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Author's Note: Here's Ch. 22 for everyone's great reading pleasure. Be prepared for some nice surprises, all of which I'm particularly proud of. My wish is to have the rest of this story posted before March 8th, a deadline I've set for myself due to the release of a new video game that might be time consuming. I'd like to thank djkauf for the wonderful editing and DC Comics for the wonderful characters.

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Chapter Twenty Two:

When I woke, pigs were still on my mind. It was the craziest dream in the world, most likely brought on by my hunger. I’d eaten very little last night and as soon as I opened my eyes, I could smell bacon. How creepy is that? As much as I wanted to get up and greet the day, a small part of me wanted to stay in bed. Not that I was tired but I just wasn’t ready to go to school without my friends being there. I know they were probably in the process of being read their Rights but it still sucked. A small part of me wanted to see them get in trouble---a very small part---the rest of me feared that they were going to be locked up forever. It was the same part of me that feared the same for myself. I mean when this whole thing started, Faraday hinted at that being a possible fate for myself.

No one---not even Crossan---deserved to be stuck in a hole for the rest of their lives.

When I finally got out of bed and showered, I made my way slowly down the stairs. Sure enough, Grandma was putting a plate of bacon on the table. I couldn’t help but laugh, wondering if my dream was close to waking. I read somewhere that dreams close to waking were actually influenced by the environment of the waking world. Or something like that. Anyway, I wonder if I smelled the bacon and combined that with my apprehension about the mission. They were two freaky things to stick together but dreams are weird that way.

“Has Jay called yet?” I asked as I sat down.

My grandma sighed. “No, and I don’t expect him to. They probably had a very busy day, I’m sure they’re still in the process of figuring things out. I’m sure Agent Garrick will call when everything is all sorted out.”

I huffed, grabbing a piece of bacon. “I should have been there with them.”

Grandma sat down at the table, laying her hand gently over mine. “You worry too much; everything is going to be just fine.”

I laughed. “You’re probably right. I’ve been so worried I’ve been having crazy dreams. I dreamt about pigs last night, in the spa of all places.”

I laughed, grandma didn’t. She looked a little pale for a second but laughed shortly thereafter. “Dreams are strange that way.”

There was something off about the way she said it though. “Are you all right, grandma?”

She sighed and nodded. “I’m fine, dear, just a bit more worried for Cameron and her people than I thought.” She made no move to grab any bacon for herself. She looked off into space for a second then smiled at me, it was kinda a sad smile. “When you get home today there’s something I want to show you.”

I nodded. “Connor and I were going to do something but I think he and I could come by….”

She waved me off, with a big smile. “No, you go off with your man. You and I can talk about my stuff once you get back.”

In truth, I didn’t really want to go off with him. It was his idea actually. After I told him about how worried I was last night on the phone, he had suggested it. He said it might be good to take my mind off things. I tried to tell him I was fine but he was insistent about it. So after school today he was going to take me to an early dinner and then a movie or maybe vice versa. The two of us hadn’t really nailed down the details yet. I think he was trying to protect me and keep me from doing something stupid. He was a sweet guy but there’d be nothing he could do to stop me if I wanted to go to the city. Not that I’d ever hurt him.

Ten minutes into breakfast, the phone rang. Grandma got up and answered it. I perked up as soon as the ringing started, hoping it was Jay. The conversation didn’t last long. When my grandma came back to the table, she saw how anxious I was and shook her head.

“That was Connor sweetie, he can’t pick you up this morning”

I sighed, bummed. “He said something about baseball practice.”

I groaned, completely forgetting about that. Connor wasn’t just a football player; he played baseball in the spring. The practice this morning was nothing official; there was still snow on the ground after all. It was more of a case of the team getting together and working out in the school’s weight room. They liked to get an early start at it so they all went into school about an hour early. Connor told me about it on the phone the other day and reminded me about it last night. He wanted to make sure I got a ride to school.

Of course I didn’t. I didn’t have my license. I wasn’t home when I turned sixteen and because I was barely home to drive, I never got it. I was planning too as soon as I got home from Greece but things happened. I suppose grandma could drive me to school but one look at her and I knew she was in no mood to do much of anything.

Something was definitely bothering and it wasn’t related to the DEO raiding the Bana. I wish I had more time to sit and ask her about it but there was no way she’d let me miss school. I hated leaving her when she was so sad but she’d skin me alive if I tried to weasel out of school today.

