Tumgik
#‘pls i just need directions to the embassy’
duckytree · 6 months
Text
Tumblr media
odysseus’s ultimate dream is to hand the work over to his very capable wife who was the only backbone of ithaca for the past 20 years and become a househusband who drinks wine and watches soap operas everyday
modern au where odysseus got drafted lmao
3K notes · View notes
hotpocketpena · 1 year
Text
The Cybers Part 3
Tumblr media
Javier Pena x Fem Reader!
A continuation from The Cybers part 2
Summary - Your return to work was difficult, after the heated encounter with Javier, could you even be in the same room with him, without thinking about what he’s done to you?
Warnings - Swearing, mentions of blood and death.
Word count - 2.2k
Notes - A lil filler until the next part. I hope ya’ll are enjoyin this series cos i certinaly am! Pls excuse any spelling mistakes, i was v tired writing this and my eyes are not what they used to be 
------
The whole reception of the embassy's eyes was on you and Javier. Quiet whispers were being said, while you and Javier stood still. His hand was still wrapped around your arm, holding you in place. 
His breathing was heavy and harsh, just like his gaze. His eyes burned into yours with anger. “Come with me.” He grunted, tugging your arm in the direction he wanted to go.
There was a more pressing matter at hand. You’d been so distracted by your encounter with him, that you had just begun to feel the pain of the stab wound. 
Your feet were glued to the ground, refusing to go anywhere with the man that made that stab wound possible. “Let me go Pena.” You said with a low voice, the pain being too much for you to withstand another screaming match with him. 
He didn’t turn his head to you. He looked around the reception of the embassy at everyone's prying eyes. “What the fuck are you all looking at!” He shouted. “Do you all have some work to do?!”
The prying eyes were scrambling to find something to do, other than look at you both. 
For the first time, you took Javier’s hand from your arm and held it for a moment, then let go, his hand falling to his side. In those few moments, your heart fluttered like it once did for him. It felt warmth and love just by touching him. His skin was as soft as you remember. 
You remember those nights when he’d come home later than you. He’d sneak in, careful not to wake you. What he didn’t know was that you were always awake when he wasn’t yet home from work. You’d sit up in bed and wait for the keys to turn in the door, then quickly lay down and pretend to be asleep. He’d quietly get undressed and slip under the covers and get at close to you as he could and you’d both fall asleep together. 
You could never sleep when he would work late. In fear that something had happened to him on the job. 
Shame he didn’t have that same feeling for you. After all, he was the one who caused you this pain. 
“I can’t do this right now Pena. I need to go.” You say, the pain getting worse the more you stand around. 
He turns around to look at you, the pain clear on your face. “Is it really that painful for you to even look at me?” He said with brows raised. He knew you hated him, for reasons to him that were unknown, but he didn’t know you hated him that much to be disgusted by his presence. 
He took a step forward which made you flinch. This made things much worse. The sudden jolt of your body made a few more stitches pop out, the wound now fully open and seeping with more blood. Your shirt had absorbed all the blood it possibly could manage and now began to drip to the floor. 
“I need to get cleaned up before I bleed out on the embassy floor.” You mutter, turning from him and making haste for the bathroom. 
You burst through the doors and start taking your shirt off. Every button that you’d undo sent a sharp pain to your side, making you wince. You shrugged your shirt off your shoulders, leaving you in your bra and slacks. The paper towels by the sink weren’t enough. You’d bled through them all within seconds. 
“Shit.” You muttered, taking the toilet paper from the bathroom stalls to attempt to stop the bleeding until you could get to the hospital. 
“Do you need some help?” Javier’s voice made you jump. 
“Fuck! Don’t scare me like that! And you need to get out of here.” You say, rolling your eyes at the fact he’d followed you into the women’s bathroom.
This man really doesn’t know what leave me alone means.
“Let me take you to the hospital. You’re about to bleed out.” He states.
“Jesus Captain Obvious, ya think!” You said sarcastically. 
Javier walked over to you. “Jesus Christ I’m trying to help you here. After that stunt you pulled in that meeting I shouldn’t even be in here right now!” 
Is he fucking serious?
You cackled at the sheer cheek of him. “The stunt I pulled! I wouldn’t even be in here trying to not bleed out if it wasn’t for you!” You shouted. His arrogance taking your mind away from the pain. 
His fists balled up at his side, and he took a step back. “Fine. Bleed out on the floor. Like I care anymore.” He spat, shifting his eyes from yours to the blood, then back to you. 
He hesitated for a moment, really not wanting you to be in here, in this situation. He wanted to be at home, in bed with you, listening to you ramble on about how everyone in your division annoys you. Listening to you singing in the shower and telling him what a bad cook he is. 
But instead, he was walking out of the bathroom, leaving you to fend for yourself.
--------
“Hey guys. Thanks for picking me up.” You sighed at the sight of Connie and Steve leaning against their car in the parking lot of the hospital. 
The doctors gave you a blood transfusion and stitched you up. They kept you overnight for observation and instructed you to keep off your feet for at least two weeks. When you arrived at the hospital, you were about ten minutes away from bleeding out, so you were very thankful for Nancy, one of the receptionists in the Embassy, came into the bathroom and found you passed out in a pool of blood. 
She quickly called an ambulance and you arrived just in time. Otherwise, you’d have been known as the CIA agent that died in the bathroom of the American Embassy. 
What a way to go
There were no unexpected visits from Javier while you were there, and thank god. It was crazy how you’d spent the last five years of your life with a man who never loved you. Who threw it all away just so he could be the big man and catch the killer. 
Spending the night in the hospital had you thinking about it all. You’d refused to think or even talk about what happened with anyone, even Connie, because it hurt to much. The pain from being stabbed, set on fire, and shot at were all physical. You could recover from those things with time, but mental pain? That’s a whole different story.
You’d thought of excuses for him at first. Was he held at gunpoint and forced to feed you bad information to save somebody’s life? Was he being blackmailed into doing it? 
But, Javier would never give in to any of those things. He’d never let someone have power over him. He’d rather die than give them the satisfaction. And then it hit you.
He did this to you, Javier Pena did this to you so that he could be the one to say that he caught the most wanted man on America’s hit list. 
What a headline that would be.
 Someone from the DEA, catching someone on the CIA’s most wanted list. 
He would make history. 
He was making a power grab, and that is what hurt you the most. That he used you, the woman who he promised his life. Was used for him to be a hero in the eyes of the world. 
Connie ran over to you, taking the bag from your shoulder that Steve dropped off yesterday for you, and helping you into the back of the car. “What are we going to do with you eh? You’re just a walkin’ disaster girl.” Steve said, getting in the driver’s seat. 
