Again another sample fo custom awesomeness lol

[Taken from an rp with Merrick Cross]


Keno Cassidy is one of the last remaining original bloodline of the tribe of Amazon women that ruled over men so long ago now, but she seemed to have a disregard for men burned into her genetics. Like Vanity she was one of the top female Elite bounty hunters for the Illuminati Elite Underground, in fact she had once been the top female hunter, and for many a year at that. That was until that bitch Vanity Jensen had come along. Never had any female outshone Keno the way Vanity had, she had seemed to have a natural flare for everything she turned her hand to, it was both frustrating and sickening at the same time. It was almost as if the girl wasn't human. In fact Keno was convinced she wasn't, not the usual breed or kind anyway, if nothing else Keno simply couldn't admit defeat at the hands of an ordinary f***ing human. Keno herself was blessed with a strange and exotic bloodline, also a true original ancestor of the Mitochondrial Eve, and the parasite was strong in her blood, the strongest it had ever been in any of her ancestry. Not the usual mitochondrial strain either that could be found in the body and genetics of all humans, Kenos' mitochondrial symbiote was evolved and mutated. And it made her somewhat super-human.

Mitochondria are the powerhouse of the cell. Technically "organelles" mitochondria are essentially symbiotes - they consume the sugars that our bodies have converted from food, and in return produce electricity with which to power the cell. A symbiote is similar to a parasite. The difference is that parasites are never beneficial to their hosts, whereas symbiotes perform a service which is beneficial to the symbiote and the host. 

Mitochondria are considered separate from the cell, the reason for this is that they have their own DNA - DNA which is unaffected by other genetic exchanges. Throughout a persons' family tree, no matter how many different genetics are thrown into the ancestral mix so to speak, the genetic make-up of the mitochondria always stays the same.
Mitochondria remains intact through the female line. Male sperm contains only enough mitochondria to power the sperm to the surface of the egg - it does not enter the egg. The egg, however, contains mitochondria that have been passed from mother to daughter for countless generations. 

The only "commonly known" way for mitochondrial DNA to alter is by natural mutations, which normally occur very slowly when compared with the almost frantic gene mixing, we and our parents take part in. Scientific research around the planet shows fundamental similarities in mitochondrial DNA in living humans and suggested that we all contain genetic material from a single woman who was living in Africa around 200,000 years ago. She was the one they named The Mitochondrial Eve. However, for some reason Kenos' natural mutation as it were has moved at an alarming rate of acceleration, and teamed with the commonly unknown ways of the Illuminati Elite scientists of The Underground they found a way to alter and boost the separate DNA within her mitochondria even further (A process that would kill someone of the average variety of mitochondria) and keep her in the continual evolution that made her what she was today. Totally enhanced in almost every way. 

Since the day Vanity had almost killed her during a sparring session that involved little more than skill and the usual performance enhancers and gene tonics that all the hunters had access to, she had felt a burning hatred for the Jensen girl and made an enemy of her more than willingly. Despite the severe punishment Vanity received for it at the hands of their superior Kadaji, it became almost as if he found some secret thrill in pitting them against one another. It seemed that for every contract Keno got, Vanity got an opposing counter-contract. For example, if Keno was given was given a contract of protection, Vanity was given a counter-contract for the capture or murder of the same contract subject and vice versa etc etc, and much to Kenos' ever growing frustration Vanity always seemed to come out on top and fulfil her contract demands to the last letter. It was a frustration and hatred that only grew to extremes when Vanity eventually took Kenos' place as top female hunter. As if the public humiliation of her nearly dying at that cocky little sluts' hands wasn't enough, now she had lost out to her on the one thing she was famed and revered for throughout the underground, the one thing other than her ancestry that she could truly call her own. 

It was this hatred she felt for Vanity that spurred her on to discover what she could about this so called human, and it was only really by chance that she had recently discovered the truth about Vanity being the first female homunculus, genetically designed and modified to house something called "The Xiaede" Though it was more than obvious that this "creation" was not aware of the power she truly housed within, her genetics remained locked and if her awareness was brought about before due time it was possible that Vanity would in effect self-destruct. Possible and probable but not certain. As an experiment like this had never taken place before and so said results were merely theory and speculation. 

On the other side of things, it was possible that this sudden awareness may also make her genetics unstable and she would switch between being herself and this Xiaede creature, or it may also accelerate Vanity into her planned evolution and complete the process. 