So I did the next best thing and called the only other driver I knew. “Hey Amy” I said, taking the phone into the living room. “You think you can give me a ride to school?”

“I’ll be there in ten,” she said and I hung up.

I said good-bye to grandma and waited for her on the front porch. She was actually here in five; her house was not that far away. When she pulled unto the driveway, I was surprised. Amy was driving a Jeep but nothing modern. It looked like a Jeep from one of those old Army movies, the thing was ancient. There were several spots of rust on it and most of the green paint was so faded that it looked almost gray. She saw my frown and grimaced. I was cautious about getting anywhere near that thing.

“Is it safe?” I asked in a joking matter.

“Get in the car, girl.”

We both laughed and I slipped into the passenger seat. She asked me about Connor as we drove to school and I told her about baseball “practice”. Then she asked about my weekend, specifically about the teeny-bopper concert---her words not mine---that I went to. She tried to talk me out of it all week but I wanted to go. Well, not really to the concert but I did want to spend some time with the girls. Look how badly that turned out. I was kinda vague with her. I told her the concert was ok but the rest of the trip was kinda a drag. She wanted details so I embellished on a “fight” between me and the others then told her how they stranded me there.

“You’re kidding?” I shook my head. “What a bunch of bitches.”

“Thankfully, Connor drove up there to get me.”

She sighed. “Why can’t I find a guy like that?”

We both laughed. After that she told me about her weekend, which lasted until we got to school.

The day was long and boring, a lot longer and much more boring than any other day of the week. I’m not sure why but it just seemed to go and on. Ok, I know why. I was worried about the mission. I knew I shouldn’t have been but it was getting on the late side and I was sure someone would try to contact me. I didn’t expect a phone call in school but it wouldn’t have hurt if Jay drove by the front of the building or something. I looked out the window in almost every class, hoping to see his car across the street. It never showed up. Artemis and her friends didn’t show either but I wasn’t expecting them to. It was kinda strange actually, not seeing them around. I’m not sure what everyone else thought but it was kinda rare for six girls to be out at one time, all of whom were friends.

Cissie noticed though. She asked me about it in lunch. “Did something happen this weekend?”

“What, to the bitches?” asked Amy as she sat down with her tray.

“Fuck them, they totally went psycho on our girl.”

I opened my mouth but Amy beat me to the punch. She quickly told Cissie my improvised story from earlier.

“I knew there was something up with them” said Cissie when Amy finished.

I only half paid attention because I was looking for Connor. He usually showed up to lunch shortly after me. He didn’t sit with us but he always made it a habit to walk over and give me a kiss. I looked around the room but he was nowhere. I lingered a bit too long at his table and all the guys smiled at me. Their looks sent shivers up my spine. It was kinda strange really, because I hadn’t seen him all day. He wasn’t in the classes we shared and he didn’t walk with me in the halls either. Sometimes he had other stuff to do but he always made it a habit to at least stop by my locker and say “hi”.

I looked back over at his table and got up. I marched over and glared at the nearest jock. “Hey” I said a little more forcibly than I would have liked. “Did something happen to Connor in the Weight Room today?”

“How should I know, he never showed.”

“What do you mean? He called me this morning and said he wouldn’t be able to pick me up because he was hanging out with you clowns.”

“Hey, what can I say babe?”

I bit my lip. I didn’t like where this was going. First Jay doesn’t contact me and now Connor’s missing. Call me paranoid but something was definitely going on here. I can maybe understand that Jay and the others were just caught up like grandma said but there was no way that Connor would flake on me. I looked around the cafeteria, trying to see if I could spot the two faculty monitors. They were sitting at one of the tables, in conversation with one another. Without thinking about it, I went back to the table and told Cissie to watch my stuff as I went to the bathroom. Before I knew what I was doing, I pulled my cell out of my backpack. Ok, it wasn’t a real cell. It was the one Faraday gave me back when he dropped me off. I brought it to school with me today in case Jay called.

I speed walked out of the cafeteria and into the nearest bathroom. I didn’t even check to see if it had a girl in a dress on the door. I locked the door, not caring if there was anyone in here with me or not. Then I dialed Connor’s number. It went right to voice mail so I dialed again, the same thing happened. I cursed and dialed the number Jay gave me---I memorized it last night. The phone rang and rang then went right to voice mail too. I left a message, asking if everything went ok then I hung up. I cursed and started pacing.

