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#shes likely there like Riz - so it looks good on a transcript
kmartmithril · 3 months
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Thinking about how the Bad Kids and the Rat Grinders are the perfect example of book learning vs real world application. Sure the Bad Kids haven’t been “following the rules”, but they’ve been out there putting their skills to good use in a practical setting. By only working on gaining XP, the Rat Grinders haven’t actually prepared themselves for real world scenarios and I wouldn’t be surprised if that came up later in the season.
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re: your tags: I think it depends a lot on your definition of 'abrasive'. It's really hard to separate her limited screen time from being so antagonist-coded narratively speaking which the IHs immediately picked up on but part of my whole thing about her is that if you didn't know she was a villain like the BKs shouldn't have in-universe my reaction to her first bit would have been "jeezy weezy guys let people care about what looks good on a transcript, that's literally Riz's whole thing this season". If she can be polite as she was for as long as she was to the BKs even post-Ankarna I genuinely think she couldn't have been much worse than a Preppy Overachiever and IRL reactions to that kinna person is it's own discourse.
this is true...!!
we really dont know that much about her pre-rage god. its possible that she really was outwardly sweet and just kept her rage stuff in therapy. although given that even mazey knew she hated the bad kids, i do think that part of her was probably public knowledge...?
either way i hope she stays abrasive. i dont want her to apologize. i want her to be fully redeemed and still the worlds number 1 hater
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starrynite7114 · 4 years
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things you never knew: six
A/N: Good evening everyone! It’s been a ridiculous last few days, been working a lot and have not been able to finish the requests. But, this was done and I just want to give you all something before I post the requests. Hope you guys are having a wonderful week thus far!
Enjoy!
TYNK: Characters one : two : three : four : five
Word count: 6268
Masterlist
Request tagged list: @justahopelessssromantic​ : @ifoundmyhappythought​ : @carlaangel86​ : @woahitslucyylu​ : @encounterthepast​ : @enamoured-x​ : @whyisgmora​ : @briana-mishell24​ : @bribri-82​ : @briannab1234​ : @chibsytelford​ : @agirllovespasta​ : @twistnet​ : @everyhowlmarksthedead​ : @trulysuccubus​ : @jadert15​ : @sammskellington​ : @cind-in-real-life​ :  @claytoncardenasbabymama​ : @sadeyesgf​ : @thickemadame​ : @summertimesadnesswithadashofsass​ : @gemini0410​ : @elcococruz​ : @samcrobae​ : @sesamepancakes​ : @iambabyharry​ : @blackmissfrizzle​ : @soamayansfangirl​ : @1-800-imagines​ : @phoenixhalliwell​ : @lady-pswrld​ : @dazzledamazon​  : @getyourcrayoncas​ : @fvckthisbxtchup​ : @lukealvxz​ : @scuzmunkie​ : @lilac-tea-time​ : @danie1432​ : @cocotheclown​ : @soaronmywings​ : @my-rosegold-soul​ : @buttercup812​ : @itskiranbitch​ : @angelreyesgirl​ : @sheeshgivemeabreak​ : @vicmackeybullshxt​ : @bigcreatorwombatdreamer​ : @khyharah​ : @strawberrywritings​ : @cherry-icetea​ : @fuzzy-jellyfish​ : @losolvidad0s​ : @brownsugarcoffy​ : @courtrae89​ : @prdsdjarin​ : @blessedboo​ : @marvelmaree​ : @enamouravecleslivresetlechocolat​ : @behindmyeyes-insidemyhead​ : @thesandbeneathmytoes​ : @dark-twisted-and-mechanical-mind​ : @maddie-georges​​
Anyone who wants to be added to the tag list, please leave a message below or message me!
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“Ever needs surgery.” Bishop informed Jin as they sat at Templo. His daughter. The one he had no knowledge of till her mother came to him, begging for help. Ever had a heart condition that required multiple surgeries. Her first one was when she was only a few months old. Karina, her mother, never told Bishop about Ever, knowing that she would never fit that lifestyle. 
But things changed all the time.
“I’m willing to help you, hermano, especially after taking care of my niece. But I need a favor in return.” Jin took out his checkbook, writing a hundred thousand dollars with such ease, it made Bishop uncomfortable. “I need you to frame Ailee, and I’ll take care of the rest.”
“Frame Ailee?”
“Your weapons and drugs, store it in her coffee shop, I’ll call the police and take care of everything from there.”
Bishop’s stomach dropped. Ailee was the kid he watched grow up with Angel. They were two peas in a pod, hard to separate. She turned her back on the family business to stay with Angel in Santo Padre. How can he punish her for such loyalty? Then Ever flashed before his eyes, frowning at this harsh decision he was faced.
Angel and Ailee would never forgive him.
But what they don’t know won’t hurt them.
He had to do this for Ever.
“When shall I set it up?”
It broke Bishop’s heart, but he rather not cross Jin Rivera, he may be a part of a secret organization, but he knew that if he truly wanted to, he could wipe off the Mayans as if they never existed.
“You’ve made a good choice Bishop, it’s the reason you’re club president.” 
“Ailee would never forgive you if she found out.”
“Well, me and you are the only person who knows. I would never disclose this with her, so I guess it depends on you if you would.” Jin slid the check over. “Whenever you need money, I will wire it to an account. I’m here for you hermano. I know doing this to Ailee isn’t ideal, but this is the best for her. She doesn’t belong in Santo Padre. You’ve seen her abilities.”
