Exfiltration

[A/N: This chapter beta-read by Lady Columbine of Mystal.]
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Mik
“Papa Juliet calling Mike Whiskey. I’m in. Guy says she’s in room one-zero-three-eight, do you copy?”
“I copy one zero three eight,” Mik replied quietly. She looked up at the room numbers and noted that she was at least on the correct floor. “Going there now, over.”
It was a good thing that even evil corporate secret facilities had their safety procedures. As she jogged along the corridor in what she thought was the right direction, she spotted an evacuation map of the facility, complete with room numbers. Studying the plan for a moment, she traced out a path, memorised it, then took off running.
Although people fresh from Earth often complained how hard it was to maintain a good running speed on Mars due to lack of traction, Mik had no such problems indoors. The floors weren’t the best for cornering on, but she saw no issue in running halfway up the wall to kick off in the direction she wanted to go. Her enhanced vestibular systems aided considerably in keeping her balance, no matter where her feet were placed at the time.
Now that she knew where she was going, she reached the corridor that she needed in less than a minute. But then she encountered something that wasn’t a barrier as such, but certainly caused her to think twice about what was going on.
At first glance, there was little to worry about. What she’d found was an airlock of a make and model ubiquitous to half the buildings on Mars. Given that the outside atmosphere of Mars could only be survived by one person currently on the surface of the planet, the presence of an airlock would normally have been easy to explain away as an essential safety precaution.
What gave Mik pause was the fact that the airlock was inside the building, and in fact was between her and the person she was here to rescue. This made her ask herself a very specific question:
Which side of this airlock is expected to be depressurised, and why?
There was only one logical answer, and it did nothing for her peace of mind. If she was reading the signs correctly, the person behind Dani’s abduction and subsequent imprisonment was willing to set up a lethal situation for their captive, as a last-ditch screw-you to Mik. They probably wouldn’t kill her immediately, but if Mik tried to get her out, it would go from zero to fatal in very little time indeed. And in fact, if the airlock was code-locked on the other side, it would also serve to lock Mik into the area, allowing Cyberon to simply walk in and scoop her up at their leisure.
If I keep going, I’ll be trapped and she dies no matter what. Cyberon security’s probably on the way, so Pete might not be able to get us both out in time. If we pull back, they might decide she’s no use as bait, and kill her anyway. Bad end, do not want.
Okay, so I’ve seen the trap. How do I turn it around?
*****
Dani
The cell was cold, the floor hard to sleep on, and the ration bars they’d been feeding her tasted like salted sawdust, but that wasn’t the worst part. Dani had been uncomfortable before; some of the places her father had worked had lacked many civilised creature comforts. But she’d had friendly company and she’d been able to keep track of what was going on in the larger world.
Here, she had neither.
She wasn’t sure if it was deliberate torture or just a total lack of caring about her wellbeing, but the lighting outside the Perspex panel that fronted her cell never varied. Neither dim nor overbright, it was just constant. They’d taken her watch at the same time as they’d sequestered the rest of her belongings and shoved her into an anonymous coverall, so she had no way of keeping track of time, except by way of her biological rhythms and the delivery of the food rations (which in itself was worryingly irregular, like they kept forgetting that she needed to eat).
Even the Suit, as she called him (she didn’t have a name for him, but she had a huge number of highly unflattering descriptors for him) hadn’t shown up in some time. At first, she’d been able to mark off the days in her mind by his visits, either gloating over how Mik was going to walk straight into his trap or attempting to interrogate her about Mik’s habits and potential actions. She’d done her best to give him no joy either way, which in hindsight was possibly a mistake, as he didn’t visit at all these days.
All she got was a guy walking past the cell every few hours and glancing in to make sure she hadn’t miraculously dismantled the lock and spirited herself out of the building. They didn’t talk to her, even when she called out and tried to open lines of communication. She knew they could hear her, but their faces just closed off and they walked on.
It had been days, maybe weeks, she was sure of that much. A month, even two? She couldn’t be sure. A couple of times she dreamed she’d been rescued, that the wall of the cell had just opened up and she’d walked out; the emotional crashes, when she woke and discovered the reality of the situation, had been devastating. Pretty soon, she figured, she’d be hallucinating even when she was awake, and it just wouldn’t matter anymore.