Connie smacked his arm and sat in the back seat with you. “Ignore him, I do.” She rolled her eyes and helped you put your seatbelt on. “How are you feeling hon?”
How were you feeling?
‘Well the man I loved and deep down am still in love with used me as a power grab so that he’d be the one to catch Salvador and eventually Escobar all by himself. He set me up and left me for dead. So yeah, aside from that I’m peachy’ 
That is what you wanted to say. Instead, you cried. 
You’d cried harder than you ever had before. 
And it wasn’t stopping. Steve kept driving, his heart-breaking each time you took a breath in to cry some more. Connie sat with her arm around you, stroking your hair while you cried into her shoulder. 
The whole drive was silent aside from your cries. 
“We’re here Con.” Steve muttered, breaking the silence between them. 
You lifted your head from Connie’s shoulder and looked outside. You looked up at your apartment building and to your surprise, a single tear fell from your eyes. 
You didn’t want to go back there to that place that wasn’t your home. That place was never your home. Your home was with Javier, but that wasn’t a possibility anymore. 
“Do you want me to stay with you for a little while? I don’t have work for a few days so I can stay with you if you’d like?” She said sweetly, rubbing your shoulder. 
“Is the offer still on the table for me to stay with you guys?” You sniffled, the tears finally stopping. 
Connie sighed, giving you a sympathetic smile. “The offer never went away. It’ll always be an option for you hon.”
-----------------
“Now are you sure you’re ready for this agent? I don’t want to have to fill out another report where you’ve almost bled out in my Embassy bathrooms.” The Embassador folded his arms, raising his brows at you from his seat. 
You stood with your arms by your side. “Yes sir. I’ve had plenty of time off to fully recover. All of my injuries are healed and I’ve been given the all clear from my doctors that I can return to the field.” You said confidently. 
The last four weeks had been the description of hell. 
No work.
No cigarettes.
No alcohol.
No doing anything for yourself. 
Connie had catered to your every need. She’d cook for you, tuck you into bed, hell, she even used to stand by the bathroom door and wait for you to finishing peeing. 
You loved her for it, but it was too much. The doctor told you to rest for another few weeks after your check up, but you insisted that you had to get back to work. He was hesitant at first, not wanting you to end up like you did last time, but he was impressed with how fast you’d been healing. He said you’d need to take medication everyday for the next two weeks, but he allowed you to return to work. 
Connie deep down was sad that you were going back to work. Steve however couldn’t have been happier. He jumped from his seat on the couch when you and Connie got back from the hospital and told him the news. 
He drove you both to work this morning, making sure before you got out of the car that you were ready to go back and if you wanted to take some more time off, nobody would judge you. But, even if you weren’t ready, you couldn’t take another second of Connie over your shoulder 24/7. 
He gave you a smile and a nod as he headed to the DEA floor, and you headed to the Ambassadors office for your meeting. 
He scanned his eyes over some papers in front of him and signed a few. “Now, I didn’t want to put you straight in the field, so for the next few days, we’ll see how you get on with some paperwork.” 
“Sir, excuse me for speaking out, but I’m the head of operations within my division. I can’t sit back and do paperwork while my guys are out there risking their lives. I need to be out there with them.” You pleaded. 
“Agent, the only field mission available right now is with agent Pena.” He said, clearing his throat. 
Your heart clenched at his name. Your mind started to bring back the images of you two together and happy. 
“I’d be happy to be on that mission sir. I want to get this bastard more than anyone.” You said, clearing your mind of the thoughts. 
He pondered for a second. He didn’t think it was a good idea putting you with Pena after the last encounter you both had, but you were the best agent in this whole building. It’d be useless putting you on paperwork duty.
“If I let you on this job, I do not want a repeat of what happened in my board room. I want this job to be clean and quick. With as few casualties as possible.” He was very clear with his words. 
“Not a repeat of what happened and no casualties, you got it Sir.” You said and nodded.
“Okay then. There’s a de briefing in twenty minutes. I’d advise you freshen yourself up, grab your gear and head to the DEA. They’ve taken the reins while you’ve been gone.” 
“Thank you sir.” You ignored what he said about the DEA taking over your hunt for Salvador and headed for the door. 
“Agent?” The ambassador spoke.
You turned your head to him, “It’s good to have you back.” For the first time in your career at the embassy, he smiled. 
“It’s good to be back.”
24 notes · View notes
imagine-loki · 5 years
Text
ravished by a god (trigger warning: dub-con)
TITLE: Ravished by a God
CHAPTER NO./ONE SHOT: Chapter - 17
AUTHOR: latent-thoughts ORIGINAL IMAGINE: Both you and Loki live in the Avengers Tower. One day, when he’s bored and in a very bad mood, you accidentally brush up against him in passing. He presses you into the wall and whisper some dark, threatening and naughty things in your ear. To your horror (and his surprise) you find it way more arousing than it should be.
+
Imagine that, when Loki is brought to the Tower for his punishment, everyone is afraid of him and avoids him. You are no exception, but still, in the heat of the moment, you find yourself tangled in sheets underneath Loki’s strong body as he fucks you. It was a one night stand and after that, you try to go on normally and avoid him as much as possible. But it’s much harder now, when he flirts with you whenever he sees you, and touches you inappropriately when you happen to be alone. He manipulates with you so that even despite your fear, you still give yourself to him.
RATING: NC-17/ MA NOTES/WARNINGS: Warning for explicit sexual content - highly dubious consent (bordering on non-con).
A/N: Plot happens. And action.
______________________________________
“So, you were prying into SHIELD’s very confidential data,” Alexander Pierce stated, leaning against his extra padded office chair. His expression was kind and open, and that was the only thing that kept you from trembling all over.
Stark spoke up before you could. “On my behest. She is my employee, so the vicarious liability is mine.”
“I didn’t say anything about vicarious liability, Stark, you can relax.” He chuckled and then turned his attention back on you again. “From what information I could gather about you, you’re a gifted programmer… and now a notorious hacker too. At a young age, it is quite impressive.”
“Thank you, sir,” you replied monotonously, not sure what else to say. The intense focus on you right now was really making want to run off and hide.
“Fury was trying to stop you, wasn’t he?”
“He did come to over to apprehend me.”
“I’m sure he had his reasons. He was quite protective of SHIELD and it’s various projects. Sometimes, Nick was protective of things not authorized, but he was passionate about it.”
“What do you mean?” This was the first time Steve Rogers raised a voice in question, while you looked on expectantly.