“Just like Angel’s brother.” Bishop knew that was the main reason Jin wanted Ailee. She had photographic memory, much like EZ but it was ridiculous how well it was. He’s seen it in action before. She could memorize pages of notes and recite it back to you verbatim. Her memory was impeccable and he may have used her skills in Vegas a few times. 
“Have you told her?”
Jin sighed. “I think it’s best she never finds out.”
Bishop nodded his head. 
“If Angel wishes to send her any letters, please let me know so I can give you an address.”
“So you can intercept?”
“Ailee is better off with us. There’s nothing in Santo Padre for her.”
“Don’t you think that’s her decision to make?”
“Yes, well, that’s why I have to twist her hand. Staying in Santo Padre would put you in danger as well. Theo hasn’t made a move, but he eventually will.”
“Her half brother?”
“Theo always has an obsession with Ailee. He was the first one to figure out she had photographic memory. It’s what made him interested in her.” Jin couldn’t put his finger on it but Theo at least had some underlying mental illness that was undiagnosed. He was always a kid who kept to himself, very hard to make him smile, but when he met Ailee, he changed. He always wanted to be around her, he dotted after her. It was endearing, until he heard him scold her when she didn’t want to memorize a transcript for him. He reeled himself in, but that’s when Jin knew something was off. Jin brushed it off until one of Ailee’s teachers told her parents of her extraordinary skill. They tried to keep it from Jin, but he found out and Theo’s scolding made sense then. 
“Theo isn’t her real brother, from what you told me, it would seem to me that Ailee was beneath him.”
“That’s the thing, Theo is her actual blood brother.”
“What?” Bishop was surprised by this revelation. 
“Ailee’s biological mother is Theo’s mother. She knew her husband would kill Ailee, so she gave her to her lover. It was the time Theo’s father had a stint in jail, ten months. He never even knew she was pregnant, which was why Ailee was able to come there when she was younger.”
“And you saved the day and gave her to your brother?” Bishop snickered. “It’s not like she was any better there.”
“I don’t expect for you to understand our methods, but my brother and sister in law loved Ailee in their own way.”
“Do you love Ailee?”
“Yes, yes I do.”
=============
Angel chuckled as Officer Rogan made his way out of Vicky’s place after another shot rang out. After his sit down with Ailee earlier, he definitely needed some R&R and Vicky’s place was the place to get it.
“How was your talk with Lee?” EZ questioned as he took Gilly’s seat on the table.
“It was fine,” Angel shook his head, letting go of the girl that was standing beside him. It felt odd talking about Ailee while he was holding another woman. 
EZ wanted to discuss Melody, to learn about his niece, but he knew this was hardly the time and place. 
“So is she as psychotic as Vince made her out to be?”
“No,” Angel sighed. “I don’t know.” How could he even determine that? When he spoke to her, she was different, but it’s been five years. He was certain whatever Maquina had her doing, it changed her. He saw the scars all over her hands, but they weren’t much. 
Maybe he was still in denial?
“Did you ever watch the tapes Vince sent you?”
Vince sent Creeper tapes when this whole ordeal started. He wanted to show him just how heartless his sister had become, that maybe if Angel saw it, he would understand just how far the deep end she had gone. But who was he to judge someone? He wasn’t an angel himself.
“No, did you?”
“I did,” EZ nodded his head. “Shit in there is fucking brutal man, I don’t know how she can fucking sleep at night.”
“Worse than what we saw with the samoan?”
“She’s up to par with Galindo,” EZ wasn’t exaggerating, he watched one of Ailee’s men skin a guy alive as Ailee watched. She didn’t blink, flinch or anything, she just watched as the man cried in agony. She burned the body afterwards with a fucking lighter. 
“You two talking about Baby Lee?” Coco questioned. “I can’t believe her kill count,” Coco shook his head. It’s not like he didn’t think women were capable of killing, but this was Ailee, it hit too close to home. 
“None of us can.” Creeper chimed in. He had a talk with his cousins afterwards, who wanted to talk to him about Ailee’s daughter, Melody. They requested for him to keep things between them as Ailee didn’t want anyone to know about her daughter till she was ready. But he was family, so they had to tell him. This, they couldn’t keep from him, but Ailee becoming one of them, they totally could keep for years. He wasn’t happy with them, but right now, he had to play their game in order to get through Ailee. 
They focused on the poker game then, messing with Creeper who was obviously taking his sweet ass time to recover. Angel couldn’t blame him, he wouldn’t mind being in here and not dealing with all the webs they had entangled. He knew no secret could remain a secret for long, but man was he hoping that many things remained a secret. 
There was a knock on the door that broke everyone from their reverie. They didn’t expect anyone else to come unless Frankie was standing by his threat earlier. Riz went to the door, opening it and found Jin Rivera with Ailee trailing behind him. Angel immediately moved away from the woman that was standing beside him causing EZ, Gilly, and Coco to laugh at his failed attempt to look innocent in front of a woman who more than likely didn’t even notice the other woman. 
“Jin, what are you doing here?” Bishop questioned, making his way over to the door. 
“We heard gunshots, thought it came from here.” They all knew it was a lie, but it was good enough for Vicky and the girls to clear the room. 
“Just roaming around the neighborhood?” Bishop quirked an eyebrow. He looked over at Ailee who was watching Jin’s back, a gun in her hand, an assault rifle to be more exact. 
“Scouting,” Jin shrugged. “Do you know how far it is from here?”
“Maybe a few miles,” Riz estimated. “You guys going hunting?”