So, when she saw Mik herself step into view in front of the cell, wearing her usual t-shirt and jeans and heavy boots, along with a badass-looking long-coat, she didn’t even react at first. Either it was someone else and her eyes were playing tricks on her, or she was asleep and dreaming the whole thing, or her mind had finally cracked. Didn’t matter; Mik wasn’t there.
She waited for the apparition of her friend to morph into one of the guards or to evaporate altogether, or maybe rip the door off its runners, but none of that happened. Instead, Mik examined the lock and frowned. Then she pulled out a notebook and pencil—pens had a really hard time working in vacuum, so Mik always went old-school when it came to passing notes—and scribbled something.
Dani had never been able to read a damn thing in a dream. The words and letters always came jumbled up, probably because reading was a logical thing and dreams were by their nature illogical. So, she was fully prepared for whatever the note showed to be pure gibberish.
Instead, to her surprise, it was totally readable. NO AIR OUT HERE. NEED U TO PREP FOR DECOMPRESS, CLOSE EYES. WILL OPEN DOOR, GET U OUT. DO U TRUST ME?
She read it through several times, trying to make sense of it. Mik was still standing there, waiting, though she’d glanced from side to side a couple of times. The writing on the notepad was holding steady, not changing to something else.
Is this real? Is this actually happening?
Tears sprang to her eyes as she first began to allow herself to consider the concept. She tried to keep herself under control; every other time she’d believed she was getting out, her expectations had been cruelly dashed. But she could read the note. She could read the note.
Climbing painfully to her feet—there was little chance for exercise in the cell, and the nutrient bars didn’t leave her with much in the way of excess energy—she went over to the Perspex panel that served as a door. “Are you real?” she asked, putting her hand on the panel. “Are you really there?”
Mik nodded, then flipped a page and scribbled some more. IM REAL. IM GETTING U OUT OF THERE. DO U TRUST ME? Then she tore the page from the pad and dropped it.
Instead of fluttering lazily to the ground—under Martian gravity, it always took even longer than it did on Earth—it fell straight down, at the standard three point seven one metres per second per second.
Okay, that’s not something a hallucination would bring up. There’s only Martian air pressure out there. She’d had dreams of walking unprotected on the surface of Mars. The human brain couldn’t create the consequences of low air pressure out of whole cloth. That was a leap of logic that it couldn’t make.
Dani took a deep breath and nodded. “I trust you,” she said, aware that Mik was practised at reading lips. “I just don’t know how long I can go without air.” Attempting to hold one’s breath in vacuum or near-vacuum, she knew, was a recipe for ruptured lungs. “Should I hyperventilate?”
Instead of writing more notes, Mik made the hand gesture for ‘no time’, then pointed at her first note. Dani nodded, then stepped back. Closing her eyes, she opened her mouth, working her jaw to allow her ear canals to connect to her sinus cavities.
She heard it when the door began to open, the thin high screech of escaping air, deepening to a rumble as the air pressure dropped. Her ears popped, then popped again as she kept working her jaw. Air flowed out of her lungs, then an involuntary belch joined it.
Her skin prickled and her eyes were uncomfortable behind her tightly closed eyelids, but she didn’t dare open them. Micro-pressure did nasty things to exposed eyeballs; they didn’t pop (that was something even the stupidest of space dramas didn’t do anymore), but the sheen of tears on the exterior surface had been known to freeze or evaporate, neither of which was good for the eye.
Pressure was building unpleasantly in her gut, and she did her best to relax her sphincters. Another burp was followed by a small frrrt, and she silently blessed the fact that the nutrient bars were designed for vacuum workers, who didn’t want to share their EVA suits with abdominal gases.
And then a mouthpiece was pressed over her face, and air flowed into her lungs. Reaching up, she grabbed the pony bottle, amazed that she’d actually forgotten how Mik carried it everywhere. Once she had it, Mik let go and grabbed her arm, urging her forward.
Under the guidance of her friend, she stumbled out of the cell then turned left. They moved as fast as she was able, though she had to keep her eyes closed. How Mik had even gotten there, and what the plan was to get her out, she wasn’t sure, but she trusted Mik implicitly.
They went down the length of one corridor and then another one, much farther than she would’ve been able to go with her eyes closed and no air. Alone, she would’ve stumbled aimlessly until she died. Then they entered what she figured was an airlock, the supposition borne out when a door closed behind them and the air pressure started rising again.
