprised I had spoken at all, and I couldn't blame him. I hadn't really said much in a while. I'd like to say I looked over the contract carefully. I'd like to say I had a lawyer look at it and Evan and I went back and forth for hours negotiating my terms. But I can't. To be honest, I couldn't sign my life away fast enough. I barely glanced at the words on the pages and pages before me. They were meaningless. They said only one thing to my eyes, this is escape. And so I signed with a flourish, and dated with a hollow smile. "I think I got it. Not my first rodeo." I shrugged and handed him the packet of papers. "So when can we start?" I was eager, but even so I couldn't muster up any real excitement.

Evan looked at me with concern in his gaze, but said nothing for a few minutes as he looked over the papers. "We can begin today if you like. The lab boys went ahead and prepped you a tank just in case you wanted to feel it out." He says easily, gesturing down the hall. "I'll get this sorted out. Adrian' I hope this helps." He sighed, resting his hand on my shoulder before he opened the door. "She was an amazing woman." And then he was gone.

Standing, I made my way out of the office. The contract I'd signed came with a keycard and a badge. So I clipped the badge to my shirt and started for the lab. I felt no fear, if anything the smiles on the lab techs struck me as annoying. But I pasted a smile to my own face as I entered the Tank room. All around the Tank was banks of monitors and computers cooled with some sort of fogging gas. Probably liquid nitrogen, which meant they were running some cutting edge stuff.

A female tech, pretty and blonde directed me to a changing area where I stripped out of my clothing and into a pair of compression boxer briefs. When I stepped out, she gave me an appraising smile and a wink as she went about explaining the entry process. The liquid in the tank would do all the work, all I really had to do was get in without spilling too much or slipping and knocking the delicate instruments away. Simple, and within a minute I was in the tank. A breathing tube came down, and I bit onto it. The plastic melted around my teeth like a mouth guard and stuck there. A couple of oxygen tubes plugged my nose, but didn't go any further, fresh air pumped in. All things considered, floating weightless in the clear liquid, it was fairly comfortable. I gave the tech a thumbs up, it was all a go.

Nodding, she and a few others went about whatever it was they did in top secret research for the government. In a minute or two, I got a little bored. That was when the Liquid turned black and a little voice sounded. "Mr. Takoma. My name is Sydney, I'm your coordinator. Don't worry. You should be seeing black right now. That's meant to be a sensory deprivation in order to ease the transition process." I nodded in the darkness. That made sense. The momentary thrill went away despite the abstract interest I had in how her voice seemed to come from everywhere at once. Probably a trick of the liquid. She spoke again. "Now, Mr. Takoma we are going to run a basic simulation of an exercise regimen, we just want to make sure your neural net is responding well." I nodded again.

Despite expecting it, couldn't help but gasp a little at the sudden swirl of colors that ended in a coalescing picture of a gym. It was very well rendered. I could swear I was in an actual gym. If it weren't for the faceless and featureless dummy in front of me. With a start, I realized I was standing, dressed in sweats. I chuckled, marveling. I followed the movements as the dummy went back and forth through exercises I'd known and done for years. Two hours later, I woke up and opened my eyes to the black liquid as it was clearing again. The smiling face of Sydney greeted me. She helped me out, and handed me a towel and a robe. Directing me towards a walled in shower. After showering, I was kept under observation for fatigue, and released by sundown. I was hooked.

Atysix · Date: 2013-10-11 05:49 EST

Earth, 3:28 pm. Two days before coma.

I was a rising star. The combat scenarios were child's play. My body responded in the Sims exactly the way I wanted it to, and the perfect reactions gave me an edge the programmers had a party trying to keep up with. I was given my kit, everything I normally brought with me on a job to make the training more realistic. I made nice with the boys. They laughed and threw everything they had at me. I ate their scenarios for breakfast. The combat was predictable. The tactics mundane. The enemy forces stupid and sluggish. I was a god among children in those first runs. After a while, they got better as I moved through Sim after Sim.