“Something like that,” Jin turned to Ailee who remained by the open doorway, he whispered a few words to her before turning back to the MC. “Vicky’s neighbors, do they carry guns?” The MC could see Ailee take out her cell phone and step away from her uncle. Angel wanted to go after her, but he didn’t want to bypass Jin. 
“They’re all about guns,” Tranq chuckled. He eyed Ailee’s gun, brows furrowing. Were they going to waste the Reid family? “You two going to need some help?”
“No, I have Lee,” Jin turned back to Ailee who was still on the phone. “Figured you guys would be here, we were headed to Vicky’s neighbors when we heard the shots.”
“What business do you have with them?” Taza questioned. 
Ailee stepped into view once again behind her uncle. They noticed that she was wearing an all black get up. “We heard about their patriotism, wanted to check it out.” She smirked. “I’ll leave you here, I’ll go survey the area. Any tunnels nearby?”
“No,” Bishop answered, giving Jin a questioning look. “You’re sniffing in our backyard, I feel that we have the right to know what the hell is going on?”
“We have a colleague here, just want to make sure he’s safe.” Ailee answered for Jin. “You boys have a great night, remember to wrap it up.” She winked at them before making her way out of the door again.
“Where the fuck are you going?” Angel followed after her then, not letting her uncle or any of his brothers eyes bother him. 
“To do my job, Ignacio,” he cringed at her choice of name, indicating she was not exactly happy with his outburst.
“The fuck you are,” he caught up to her, grabbing her arm. He turned her towards him and placed his other hand on her other arm. “You can’t go out there alone, it’s dark, you hate the dark.” It was idiotic reasoning he knew that, but it was what he came up with.
“Can’t hate the dark when you’ve let it consume you.” She shrugged off his grip then. She took out some glasses from her jacket and put it on. 
“At this time at night? Baby, you don’t know what’s out there.”
“I’ve dealt with worst, I’m just scouting the area Angel, I’ll be fine.”
“I’ll go with you.”
“No.”
“That wasn’t a fucking choice.” 
“Angel,” they both turned towards the house and found Bishop and Jin standing by the stairs. “Let her go, she needs to work.”
“Prez, we can’t let her go out there alone, I don’t give a fuck what we read on that report, but she isn’t going out there by herself.”
“She’s one of my best Angel, it would be insulting if I didn’t let her go by herself.” Jin reasoned.
Angel wasn’t budging and Ailee knew there was no way she was leaving unless he was going with her. 
“Can you just show him the feed so he can see I’m alive?” Ailee offered. She knew Angel’s protectiveness came from their years together and Melody. She always thought of Melody, which was why she wasted everyone to assure her survival. 
“What feed?” Angel turned to her. 
Ailee pointed at her eye. “I’m wearing a camera, it’s connected to my uncle’s phone. You can watch me while I survey the area. I’m sure the cops are already at the area where the shooting happened, I just need to see if an acquaintance of ours is around as well.” 
“And who is that acquaintance?” 
“None of your fucking business.” Ailee turned around then, making her way in the desert. “Liv, drone nearby?” 
“Way ahead of you.” Olivia replied, the buzzing of the drone was heard by Ailee as it went in front of her, the line at the belly of the drone providing some light for Ailee in the distance. “We need to clean the area before the cops see that body, Cole’s acquaintances are becoming a liability.” 
Ailee took out her guns. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. “We waste these guys soon. Place a call to Cole.” 
“Hold.” Olivia’s drown went further, leaving Ailee in the dark. The flashback hitting her before she could even control it. 
=============
“Theo please, open the door.” Ailee tried her best to control her tears, but she couldn’t. 
“We cannot let fear overcome us.” Theo’s voice resounded through the empty chamber he created for Ailee. 
No windows. 
No source of light whatsoever.
Every six nights, Theo locked her in, to get her used to the dark. To acclimate to the dark. To face her fears.
“And why do we face our fears?”
“Because a killer fears nothing.”
“There is nothing frightening about the dark, Ailee. The dark enables you to become invisible, to kill people without being seen. Once our plan is in motion, you can kill our competitors without being detected and you can take your rightful place beside me.” 
The dark was consuming, suffocating Ailee as if she had no escape. She sat down, closing her eyes, sitting crossed legged. She tried to calm her breathing, zoning out the voices in her head telling her that there was something lurking around her. 
Theo was conditioning her to become something she never wanted to become.
If she wanted to survive, she had to do it.
So she could see Angel again.
=============
“Ailee!” Olivia’s screaming broke her out of her reverie.
“Sorry.” Ailee sighed, scolding herself for letting such a memory befall on her when she was all alone in the middle of the desert. 
“It’s the memory again?”
“What memory?” Angel’s voice ran through the comms pissing of Ailee.
“What is this? He’s not a part of Maquina.” Ailee hissed.
“I gave him permission.” Jin informed her. “Have you seen the body?”
“No point on going, the cop is there.” Olivia informed them.
“Ailee, retreat, we’ll handle this tomorrow.” Jin was not pleased, that much Ailee could tell.
Fucking Cole.
=============
Ailee looked at the car that parked beside her in the outskirts of Santo Padre. 
Pure desert. 
She slipped out of her car along with Andrew and Janine behind her, their guest slipped out of theirs. 
“Cole, I told you those racist motherfuckers were going to make too much noise.” Janine immediately went in, making Cole chuckle.
“In my defense, Andrew led them my way.”
“Hey fuck you, you trying to say I’m racist?” Andrew glared at the man before him.