Pierce nodded, leaning forth in his chair now. “I suppose you have let the Tesseract derived weapons slide from your memory.”
“I haven’t. But I assumed that he was authorized to make them, just as a nuclear weapon was hastily authorized to be dropped over New York.”
“That was the council.” Pierce sighed and rubbed his forehead, taking his spectacles off. “The council authorized the weapons too, I didn’t. However, there are things that Nick did which no one really authorized him to do. Keeping secrets was part of who he was.”
“Care to explain?”
You quietly watched the exchange, thankful that the focus was not on you anymore. Beside you, you saw Loki–as Thor–lean in as well, curious about what was being divulged.
“When I was at State Department in Bogota, ELN rebels took the embassy. The security got me out, but the rebels took hostages. Nick was deputy chief for the SHIELD station there. And he came to me with a plan, wanting to storm the building through the sewers.” Pierce stood up and began to pace leisurely behind his table as he narrated. “I said, ‘No, we’ll negotiate’. Turned out the ELN didn’t negotiate, so they put out a kill order. They stormed the basement, and what did they find? They find it empty. Nick had ignored my direct order and carried out an unauthorized military operation on foreign soil. He saved the lives of a dozen political officers, including my daughter.”
Well, that was anticlimactic. You were expecting something nefarious to be revealed.
“I’m sure you’re wondering what I’m trying to say here.” He turned towards you and the rest, gesturing with his hands as if he was giving a lecture on the life and times of Nick Fury. “My point here is that Nick Fury didn’t play it straight. He often used unauthorized means to achieve the greater good. Sometimes, that approach can get you swamped in bad things, and sometimes, you can’t come out.”
“Yes, he used unconventional means, but–” Rogers was about to say more, but Pierce raised a hand to stop him.
“What did he say to you, Captain, when he was at your apartment.”
Rogers grew quiet for a bit before answering. “Nothing much. We couldn’t have any proper conversation before the attack happened.”
Pierce nodded, a small smirk forming on his face. “From what I’ve been informed about the missing Chitauri weapons, thanks to Stark and his dear employee here, there seems to be a massive infiltration within SHIELD. Nick went after her instead of taking care of that infiltration. I wonder why.”
“Regardless of what you’re saying…” Loki interjected then, suddenly jumping into the conversation. “Nickolas Fury is gone now. I think it would be much better to honour his memory and actually do something about those missing Chitauri weapons rather than discuss the details of his presumably less than honest dealings.”
“Thor.” Pierce smiled at him, which he didn’t return. “I think I appreciate your candidness here. You’re right, we should focus on the problems at hand. And I aim to do just that. I need to find out about who may have killed Fury. And I need to find out about those weapons. It has all happened much too quickly, you see, but I’m trying my best here.”
“I have an inkling,” Loki replied, just as Pierce took his seat again. “That the people who attacked her and Fury are the same. If these are also the same people who are slipping Chitauri weapons from under SHIELD’s nose, pardon my impatience, but I think we need to act fast. Talking and drawing conjecture is good, but it’s not getting anything done.”
Sarcasm and threat dripped from every word that came out of Loki’s mouth, and that worried you, because it might just blow his cover as Thor.
“I have spread my best agents all over, since I’m handling the operations at SHIELD for the time being,” Pierce replied, looking a bit shaken and defensive now. “I’ve even arranged for a security detail for her, so that she won’t be attacked again, since she needs to dig deeper into this mess now. I’m hoping that Stark won’t mind it.”
“I may mind it.,” came the swift reply from Stark. “Her life is at risk.”
“All of our lives are, Stark. We’ll keep her safe, but we need more people like her to work for us,” Pierce said coolly, looking at you in a very proprietary manner.
“She’s my employee,” Stark rejoined. “She’s my responsibility. I can’t ask her to carry on her investigation.”
You knew, for sure, that he hadn’t asked you to not carry on. But you weren’t going to say anything here.
Because even though Alexander Pierce appeared to be friendly and protective from the outside, you sensed something shady happening behind the closed doors with him.
“We’ll see about that, Stark. Don’t worry. I won’t put her in the way of any further harm. Plus, I’m sure that she wants to help too. This is something that concerns the whole world.”
Pierce looked at you pointedly then, awaiting your response. You shifted in your seat, drowning in nerves.
You wanted to help, but not at such severe personal cost. You were scared .
“I’m certainly glad for the added security,” Loki said sarcastically, butting in again, much to your relief, “but do expedite the investigation at your end. There’s only so much she can do to help, and she has helped a lot thus far, I believe.”
Pierce gave him an almost paternal, almost patronizing smile in return. “I know, Thor, I know. As I said, I’m trying my best.”
______________________________
“I’m not even sure what the purpose of this meeting was,” you mumbled to Loki as you exited Pierce’s chambers, others flanking you both on either side. “He made me so nervous.”
“It’s over now,” he said, wrapping an arm around you. “I’ll do my own investigation into SHIELD and Pierce once we’re home. I do know that something is rotten in the state of Denmark.”
“You’ve been reading Shakespeare?”
“I had met him when he was writing Hamlet. Anyway, I know how to investigate things. I was often Asgard’s spy of choice.”
That information was so damn daunting, you were left speechless. You simply nodded in response.
On the way out of the Triskelion, some SHIELD agents join you as well.
“Where’s Sharon?” Rogers asked them, looking around for her.
“Sharon has been deployed for another task,” one of them answered, nodding to Rogers in a way that implied that they knew each other. “We’ll be the security detail for Mr. Stark’s employee here.”
He pointed to you, making everyone else in his team stare at you curiously.
You shrank from the attention, grasping Loki’s shirt in reflex.
Rogers nodded, then waved for them to head out towards the parking lot. “We’re leaving now. Need to head to the airport.”
They followed you all to your fake taxicab, chuckling at the decoy. Once you got in, they got into their own silver coloured car to tail you as you started for the airport.
“Finally, I get to drive,” Stark exclaimed, slipping into the driver’s seat as everyone else settled down. You had the good opportunity to sit between Loki and Rogers this time, instead of occupying Loki’s lap.
________________________________
You were on a fairly busy road, going at a good pace to reach the airport on time, when things started getting weird.
“What the fuck,” Stark muttered, looking into the rearview mirror. You turned around to see what was bothering him, as did Loki and Steve Rogers.
There was a black hummer tailing you now, instead of the car with your supposed security detail.
Where the hell was your security detail?
“Stark, prepare your armour,” Loki muttered beside you.
As he said that, a loud thump came from the roof of the car. Before you could even react to it, Loki pushed you forward and shifted in your place. You gasped and tried to right yourself between the driver and the front passenger seat.
