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| − | [[File:SwiftletBanner.png|center|]]
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| − | {{ReldinBox
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| − | | cell1 = #282828
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| − | | name = Swiftlet
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| − | | player = @Panthy
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| − | | image = SwiftletF.jpg
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| − | | caption =
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| − | | class_focus = DPS
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| − | | level = 40
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| − | | research = Arms/Fighting Styles
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| − | | realname = Charlotte Thorpe
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| − | | alias = Little Bird, The Westside Raven
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| − | | gender = Female
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| − | | species = Human
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| − | | ethnicity = Caucasian
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| − | | birthplace = Cleveland, Ohio
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| − | | operations = Millenium City
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| − | | relatives = Neil Thorpe (Father), Claire Thorpe (Mother)
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| − | | age = 17
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| − | | height = 5'6''
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| − | | weight = 126 lbs (57 kg)
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| − | | eyes = Blue
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| − | | hair = Deep Red
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| − | | complexion = Fair
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| − | | build = Athletic
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| − | | features = Deep red hair and intelligent, cynical eyes
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| − | | alignment = 9
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| − | | reputation = 3
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| − | | identity = Secret
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| − | | years_active = 3
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| − | | citizenship = American
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| − | | occupation = Freelance Journalist
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| − | | education = College Degree
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| − | | marital = Single
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| − | | powers = Computer Expert - Hacker - Gadgeteer - Detective - High IQ - Exceptional Hearing - Master of Stealth - Escape Artist - Skilled Martial Artist - Proficient Acrobat - Strategist
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| − | | paraphernalia = Cowl feauturing built-in radio devices and visor with multiple vision-modes - High-powered grapple and line-launcher - Gliding cape - Impact gauntlets - Utility belt - "Swiftblade" boomerangs - Bolas - Smoke pellets - Anaesthetic gas pellets - Explosive devices - Miniaturized dart gun - Variable binders - Lockpicking tools - Homing devices - Data storage devices - Multi-purpose UNTIL PDA featuring custom state-of-the-art hacking and decryption interfaces - "Watcher" V-4 Owljet Interceptor
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| − | | strength = 2
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| − | | endurance = 4
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| − | | agility = 6
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| − | | speed = 3
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| − | | fighting = 7
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| − | | projectiles = 5
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| − | | durability = 3
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| − | | resistance = 2
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| − | | intelligence = 7
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| − | | psyche = 5
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| − | | intuition = 7
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| − | | charisma = 5
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| − | |}}
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| − | '''Charlotte Thorpe is Swiftlet. As a young girl she was rescued from the clutches of a serial-killer by the vigilante Nighthawk. With childish illusions shattered and the cruel underbelly of the world laid bare, it soon became clear that the course of her life had taken a profound turn. With the memories of that night always close to heart, Charlotte fixed her attention on this grim new reality and delved deep into what would become an ongoing study into the mechanisms and mindsets employed by the corrupt, the cruel and the criminally insane. Adopting the online alias 'Swiftlet' she began her crime-fighting career by publishing anonymous articles, sometimes even providing compelling evidence or routes of inquiry for investigating authorities.'''
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| − | '''In recent years her drive to combat wrongdoing has led her to take a more direct role in fighting crime by taking to the streets as a masked avenger. With the backing of a mysterious benefactor, Swiftlet is quickly becoming a vigilante in her own right. A skilled martial artist, resolute detective and creative technophile, she has set her sights on the darkest figures of the underworld and works to subvert them wherever she can.'''
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| − | ='''''<div style="color:#282828; background-color: #282828">Personality[[File:SwiftPers.png|left]][[ File:HooktalonsSmall.png|79px|right]]<br><br></div>'''''=
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| − | [[File:Charlie.jpg|235px|left| <font color=#00000>Charlotte Thorpe.</font>| thumbnail]]
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| − | A reserved and introverted young woman, Charlotte can often seem aloof and distant to a fault. Out of costume she maintains a complex facade which allows her to operate in social situations, but she's something of a social chameleon and operates the levers of interaction without ever letting her guard down. As a result she's somewhat easy to like but difficult to know. A tomboy by nature, she tends to dress for function rather than fashion.