Cole rolled his eyes. “Ease up Ukraine, I was joking.” He looked over at Ailee. “Can I at least get a hello or some shit? I’ve had to deal with these imbeciles for seven fucking months, I deserve some appreciation.”
Ailee rolled her eyes and gave her old mentor a hug. Cole was a part of Maquina and ran the military division. He recruited in the military, training them as mercenaries for Maquina and other personal contractors who wanted their services. 
“I had to neck check your baby daddy, but I figured that’s not an issue since I heard about you twos fight the other day.” Janine and Andrew chuckled at Cole’s words. Ailee looked over at them and they immediately went mum, looking anywhere but her. “He needs to mind his business Lee.” 
“Technically, drug trafficking is their business.” Ailee sighed. “You have to waste them, they’ve out served their purpose. Uncle Jin is sniffing around now.”
“Can’t you do the clean up? I have business in Los Angeles the next few days.”
“We’re not doing your bitch work for you.” Janine scoffed. 
“It’s not bitch work, thought you would be itching to put a bullet in someone. How long has it been? Four months?” Cole questioned. “I’m gift wrapping them for you, waste them and I’ll consider us even for Morocco.”
“This hardly makes us even, Morocco was a fucking shit show.” Janine snapped. 
“Olivia is alive isn’t she?” 
“Yeah, well she almost fucking died, so you should waste them for us and we call it even.” Ailee interjected before Janine could reply. “It’s an order Cole, as your commanding officer, you should waste the Reid family.” 
“Well, as my commanding officer, you should help clean up my mess that I pursued at your behest, so I guess that puts it out of my hands.” Cole smirked. “Come on Lee, I got family business in Los Angeles, I would do it otherwise, especially with how much they’ve irritated me these last few days.’
“This doesn’t happen again, next time you pick some racist bastards, at least be smart about it. Oh that’s right, white supremacy is hardly intelligent.” 
“You’re fucking telling me.” Cole shook his head. “So, how was the talk?”
Ailee rolled her eyes groaning. “Not fucking you too.” Andrew and Janine laughed. 
“Hey, I’m glad Mel got to finally meet her father.” Cole knew of the situation with Ailee and Angel. He was sent here a few times to try and sway Ailee to Maquina. He saw the potential in her, that killer instinct was second to none. But at the same time, he knew why it was so hard to sway her. Losing your soul was a big part of becoming a killer. The less empathic and merciful you were, the better. Ailee was incredibly empathic and she hated the thought of becoming a killer. 
Then he ran into her after Melody was born and it was a different fucking person. He watched all two hundred something kills. It wasn’t that it shook him, killing was a part of his job. But to see how she turned from this young woman who was against everything Maquina stood for to becoming the top dog? It was an eerie sight.
“So am I.” Ailee kept it short, she didn’t owe anyone any explanation when it came to Angel. “So, any intel?” Even though she fabricated the whole thing regarding Theo, it seemed that Theo has been sniffing around in Mexico, just not as worrying as she reported to her uncle. 
“He provided the weapons for the Reid family. They apparently bought it from a third party who has been distributing Theo’s weapons in America.” Cole opened his trunk and inside were ten cases of guns, all high power rifles that should not be used by civilians. There was no reason for civilians to have such high-power automated weapons.
“Do we know the third party?” 
“Yeah, Miguel Galindo.”
“Galindo? I thought he was all about the heroin?” Andrew looked over at Ailee who shrugged.
“I don’t have any care for the Galindo’s, but now, they’ve just appeared on my radar.” Ailee shook her head. “It can’t be Galindo. He might sell him weapons, but Galindo is far too preoccupied with heroin.”
“It’s the Sons of Anarchy.” Cole ran his hand over his head. “The IRA gets their weapons from Defande. It’s the sons.”
“What is up with motorcycle clubs? Are we missing something?” Janine questioned.
“Inconspicuous. They know how to hide things. No one actually believes they’re motorcycle enthusiasts, which is why they’re so good at hiding things.” Ailee explained. “But they’re sloppy and drink far too much alcohol, we can train people better to work under our command than use them.” Ailee knew this wasn’t true, but she much rather not involve them.
“We’ll waste them tonight.”
=============
The Mayans moved closer to the house, the eerie silence was slightly unnerving. All the lights were on, their vehicles were all here, yet, there was no sound coming from anywhere. 
They heard the shots, Dennis screaming as the shots rang out. 
“Get the fuck away from me!” They heard him shout as the front door opened.
They all watched as Dennis ran out, the person following him lifted their Mk 18, a gun Coco immediately recognized. It was deadly, efficient and light, making it quite easy to use. The gun was resting against their shoulder, stabilizing the gun. Before they could even blink, a few rounds rang out, Dennis almost immediately falling to the ground. The Mayans all pointed their gun at the shooter, their face covered by a black ski mask, blacked out glasses covering their eyes.  The shooter looked at them, as they took off their glasses, slipping it in their pocket.
Angel knew those eyes anywhere.
“River, the house is cleared. Cleaners are on their way.” They heard a voice come from inside the house.
“Who the fuck are you?” Bishop demanded, his AK 47 pointed towards the shooter’s head.
“Ailee.” All the Mayans turned towards Angel when he uttered her name.
Ailee took off her ski mask and the collective gasp that the Mayan men took was nothing short of impressive. 
Angel was right.
Ailee smirked, tucking her ski mask in her back pocket. “Good evening boys, hunting?”
They watched as three people came out behind her two women and a man. EZ locked eyes with Olivia, shocked to find her in black gear like the rest of the people with her.
“Did you find it?” Ailee’s eyes remained on the Mayans as she asked her team behind her.