So consumed by bitterness, hate and vengeance for the Jensen girl was Keno, that she was willing to take the risk, to push that metaphorical button she had no business even knowing the existence of. Then she would go down in the history of The Underground. Keno the Catalyst, now that had a nice little ring to its' sound. Little was Keno aware of what a truly great threat she posed to The Elites' plans regardless of which way it went. Of course, the Elite knew about her little plans, it was the Elite that had given her the opportunity to find out such plans in the first place, there wasn't much that went un-noticed to them, they were always watching and waiting and if there was one thing, they could predict it was the behaviour and thought process of those that worked for them. 

Every Elite employee etc was micro-chipped with the veri-chip. They were led to believe it was so that they could be found no matter where they were, a kind of keep you safe and locate you when necessary thing. But unknown to them the veri-chip did a great deal more than just that. It also worked like a transmitter, being able to both send and receive information of various kinds, among such things recorded etc were Kenos' reactions to the information she was presented with. And in their eyes, she had definitely become a dangerous liability.

Unseeable, unsenseable, untraceable Kadaji had been monitoring Keno for a while, everywhere she went the unseen eyes of the Illuminati were upon her whether she knew it or not. She had chosen this little sh*t heap hotel foolishly thinking that she was safe from prying eyes and ears, but Kadaji was already ten steps ahead of her thinking. He'd had the place installed with secret cameras and wired weeks ago. He knew Keno only too well, her tactics and the like, he'd trained and drummed most of them into her himself over the years, he knew exactly what she'd do, when she'd do it and how she'd do it. Oh, predictable little Keno, nothing like his prized little Vanity, she was unpredictable at the best of times. Regardless of what information her chip picked up, he could never truly pin-point exactly what she might do next, she could change her mind and/or course of action in a split-second when the mood took her, it was both a blessing and a curse to him at the same time. Like having an unruly teen in his midst, but she could think on her feet in many ways his other hunters didn’t or couldn't. Vanity was a liability in the right way.

Kadaji sat in his office and was surprised to see the screen flick on hours earlier than he'd expected as the motion sensors picked up movement in the apartment, he sat forward with an interested frown, and a smile, almost smirk curled the edge of his lips as he shook his head in amusement. Variable change in situations was indeed a beautiful thing at times, and this was perfect. Merrick Cross, one of the oldest and most powerful pure breed Lycans to grace the face of the planet was right there on the screen in front of him. It was almost too good to be true. Merrick’s reputation preceded him and rightly so. It was almost poetic; Keno had failed to fulfil her contract on the lone wolf a few years ago. Failed miserably in fact. And yet here he was taking a shower in her little plotting den of iniquity. 

There was also more than met the eye to the gene tonics etc that were readily available for the hunters, yes, they enhanced performance and did the job they were supposed to, but in order to do so they interfered with the takers' genetics, that was how they worked. Most knew this but not many questioned it beyond that point. In actuality, the gene tonics helped the takers' metabolism to be more receptive and open to the input and output of the veri-chip, which in turn gave people like Kadaji control of them to a certain extent. It also gave the opportunity for the person in control to alter the extent of the effects that the performance enhancers had on the person taking them.

Kadaji sat back with a grin, it would be a while before Keno returned there but the show that awaited him would most definitely be worth the wait. Merrick didn't look like he was in a hurry to get out of there, not that he needed to be. He probably presumed it was the abode of some mere mortal that he could take out in an instant and with what Kadaji had in mind, he wouldn't be far wrong. 

When Keno had originally been assigned to track and hunt Merrick it had been to simply shoot him with a gun that tagged him with a similar micro-chip so they could monitor his movements. Or at least that was what she was lead to believe, she was also told that all previous hunters before her had failed. What she wasn't told was they were ordinary hunters, not hunters of the Elite. Many of which had been quite literally torn limb from limb. But it didn't matter, they were all just toy soldiers and pawns for the sacrifice anyway. The very top sectors and the cream of the crop were the ones that mattered. They were the ones that the Elite didn't want to lose.

The Elite had extensive files regarding Mr Cross and his escapades and antics, and among them also was a great deal of footage of the carnage he created including the previous hunters he had so mercilessly slaughtered along the way. And Keno had seen them upon being assigned her contract. Keno had an irrational fear of Lycans, but none so much as Merrick Cross, she of course denied it and hid it well, not wanting to show weakness of any kind, but the output of her veri-chip told a very different story and exposed her fear for what it really was. Kenos' contract had been somewhat of a test for her if she did but know it, a test that she didn't pass, thus making her eligible for sacrifice so to speak. 