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| − | Whilst generally friendly and considerate in manner, she is extremely hard-working and takes her responsibilities as a crime-fighter very seriously. In times of crisis Charlotte can be in equal parts reckless and standoffish, but a deeply-held compassion for all life, human or otherwise, informs everything that she does. Ever cynical, she tends to keep a close eye on her crime-fighting colleagues as much as her enemies which can make her difficult to work with.
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| − | As Swiftlet she is an observant planner, preferring to hang back and take stock of a situation before reacting. When pushed to fight she is quick, methodical and acrobatic, though always preferring the smart and silent approach. This mindset of preparation and looking before she leaps has helped her to tackle foes much larger and stronger than herself, even those with superpowers or other natural advantages which place them well above her own power level.
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| − | UNTIL records indicate that she is particularly resilient to mind-control and induced fear, having passed a number of stability tests and manipulation exercises without compromising her will to resist. That said, she has revealed a certain vulnerability when faced with the events of her childhood. Situations involving ambushes, abductions or physical restraint show a tendency to elevate her responses and provoke aggression. Psych. evaluations are inconclusive, but after a six-month observation period UNTIL specialists declined her for active duty and she has since broken all ties with the organization.
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| − | ='''''<div style="color:#282828; background-color: #282828">History[[File:SwiftHist.png|left]][[ File:HooktalonsSmall.png|79px|right]]<br><br></div>'''''=
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| − | '''Broken Bird'''
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| − | '''Charlotte Thorpe encountered the ugly face of evil early in her life. At the age of nine she saw her younger friend and neighbour Salim bundled into a van by a strange man. Having snuck away from home with Salim, and with no way to contact either of their parents, she made the decision to pursue the kidnapper's vehicle on her bike.
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| − | The stranger's name was Vasili Morlay, but he would later come to be known as the Wendyhouse Man, a predator now thought to have murdered at least 12 young people in Ohio and surrounding states in the preceding decade.
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| − | [[File:VasiliMorlay2.png|120px|left]]
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| − | Unbeknownst to both killer and victim the vigilante Nighthawk had been following in Morlay's footsteps having connected him to an unrelated case in Detroit and he was apprehended the next day, but not before Thorpe was forced to endure a terrifying night of cat-and-mouse in his squalid home when she was caught trying to rescue her friend.
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| − | Charlotte escaped a grim fate by the skin of her teeth when Nighthawk reached the scene, but her friend Salim was not so lucky. As the Wendyhouse Man's sole survivor Charlotte would come to know a deep and unyielding sense of personal guilt as she grew older, not to mention a compulsive fascination with her masked saviour.
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| − | '''Grounded
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| − | In the following years Charlotte grew more withdrawn and aloof, developing into a quiet but intense young woman throughout school and in spite of long and recurring periods of therapy. Her reserved nature threw a wedge between her and her schoolmates and though she felt increasingly alienated from her peers Charlotte nonetheless excelled in her studies. Her natural athleticism and agility also earned her a number of awards for which she seemed to care frustratingly little. Work and practice consumed her night and day and in the midst of her online research she developed something of a gruesome fixation with criminals and the deranged, privately gathering clippings and even restricted case files for a menagerie of unsolved atrocities. To her parents it was a worrying pattern of obsession, avoidance and distraction. For Charlotte it was a quest for understanding, an effort to make sense of the events of her curtailed childhood. As she delved deeper into the nature of the criminal world what began as a morbid curiosity soon developed into full-on detective work. By the time she was eleven years old she had begun to foster a range of investigative techniques and she studied tirelessly in the methods of basic forensic science - the same methods that had led a certain hawk-eyed hero to rescue her just two years earlier.