Andrew’s eyes remained on the Mayans, unsure of what to make of the situation. It wouldn’t be difficult to eliminate them, but he knew they were familiar with Ailee. 
“Nothing of significance. Is there a problem here?”
“Yes, there is, you’re in our backyard without our knowledge.” Bishop was surprised to see Ailee coming out of the house, even more so when she killed Dennis in cold blood.
“I wasn’t aware we needed permission to be in Santo Padre.” Janine scoffed, the gun pointed on the men on the left side of Ailee while Andrew’s gun was pointed at the right side of Ailee.
“Olivia, what the fuck is going on here?” EZ demanded.
Ailee felt for Olivia, knowing this wasn’t exactly how she wanted EZ to find out. Angel couldn’t believe Ailee was holding a fucking gun. Whenever they would go to a carnival, she would struggle tremendously with shooting games. 
Now, she not only exhibited perfect aim, she was so comfortable with the gun.
“EZ, I can explain, right now just isn’t the right time.” Olivia grimaced, not knowing how she could even begin to explain their current situation. 
“Take Olivia to the car.” Ailee ordered, making an out for Olivia. 
Janine looked at the Mayans at her side then at Ailee. “Are these the men you were involved with?”
“Yes, now go.” 
Janine led Olivia to the car, EZ making a move to  follow after her, but the red dot on his forehead made Bishop halt his steps.
“Ailee, what the fuck is going on here?” It was now Angel who demanded some answers. Bishop, Hank and Taza all knew what was going on. Their hunch was all but confirmed. The information that they were fed by Ailee’s brother’s didn’t sink in, almost impossible for them to think that Ailee was crafted onto the perfect killing machine, but it made sense. Everyone knew of Ailee’s difficult childhood. 
Things just fell into place.
“My brother fed you the information, you’re not an idiot, you know what’s going on.” Ailee turned to Andrew, gesturing for him to stand down. “Go to the car, we have to go to San Diego to be debriefed. Cole will meet us there.” The Mayans eyebrows furrowed, it was odd to hear Ailee speak a foreign language. It wasn’t Spanish or English that was for sure.
Angel and EZ weren’t surprised. They knew Ailee was fluent in many languages and it made that much more sense now.
“I suggest that you make scarce of yourselves before our cleaners get here. They’ll be here in thirty minutes.” Ailee advises them. “You are quite welcome for handling your,” she paused, looking back at the house, “patriotism problem.”
“Ailee, this is fucking insane, you wasted at least ten people in there.” Riz couldn’t believe the young woman who refused to kill a fucking cockroach just killed a grown man with no qualms. And this was saying if they killed the others, Dennis may have been the only one they killed. 
“Seven, Cole took care of Alice and well, you saw what happened to Dennis.” The way she said it so nonchalantly, it caused chills to run up and down their spines. This wasn’t the Ailee they knew, it was fucking surreal.
“You're tying up loose ends. Who do you work for?” Gilly questioned.
“I could tell you, but I would have to kill you all.” The sinister smile on Ailee’s face made her even more unrecognizable. “Have a good rest of the night gentlemen. Enjoy Vicky’s.” She winked at Angel, following her colleagues to the vehicle. 
EZ attempted to follow after Olivia, but Angel stopped him.
“Don’t, this is uncharted territory, we’ll talk to them both later.” Angel advised his younger brother. He was brimming with anger right now. Things were making sense. He used to laugh when Ailee would talk about a secret government agency that her tio ran whenever she had a little too much to drink. Angel didn’t believe her before, but now, things were clicking. The bruises, the injuries, the secrecy.
Ailee truly did sell her soul.
And now, Angel had to do everything in his power to get it back. 
=============
Olivia walked up the stairs begrudgingly, not knowing how to fix things with EZ. He rarely became upset at her, but this time was different. She kept this secret from him and it was just something she had to do. EZ couldn't be told about Maquina, it was for his own safety. The less people who knew about it, the better they fair. 
Opening the door, she sighed and took off her shoes by the door, closing it behind her. She locked it and made her way towards the kitchen to make herself a beverage. She walked past the living room and was startled when the lights went on. Her gun was immediately drawn out, but her gun went down when she saw who she was pointing it at. 
"EZ, Jesus Christ, I could have killed you." Olivia put her gun away. "Are you taking a play from Angel's playbook now?"
EZ couldn't believe that his sweet, innocent Olivia knew how to hold a fucking gun. 
"Why didn't you tell me?" EZ didn't want to beat around the bush. He didn't feel betrayed, well, maybe he did, but in some ways he understood why she kept it from him. 
"Does that matter now?" Olivia crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm not going to apologize for not telling you,I had to do it."
"Can you apologize at least for never telling me that you could just disappear from the face of the earth without any fucking explanation at any given moment?" EZ frowned. "With Ailee, it made sense, her fucking parents trained her to be a killer, but you, it makes no fucking sense."
Olivia knew he wouldn't be happy if he found out the reason she worked for Maquina. But she figured she might as well rip the bandaid off. "I worked for Maquina to give you protection. They would have killed you. So I offered my services to Jin in exchange for your protection in jail."
Silence. 
EZ just looked at her, unsure of what to say.
“What?” 
Olivia walked over to EZ, unsure how close she should be. She wasn’t afraid of EZ hurting her, she just wanted to give him space.
“Liv, how could,” EZ stood up, shaking her head as Olivia tried to step closer to him. “How could you do that? Why would you sacrifice that for me?”