Like I said before, call me paranoid. But there was no way that it was coincidence that both Jay and Connor weren’t answering their phones. Artemis knew Connor; she knew the two of us were an item. She also knew how damn close I was to him. If something went south with the mission, they’d seek retribution. They’d go after me. I’m not sure how I knew that but it was the only obvious answer. Yeah it’s crazy, but somehow I just knew that Connor and Jay being absent at the same time was important.

But I had to be sure. I dialed Connor’s home phone and got the machine. I left a message for him and Kara, asking them to call as soon as they got in. I knew Kara had class so she wouldn’t be in until later but maybe she’d know where he was. After that, I made a rash decision. I stuck the cell in my back pocket, yanked the bathroom door open without unlocking it and ran out into the hall. I made my way straight for the nearest exit. Hey, I did say it was rash. I’d never skipped school in my entire life but this was life and death. There was no way all of this was happening without it being connected.

I ran out the door and across the grass, going as fast as I could. I needed to get home; grandma could be in danger too.

When I tore into the house, grandma was sitting on the couch. She was watching TV and when she saw me charge into the room, I think I startled her. She dropped the remote and jumped a little bit in her seat. But it didn’t take her long to recover and when she did, she didn’t look too happy.

“Cassandra Elizabeth Sandsmark” she said in an angry tone, it didn’t take her long to adapt my full name when she got angry. “What in Hera’s name are you doing here?”

The use of the Goddess’ name was lost on me for a second. “Connor wasn’t at school today. His friends said he never showed up to their morning practice.”
My grandma frowned. “I’m sure there’s a perfectly logical explanation.”

I shook my head. “I called his cell and the apartment, no one’s there.”

My grandma sighed and got off the couch. I was pacing the room, agitated. She came over to me and stood in my way, putting her hands on my shoulders. Then she pulled me close, wrapping me in a tight hug. I let her hold me for a few minutes, it felt really good. I’d been so stressed all money and just feeling her holding me in her arms made everything all better. I would have cried too if I could bring myself to tears. But for some reason I couldn’t. I was too wired to cry, too wired to do anything that had to do with fear or grief. After a minute or two, I gently pulled myself away from her.

“Have you tried calling the hospitals?”

I shook my head. “He’s not there.”

“How do you know?”

I shrugged. “I just do. I’m not sure how but I know they have them.”

Grandma frowned. ‘Perhaps you’re overreacting a bit.”

“I’m not overreacting” I said angrily “they took him. First, they overwhelmed Cameron’s team and then they went after Connor. They’re trying to bait me.”

I started pacing again. Grandma was quiet for a few minutes as I did so then she finally spoke. When she did, it was a very familiar phrase: “Hera, give me strength.”

I stopped my frantic pacing. This time I heard her say the word Hera. “What did you say?”

She sighed then smiled. “You are so much like her it pains me sometimes to look at you. I see her strength in you and her determination and definitely her stubbornness.” She laughed, shaking her head. “Your mother was the same way at your age. Your grandfather and I tried to rein her in but there was no controlling her, it was in her blood.”

I was really confused. “What are you talking about?”

Grandma sighed. “I was hoping I’d have more time to explain all this but I guess I was fooling myself” She sighed again. “I want to show you something in your grandfather’s study, something I should have shown you a long time ago.”

Grandma started down the hall and I quickly followed. No one had been in grandpa’s study since he died; it pained us all too much. The door wasn’t locked or anything but we were all afraid that if we went in there that it would bring up too many sore memories. Grandma and I stopped in front of the door, her hand hovered over the knob a second or two before she opened it. The first thing that I noticed was the sweet smell of cinnamon. Grandpa used to smoke cigars but grandma made him quit so he switched to sucking on cinnamon candy to help with the cravings. The second thing I noticed was how everything was still the same. Nothing had been touched since he died and everything was still in its rightful place.

The bookshelf crammed with books was still on the back wall, the trophy case was still in the corner. He had a large mahogany desk in the center, scattered with papers and old maps. There was a huge antique globe next to his desk, a gift from his good friend Jameson Queen. There were a lot of pictures on the walls too, a lot of them from his adventures when he was younger. There was one in particular I loved as a child because it showed Jameson, my grandfather and Mr. Stark in Egypt, poking around some old ruin. I used to think it was so cool that grandpa was friends with two of the richest men in the world.