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| − | By the time she entered high school she had already surpassed her peers in drive and intellect and quickly secured a foothold in the area of journalistic study, utilizing her talents for intuitive reasoning and cyber-intrusion to inform articles for her school paper. Whilst still at school she managed to get herself flagged as a person of interest by UNTIL for her attempted forays into their encrypted networks and government channels, a fact that remained unknown to her until recently. At 15 her father, an engineer, took a job at Harmon Industries and so brought his family with him to live in Millenium City. It was here in the so-called city of the future, a hotbed of superhuman activity and sinister corporations, that Charlotte began to cultivate the notion of becoming a vigilante.
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| − | [[File:SwiftletSymbold.png|165px|center]]
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| − | '''An Idea Hatches'''
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| − | The first step was to fashion an online persona - a pseudonym by which she could act with impunity and report on stories that were too hot for a quirky high school publication. Nighthawk himself had long since vanished from the public eye, but Charlotte paid tribute to his legacy by adopting another shadow-dwelling bird as her emblem: the swiftlet. Small and smart, the swiftlet makes its home in secluded caves and uses a form of echolocation to ensure that the dark corners of the world hold no secrets.
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| − | Swiftlet's first year was a difficult one, not least because of her decision to drop out of school so that she could study from home and work freelance. Her parents chastised her about wasted potential, moreso when she took on a deadbeat job working as a typist for an older man downtown. In reality Charlotte was putting her potential to the best use that she could imagine. Writing articles about the cruel and corrupt could never satisfy her unless she tried to do something about it, a sentiment that resonated with her new employer and the man who would become the young vigilante's staunchest ally and most demanding teacher.
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| − | [[ File:Cage.jpg|235px|left| <font color=#00000>The Cage.</font>| thumbnail]]
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| − | '''Cage'''
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| − | ''"The world is so fixated with superhumans that you forget what ordinary people can do. We have our own monsters."''
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| − | ''"And our own heroes."''
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| − | - Cage and Charlotte Thorpe
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| − | The voice in Swiftlet's earpiece. Assumed by many to be nothing more than a sophisticated Artificial Intelligence, in truth the reclusive and enigmatic Cage is quite real. A man of solemn demeanour and myriad skills both physical and cerebral, he has been Charlotte's secret mentor for the past two years. Pushing fifty, Cage is a curiosity in that he has no recorded identity even amongst UNTIL's extensive records and the truth behind his origins is a secret that he seems determined to carry to his grave.
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| − | His only regular interactions are with his new protégé, who is determined to live up to his towering expectations. Under Cage's guidance, and after a series of rocky first meetings, Swiftlet has developed from a low-level hacker and cyber-vigilante into a skilled detective and formidable martial artist. With the benefit of his seemingly limitless knowledge of fighting styles Cage has helped her learn to take advantage of her sharp wits, natural agility and even her short stature. Together they have endeavoured to transform her perceived weaknesses into her greatest strengths, and with her mentor's technological genius behind her the budding Westside-based vigilante has begun to take her first strides into the realm of global superhuman threats.
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| − | Though Cage welcomed UNTIL's sanctions of his young apprentice he remained adamant that she maintain her discretion and keep his involvement, even his existence, entirely confidential. This has at times put strain on their mentor-pupil relationship, especially in cases where Charlotte has been forced to test the boundaries of her integrity and offer half-truths or outright lies to gain UNTIL support. In spite of his apparent paranoia and questionable behaviour, Charlotte has come to understand the magnitude of the trust that he has placed in her as his only human confidant. Whatever the nature of his secret past, she has ultimately decided to return that trust and remains steadfast in her loyalty, choosing to remain in league with Cage rather than join UNTIL as she had planned.
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| − | [[File:DetroitSunrise.jpg|935px|center]]
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| − | '''A Dark Night'''
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| − | ''"... our headline this evening: The one-time Champion and superhero, Nighthawk, has been identified at the scenes of no less than ten major super-crimes in Millenium City. The MCPD's Chief Surhoff warns all citizens to be on alert for the masked vigilante, and a warrant has been issued for his arrest. I've been your anchor Cole Steadmann, and from all of us here in the studio... goodnight and God bless."''
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| − | ''It's not him.''