“Because you would have never survived inside EZ. They would have killed you.” Olivia remembered that dread she felt at the pit of her stomach as soon as the guilty verdict was given. She wrapped her arms around herself, the whole thing coming back to her.
=============
“Mr. Rivera, Ailee isn’t here.” Olivia informed Jin as she opened the door for him.
He walked in their shared apartment, impressed with the decorations the two had done.
“I didn’t come for her.” He turned around to face Olivia and smiled, it should have been sinister but it was friendly, welcoming. “I came for you.”
“Me? What can you possibly want from me?”
“I’m all about partnerships. I scratch your back, you protect mine.” Jin began. “I’m well aware that EZ has been incarcerated for killing a police officer. You know he would never survive in jail.”
EZ had been in jail for two years now.
“He’s in solitary confinement, they can’t harm him there.”
“The guards can.”
Olivia felt nauseous, her stomach grumbling at the possibility of EZ being killed. Her heart rate quickened, all these scenarios playing in her mind. Jin knew what he was doing, a true mastermind at manipulation. 
“I can offer him protection, he would go crazy in solitary confinement. But I can get him protection to assure that he would never be harmed.”
Olivia knew his game.
For some time, he has been trying to recruit her brilliant mind to Maquina. She had always been reluctant and now, he had the perfect bargaining chip.
“I will provide protection for EZ if you come and work for Maquina. Five years in exchange of a lifetime of protection for EZ.” 
Olivia couldn’t believe she was cornered, but she couldn’t bear the thought of EZ being harmed in jail, or worse dying.
“I’ll do it. I’ll work for Maquina.”
=============
“He manipulated you, just like he did Lee.” EZ breathed out, his chest tightening.
“He did, but I wanted to make sure you were protected.” Olivia looked up at him, tears in her eyes. 
EZ sighed. He didn’t need her to do this, he did need her to make another sacrifice for him.
“Liv, how many years did you exchange for my protection?” EZ sat on her couch. 
“5 years.”
“Your 5 years has been up.”
“It has, but it’s not so bad to work for Maquina, it’s steady income and I work mostly with Ailee.” Olivia stayed for Ailee, once she walked away, she was done too.
“I want you to leave,  put in your resignation letter and walk away.” EZ didn’t need her to work for Maquina anymore. He didn’t care if Olivia was staying for Ailee, she’s put herself at risk enough. She was done with this. 
“I can’t do that EZ, I told you, I work for Ailee, I’m not going to walk away from her.” Olivia sighed. “I get it EZ, you’re worried, but I can assure you I’m safe. I mostly stay back and hardly do field work.”
“Why were you there tonight?” He looked up at her. 
“Um, they had to use me as bait so Dennis would open the door.” Olivia sighed. “Look, I was never in danger and I know how to defend myself.”
“I don’t five a fuck if you can, point is, you shouldn’t be in that position in the first place. I’ll talk to Ailee if that’s what you’re afraid of.” 
“I’m not afraid of Ailee, she’s my best friend, my sister, I stay for her. You don’t have the right to dictate my life Ezekiel. I get it, you’re worried, but this doesn’t concern you. This is my job and unless you can pay my bills, then you need to stay out of it.” Olivia stood in front of him, arms crossed on her chest. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, but I’m not sorry I took the job. It kept you safe and it continues to keep you safe.”
EZ closed his eyes, not liking that Olivia couldn’t be swayed.
“Once you take down Miguel for the DEA, I’ll quit Maquina and we can start anew somewhere, anywhere. I’ll wipe your records clean, you can start fresh.” Olivia never told him this part of her plan. She wanted to get him away from Santo Padre, to give him another chance at the life he lost. 
“You’ve given up so much for me Olivia.”
“You’re my best friend Ezekiel, you would do the same for me.” Olivia sighed. “You were here for me when my mom left me at sixteen years old, you’re my only family now.” 
EZ stood up, walked over to Olivia and wrapped his arms around her. The faster he could get the information for the DEA, the better it would be. As much as he didn’t want to leave Santo Padre behind, he always found that he had a place in Olivia’s life, she helped him center himself when he felt that he lost everything while in incarceration. 
She’s made enough sacrifices for him and he would handle everything now. 
=============
Angel parked his bike, taking off his helmet. He took it with him as he walked towards the front door, Ailee’s empty eyes still haunting him. The door opened before he could knock, Vince opened the door for him. 
“You owe me for this.”
“I owe you?”
“Right.” Vince sighed as he closed the door. “No amount of apologies will ever suffice, I get it, but just thread carefully, things are different now.”
“Yeah, I get that.” Angel placed his helmet on the table by the front door. “Where is she?”
“Upstairs, last door at the end of the hallway. Melody is sleeping in her room. I’m not sure if Ailee is still awake or not, but just in case, I didn’t let you in.” 
Angel nodded his head before going up the stairs. After seeing that whole scene at the ranch, Angel immediately called Vince, he wanted to speak to Ailee, to be with her. Even though he watched her kill a man, it didn’t phase him. He knew what they did to her and he was gonna try his best to get her back.
He turned the doorknob and was happy it was unlocked. The room was slightly illuminated by a night light, which didn’t surprise Angel. Closing the door behind him, he locked the door. Toeing off his shoes beside the couch in her room, he took off his clothing as quietly as possible. He was left with his muscle shirt and boxers. Going to the left side where he usually slept, he tried to go in as carefully as possible, but he knew Ailee was a light sleeper. He wrapped his arms around her, knowing it could be a risk, but he didn’t give a fuck.