Grandma let out a loud sigh. I reached over and gave her a gently hug. “I miss him too,” I said softly.

I gave her a moment and that’s all she needed. She was a woman on a mission apparently. She slipped away from my arm and over to the bookshelf. I watched with interest as she scanned the shelves, finally finding the book she was looking for. It was a lot larger than the others, leather bound and stuffed so fat that it looked like it was going to explode. She brought it over to the desk and dropped it with a thud, scattering papers. I walked over as she opened it up, seeing that it was an old photo album. Most of the pictures were faded and of people that I didn’t know. Before they had my mother, my grandparents traveled the world, going everywhere. I used to love hearing their stories; they kept me entertained for hours with their adventures.

Grandma started leafing through the pages until she finally stopped. It was a picture of a couple standing together. The woman was tall with long dark hair and resembled Mom quite a bit. The man was dressed in an Air Force uniform and there was something almost familiar about him. I’d never seen these people before but somehow it felt as if I’d known them.

“Who are they?” I finally asked.

Grandma looked at me, tears in my eyes. “My best friends in the whole wide world, Diana Prince and her husband, Steve Trevor.”

If the names were supposed to mean something to me, they didn’t. “I don’t understand?”

She took a deep breath. “Diana and I were old childhood best friends; we used to do everything together. We had a great life and lots of fun. One summer---a long time ago---she and I were vacationing in Greece. Diana fell head over heels for a young Air Force pilot and I met a roughish would be treasure hunter. We had a whirlwind romance. Diana and Steve got married quickly because he was about to be deployed, the two of them were so happy.

Vietnam was supposed to be over quickly or so we thought. The years that Steve was at War were hard on her but she was resilient and strong, like you,” Grandma laughed. “Like your mother, too.”

“David and I got married in the summer of 1963; we didn’t have a child until three years later.” She smiled and I realized that there was something wrong with her story. Mom was born in 1962, how come they didn’t have a child until 1966 then? She smiled and nodded. “Diana got pregnant first and she was so happy, I was happy for her too. She was convinced that I’d have a baby soon too but it didn’t work that way. She gave birth to a healthy baby girl and I was a bit jealous. I was happy for her but I wanted a child of my own too. When Vanessa came along four years later it was like the Gods were answering my prayers, I was so grateful. It was the happiest moment of my life then tragedy struck.”

She paused her story, her tears flowing freely now. It took her a few seconds to continue. I reached out and touched her shoulder. She smiled at me. “Diana and Steve were killed in a horrible car crash, thankfully neither of them suffered. It was the most horrible time in my life. What’s worse, their daughter was now an orphan. Four years old and she barely knew her parents. Your grandfather and I decided then that we’d adopt her. Diana and Steve didn’t have any immediate family so it didn’t take much…”

I smiled and nodded. I didn’t say anything; instead, I stepped forward and wrapped grandma in a tight hug. Now I knew why the woman in the picture looked so much like Mom. I suppose it made sense. I’d always wondered why Mom never looked like either of her parents, after all when she was younger, grandma was a blonde. I’d also seen pictures of young Aunt Vanessa---older pictures of her were long gone---but Aunt Vanessa was blonde too. I guess I didn’t really think about it until now but it was clear now that Mom was from different parents.

“I love you grandma,” I said softly to her. “I’m glad you finally had the courage to tell me the truth.”

She sobbed and nodded. “There’s more sweetheart.”

She pulled away from me and wiped her eyes. Then she reached into her shirt and pulled out her necklace. She always wore it and this was the first time I realized I’d never seen it outside of her shirt before. She told me it was something precious to her and now I think I knew why. At the end of the necklace, as plain as day, was a peacock medallion. I was confused for a second, trying to wrap my mind around what it all meant. In the end, I shook my head.

She smiled. “The girls at that spa, the ones pretending to be Amazons, are frauds” I nodded numbly and she continued. “Your grandmother and I come from a very long and complicated bloodline, going as far back as Ancient Greece. We grew up hearing stories about our ancestors and the kind of women they were, how powerful they once were. It always excited the two of us, making us think we were something special. Don’t ask me how our two families found one another; call it fate or something else. But as we grew up, Diana and I were taught all about the way of life that our people have hidden from the world.”