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| − | The television winked out before Charlotte's eyes. Dinner with mom and dad could not have come at a worse time. Nighthawk's apparent return had brought with it a rash of criminal activity around the city and speculation was abound. Anybody who was anybody in Millenium City had already put their pet theory forward for the media, be it rumors of the vigilante's past mental illness or overzealous ravings of alien possession.
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| − | ''I know his style. Everybody does, and this isn't it.''
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| − | If it were any other night she'd be out there chasing down leads and collecting evidence, but it was dad's birthday and Charlotte's progressively elusive nature had begun to arouse suspicions of its own in her family. She watched her parents and feigned attention as they exchanged words, felt herself laughing at some inappropriate comment from father even as her brain ticked over the details of the report. When had she become so deceptive?
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| − | In the early days she'd hidden her true self behind an online pseudonym. Charlotte Thorpe played the role of Swiftlet, the internet vigilante with a provocative blog and school deadlines to meet. That was before she met Markus Cage. In the months since she'd left home Charlotte had allowed Cage to subject her to the most intense and grueling training imaginable. She had been tortured physically and emotionally. She had broken herself down and begun to build herself into something new, something intangible and unstoppable. Somewhere along the way she found herself falling into familiar patterns of deception and control, manipulative strategies to appease the worries of all who knew her. More and more she found that Charlotte Thorpe was becoming the pseudonym, a red herring to cast suspicion away from the weapon that she was becoming.
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| − | ''"... what do you think, Charlie?"''
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| − | ''"Probably just snapped in the head, it had to happen sooner or later."''
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| − | The words prickled in her mouth as she entered them seamlessly into the conversation. Snapped in the head. Nighthawk had saved Charlotte's life as a child. The memories of that night came back to her in bits and pieces in the years following the kidnapping. She'd never told her parents of the vigilante's role in saving her from the Wendyhouse Man, and now she realized that she probably never would. Is that the root of all of this? A kind of fanatical tribute to the man who had delivered her from evil on the worst night of her life? It felt unavoidable. The seeds were sown all those years ago, and in truth the thread of Charlotte Thorpe's life had come unraveled long ago. She learned young how to fake a smile, how to raise the pretense of an ordinary life when everything inside was turmoil and regret. Maybe Charlotte and Swiftlet became separate entities in that single gruesome night. Maybe Nighthawk wasn't the only one who was snapped in the head.
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| − | [[File:NightHawkDown.jpg|235px|right]]
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| − | ''"Oh, thanks Charlie,"'' smiled her mom as she began to collect up the dishes. The goodwill would give her an opportunity to leave early, to put the facade to sleep and let Swiftlet soar.
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| − | She began to trundle out of the room with the plates stacked high, but paused at the window to look out across the city. The towering structures of Downtown Millenium City glittered under a clear midnight sky, themselves overshadowed by the immense monolithic skyscrapers which circled the Renaissance Center. Nestled somewhere amidst the cacophonic urban chorus was the sound of blaring police sirens. Her trained ears told her that they were speeding towards Westside, as they often did, but on this night Charlotte couldn't help but wonder if they'd been sent in force to apprehend the hooded vigilante who had been her childhood hero. Her eyes roamed the gleaming cityscape before her.
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| − | ''Where are you?''
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| − | '''Aspect of the Hawk'''
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| − | [[ File:Swiftlet2c.jpg|365px|left| <font color=#00000>Birds of a feather flock together.</font>| thumbnail]]
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| − | ='''''<div style="color:#282828; background-color: #282828">Skills and Abilities[[File:SwiftSkill.png|left]][[ File:HooktalonsSmall.png|79px|right]]<br><br></div>'''''=
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| − | {{WIP}}
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| − | [[Category:Character]][[Category:Human]][[Category:Female]][[Category:American]][[Category:Teenager]][[Category:Single]][[Category:Hero]][[Category:Secret Identity]][[Category:Non-Powered Hero]][[Category:Journalist]][[Category:Detective]][[Category:Technology]][[Category:Espionage]][[Category:Acrobat]][[Category:Martial Arts]][[Category:Hacker]][[Category:UNTIL]]
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