When she felt it was safe, she opened her eyes and handed the pony bottle back to Mik. “Th-thanks,” she rasped, her voice rusty from disuse. “You came back. I didn’t know if you would.”
“It’s been a month, let me tell you,” Mik said lightly. “I had to get reinforcements, but here I am.”
Something clanked at floor level, and Dani looked down to see that Mik had just knocked over a bucket. “Okay,” she asked. “What’s a bucket doing in an airlock?”
“Holding the inner door open so nobody can remotely shut it behind me,” Mik explained. The other airlock door opened, and she stepped out. “C’mon, we’ve got places to be.”
Dani followed along. Her joints still felt creaky and stiff, but she was damned if she was going to slow Mik down now. “Where’d you go for reinforcements? Tharsis? Wouldn’t they just send stern memos to Cyberon or something?”
“Yeah, that’s why I didn’t go to them.” As Mik and Dani turned a corner, Dani saw two of the guards on the ground, along with a third one in an EVA suit, and a fourth person in an EVA suit standing over them with a metal bar in his hand. “Hey, we’re ready to suit up and go.”
The standing man flipped up his faceplate. “Good. The suit’s just outside. I’ll keep watching these clowns while you go get it.”
“On it.” Mik tipped Dani a wink, then ducked out through the airlock. A moment later, she was back, bringing a suit in Dani’s size.
“I was wondering how you were going to get me out of here.” Dani didn’t waste time, starting to haul on the suit even as she addressed Mik. She didn’t know the guy, but if Mik trusted him, she was willing to as well.
“It was either this or terraform the whole planet so you could just walk out normally, and terraforming was taking too long.” Mik eyed the guards unfavourably. “How badly were these assholes treating you?”
“They didn’t hit me or anything,” Dani said. “Just fed me and watched me. It was their boss who said all the nasty stuff about how you were gonna fall in his trap.”
“Mm.” Mik looked like she didn’t want to drop the matter, but the guy put his hand on her shoulder and she subsided. “Okay, then. Ready to go?”
“Nearly.” Dani locked her helmet in place, then triggered the oxygen flow. The telltales showed up green, so she nodded and gave the thumb-to-forefinger all-good gesture.
The guy with Mik flipped down his faceplate, and all three of them stepped into the airlock. It was a tight squeeze but Mik was skinny, and Dani didn’t take up much room even in a suit. “We’re going to have to move fast,” the guy said over her radio. “I have a feeling Cyberon security is incoming with everything they’ve got.”
“Yeah, no crap.” That was definitely Mik. “Just by the way: Pete, meet Dani; Dani, meet Pete.”
“Pleased to meet you,” Pete added. “Lieutenant Pete Janssen, Orbital Rescue, at your service.”
Even while Dani was trying to figure out what an Orbital Rescue pilot was doing on the surface of Mars, the airlock opened and they hustled out. The surrounding terrain was the very opposite of flat, and Dani had no idea which way to go. And then Mik’s eyes opened wide and she turned her head, looking up into the sky.
“Lander,” she said. “I can hear it coming in.”
Dani had very little experience with matters like this, but she had an idea what was coming next anyway. “They’ll be bringing in ground troops, won’t they? Looking for us?”
“Got it in one.” Mik started off into the rocks. “We have to get to the ’hopper before they catch up with us.”
“Copy that, princess.” Pete hooked one arm under Dani’s. “Let’s get moving.”
Dani had thought the nightmare was over but as she discovered, it was just beginning. Even with Pete and Mik helping her up and over the obstacles in their way, she quickly ran out of energy. Fear-generated adrenaline was well and good, but it had its limits, and her arms and legs were soon powerless noodles.
“Leave me,” she begged. “They’ll catch you, and this’ll all be for nothing.”
“And if we leave you, it’ll also be for nothing,” Mik told her grimly. “I had to do it once. It’s not happening a second time.”
“Take her,” Pete said. “I’ll go and draw them off. Even if they catch me—”
Mik cut him off. “If they can’t use you to get us back, they’ll kill you. You take her, you’re stronger than me. If they’ve got guns, which I’m pretty sure they do, they’re less likely to shoot at me than you. I’ll meet you at the ’hopper.”
Not giving Pete the option to argue, she let go Dani’s arm and vanished into the chaotic terrain.
“Wait—” began Pete, then swore. “Dammit! Okay fine, she’s not giving us a choice. Let’s get you to the ’hopper.”
As they moved off, Dani had to ask the question. “Why did you call her princess, earlier?”
“Well, she’d just told us her story, and I made a joke …”
*****
Mik
The security troopers were good at moving in EVA suits, and they definitely had guns. There were also a lot of them, which was going to make this tricky as hell. Still, Mik had a few advantages on her side, some of which they hopefully didn’t know about.