Just as you twisted around, a metallic hand broke through the rear window and made a grab for what would’ve been your head, had Loki not moved you preemptively. What it did grab was Loki’s arm. And when it pulled on that arm, Loki pulled back with more force.
A crash resounded against the back of the car, with a masked figure bumping against it and then falling off.
Loki let go of his illusion then, making Steve Rogers curse colourfully.
“I can’t do this with Thor’s bulk,” he muttered, peering out of the now broken rear window. “Stark, we need to get out of here. Fast.”
“Where the hell is Thor and how are you here?” Stark asked, even as he pressed on the gas to speed up the car.
You were now getting on an overpass, which meant there could be more traffic congestion ahead. That didn’t bode well for this whole situation.
“Later, Tony,” Natasha interjected, with her Glocks already out. “Loki, can you teleport us again?”
“I’ve just barely healed myself, Natasha, what do you think?” he snapped, bent over the backseat stiffly. “I’m trying to track them and dismantle their vehicle. Takes much less magic.”
“Good.”
“Guys, I think we’re being corralled. You see those black hummers in the front?” Stark sounded a bit panicked now. Bad news.
You struggled to move at all, stuck as you were in the middle of the car, so seeing the said hummers was a difficult task. “What are they doing?”
“Brace yourselves!” Rogers called out, and just after that, the car was hit from the back. Hard.
You knew that you would’ve gone flying out the front window, shattering glass and all, had Loki not grabbed you and held on. Well, you held on to him too, knowing that some extreme shit was about to go down.
Seriously, if this were a nightmare, you really wanted to wake up now.
As the car swerved to the right due to the impact, it was hit again, now from the front. Apparently, those hummers in the front had now joined in on the action.
“We need to get out!” Natasha cried, shooting at the hummers.
Loki heaved you up against his chest, then raised his arm, aiming at one of the hummers which were closing in. You saw the tell-tale glow of his magic as it shot out, destroying the wheels of that car immediately.
It went askew, then barrelled into the barricade.
He repeated the same form of attack with the other hummers too, taking them out one by one as Stark drove around them.
“Good job,” Rogers said, tightening his grip around his shield as he looked around furtively.
Where had he kept it hidden till now, you didn’t know. You didn’t bother to ask, either.
Loki simply grunted in response to Rogers’ praise, his sharp gaze surveying the cars he had just destroyed.
“Who the fuck is that guy? And how the fuck did he get ahead of us?” Stark muttered, and you looked around him to see that the masked man was back, now standing in the middle of the road, looking menacing as hell.
You shivered in fear as he grew closer and closer. In the front, Natasha cursed gruffly in Russian.
“Stark, no more vehicles following for now. Keep her safe.” That’s all Loki said before shoving you into Rogers’ arms and then sliding out of the rear window in a single, smooth move.
‘What the hell is he doing?” Stark asked, just as his suit suitcase started unpacking itself.
You heard Loki’s footfalls as he climbed on top of the car. In the meantime, much to your horror, the masked man also jumped on to the car with inhuman grace.
“I’m joining him,” Rogers said, then glanced at you. “I should.”
Suddenly, the roof of the car bent downwards, the combined weight of Loki and that other man being a bit too much for it.
“I don’t think so, Steve. Keep her safe, instead,” Natasha advised.
You could hear all sorts of noises from above, telling you that a fight was on.
That scared you so much, you started squeezing the life out of Rogers’ arm.
Punches were being thrown… nasty metallic scratching was making your ears hurt… and then someone was crying out…
All of a sudden, it was quiet.
Then that metallic arm shot into the front window again, on the driver’s side. Stark tried to make a grab for it, but it was too fast. And it wasn’t aiming for Stark.
It grasped the steering wheel and detached it like it was a toy, throwing it away.
“Fucking hell!” Stark shouted, almost flailing in his seat as the car started going out of control.
More fighting ensued on top of the car then, with loud thumping and grunting.
Stark got out of the front window, then, and called for his suit, which assembled around him smoothly. Natasha hit the hand break just in time as Stark got down and aided in keeping the car next to the barricade, away from the rest of the traffic.
However, the moment the car stopped, it was hit from the back again.
Yet another black hummer.
What the hell was happening?
This time the impact was so strong that Loki and the masked dude slid off the roof and fell from the overpass.
“Loki!” you cried out in distress, almost jumping out of Rogers’ arms. He didn’t let you go.
“He’ll be fine, he’s Asgardian.”
Natasha slid out of the car and started shooting again, just as Stark fired his repulsors at the newly arrived hummer.
Just how many black hummers were there, damn it?
Thankfully, Stark fried it good. He then pulled the passenger door your car open and made a grab for you.
“Hand her over, I’m flying her out of here ASAP. Tell Loki and take care of the situation.”
Rogers nodded, practically bouncing you into Stark’s metallic arms as he shot out of the car and jumped down the overpass.
“What’s happening?!” you asked Stark, while he cradled you in his arms and took off into the sky, much to your absolute terror.
“Don’t worry, Matrix, I’ll keep you safe. You’re my charge.”
___________________________
You were at a place you had not known to exist. Till now.
It was a safehouse.
Clint Barton’s safehouse.
But his family was also there…? Barton had a family? Wife and kids? When?
These questions simmered in the background of your thoughts, while on the forefront, you tried to keep yourself together.
Loki was in trouble. His face was plastered all over the news again, fighting that masked man and his cohorts, using both his magic and his combat skills. Public property was damaged, more vehicles thrown around than you could keep track of. It was awful.
And people in the media and social media, both, were not being kind to Loki, calling him a bad guy again for causing chaos in Washington D.C.
Even though he hadn’t been the one to cause the destruction and chaos. At all.
Life wasn’t fair.
You quietly observed Barton’s family as they went about their day, preferring to stay as unobtrusive as possible as you moved about the house. Once in a while, he checked on you, but then he went back to his family.
It was obvious that he didn’t get to spend a lot of time with them.
You waited… waited to hear from Loki, from Stark, anyone at all. Being alone here was driving you nuts.
It was some time after dinner, when you were trying to cull your boredom and anxiety with a book, that you heard a lot of commotion at the front door.
Immediately, you left your designated room to see what was up.
You had only about made it halfway downstairs when you were engulfed in a tight hug. A tight Loki hug.
“Loki, god… I was so scared,” you mumbled into his neck as he all but lifted you off the floor. “What’s going on?”
He remained quiet, but started climbing up the stairs, with you still in his arms.
“Dude, what the hell?” you heard Barton asking from somewhere downstairs, and knew that it was directed at Loki and you.