She had simply failed because in effect she had bottled it, her panic and fear had gotten in the way of her contract duties and when push had come to shove and she was forced to face her greatest fear she had crumbled. She'd missed the shot and instead of attempting to get close enough to shoot again or insert the dart by hand, she had panicked and fled, choosing instead to save her own skin and in the process showing where her loyalties truly lay - With herself.

Kadaji had no doubt in his mind that Vanity would have succeeded where Keno had failed, especially because of what she was, and he knew she'd have died trying in the process, such was her tenacity. The fact that he knew this in himself gave himself justification for not even testing her in the first place. 

Keno however had of course lied through her teeth about the situation instead of just admitting what had happened, which lowered Kadajis' opinion of her all the more. Even on the rare occasions that Vanity had failed in her contracts she had always been honest and told the truth of what had really happened even if she thought it would reflect on her badly, which unknown to her had earned her a great deal more respect and trust.

Locating Keno via her chip, Kadaji set about making alterations to it. He set it so that her tonics would be limited to no more than a few minutes and all her genetic modification would be null and void. She would feel the initial "hit" of the tonics as it were but it would burn out fast. The day she had lied about the contract, he had overheard her in the Elite Hunters' Lodge boasting and spouting all kinds of sh*t about how she could have taken on Merrick regardless of tonics and enhancers due to her ancestry and natural genetics. Well now's your chance Cassidy. Let's see what you're really made of he thought to himself as a sly grin crept across his face.

If she proved herself, then he'd silently take his hat off to her and give credit where it was due, but if she failed as he knew and secretly wished she would, then Merrick would have done him a favour and saved him the trouble of dealing with her himself before she managed to wreak her chaos where Vanity’s' knowledge and awareness of what she truly was, was concerned.

For the remainder of the time he awaited, Kadaji simply went about business as usual, his mind forever wandering to ideas of what may occur between Cross and Cassidy. Would he simply obliterate her? Maybe she would simply flee as she had before, perhaps Merrick may not finish the job and leave Keno to bleed out on the floor, maybe she'd survive his vicious bite and be turned into the very thing she feared the most. With a creature so skilled, cunning and strong as Merrick it was somewhat difficult to predict. Keno matched his strength, or did she? Perhaps like so many others she had become a little too dependent on her tonics and enhancers. While it was on his mind Kadaji also quickly set her chip to be immune to the effects of epinephrine too.

Eventually Keno returned. No sooner was she through the door than Merrick’s senses and awareness of her kicked into action, whereas Keno seemed to be currently unaware of his presence in the other room, perhaps her senses were not so sharp as they were normally when her modification was active, or maybe she was just too wrapped up in the distractions of her own ego feeding as she thought about her little plans regarding Vanity. 

It wasn't until Keno approached the bedroom door that her instinct seemed to kick in. Reaching for the door handle she suddenly stopped in her tracks, fingers curling back and recoiling with her hand, tilting her head a little as a frown burrowed into her forehead in suspicion.

Keno didn't know what lay beyond the door awaiting her in the darkness, but she presumed it was Vanity. Little bitch she thought how the f*** you find me here anyway? A smug smile formed beneath her frown. Welcome to the lions' den bitch! she thought. Half of her couldn't believe her luck. Here was Vanity, and so too was the information she was going to reveal to her, well not right here, it was hidden in the lounge area. But still Keno had everything she needed right here, all her weaponry, all her tonics, all the information that would bring that arrogant little bitch whore to her own self-destruction.

Keno stepped back from the door, biting her lip to prevent herself from laughing out loud. She had no need to go and get any extra equipment, she had everything she needed right here on her person. Taking a light orb from her pocket she swung the door open stepping away, back flat to the wall outside, gun-blade and throwing daggers in hand. She took out a couple of the high-tech syringes and dosed herself up with everything she had. 

She tossed the orb into the darkened room and turned her head as the glass shattered in a blinding flash, now Vanity was stunned and temporarily blinded she charged through the door screaming obscenities flicking the light on on the way. As soon as she saw movement, she threw the blades and fired a few shots and grabbed her sword. The first thing she noticed was her speed wasn't as fast as it should've been with the epinephrine, but the tonics still seemed to be working, her confidence deadened slightly she was determined not to give up. She needed to get that bitch restrained and immobile as soon as possible.