She peered around a rocky outcrop at a bunch of them, who were conferring over some kind of digital map. If they wanted to use that thing to make any kind of straight path through this labyrinth of Martian terrain, they had to be dreaming. The trouble was, if they just pushed forward en masse, they could comb every last hiding place, no matter how tricky she was. Which was why she had to pull them away from the ‘logical thinking’ mindset and into the ‘chase me’ mindset.
Picking up a friable-looking rock, she stepped into view, then hurled her missile directly at the faceplate of one of the troopers facing her. It burst on impact, leaving a cloud of dust behind. Before they could bring their guns to bear, she ducked out of sight again, heading down a twisting, turning alleyway of rock. Her natural agility and balance made up for the uneven footing, allowing her to move much faster than the troopers behind her.
The call would be going out now, converging every security trooper in the area on that spot. This included any of them that might’ve been on course to discover the rille where she and Pete had hidden the rock-hopper. If they were chasing her, they weren’t going after anyone else.
She paused after a minute or so of movement, listening hard and with her hands on the rocks on either side. Sound didn’t travel well in this atmosphere, though her ears were attuned to pick up what little there was. Vibrations through the ground were sometimes more useful, and she fancied she could feel the security troops coming her way, just as much as she could hear the scuffing and stumbling among the chaotically tumbled boulders.
The next time she nailed someone in the faceplate with a rock, one of the troopers shot at her. It didn’t come close enough to worry her, though the whole experience of being shot at in general was a new and unpleasant one. She got her target, though, dusting the man plus his comrades with the ever-present fines. The fewer of her pursuers who could see properly, the better.
And then Pete’s voice crackled in her mastoid earpiece. “We’re at the ’hopper. Want a pickup?”
“No, don’t,” she replied, talking quietly into the mouthpiece even though she knew the troopers couldn’t hear her. “They’ll shoot you out of the sky. Hold tight, I’m coming to you.”
A dozen troopers looked around in surprise as she jumped out of concealment almost within arm’s reach. She was holding two large rocks that she’d selected carefully, each one with the consistency of chalk. Both left her hands even before her feet hit the ground; not aimed at the troopers, they instead hit the rocks on either side. A great cloud of fines billowed over all of the troopers, but she wasn’t waiting around for it to dissipate.
There was a nice straight pathway for her to retreat down, but she didn’t take it. Instead, she ducked into the first niche she found that was barely large enough to take her, and flipped up the hood of the long-coat so that it covered her head. Thus concealed, facing the rock and holding still, she hopefully looked like part of the landscape.
She both heard and felt the rush of booted feet behind her; yelling inside their helmets so loudly that she heard that too. Thirty seconds ticked by in her head, and there were no stragglers following along. Cautiously, she peered out from behind the coat. She was alone.
By now there would be enough troopers spread through the chaotic terrain for false sightings to be happening on the regular, and in fact she heard a few random shots here and there which bore out that idea. But that wasn’t her problem, so she slipped unseen through the dragnet until she came to the rille. Jumping from foothold to foothold, she descended to where Pete and Dani were just getting settled on the rock-hopper.
“Oh, good,” Pete said. “You’re here. I was starting to worry.”
“Can we go now?” asked Dani plaintively. “I just want to get out of here.”
“We can,” Mik confirmed, scrambling up onto the rock-hopper and strapping herself into the middle seat, which had been installed by the crusty McPherson. She flicked the wake-up switch on the flight control computer (also supplied by McPherson), then activated the controls and lit off the attitude rockets. Slowly, then with more power as she fed fuel to the main rocket, the rock-hopper climbed into the air.
“Straight back up to the ship?” asked Pete hopefully.
“Not quite,” Mik said. “They’ve almost certainly got ships up there that can shoot us down if they see us coming up out of their area of interest, so we’re going to have to stay low for the moment until we get out from under their umbrella. Our best chance for doing that is to leave their turf altogether.”
Angling the rock-hopper eastward, she applied more thrust, and they shot away across the tumbled landscape.
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[A/N: And we’re coming to a head. The next chapter or two should see the end of this run of the adventures of Mik Wallace, Martian Walker. That’s not to say it’ll be the end of the story, but it’ll be the end of the origin story.]