Ailee knew Angel was here. She wasn’t an idiot, she heard the bike and no one else would come here so late at night. She was drained and with every kill she took, the more her soul was chipped. She could give in for one night.
She missed Angel.
She wouldn’t get this opportunity again.
Turning around to her side, she wrapped her arms around Angel. 
“I love you Lee, I know you can hear me. You may not want to fight for us, but I will. You’re still you Lee, you’re still the girl I fell in love with and wanted to marry.” Angel said to her. “It’s you, me and Melody, that’s all we need. Come home, come home to me.”
Ailee remained quiet, just burying herself in Angel’s arms, the familiar warmth making her cry. For years she yearned for Angel’s warm embrace, especially during the times she wanted to give up after all the blood she shed. She wanted Angel’s warmth when she would become frustrated of being alone while caring for Melody. She wanted his warmth when she would go to Melody’s appointments, hoping her little girl would be able to hear her voice one day. She wanted his warmth when she recovered from an attack Theo orchestrated in an attempt to kidnap Melody.
Every day, Ailee was reminded of the choices she made. Reminded of the abnormal situation she had with her family.
And every day, she was reminded that while she may dislike greatly what Maquina required of someone, she saw how beneficial it was to be a part of such an organization.
She couldn’t let Angel get sucked into this.
She couldn’t let Melody live a life like she lived.
She made the decision then that she would leave Melody with Angel and she would do what she did best.
Kill people to protect the ones she loves.
To love and watch them from afar since it was the best thing she could do for them. They shouldn’t have to pay for her sins and choices. 
It would destroy her, but losing them due to her sins would kill her.
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kelleyish · 4 years
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So the battery died in my scale a couple weeks ago and I haven’t replaced it (even though it would be very, very easy to do so), so I don’t know how much weight I’ve put back on. I’m positive I’m back over the 300 mark, but I honestly don���t want to know. Today, however, I ran out of clean yoga crop pants, the pants I live in pretty much all the time, and I had to put on some jeans shorts. It was Not. Good.
I keep telling myself tomorrow is the day, but tomorrow hasn’t come yet.
American Pie 2 was on cable last night, so I half watched it while I was doing other things. Man, it triggers my nostalgia and makes me feel really old. I looked them up and the first movie came out in ‘99 and the sequel in ‘01. I was in college, I still recognized most songs that came on the radio (I still listened to the radio), my hips didn’t hurt. Sigh.
Just this week I picked back up on The Flash on Netflix, I’m a couple seasons behind. This season’s big bad looked familiar but I wasn’t sure until I looked it up - it’s Chris Klein, one of the actors from American Pie, the big beefcake-y one of the four main guys. Synchronicity.
I was thinking a while ago that Netflix had introduced a feature that would let you watch things sped up, and that the entertainment industry had thrown a fit. Well I gotta say, The Flash is definitely something I’d like to watch sped up. I’ve invested enough time in the show that I feel I should keep watching, but there are so many parts, so many long, soulful conversations between characters that I’d like to skim through at 1.5 speed. According to the internet there are Chrome plugins that can do it for you, and I may have to look into that.
I have spent a lot of the last couple weeks over at my house during the day reorganizing and cataloging my Pops, which I’ve neglected for the last year. I’ve sold a bunch recently, partly for making money and partly to just get rid of some because I was running out of room. After I finish dusting I’ll take pictures of it all, so everyone can see my ridiculous middle aged toy collection. 
Anyway, i am unfortunately missing three of them. One of them is the Chris Evans character from Scott Pilgrim who would be particularly painful to replace, as he was a convention exclusive. I can’t imagine where it’s gone, I hope it turns up. The others are Peter from Spiderman Homecoming wearing headphones and that yellow jacket from the academic competition, and the third is Riz Ahmed’s character Bodhi from Rogue One. I’ve taken pictures of all three for my instagram photo project, also very neglected, so they apparently didn’t get put back on the shelf after that.
And finally I will tell you about this transcription file I’m doing (although not enough to get in trouble cause it’s a big no-no). It’s an interview with this woman who lived very rustically for a couple decades in West Virginia, starting in the late 70s. At the beginning she kept mentioning a guy we’ll call Dave, obviously her husband, who would have more information about this topic or that. She talked about how they built their own log cabin, and didn’t have electricity or plumbing for the first decade or so. Had a kid or two, adopted at least one more. At some point she moved away and lives in another state, probably in a more normal house. Anyway, at the end of the file they’re saying their goodbyes and she says to the interviewer “I hope you can get in touch with Dave,” and for some reason it just really hit me. Up until that point she’d given no indication they weren’t still together, and it just kinda broke my heart. 
I don’t know, it’s 4 AM, I probably just need to go to bed.
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cromulentbookreview · 5 years
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It Can Definitely Happen Here
Or: Internment by Samira Ahmed!
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This will be a likely be a short review for the following reasons:
I’m lazy.
I only just finished the book
I had the ARC for months and only just got to it, see #1.
No one reads this, this blog is literally just me screaming into the black void that is the internet letting it know that I exist.
The book is out today and, once again, I have missed the point of an “advanced review.” Advanced meaning “in advance of the publication date.” Meaning “probably not the day the damn book comes out.”
Note: It has come to my attention that the book actually comes out on March 19, 2019. So...I actually got this review done on time. Ha. Aha. Ahahahahahahahaha.
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Also, this book takes on a whole new meaning after the recent terrorist attack in New Zealand. I went back and reread some scenes and cried even more than I did already.
And now back to my regularly scheduled review.