The second thing she realised with a somewhat sicking blow was that it was not Vanity in the room but the one and only Merrick Cross. Her jaw dropped open in horrified recognition and she froze in sheer panic for a moment. F*** no! Confusion raced through her, why was he here? She didn't have time to think about it right now. She had no choice now, she had to fight or run, yet she still remained glued to the spot. She had more than likely antagonised him beyond all belief, he wasn't known to be the most forgiving or mild tempered Lycan by any means. The time that passed had been but seconds, but to Keno it felt like an eternity as she gazed upon her worst fear once more.

Unlike Keno, Vanity had no idea who Merrick was, well she knew the name, breed and reputation through hearsay, but she had no idea what he actually looked like, also with so many rumours abound throughout the Elite Underground she usually paid little mind to what she heard as a lot of it did tend to turn out to be embellishing and exaggeration most of the time. Though that being said she also knew that there was rarely smoke without fire in the things that were said and there was usually some truth buried in amongst the mass of untruths that surrounded and encased it all, so she always took some of it on board but tended to take an approach of the I'll believe it when I see it kind of attitude towards things.

Not long after Kadaji had had his fill of brutal entertainment at the hands of Merrick and the misfortune of Keno, he had contacted Vanity and journeyed with her to the hotel and the room he had previously been watching on the screens before him. He sent Vanity into the dingy kitchen area to search, distracting her from himself collecting the information that Keno had left hidden in the lounge, and distracted she was, he could hear her rummaging and rustling about making loud exclamations of her opinions regarding the cleanliness of the place. It was quite amusing to him in a way really; not that his fixed facial expression of continual seriousness ever gave away what was going on his mind. But for a girl that got her hands dirty on a daily basis with the work and killing she carried out he found her to be really quite squeamish when it came to the common dirt and filth such as that that she was now encountering in the kitchen.

"Nope. F*** all interesting in there. Unless you count multiple bacteria and its' surrounding breeding ground as being of optimal importance" she said as she came through the lounge door behind him with a sneer of distaste twisting her face. "God this place is vile. I can't believe people actually pay to stay in places like this. Not at least without a tetanus jab first anyway. It needs f***ing fumigating. It'd be like paying to expose yourself to disease"

Kadaji simply turned his head and looked at her with a raised brow through his pale hair. "Yes, well, not everybody is quite so well off or advantaged as you Jensen" he said in a flat tone. "Besides, I'm sure you've encountered worse in your time"
"Ain't that the f***in' truth" she half scoffed as she eyed the room about her with an air of utter disgust. "Still it aint that f***ing expensive for a bottle of bleach is it?" She placed her hands on her hips and huffed. "You find anything in here? What you bring me here for anyway?"

Kadaji didn't answer, he just looked at her. It wasn't an unusual reaction for him, in fact any reaction would be unusual really, he was one of those that said little more than was needed and he rarely, if ever, stepped out from his self-contained professionalism. It was but one of the many things Vanity admired about him, his self-control and focused clarity in situations was second to none. No matter what he was presented with he always seemed cool, calm, collected and unfazed in a way that bordered on utter indifference. Even on the rare occasions that he seemed angry or frustrated etc he was always completely restrained.

"Emotion can be your greatest enemy. Know this. Understand it and understand it completely. Do not let it rule you OR your judgement. YOU are the one that is in control of your emotions; not the other way around. To misunderstand, misuse or ignore this can lead you to fatality" Kadajis' words of wisdom rang through her mind as they often did, triggered by thought patterns and such; sometimes consciously and other times unconsciously as if somebody had pressed a switch inside her head. Kadajis' varied teachings seemed ingrained into the very folds of her brain tissue as if he had carved them in with his own hand. Deep routed and practically impossible to ignore or forget no matter how hard you might try at times to push them aside. Not that she'd want to really, they explained far more than they actually said, they could very often be a life saver and at the very least they were exceptionally good advice.

The bathroom and bedroom were the only places left to enter and search. Due to Kadajis' lack of informing and his silence in regards to answering her questions, she knew better than to ask again or press the issue further, it wouldn't make him any more revealing or forthcoming if she did, she would simply receive the same look and silence as she had already. Whatever it was she was there for or looking for she'd know when she found it, if he'd have thought it necessary to enlighten her any further then he would have told her more, such was his way of doing things. 