LF: Nuka-cola Shank plan, rare apparel, caps, leaders, CAMP item plans (gold bullion plans)
Items for trade:
Bloody Chef Hat Bloody Chef Outfit Chally Mask Grill master Hat Plan: bloody curtain door Plan: meat week flag Plan: Peppino Pig Plush x 2 Plan: plastic fruit bowl x 2 Plan: plastic fruit wreath Plan: Wasteland Hunter backpack Plan: Rotted Steak Plushie Plan: Fossilized Megalonyx Right Leg Plan: Salty Tenderizer mod Plan: Shishkebab x 3
Recipe: Tato Salad
Fasnacht Blue Devil Fasnacht Scorchbeast

Put these on a cold pan, turned it on full heat and had each side for 2 minutes until I turned the heat to medium. Was turning them every 2 minutes.
The result; tasty juicy stakes, unfortunately they were medium to well (hence no pictures cut, embarrassed).
I tried to take the moisture out with some paper before seasoning.
Any tips on how to each a result that is not like the one I had? I love medium rare steaks and I would like to have them looking pretty on the outside as well.

Hi All!
Does anyone have overnight (8h, 10h, 16h and 24h) sous vide recipes that have worked?
I find that the most convenient way is to sous vide overnight and sear in the morning (or put it in an ice-bath in the morning, and then sear at night). There's a post on eGullet here about the same topic, but its a few items only.
Recipes I can recommend:

1. Boneless skinless chicken breast (from frozen, Costco) for 8 hours at 133F.
   1. A bit on the tender side, but since the SV temp is low, the texture is decent.
   2. Dry it with paper towels. Sear on max heat for 2-3 minutes.
   3. You can use 2 tbsp mayonnaise to sear it after butterflying it. You can then top it off with a compound butter (garlic and herb) for some additional flavour.
2. Duck breast (from frozen, Costco) for 8 - 10 hours at 130F.
   1. Score the skin after SV'ing it, put on a medium low heat setting and wait for the skin to fry.
   2. Flip it and then seat the other side lightly for 3-5 mins.

Recipes I've seen:

1. Bacon Overnight on Youtube here but the one caveat is that the use the product packaging when SV'ing which I do not recommend. Better to move it to a food grade vacuum sealed bag.
2. Duck Confit (with Duck Leg) from eGullet here - 8 hours at 176F (80C).

Recipes I'm looking for (ideally from frozen):

1. Boneless skinless chicken thighs
2. Salmon with Skin On
3. Steak (NY striploin, Chuck, Flank, etc.)

Hello, Meal Prep community!
I'm new to the world of meal prep, and, of course, life has decided to throw me into the deep end as a beginner. Hopefully, you all can help a girl out.
My grandfather is a "true, Southern gentleman." Think of the colonel from those KFC commercials. And like the colonel from said commercials, he's getting on in years and all that greasy, southern comfort food he loves just isn't doing him any favors. He's on the mend from open heart surgery, but is refusing to eat follow his new "heart-healthy" diet, especially if he or my grandma have to be the ones cooking it. So, the family is trying to step up to help provide some meals he will eat that won't be rough on his heart either. However, since it just isn't possible for the family to make gourmet meals 3 times a day, we'll need to prep some meals in advance to take off the time burden. Any recipe ideas or tips would be very much appreciated.
Thanks in advance!

Hello everyone,
I'm looking for some tips on wasp/hornet control, mainly on keeping them away from the house.
I know, I know, a near impossible task. I'm a 38-year resident, and have been living with these things since birth. I know they're a just an awful fact of Houston/Texas/US/World. Existence, really.
Anyway, anyone have any creative and/or effective ways on keeping them away from your residence?
And I have tried a lot on the past: those weird glass jars they "can't escape" (they can), gimmicks from big box stores and Amazon, homemade/diy recipes. Nothing but the Black Flag sprays seem to work. That and the Executioner Electrified Tennis Racket bug zapper (loads if fun!).
Any thoughts?