After my tenth run of the day, I woke up panting but annoyed. I'd still demolished an entire company single handedly. "You guys are going to have to get better at programming your soldiers or your system is a glorified treadmill." I said crossly. They laughed and told me that they were playing with an idea. Apparently they had adapted a few other top secret projects on artificial intelligence and were even now adding it into the next day's Sim list. Apparently I was supposed to enjoy the cakewalk while I could.

I could live with that.

Atysix · Date: 2013-10-11 05:52 EST

Earth, 6:18 pm. Day of coma.

True to their word, the first run of the day resulted in my first death. I was picked off by a sniper before I even completed my first objective. Gasping awake, I panicked a bit until Sydney's voice calmed me down. I smiled to myself, motioning with my hands to them that I was calm and ready to go again. The second time, I didn't panic. The explosion of the grenade that killed me was incredibly realistic and unexpected, but hadn't been quite the shock as dying for the first time. I died six times that day, completing nineteen runs before my last run. The boys informed me they had designed a boss level, and asked if I wanted to try it. I nodded, why not right?

Atysix · Date: 2013-10-11 05:55 EST

The Last Run

I stood on a street in an abandoned city I'd seen before. It was one of the favorite battlegrounds, and had defined limits I couldn't pass through. Nearby, a replica of my Ducati and helmet rested in the street. As always I had my 1911 strapped into a holster at my shoulder and my Tanto at my waist across my back beltline. The folding boot knife I always wore was tucked into my sock, the clip keeping it in place. My kit was slung over one shoulder of my black leather jacket. I was as ready as I'd ever be. My first task was to find my adversary. The objective list on my data pad singled him out as subject Cruznik and gave me a list of pertinent information on the man. It was a long one.

The list rattled off impossibly complex medical jargon that made little sense to me, but I got the gist of it. He was a little under mathematically ten times stronger than a peak conditioned Marine, had reaction times they couldn't quantify with current scales, and healed extremely fast. The objective list was very clear. Terminate the subject, who is infected with a viral payload that will destroy the world. Way to play it up guys. One last bit of information intrigued me, the man had fangs, but it wasn't stated in my information why that was. Whatever, I just had to kill him.

Setting off on the Ducati, I rode until I noticed changes in the cityscape. Fires had been lit in several blocks, spreading out of control to other buildings and throwing smoke into the air. I braked, scanning the empty streets for Cruznik. I didn't see him until he threw a parking meter at me. To my astonishment, it had been torn from the pavement and chucked like a toothpick. Dropping from the bike, I rolled and brought my pistol up to fire as I caught his form. But in a blink he was gone again. My brow furrowed before I heard a rustle and rolled to the side. Where I had been, a giant kneeled. He was dressed in black tactical gear, a massive pistol at his side and a long katana across his back. Cruznik was at least seven feet tall when he stood, the pavement a spider web of cracks where his knee had struck it. Where I had just been.

The massive man was grinning, and drew his pistol in a flash. Deafening shots rang through the streets as I took off behind whatever cover I could find, cars, streetlights, and low walls. I had no time to return fire until I reached a corner and ducked behind it. Cruznik was reloading, and I noted the pistol was a massive desert eagle. Probably custom made to fire larger rounds than the norm. His strength and size would mean he could be accurate with such a weapon. I opened my kit, withdrawing a silencer and screwing it in place. I would have to go with stealth in this one. I dropped and crawled around the side of the building, slipping through the window and up into the ceiling tiles of what looked like an old office. I pushed up into the beams and silently pulled another tile from the framework. As Cruznik passed into my sights, I blasted away. Scoring several direct hits, I allowed a small smile and dropped to the ground as Cruznik's body fell against a car on the sidewalk. "Wasn't so hard." I said to myself.

But something was wrong. The Sim hadn't ended. I looked at the data pad. The objective wasn't completed, and when I turned to Cruznik's body it was gone. Muttering a curse, I jumped through the window and turned to follow the blood trail. I had to get to him or the brute would heal before I could finish him off. Drawing my tanto in my other hand, I began hunting the giant.