“You mean to tell me?”

Grandma nodded. “We are Amazons, the last of a powerful race. And as Amazons, it was in our duty to pass down our sacred knowledge to those who come after us, from mother to daughter. When I told your mother she was ecstatic, thrilled even. She wanted nothing more to embrace everything that was Amazon. She strived to be the best Amazon she could be and I loved her for it. Then something changed one day, she never confided in me what that thing was but afterwards she grew very bitter. Her bitterness was contagious; it started passing to Vanessa too. We tried to quell the bitterness by telling your mother about her true parentage, trying to make her understand but it only pushed her further away. It pushed Vanessa even further.”

“What happened to Aunt Vanessa?”

Grandma sighed. “She overheard us telling your mother that she wasn’t our daughter and she got angry that we confided the Amazon secrets with your mother first. Vanessa was after all our first-born; she thought she should have been the first to hear our secrets. She stormed out of the house and I haven’t…”

Grandma started crying some more and I held her again. I softly told her everything was going to be ok, that I’d find Aunt Vanessa for her if she wanted. She pulled away and shook her head. She still had tears in her eyes but she looked a lot better than before.

“There’s something else,” she said softly. “Something very important.”

I nodded and laughed. “You’re full of revelations today aren’t you?”

She smiled and laughed a bit. Then she took a deep breath. “I need to tell you about yourself.”

“About me? What about me?”

“You’re special sweetheart. When we were growing up, Diana and I had one story about the Amazons we loved more than anything, the one in which it was told that a new Queen of the Amazons would rise up one day and bring our people into the world again. It was said that this Queen would be blessed by the Gods, chosen as their Champion and showered with great unworldly gifts. We would know her by the feats she could accomplish and by the strength of her heart.”

I opened my mouth to argue with her but she put a finger to it to close it. “I know you don’t understand but it’s the truth. I think it upset your mother more than she realized. Diana was convinced that Helena was the Queen of the story; she even named her after Helen of Troy, another former Amazon. I thought so too until your mother grew bitter and hateful. It broke my heart, your grandfather’s too. I’m not sure what happened to your mother but whatever it was, it hurt her a great deal.”

I finally found my voice. “This is crazy, I’m not the Queen.”

Grandma smiled. “Maybe not yet but very soon.”

I shook my head. I opened my mouth to argue some more but never got the chance. I’m not sure, when I heard the noise but I knew what it was, it was the splintering of wood. It could only be one thing, the front door. I locked it, I was sure of it. But to hear the wood splinter and crack, it could only mean that someone forced it open. I looked at grandma and she seemed to know it too. Then I looked at the window behind us and saw a shape pass in front of it. A second later, something long and cylindrical smashed through the glass. It landed with a roll then spit smoke into the room.

Grandma and I started coughing, not smoke but gas. It stung my eyes and caused grandma to fall to her knees. She used the desk to brace herself. Me, I went to the floor and scrambled around for the canister. I found it and threw it back out the window. As soon as I did so, two black clad soldier types burst into the room with submachine guns. They pointed them at me, preparing to fire. I reacted on instinct, grabbing the first thing I could find. It happened to be my grandfather’s desk. I was on the ground and I flipped the desk in the air, throwing it right at them. It took both of them out in an instant, plastering them to the floor.

Another guy came crashing through the window. I grabbed the large globe and smashed it on top of him, dropping him to the ground. Then I turned to grandma, pulling her off the floor. We went over the top of the guys and out into the hall. There were more guys in the living room. The closest one raised his gun and fired. My wrists went up, the bullets bounced off my bracelets, tearing into the walls around us. I waited until he was reloading then grabbed a picture frame of the wall, throwing it like a Frisbee. It hit him in the throat and down he went.

Two more guys came rushing forward, raising their guns. I put myself between them and grandma. They fired, I blocked every bullet. When they were reloading, I charged. I screamed at my grandma, telling her to break for the stairs. She did so as I slammed into the gunmen, hitting them both head on. They flew backwards, crashing into the couch. Two more guys burst through the front window. I turned and saw grandma run up the stairs, satisfied that she was safe I turned to the interlopers. The window guys raised their guns but I didn’t give them a chance to fire. I grabbed my grandfather’s favorite chair and threw it at them. It hit them both head on, breaking bone and dropping them. I heard the sound of running and turned around, seeing more guys coming from the kitchen. They must have come in through the kitchen door. There were three or four of them, all with guns. I weighed my options and knew there was no way I could stop that many bullets. I heard more sounds, some from above and some from the front door. I snapped around, three more guys came running into the house from the front.