I pray that everyone who experiences panic attacks can overcome them. I’ve never had one and don’t know anyone who has, but from what I have heard and researched, they are horrible.
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Previous
You know the drill: credit to SpacePaladin15 for the universe.
Thank you JulianSkies for proofreading.
Memory Transcription Subject: Billy Marsh, Something
Date [Standardized Human Time]: April 1, 2142
I woke up on my own today. Gillab wasn’t here to pull the sheets off of me and get me to move. I had to do that myself, something that seemed impossible. Without Gillab here, the blanket covering my body felt like a two-ton weight. Even moving my head felt impossible.
It didn’t help that my head was constantly filled with that same internal battle. Do I deserve anything besides suffering, or is this exactly the punishment I should get for failing my comrades?
Every time one side began to make sense, I thought of some piece of evidence for the other, and the internal brawl would begin again. Without Gillab here to serve as a distraction, it was all I could do to try and sleep as much as possible. Unconsciousness was the only time I wasn’t in mental turmoil.
I don’t know how long I laid like that, rotting with only my thoughts to keep me company, until I finally had enough. I couldn’t live with the thoughts in my head, I needed something to distract me. My first instinct was to start drinking, but with what Gillab did that was out of the question.
I paced around my house, moving as much as I could to try and distract myself. Anytime I tried to sit down I would only end up bouncing my leg and shifting poses every ten seconds. I took constant glances at the clock, watching every single minute pass by.
10:43
10:44
10:45
10:46
With a start, I turned my attention to the sink full of dishes. I was going to leave them for Gillab, just to annoy him, but my need for a distraction was so strong I didn’t care. I descended upon the plates like a starving animal. I took as long as I could with each plate as I could, even after the plates were surely clean I just kept scrubbing. I scrubbed and scrubbed, trying to keep any mental activity occupied with the work. Once the plates were done I started on the cups, and once those were done I started on the cutlery.
I stacked the final dishes onto the drying rack and stepped back. I glanced at the clock, seeing how much time I managed to pass.
11:16
I took a deep inhale and started to pace back and forth.
11:17
My mind began racing again, the momentary release I had from doing the dishes wearing off in a mere minute.
11:18
I couldn’t sit still. As soon as I did, I began thinking. Every time I thought, I just went back to arguing with myself.
11:19
I could feel my breathing pick up and my chest started to feel tight.
The walls began closing in on me.
I could feel my face becoming wet with sweat.
I had to sit down, but every time I sat down it got worse, but I couldn’t keep moving.
11:20
Danger. I was in danger. Something was coming. An Arxur. An Arxur was coming for me. I needed protection. A gun, a bat, something!
The kitchen, there are knives in the kitchen.
I sprinted to the kitchen, almost knocking over a lamp on my way. I frantically yanked out drawers, searching for a knife I could use. I managed to find a steak knife, clutching to it as my life depended on it.
I stomped back to the chair and sat down.
11:21
I tried to swallow my nerves and stop the bouncing in my leg, but I couldn’t. My breathing was picking up more and more and my heartbeat was becoming deafening. I was going to die. I’m dying. Finally.
11:22
A knock on my door caused me to jump. The knife clattered to the floor as a voice called out. “Billy? I’m back. I’m coming in.”
My breathing picked up and I could feel nausea warping my stomach. I abandoned the knife and tried to cover my mouth.
Gillab set something down in the kitchen. “I went to the store again, picked up some more- Hey! You cleaned the dishes! I thought you were going to-”
His voice hitched as he turned just in time to watch me vomit on the floor.
“W-Woah! B-Billy are you okay?”
Gillab rushed towards me.
I flung my hands out, trying to force him away. “Stay back, d-don’t come close!”
Gillab froze in his tracks. “What’s wrong? Are you sick?”
“I’m- I’m gonna- I’m- I’m dying. I-I’m going to die.”
I stood up from my seat. “I’ve got to go, I’ve got to leave.”
Gillab moved in my way, body blocking me from the door. “Billy, I think you are having a panic attack. Look at me, focus on me. Try and take some deep breaths and sit down.”
I took a few steps back trying to stare at Gillab as I backed towards the seat. “W-water. I need water.”
“I can get that. Please stay there, I’ll be right back.”
I tried taking deep breaths as Gillab filled one of the freshly cleaned cups with water. I could feel my heartbeat slowing, but it wasn’t enough. I still couldn’t stop moving, my eyes darted around the room, and I was still sweating.
My leg wouldn’t stop bouncing, even as I accepted the cup from Gillab. I wasn’t sure I was thirsty, but drinking it scratched an itch I didn’t know I had. He looked around nervously, trying to figure out what he should do next. With a realization, he dug into his pockets and pulled out a pad, typing away quickly as I continued to bounce my leg.
“Uhm, okay, uh… Quiet place.”
Gillab looked up from his pad, taking a half-step towards me before stopping. “Okay, check. U-uhm, Billy, do you need anything else?”
I curled forward, almost dropping the glass onto the floor. “I want to go home. I just want it all to end. I want to go back home.”
Gillab bit his lip in worry and looked back to the pad for guidance. “Okay, uh, T-try and stay in the present. L-look for an object to focus on to r-root yourself to the present. Okay, uhm, Billy, can you focus on that glass in your hand? J-just stare at it. A-and make sure to keep a steady breathing rate.”
Desperate for the feeling of impending doom to end, I did as I was told. Slow, careful breaths while I looked at the still-damp glass in my hand. I watched a single drop of water run down the side and onto my hand. I turned the glass in my palm, trying to take in every detail while Gillab searched for more tips.
“O-okay, repeat a simple, physically tiring task such as raising an arm-”
Gillab froze and looked up before frantically correcting himself. “Leg! T-try raising and lowering your leg repeatedly.”
I started doing as I was told, kicking slowly into the air before lowering with an exhale and turning the glass in my hand. Slowly, agonizingly slowly, I could feel my panicked mind calm down. The perceived dangers faded away, letting me realize what had just happened. I had another panic attack.
11:37
I set the glass to the side and covered my face, trying to hide my tears. I had another, after all this time, I had another. I thought I was through with these. Of course, one came back, right as I began believing I had a chance of making it out.
“Billy, are you feeling better?”
“No. I’m not. I’m worse.”
Gillab was silent for a moment. “Do you want to talk about it?”
“No. I want this to end. I-I need something to drink. I need alcohol.”
“No Billy, you can’t do that.”
“It’s the only way. I-I only don’t have them when I’m drinking.”
“It’s only a temporary solution. In the end, it will only make it worse.”
“That’s what everyone says, but they are all wrong! It’s the only way I’ve tried that worked. It makes me numb and I can’t panic when I’m numb. Even if it’s temporary, I can just keep doing it over and over.”
“You are killing yourself with that! There’s another way! A permanent way. Come to terms with your demons, talk with someone, someone you trust. Get it off of your chest, confront the trauma, and beat it. You are a soldier, right? You are meant to fight. Fight this, and win.”
I stuttered over my own tongue, a flurry of emotions causing my body and mind to freeze. “I’m… I’m… I want to be better.”
I tumbled out of my seat and hugged Gillab tightly. “I want to heal!”
Gillab hugged me back, collapsing to the ground to be level with me. “That’s perfect Billy. That’s all you need. Everything from here on is going to be better.”
“It will?”
“It will.”
I let myself be held, trying to avoid getting snot and tears stuck onto Gillab. For the first time since Sillis, I felt hope. I don’t know how long I stayed like that, clinging onto Gilab like a child, but I managed to finally pull myself away. I could see the spot where I buried my face into Gillab, a large glob of snot ruining his shirt.
“S-sorry…”
Gillab looked down. “Don’t be. It’s just a shirt. I’d give away every shirt I had if it meant that you would be better. Now, we shouldn’t let this pass us by.”
“I-I know, but I’m so tired Gillab. A-and there is a puddle of vomit to clean up.”
Gillab looked to the side. “Ah, there is. Well, we can wait till tomorrow to start, but we are starting tomorrow.”
“That works, I just need rest. I’ve been sleeping, but I haven’t been resting.”
“That’s okay Billy, I’ll be here when you get up.”