“Just let it be,” answered Stark, sounding tired.
Loki took you straight to your room, kicking the door close behind him once inside.
“Loki, you ok?” you asked as you tried to disentangle yourself from him. He wasn’t letting you go.
He didn’t say a word in response, he just kissed you. And ripped at your clothes like a man possessed.
87 notes · View notes
Text
To The international community, the ministry of health, and the citizens of Ghana world wide.
To The international community, the minstry of health, and the citizens of Ghana world wide.  
Day 1.  I arrived at Kotoka International Airport (KIA) from Windhoek Namibia, via Ethiopian Airlines.I took a covid 19 PCR test as required by the airline.My results came back negative. I was informed by the Namibian authorities I had to pay 50$ for a covid test at online before my flight to Ghana. I made an online payment and was giving a receipt with a barcode bearing my passport number. Departure was announced and my family and I boarded the plane. The plane sat for what seemed like Half a day before take off. Apparently whiles the plane was being refueled, the full tank was over filled and the petrol spilt all over the plane and the runway, where the plane was parked. Fire trucks were sent out immediately to wash the petrol off the plane and the runway. I had fallen asleep the moment I sat down. My sister told me the story in mid air. I could not believe my ears. Is this real life ? We are flying in a plane that can potentially catch fire in mid air? My mind burst 🙀. We took a 5 hour flight from Namibia to Ethiopia. My mother, my sister and her family were rushed out the plane to catch their connection flight to Canada. I  had just a few hours in Ethiopia to transit  to Ghana. I spent the night at the starlight hotel after paying for an upgrade, which almost cost me my life in my previous trip to Ethiopia. At arrival  I filled out an online form at (KIA) and took the nose swab covid test with a nurse. I noticed the nurse stick a serial number paper to a small bottle which he used to collect my sample.I also notice my name was not on the bottle, just a serial number. About 30 mins later I was called to a small room in the arrival hall and told my covid test has come back positive. My world immediately got smaller. I have 24 - 48 hours to live, I started thinking what are the chances I will be alive by the end of the day? Everything become a blur. I was confused, shocked, sad and afraid for my life. Another woman was brought into the same room with me. She was very upset and loud.”I don’t believe your test” she argued with the Ghanian authorities. My test from Dubai is negative. I must test again she demanded. I am not going to die in Ghana. We were both told we had to wait for the bus to be full of people before they will let us leave to the hospital. We sat in this small room for what seemed to be forever. The authorities were waiting for other people to test positive to minimize their trips back and forth, I was told.Finally, the ambulance was ready to go. It was just the two of us. We were on our way to a hospital called Ga east to take a second test for confirmation. We were both traveling alone.We were rushed to the Ga east medical facility for a second test. after 3 mouth swabs and 2 nose samples for covid 19 a PCR and antigen test, I was informed that the results of the test in Ga east hospital will not  be shared with me. I was told it was only to be used by the government of ghana for research. No paper work was done nether did I sign over my samples as proof of consent. After I had gone back and forth with them I was escorted back to the front of the hospital and given a chair to sir outside the hospital. The instructions was to wait for the ambulance to come back from the airport, and then take me to an isolation centre of my choice. The nurse in charged said I could not remain at Ga east , where she boasted had better accommodation including VIP rooms. My options were either Pantang hospital or Midindi hotel. I refused to be dropped off at Pantang hospital, and rather preferred to take a ride to cantonment which is closer to  my god mother in cantonment  Dr.Jennifer brown AryeaI arrived at Midindi hotel at night. I waited a few hours at the reception making phone calls to my family to give my sisters an update on my current health situation, since I had just received a positive covid test result. I spoke to the reception and asked him what my options were. He explained that he could give me a room and allow me to pay 450 Ghc for the first night. I asked him if I can pay with a debit card , and he said my only options were cash or Momo (mobile money). He gave me a cell phone number to send the money too. This number happened to be a direct phone number to the owner of the hotel Mr Francise chapman Ferguson  Grant ( 0243418496) I sent him 450 Ghc . I was  given a room that was barely clean and had used towels. The receptionist sent up clean towels and told me I  would speak to a doctor the following day, who will be able to give me more information on how soon I can leave . I made a phone call to my Lawyer Mr Randal Obeng
Day 2. The next day on April 20th 2021, a doctor by the name of  Dr Isaac Nortey told me I was to remain at the hotel under Quarantine for 7 days under his jurisdiction and adhere to protocol for covid 19 treatment. His soldiers from the ghana arm forces will be there to make sure I do not leave the hotel. Soldier name Mr Marfo (+2330540810694) I asked my auntie Dr Jennifer brown Aryee to call the doctor and ask him to release me so I can quarantine at home. After speaking to him she  called me back and said she was assured that I  was being detained and quarantined for my own benefit and good well being, for 7 days. Dr Jennifer brown Aryea  was told by Dr Isaac Nortey  it was not an option for me to quarantine in my apartment on my own or at Ga east hospital. My only 2 options were Pantang hospital  or in Midindi hotel. 
Day 3. I reached out to a Nigerian woman called  Bernie who was taking from the airport  to Pantaine government facility. She told me she had been given a test at the Pantang hospital and was waiting for her results .To my surprise she  was going to be  allowed to go back to her home in Nigeria in 4 days. Her number is +2348063775534 (Bernie) She left the next day 
Day 4. I  met Mr Boski from lagos who was staying at Midindi hotel with me, also under government quarantine. After the 5th day he decided to reach out to Leading covid test facility to book   a private mobile test. His results came back negative.Dr Isaac Nortey and his nurse were extremely angry with him and the soldiers for allowing a private test to happen on the property of the hotel.The test was conducted in the gym . He asked for immediate release and was told his result were not under the jurisdiction of Dr Isaac Nortey and must remain in the hotel for the full term of 7 days as the protocol mandated. He had already been billed for the full 7 days upon arrival at the hotel. 
Day 5. After making several complains to the Nigerian embassy and contacts in Lagos, Mr Boski was given another test by Dr. Isaac Nortey.This time a government test approved covid 19 test under his jurisdiction. Again he did not receive his results, the following morning as expected. He had a 7:45 flight to catch and was allowed to catch the flight back home, with the results he had paid the mobile test unit the day before. The same test results  for which he was told was done by the wrong hospital, without his permission. The airline had no problem with the result and he was allowed  to board his flight to lagos the following morning after missing all his business meetings with is partners, without staying the mandatory 7 days that was imposed on me and my colleagues  Mr. Marfo (024-283-0423), Mr Boski  (+2348023063154)  
Day 6. We were all called into the gym by Dr Isaac Nortey who made fun of me by saying “you wished I  set you free when your auntie (Dr Jennifer brown Aryea) called me eh. I snapped back at him and responded “ I don’t find anything funny about covid 19” He said I won’t joke with you then. At this point I had to pay a member of the hotel staff to clean my bed room  and bring up fresh bed sheets as no one was getting room service at all. not in the morning, afternoon or evening. All the nurse did was  blood pressure test and took temperatures at 6:00 am when we were fast asleep. It was to be assumed we all had the  air born disease. I asked why I had not been given any vitamins and was told I did not show any symptoms for covid 19. 