Layla Amin is a regular American teenager. Only the America she lives in is under the control of a bunch of racist pieces of shit. Ahmed never gives names to these assholes in power - you can guess - but they don’t even really need names. It’s depressingly easy to imagine just who these people are. Anyway, the people in power are doing whatever they want. So they’ve declared all Muslims enemies of the state. Because of course they would. 
Unfortunately, Layla comes from a Desi family who are Muslim. They’re not super religious or anything, but that doesn’t matter. Rather than checking the “no religion” box on the census, the Amins refused to hide who they are, so they put down that they are Muslim. And now the Administration is using that data to round up all Muslim Americans and put them in internment camps.
Sound familiar? Yeah, because we’ve totally done it before. The Internment of Japanese Americans during WWII might feel like distant history, but it seriously wasn’t that long ago. Like, for serious serious not that long ago. 77 years is not that long ago in the grand scheme of things. People who were in those internment camps are still around. Like American Treasure and Mr. Sulu, George Takei who was just a kid when he was interred, first in Rohwer, Arkansas then at Tule Lake in California. As you can imagine, the internment camps for Japanese Americans were put in places that were less than hospitable. Like the middle of the desert. Because humanity can really be the worst sometimes.
Anyway, back to Layla. One night she breaks the nation-wide curfew to go and see her boyfriend, David, as teens are wont to do. Soon after she gets home, though, men with guns show up at her house and give her and her parents 10 minutes to pack up what they need. They’re taken to L.A. where they’re put on a train then put onto buses to a camp called Mobius somewhere outside Independence, California. Just a hop, skip and a jump from Manzanar! So...the desert. And no, this Mobius isn’t anything like the famous Möbius strip, either. This is a cross between a FEMA camp like you’d see after a natural disaster combined with a prison camp. Sure, they have food, water, and adequate shelter. It’s still a goddamn prison camp, though, run by the sadistic Director, whose actual name is never given but you can really picture who this guy looks like. Layla’s parents are, naturally, terrified by the whole situation and just want to keep their heads down and survive. Not Layla, though. She is going to resist, goddamn it! Plus, there’s a guard who is totally on her side. Or is he?
So, Internment - overall I thought the book was OK, but then again, I’m pretty biased towards stories that feature magic and dragons and steampunk. 15-minutes-into-the-future dystopias are less my thing at the moment. Probably because we live in one, but still. The writing was good, especially the descriptions of the yucky dusty desert. I’m a Pacific Northwesterner to my core - give me rain and trees, not desert. Let’s just ignore the fact that a huge portion of my home state is desert. I did like how Ahmed didn’t condemn Layla’s parents for wanting to keep their heads down and endure. Lots of YA novels tend to dismiss or ignore the fears and worries of parents in favor of the teen perspective, so it was nice to see a YA novel that acknowledges the parents’ fears. The main villain, the Director, was a mite cartoonish - but then again, if you watch Sophie Scholl: Die letzten Tage and think the Nazis in that movie are cartoonish, just remember they used actual court transcripts of Sophie Scholl’s trial for that movie. Evil can be pretty cartoony - doesn’t make it less scary. 
However, my favorite part of the whole book is Laya’s friend Ayesha. Ayesha is the best. Why? Because she loves Star Wars and also Riz Ahmed. Because, seriously, how can you not love both Star Wars and Riz Ahmed. I mean, come on:
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He’s just so damn gorgeous.
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I mean, come on, just look at him.
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How much more proof do you need? Because I can look at gifs of Riz Ahmed all day.
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Seriously, and yes this is an unpopular opinion alert, but Rogue One might just be my favorite Star Wars movie because I loved all the characters so much and every time I watch it I bawl my eyes out. I seriously wish Rogue One could’ve been a 10-part miniseries so we could’ve gotten to know the characters better. Like Cassian and K2-SO. And Bodhi - I want to know everything about his life and what he’s been up to. The novelization of the movie only offers so much! And I definitely could use a whole trilogy of Baze and Chirrut’s adventures.
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Seriously, what were those two up to the whole time? How did they meet? How long have they been adventuring together? What was their life like before the Empire? What were they up to back when they were Guardians of the Whills? What kind of mischief did Chirrut get up to that Baze had to rescue him from? THIS IS INFORMATION THAT I NEED.
The tie-in novels only tell us so much, damn it! Though Rebel Rising was quite good (fuck yeah, Beth Revis!). Why can’t all of the Rogue One crew get spin-off novels? There were a few comics featuring the origin story of Cassian and K2, but I need a whole epic YA novel of their adventures. And Bodhi’s. And Baze and Chirrut’s. All they got was a middle grade novel. It wasn’t even an origin story! It was still good, though. I just want more. MORE, DAMN IT.
Huh, I knew I said this was going to be short review of Samira Ahmed’s Internment, but instead I got into a major Star Wars/Riz Ahmed spiral, there. Sometimes I just can’t help myself. I’ve gotta look at some more Riz Ahmed gifs.
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God, he’s gorgeous.
RECOMMENDED FOR: Anyone looking for some scary “it could definitely happen here” YA fiction.
NOT RECOMMENDED FOR: Racists.
RATING: 3.5/5
RELEASE DATE: March 12, 2019. So. Uh. Today.  Actually, it comes out March 19, 2019. For some reason I got the two dates confused. So I was actually a week ahead here? I...I made a deadline? What...what is this feeling....is it...accomplishment of some sort?
Nah, this is a tumblr blog for wasting time, not an accomplishment.
RIZ AHMED:
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