Hi all,
Recently I have tried to make kimchi twice, but it failed both times. One time because I chose a poor recipe (oops I'm new to this), and the 2nd time I failed because the container opened and oxygen ruined the fermentation process.
On Amazon, I've seen some containers specifically made for kimchi, but they were quite expensive.
What are your recommendations for good kimchi containers? (I live in the Netherlands btw)
Tips for making kimchi are welcome too! :)

Our meats arrived too warm this week so we’re going to buy them from the grocery store. Maybe Whole Foods will have small enough portions to make this work.
I noticed the recipes don’t provide the weight of the meat. What weight do they typically use for the sirloin steak, chicken breast pieces, and pork loin roast? Each meal has two servings.
Thank you chefs!

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Thank you in Advance :)

(In a lovely pink-striped sky blue house, a pair of teenage girls (13, 14) are having fun, playing a game on a console. They pause and start to talk to each other happily.)
"Wow! This game is awesome! Did you buy it from StarDawn Mall?"
"Mhm, it had a discount, so I got it! It was, like, ten dollars or something."
"Oh, nice!"
(They continue to play the game... and one of the girls pauses the game again.)
"Oop, I forgot. Ya wanna know why I asked you to come over to my house?"
"Yeah? What is it..?"
"Weeell, I have a new roommate that I would like you to meet! He's cool!"
(Just as she said that, a weird guy enters the bedroom, carrying a plate of delicious spaghetti. He puts it on a table near the computer desk. The 13 year-old girl is surprised!)
"You have a weird guy as a roommate?!"
"Yup! His name is Tom, as you can see on his name tag. Say hi to him!"
"Um, hi."
(He waves hello, the teen gets up and curiously approaches the plate.)
"Damn, yo. He cooked spaghetti for you?! It smells so good!!"
"Yeah, he did! I think he used to be a cook, judging by his uniform. Where do you think he used to work at?"
"Hmmm... it looks familiar. Maybe Salmin's Fantastic Restaurant?"
"Probably."
(The girl goes back to sit next to her friend, picking up the console's controller. The teens begin playing again, and the weird guy sits on a chair, watching them have fun.)
"So, you hungry?"
"Kinda."
"What do you wanna eat? Same as me, or anything else? ANY kind of food he cooks are absolutely AMAZING!"
"Mmm, okay. I want spaghetti too! Can he also make chicken soup..?"
"Sure, he can! Tom, will you please cook for her, too?"
(He nods once, and gets up. The weird guy leaves the room. Once again, the 14 year-old girl pauses the game, stands up, then walks over to her food. There's a fork on the plate, she takes it and sits down in front of the table.)
"Let's wait until he comes back, okay?"
"Okay. How long does it take for him to finish cooking?"
"Eh, not that long. Just be patient!"
"I'll try, hehe!"
(The girl starts to eat the spaghetti while her friend pulls out her phone and turns it on. They patiently wait for the weird guy to return.)
(...)
(He comes back, carrying a big tray. The 13 year-old teen notices and smiles cheerfully. He places it on the same table, it's big and wide!)
"Thank you, Tom!"
(The weird guy gives her a thumbs up, he walks up to the 14 year-old girl's bed and sits. He silently watches them eat their food. He's such a nice guy, isn't he? The teens take their sweet time eating... and then, they're done.)
"Ahh, that was the BEST spaghetti I've ever eaten!!"
"See? Told ya. Tom's the coolest roommate ever and he knows it, right?!"
(He shrugs a little, the girls giggle cheerily.)
"Where did you two meet?"
"At the library, I found him reading some books about recipes and other stuff like that. I \think* he remembers a little bit about himself, but I'm not sure.*"
"Oh.. hmm... Hey, the owner of the game is sleeping, right?"
"Yes, why..?"
"We both know that Salmin's Fantastic Restaurant closes at midnight, so... we should, like, go there with Tom to cure him!"
"... You know what, that's not a bad idea! What do you think, Tom?"
(The weird guy thinks, his right hand under his chin... then he nods.)
"Great! We are gonna be there today.. or is it tomorrow? Just kidding, just kidding..!"
(The teens laugh joyfully. The weird guy gets up and starts to bring the empty, dirty plates back to the kitchen, he comes back to get the tray, too. The two girls return to play the console game together, giving each other tips and tricks about it. Ten minutes later, the weird guy enters the bedroom again and sits on a chair, watching the happy teens play the game...)
​
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List of plans I HAVE -