Day 7. On the last day I was giving my discharge papers without my test results. I left the hotel without paying the hotel bill which I had told  Dr Isaac Nortey I could not afford.  
Day 8. On April 27th late at night I received a text message on what’s app which read” Good evening sir, Please a follow up to check if you have settled your bills. I assumed it came from the hotel staff I had spoken to earlier in the day. 
Day 9. On April 28th at 7:00 am I responded. Greeting, thank you for the follow up. As discussed yesterday, pls refer the bill to Dr Isaac Nortey. He assured both me and my auntie I will be taken care. Thanks again for the hospitality. This was at 7:03 
At 7:10am my phone rang. It was a man who introduced him self as  Dr Aseadu. who says he works for the ministry of health. He informed me that I had 3 options when I was taking to Ga east, and  I choose cantonments. I told him I was not giving an option to receive accommodation at Ga east, which is  close to my apartment in Madina. He then dismissed my complains and pleaded  that I pay the hotel bill or I will be picked up by national security and embarrassed publicly in the national news paper. I called mr Marfo later in the evening to ask him if he has received his test results from Dr Isaac Nortey. He said I am so upset with him Gibril. He told me he received the results on an excel spread sheet with only serial numbers attached to the test results, and does not have time to look through and match the serial number to the individuals names. Let alone find the serial number to the specific person. Being that they process so many people, up to 80 in a day the probability of matching the serial number to the right individual is unlikely . So he needs time. 
Day 10.  I am writing this  before I turn my self in to the national security so the international, national and humanitarian community can witness what has happened. It appears I was never Positive for covid 19 and I have been a victim of a huge scam that provides profits for the people and hospitality organizations involved. People with negative covid 19 results are being deceived and forced into quarantine by Doctors in ghana who work on the behalf of the government in order to cus mental trauma and panic to the individual. As a victim I can confidently say my mental state from the moment I was told I was positive for covid 19 was unusual. By letting me think I was positive, I allowed myself to become very sad and succumb under the authority and instruction of Dr Isaac Noitey. I considered writing my last will and testimony in order not to pass interstate. I remained in my hotel room for long hours and refused meetings in the gym area. I was refused treatment and room service cleaning. I was not giving one tablet or  a vitamin c tablet for supplement which Dr Isaac Nortey  had  boxes on his table ever day he came to Midindi hotel. Every morning a nurse was sent to bang on my door to check my bloop pressure. After 4 days I realized my temperature was stable at 36, And my blood pressure 120/80 was also stable, which the nurse confirmed  was normal. I began to question the validity of my quarantine and the Kotoka hospital test result. 
I have been promised  a hotel bill of 3000 Ghc for 7 days. I paid for the first night thinking I would be allowed to take a second covid test and prove that I was covid negative , which was the outcome of my PCR tests before I left  Ethiopia just 5 hours before I arrived into Ghana. Unpun arriving in Ghana I had to pay for a second covid test which out 50$ for E.c.o.w.a.s members. After  the covid antigens result showed positive,  I was rushed in an ambulance to a hospital called Ga east, and since then after another government assisted test I have  not received any results from the doctors that work on behalf of the government. The unprofessional manner of this behavior is unacceptable. To the human being who is witnessing the mass death number in nations that are under severe covid attack, this is very saddening and makes me embarrassed to be Ghanian.  
We should not allow the profit gains that can be derived by falsifying covid test result to continue by our fellow Ghanian. If an airplane company and other governments allow for people to board planes with negative results, why inflict an addition cost onto the economic conditions on tourist and fellow Ghanian who want to come to ghana with a sound mind. After all have they not received affirmation of being negative before departing their origination to Ghana. If ghana is to become the gate way to Africa and the destination for the year of return why is our airport imposing difficult measure on people who are coming into ghana with a positive mental state and a positive covid test result? 
I hope I do not find myself sitting in a Ghanaian prison by national security after spending 17 years of my life in America, attending the best university pursuing my economic degree so I could one day return to make this country a great example for other African nations and nations around the world to look up to.   
To Dr Asiedu of the ghana ministry of heath. This afternoon I have decided to go and pay for a Covid 19 PCR test at East Legon. The hospital is called Leading Medical Laboratory, Accra - Ghana. I hope you all have good wishes for me and my family and the results come out negative. I will be happy to send you a copy of my test result . To the management of the Mindidi hotel, help me justify the bill for which we have all played a role in to some extent  as a result of lack of information, misinformation, corruption, mental frustration lead me into the hotel and further more into this embarrassing and ugly situation.   
Day 11. April 29th 2021.My covid test came back Negative. Allahu Akbar. Thank you.                                                            By Gibril Adedayo Hassan Mansaray
NB. Nobody will see this about his or her country and not be concerned. This is complete fraud vividly described. It's so heartbreaking.
0 notes
wionews · 7 years
Text
Trump son-in-law Kushner says met Russian officials ​​​​​​​but did not collude with Russia
Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump's son-in-law and a senior White House adviser, said on Monday he "did not collude" with Russia and had roughly four meetings with Russian officials during the 2016 campaign and presidential transition.
In a written statement released ahead of his scheduled appearance before lawmakers in closed-door sessions, Kushner said his initial security clearance form had been submitted prematurely in error and had omitted all foreign contacts.
"I did not collude, nor know of anyone else in the campaign who colluded, with any foreign government," Kushner said. 
"I had no improper contacts. I have not relied on Russian funds to finance my business activities in the private sector," he said.
Kushner faces two days of closed-door questioning from Congress as lawmakers try to determine whether Trump's campaign enlisted Russia`s help to win the White House in last year's election.
Kushner is scheduled to address the Senate Intelligence Committee at 10 am EDT (1400 GMT) on Monday and the House of Representatives Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence on Tuesday. Trump has been dogged by allegations that his campaign aides worked with Russia, which US. 
Intelligence agencies have accused of interfering in the election. Moscow has denied any interference, and Trump says his campaign did not collude with Moscow. 