He found me after two blocks, his own black bladed katana swinging for my neck as blood pumped from his neck and armpit. I saw with dismay that those had been the only wounds that had done more than surface damage as I ducked and let the katana scrape along the tanto in my hand. Up close, I saw he wore a tactical vest that held many of the same things my own kit wore. Those damned programmer boys. They'd made a boss out of me as a model. Everything was reminiscent and taken to an extreme. But I had no time to reflect on the super soldier version of myself. I had to get back and do more damage. My own hollow point rounds did little as I blasted several into his chest and one into his head. They barely slowed him down. I dropped under the katana as he swung in a deadly arc that was followed up by several shots from the desert eagle. One clipped my gun holster, the force throwing me off balance and probably saving my life from the second and third blasts that ripped up the pavement. I swung my pistol up and in a calculated gamble" fired at the desert eagle. It was knocked from his grasp as I emptied my weapon into his gun hand.

With a furious roar, he leapt at me and I dropped into a sideways roll, my own blade slashing at his legs as I dug into my kit. I landed exactly nothing as Cruznik's blade bit deep into the concrete. He freed it with little more than a tug, and sneered at me. I threw my kit at him, keeping only the pins from the three grenades in the bag. Then I laughed as we both went up in smoke.

I would have done things differently if I had known what was happening. I would have backed out completely and never run the Sims again. But I didn't. And when that explosion rocked the street, my world went white" and then I had no world.

((OOC: Cruznik's player has collaborated with me on this story arc and has given me permission to include him here and in further instances. His input is appreciated and I give credit where it's due. Many thanks))

Atysix · Date: 2013-10-11 05:57 EST

The Nexus, Timeless.

I don't know how long I floated, thinking the Tank was broken at first, and then slowly realizing as what felt like minutes eventually felt like hours, and then days, and then weeks. I saw nothing, I heard nothing, and I felt nothing. For a while" I was nothing.

But then, I was something. And I saw things again, my hands. I heard my ragged panicked breathing. I felt the pain of the blast as my body slowly pieced itself back together. This wasn't right. The Sims weren't supposed to do that. Writhing and screaming in agony, unable to die, I healed. So many times I wished for death, as broken and burned bits of myself found each other.

For so long, I drifted one I was whole. The pain subsided, but I don't have any idea how long it took. My mind began to play tricks on me, my memories slipping away into nothing. I saw Wren, her beautiful face beckoning me into a blackness I could never reach. God how I tried. I saw Lexi, and my parents as they walked away with my daughter in their arms. I saw Evan, his stupid hair shining as he looked down at me and told me I would wake up soon. I saw the southern bell mercenary, her voice mocking but I couldn't understand her words. I saw Cruznik, piecing himself together as well" following me.

And then I saw nothing again.

Atysix · Date: 2013-10-11 06:03 EST

Rhy'din. January.

When I woke up, I had no idea I was awake. I couldn't place anything. I couldn't remember anything past the funeral. I woke, knowing only something terrible had happened" and since then I have been trapped in this city. If I even get close to an exit portal, if I even set foot too close to the city limits, some force continues to block my way. Seemingly random events constantly bar my departure. A man named Cruznik hunts me here. I don't know why, but he worries me deeply.

There are so many questions I have to find answers to. Who were those mercenaries who came to my home. What did they want' It had to be more than just what happened. Who sent them' And why were they sent' Even more so why where they sent after my family' After me" That southern belle knew my name. She knew who she was looking for, who she was talking to.

For now, I wait until I can find out what has happened. I've been searching for a way to break this barrier, a way home. I've been told that time can flow differently between here and other worlds. For that is what I've determined has happened, somehow. I've been transported to this world from my own. It must have happened on a job, for all my equipment is with me, even my bike and helmet. I do not know why, I do not know how. But I will find out. I will get back to my daughter.

Wren" I'm so sorry. Please forgive me. Lexi" Daddy's coming home. I promise.