I was surrounded and screwed. The fight was over.

I heard a sound and my grandma was dragged down the stairs, kicking and struggling. Two guys were holding her by her arms; she wasn’t strong enough to break their grasp. Behind her, another guy came down the stairs, carrying a wooden box. I glared at all three of them then at the man who walked through my front door. It was the son of a bitch from Greece, the one who pretended to be the government official.

He looked from me to grandma. When he saw grandma, he smiled. “Julia Kapatelis” he said with a sneer. “So nice to see you again.”

“Go to hell, Sebastian.”

I was shocked, it was the first time I’d ever heard grandma swear.

Sebastian Ballesteros smirked. “You know, your husband said the same thing before I put a bullet in his head.”

Wait, what? The look of shock on grandma’s face matched my own. Suddenly I hated this guy more than anything in the world. Not only did he try to kill me but he killed my grandfather. There was no way he was going to live for that. I took a step forward, my fists raised. Everyone in the room pointed their guns at me.

They dragged grandma over to him, she spit in his face. He laughed. “I knew you were slime, Sebastian but I didn’t think you’d be doing her dirty work for her.”

Ballesteros eyes narrowed. “She’s a very busy woman, she doesn’t have time to trifle with insignificant things like this” Then he turned and looked at the man with the box. “Bring that over here.”

I looked at the man with the box then over at grandma. She smiled and winked. Ballesteros ordered him to open the box and as soon as the man did, he frowned. Apparently, whatever was inside was not what he was looking for. He reached in and took out what looked like a silver vambrace, it was large, probably took up the whole of a person’s arm.

“This is not a golden belt,” he said angrily to the man with the box.

“That’s all she had” he said, “She was getting the box out of the closet when we found her. She tried to keep it from us; we thought it was what you were looking for.”

Ballesteros pulled out his pistol and shot the man in the head. Grandma and I flinched as the man toppled to the floor, taking the box with him. Ballesteros holstered his pistol and shrugged as if it was the most common thing in the world. He was a cold-blooded monster and that scared the hell out of me.

He turned to one of his men. “Pick up the box and take the woman. Put them in one of the SUV's and get to the spa.”

A man scrambled forward and took the box from the dead man’s hands. He looked at me. “What about the girl?”

Ballesteros smirked. “She and I are going to stay here and chat.”

I watched and could do nothing as my grandma was carried out of the house. I made a step toward her but my movements were followed by the guns. I was in a no win situation and they knew it. Ballesteros was smug. As soon as grandma was gone, he pulled out his pistol again. He looked me up and down, his eyes lingering on my wrists for longer than they should have. Then they widened and he smiled. I cursed under my breath. So the jackass finally figured it out huh.

“Very clever” he said, “your Goddess thinks she’s so smart, concealing them in plain sight like that.”

I smirked. “She wouldn’t be a Goddess if she was an idiot.”

He smiled and raised the gun to my forehead. “Take them off.”

“I can’t. They’re bonded with me until death.”

“That can be arranged.”

I laughed, hoping my bluff would work. “You think that bullet is going to kill me.”

“I guess we’re about to find out aren’t we?”

I’m not sure what’s supposed to happen when someone pulls the trigger of a gun in your face. But I know what’s not supposed to happen. There’s not supposed to be a brilliant blue flash of light or a lot of heat. The heat was so overwhelming that it blew me backwards, my back hitting the wall so hard I left a dent. I was dazed and confused; everyone else around me was gone. The light was still there---blue and as bright as ever. Then I saw the others, or what was left of them. They were black silhouettes now, standing still as if frozen in time. Only frozen for a second then they crumpled to the floor as nothing but ash.
The light faded and someone was standing in my doorway. It was a girl shining silver with glowing blue eyes and blue flashes surrounding her hands. She blinked a few seconds and then looked at me. As soon as she did, she smiled.

“Hey girl” said Amy as she walked into the room. “They don’t call me the Bomb for nothing.”