The Republican president has said the Russia probes in Congress and the Justice Department are politically motivated.
In a tweet on Monday morning, Trump lashed out at the ongoing investigations.
"So why aren't the Committees and investigators, and of course our beleaguered A.G., looking into Crooked Hillary's crimes & Russia relations?" he added, referring to his former Democratic presidential rival, Hillary Clinton.
Trump's son Donald Trump Jr released emails this month that showed Trump Jr appeared to welcome the prospect of damaging information from the Russian government about Clinton.
Members of both committees say they are eager to hear about the June 2016 meeting involving Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya. Kushner and former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort were also at the meeting.
Kushner described it as a waste of time.
"I actually emailed an assistant from the meeting after I had been there for ten or so minutes and wrote 'Can u pls call me on my cell? Need excuse to get out of meeting.'"
He said no part of the meeting he attended "included anything about the campaign" and he had no knowledge of any documents being offered or accepted.
The Senate Judiciary Committee is negotiating with Manafort and Trump Jr. about testifying in a public hearing. 
The congressional committees, along with federal special counsel Robert Mueller, are examining Russia's influence in the US election and possible links to Trump`s campaign.
Kushner will also face questions about reports he tried to set up a secret back channel to Moscow, as well as other contacts with top Russian officials and business leaders.
Kushner said he first met Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak in Washington in April 2016 and shook hands. He said he did not recall phone calls with Kislyak between April and November of that year as reported by Reuters in May, had found no evidence of the calls in phone records and was skeptical they took place. 
In a meeting with Kislyak after the election, on Dec. 1, Kushner said he articulated a desire for the United States to make a fresh start with Russia.
"The fact that I was asking about ways to start a dialogue after Election Day should, of course, be viewed as strong evidence that I was not aware of one that existed before Election Day," he said.
He said the Russian ambassador asked if there was a secure line in Trump`s transition office to facilitate a discussion with Russian generals about Syria. There was not. 
Kushner suggested arranging something through an existing communications channel at the Russian embassy, but Kislyak indicated that was not possible and they agreed to follow up after the inauguration.
"Nothing else occurred. I did not suggest a `secret back channel.` I did not suggest an ongoing secret form of communication for then or for when the administration took office," Kushner said. "I did not raise the possibility of using the embassy or any other Russian facility for any purpose other than this one possible conversation in the transition period. We did not discuss sanctions."
Kushner said he met on December 13 with Sergey Gorkov, the head of Russian state-owned Vnesheconombank, because Kislyak`s insistence and because he had a "direct relationship" with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Sanctions imposed by former President Barack Obama's administration were not discussed nor were Kushner`s business activities, Kushner said.
"I did not know or have any contact with Mr Gorkov before that meeting, and I have had no reason to connect with him since," Kushner wrote.
Kushner did not initially disclose any meetings with Russians on forms he filed to get a government security clearance. He has since revised those forms several times.
He said the forms were initially submitted prematurely in error and omitted all foreign contacts he had had, not just those with Russian officials.
  ]]>
1 note · View note
Text
Loading Directions
I’m not quite sure what happened to my first post, but whatever. The very first post of my entire blog for travel isn’t important or anything! >:| 
Anyway, I’m in a much better mood than I was in the previous post. I definitely had another depressed slump, but it seems I’ve just been getting those often while I’m here. I need to get better at staying on top of my meds. 
I think my issue is I keep wandering from place to place looking for a geographic cure for my problems. And the more I hop from place to place, the more my mother’s words, “wherever you go, there you are,” rings true. I don’t think there will ever truly be a time where I feel inspired to be the person I want to be, or genuinely and excitedly motivated to do things as simple as getting my ass out of bed and into the shower, or a place where I will just magically come into my own. I just need to make those steps, consciously, diligently, and with unwavering dedication each and every day. I’ve never been a creature of routine, so it’ll be tough, but necessary. 
Necessary, because I’ve been reading more and more about the Ayurveda lifestyle that comes with the tradition of the vedas I found through Vedic Astrology. It argues that every creature, every organism, even the Earth itself, has a rhythm, routine, or tune that it adheres to. As creatures just as much animal and part of the Earth, it is so very necessary and even integral to our health and well-being as humans to do the same. It’s kind of disappointing I’ve taken until, you know, my twenty-fourth year to come to this surmise, but hey. At your own pace, I guess.
Part of my issues, I know, stems from the plague of being a depressed person. The OCD doesn’t help. It just makes my goals cripple me into paralysis. The thought of moving towards them at all gives way to a fear of them not turning out as perfectly as they appear in my head. Thanks, genetics! 
Also, the more I’m here, the more I realize I am absolutely not ready for grad school. Maybe a Master’s, but not my PhD. My experience with Rutgers was a slap in the face at best; that didn’t help. Although I’m excited at the prospect of being able to achieve my life goal of a PhD, I know I am so far behind and still have so much to learn and am at a loss for where to start. But you know. I think that’s okay. I’m gonna spend these next few years taking some entry-level anthropology jobs. At best, they’ll be research analyst positions. At the worst, they’ll be business anthropology jobs. Either way, I’ll get experience. Any experience is good experience, and will probably lead to the boost of confidence needed to delve a little deeper into the intricacies of my study interests for a PhD. In the meantime, my boo and I plan on travelling. To every which country and place we want. We’re young, so we can only really get the fullness of travel experience now. I guess we could when retired, but then again, we won’t be as physically fit to be able to try anything under the sun at the drop of the pin if we wanted to. I guess what I’m trying to say is my initial plan has been falling apart. Not in a bad way, though, but rather, in a way that unfolds into a plan I feel will nurture and foster the true growth and maturity I’ll need to tackle higher education. I’m excited for it! Like, bring it ON, life.
But the plan now, in Jordan, is to not be in school. I talked to my parents, and they said they only really wanted me to be in school because it made them feel as though I was safer. And I totally get that, but it literally sucked all of the time from my day. Considering life stops in Jordan at 3 on weekdays, every shop in town is closed on the weekends, and my classes were 10-3, there was no time left for me to dedicate to volunteering (aka what I came here for in the first place). I was feeling aimless, confused, without purpose, and slowly sank deeper and deeper into depression as I tried my best to plunge myself into studying something I wasn’t even truly passionate about (like, don’t get me wrong, I love Arabic, but fusHa would not help me in future fieldwork endeavors given no one speaks it modernly). Plus, I literally just got out of five, gut-wrenching, brain-frying years of college. I learned a lot and did very well for myself (sidenote: yet I also realize I reeeeally could’ve done a lot, lot more), but I didn’t and don’t intend to go back for at least another five years, especially after the grad school visit that made it painfully obvious that I’m not ready for such a pursuit.