• Plan: Alien Blaster
  • Plan: AB cryo mag
  • Plan: Zenith AB paint
• Plan: Alien corpse operating bed
• Plan: Alien Disintegrator
  • Plan: AD automatic receiver
  • Plan: AD cryo receiver
  • Plan: AD high powered receiver
• Plan: Alien head lamp
• Plan: Alien stash box
• Plan: Alien table
• Plan: Asteroid
• Plan: Bloody curtain door
• Plan: Chally the moo-moo backpack
• Plans - Cultist apparel
  • Plan: Cultist enlightened robes
  • Plan: Cultist eventide robes
  • Plan: Cultist incarnate helmet
• Plan: Electro enforcer
  • Plan: Freezing electro enforcer
  • Plan: Overcharged electro enforcer
  • Plan: Poisoned electro enforcer
  • Plan: Spiked electro enforcer
• Plan: Enlightened lantern
• Plan: Fossilised megalonyx left arm
• Plan: Hazmat suit - teal
• Plan: Honeycomb paper red mothman
• Plans - Tubes
  • Plan: Human Tube 1
  • Plan: Human Tube 2
• Plan: Meat Cleaver
• Plan: Mothman bug zapper
• Plan: Pepper shaker
• Plans - Plushies
  • Plan: Rotted rib plushie
  • Plan: Rotted steak plushie
• Plan: Sacred mothman tome
• Plan: Spicy tenderiser mod
• Plan: Weenie wagon

List of plans I WANT -

• Plan: Cattle flour billboards
• Plan: Dried wildflower bouquet
• Plan: Fossilized megalonyx left leg
• Plan: Fossilized megalonyx torso
• Plan: Grocery cart grill
• Plan: Meat week flag
• Plan: Mutant hound diagram
• Plan: Plastic fruit bowl
• Plan: Plastic fruit wreath
• Plans - Plushies
  • Plan: Ground meat plushie
  • Plan: Steak plushie
• Plan: Swarm of flies
• Plan: Taxidermy super mutant hound
• Recipe: Tato salad

I recently got myself an air fryer, and I'm super excited to start using it. But there's this one question that's been bugging me, and I can't seem to find a clear answer anywhere: Can you put water in an air fryer?
I know this might sound like a silly question, but hear me out. I've seen recipes for cooking things like chicken wings and fries in the air fryer, and they all seem to involve dry ingredients. But what if I want to cook something that needs a bit of moisture, like vegetables or maybe even some fish?
I'm worried that adding water to the air fryer might mess up the cooking process or even damage the machine. On the other hand, I've heard some people say that adding a bit of water can actually help keep things moist and prevent them from drying out.
So, can anyone shed some light on this for me? Have any of you tried putting water in your air fryer before? And if so, what were the results? I'd really appreciate any advice or tips you can offer.
Thanks in advance!

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