So, being ever so supportive as they tend to be, my ‘rents said so long as I registered myself with some US Embassy or American organizational entity that they would feel more at ease, and I could drop school from the agenda. They said they feel this is a wonderful life opportunity, that I had worked hard to get here, and it would be a waste if I spent the duration of my stay not fulfilling my goals and being completely miserable (agreed, but I’m biased). I guess this also spares them of having to pay for my school. Luckily, I haven’t made it to the registration office to pay for it yet, so I don’t have to go through the potentially long and arduous refund process. Now it’s just my savings I get to rely on, and the occasional pls-halps from my parents, but that freedom is really liberating. It makes me feel one step closer to adulting.
So now, I’m making appointments to look at apartments in Amman and making slow progress on filling out meticulous applications to various NGO’s and gov’t orgs alike. Luckily, there’s a whole smorgasbord of apartments in the centers where all the Embassies and NGO’s are. I think my luck will strike gold much easier there than here. :) At any rate, I can’t stay in this apartment. It’s for university students, and well - I no longer am one! (Hallelujaaaah)
Anyway. I think that’s all for now. Cheers from Jordan. (But not really, because alcohol is stupid expensive here).
Love ~ <3 :)
0 notes
wionews · 7 years
Text
Trump son-in-law Kushner denies collusion despite 'private, confidential' meeting with Russian officials ​​​​​​​
Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump's son-in-law and a senior White House adviser, said on Monday he "did not collude" with Russia and had roughly four meetings with Russian officials during the 2016 campaign and presidential transition, AFP reports.
In a written statement released ahead of his scheduled appearance before lawmakers in closed-door sessions, Kushner said his initial White House security clearance form had been submitted prematurely in error and had omitted all foreign contacts.
Filing misleading information in this form is a felony which carries a possible five-year jail sentence. Kushner originally claimed he had no foreign contacts before the election, and updated the forms, several times, to show he had over 100 foreign contacts from over 20 countries.
"I did not collude, nor know of anyone else in the campaign who colluded, with any foreign government," Kushner said. "I had no improper contacts. I have not relied on Russian funds to finance my business activities in the private sector," he said.
Trump's son Donald Trump Jr released emails this month, with a subject heading ''Re - Russia-Clinton--private and confidential', that showed Trump Jr appeared to welcome the prospect of damaging information from the Russian government about Clinton. Members of both committees say they are eager to hear about the June 2016 meeting involving Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya. Kushner and former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort were also at the meeting.
Kushner faces two days of closed-door questioning from Congress as lawmakers try to determine whether Trump's campaign enlisted Russia's help to win the White House in last year's election.
Kushner is scheduled to address the Senate Intelligence Committee at 10 am on Monday and the House of Representatives Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence on Tuesday. Trump has been dogged by allegations that his campaign aides worked with Russia, which US. 
Intelligence agencies have accused Russia of interfering in the election. Moscow has denied any interference, and Trump says his campaign did not collude with Moscow. The Republican president has said the Russia probes in Congress and the Justice Department are politically motivated.
In a tweet on Monday morning, Trump lashed out at the ongoing investigations.
"So why aren't the Committees and investigators, and of course our beleaguered AG, looking into Crooked Hillary's crimes & Russia relations?" he added, referring to his former Democratic presidential rival, Hillary Clinton.
  Kushner described the secret meetings with Russians promising damaging information about Clinton as a waste of time. "I actually emailed an assistant from the meeting after I had been there for ten or so minutes and wrote 'Can u pls call me on my cell? Need excuse to get out of meeting.'"
He said no part of the meeting he attended "included anything about the campaign" and he had no knowledge of any documents being offered or accepted. Time reports that during the meeting, Akmetshin and the Russian lawyer Veselnitskaya brought a plastic folder with printed-out documents that detailed what she believed was the flow of illicit funds to the Democratic National Committee.
As for nothing being discussed related to the campaign, Trump Jr and even President Trump have said this secret meeting discussed "adoption", which refers to the Magnitsky Act. After Obama in 2012 put sanctions on Russian oligarchs accused of human rights violations, a law known as the Magnitsky Act, Putin responded by forbidding Americans from adopting Russian babies.
The Magnitsky Act is thought to be preventing the flow of hundreds of millions of dollars. The Trump administration's potential willingness to drop sanctions against Russia is at the heart of the alleged connection between US President Donald Trump and Russia. Investigations into this are ongoing. 
The Senate Judiciary Committee is negotiating with Manafort and Trump Jr about testifying in a public hearing.  The congressional committees, along with federal special counsel Robert Mueller, are examining Russia's influence in the US election and possible links to Trump's campaign.
  'Secret back channel'
Kushner will also face questions about reports he tried to set up a secret back channel to Moscow, as well as other contacts with top Russian officials and business leaders.
Kushner said he first met Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak in Washington in April 2016 and shook hands. He said he did not recall phone calls with Kislyak between April and November of that year as reported by Reuters in May, had found no evidence of the calls in phone records and was skeptical they took place. 
In a meeting with Kislyak after the election, on December 1, Kushner said he articulated a desire for the United States to make a fresh start with Russia.
"The fact that I was asking about ways to start a dialogue after Election Day should, of course, be viewed as strong evidence that I was not aware of one that existed before Election Day," he said.
He said the Russian ambassador asked if there was a secure line in Trump's transition office to facilitate a discussion with Russian generals about Syria. There was not. 
Kushner suggested arranging something through an existing communications channel at the Russian embassy, but Kislyak indicated that was not possible and they agreed to follow up after the inauguration.
"Nothing else occurred. I did not suggest a 'secret back channel.' I did not suggest an ongoing secret form of communication for then or for when the administration took office," Kushner said. "I did not raise the possibility of using the embassy or any other Russian facility for any purpose other than this one possible conversation in the transition period. We did not discuss sanctions."
Kushner said he met on December 13 with Sergey Gorkov, the head of Russian state-owned Vnesheconombank, because Kislyak`s insistence and because he had a "direct relationship" with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Sanctions imposed by former President Barack Obama's administration were not discussed nor were Kushner`s business activities, Kushner said.
"I did not know or have any contact with Mr Gorkov before that meeting, and I have had no reason to connect with him since," Kushner wrote.
Kushner did not initially disclose any meetings with Russians on forms he filed to get a government security clearance. He has since revised those forms several times.
He said the forms were initially submitted prematurely in error and omitted all foreign contacts he had had, not just those with Russian officials.
(With agency inputs)
  ]]>
0 notes