For all she knew it could be one of the Elites' random tests, if so this one would probably be a test of her observation skills, and thus it was better for her to eradicate any distracting questions, ideas or assumptions of the situation etc from her mind and focus on whatever it was that she was supposed to be doing.

She sauntered through the small lounge area past her superior, glancing around the room and noting that there seemed to be nothing there that looked new or out of place. Yeah, Kadaji hadn't said he'd found anything interesting, but he hadn't said he hadn't found or noticed anything either. Again like a switch being pushed his words rang through her head. "Just because somebody or something tells you or leads you to believe that something is a fact or truth doesn't make it so. Likewise the same can be said if they say the opposite or nothing at all. Wherever possible do not give in to assumption. If you are to assume anything, then let it be that you know nothing. ALWAYS keep an open mind"

On some occasions Kadajis' words and teachings were confusing or contradictory to certain extents, but she had learned quickly enough to just take them on board and accept them, to apply them where was appropriate or needed in various situations, to read between the lines or whatever. To question and challenge him, though he was pleased and welcoming whenever such questioning arose, would simply bring about the sentence "And there in lies the paradox. For every rule there is one or more exceptions. Use your initiative" 

As Vanity approached the bedroom door Kadaji was immediately at her side watching her every move. She presumed that he already knew there was nothing to be feared here or he'd have gone ahead of her and swept all areas on their arrival to the hotel room to make sure the coast was clear throughout. (She wondered briefly if she should mention this. If it was indeed a test of observation then she wanted him to know that she had observed this) Or would he have done that? Maybe he had purposely not done such a thing to see if she would enter into an unsecured domain, which she had, and hence silently kicked herself for this mistake right now.

The door was ajar slightly and standing back a bit she grabbed for a weapon and pushed the door open a little further. Her attention and focus on what she was doing left little room for her to notice how Kadaji was watching her like a hawk and monitoring her reactions. She armed herself with her gun-blade; her favourite weapon of choice these days due to it being a weapon that was excellent for both far and close up attack. The chamber held six bullets, of which there were two silver, two gold and two average with a cross carved in the end, Vanity had found over the years that it proved best to have a bit of everything regardless of whether you knew what you were up against or not.
 
Stepping back she pushed the door open a little but stayed away from it. She didn't need to even enter to notice the sprays and splatters of blood up the walls, she could already see it, and the smell of had already previously hit her nostrils as soon as she had reached the doorway. 

Cautiously she entered, another sneer of disgust spreading across her features and her jaw dropping as the horrific scene was unveiled before her. "Jesusf***mechrist!" she said as she looked at the bloody carnage and tattered remains left on the floor of somebody, or something, it was hard to tell what it had been at first glance really. 

She checked over the room and made sure there was nobody or anything in any of the hiding places there in before returning her attention to the shredded corpse at her feet. Crouching down and frowning she put on some latex gloves, put her gun-blade away and pulling one of her longer knives out she began to poke and prod at the bits of flesh as she moved them around. 
The face and body were unrecognisable, the only thing she could tell was that the victim had been black. At first she couldn't even tell if the victim had been male or female. From the entrails and innards that were strewn about she presumed the victim had been human, or at least of the humanoid variety, or in their human form when they had been slain so brutally.

As she moved the remains around something caught her eye in the light. Broken glass. She looked at the window but there wasn't even a crack in it. Reaching for the blood-stained glass she held it up and looked more closely, her frown deepening as she recognised the remains of what she thought may have been a light orb. Putting the glass back down she got down on her hands and knees and began to search through the remains with her gloved hands in an almost frantic motion, tossing body parts all over and routing about in them. 

It wasn't long before her ideas were confirmed as she found several pieces of Elite weaponry and empty vials of gene tonics hidden amongst the mass before her.

She turned to look at Kadaji as he was wiping off congealing blood that Vanity had inadvertently splattered on him as she'd been in her frenzied search. "First thoughts Jensen?" asked Kadaji as he looked back at her.

"Well, whoever it was. I think it was one of ours" she said as she continued to pick through the mess and organic debris, her eyes widening as she spotted something she recognised beyond a shadow of a doubt. "Holy f***!...I think it was Keno!" she said lifting up a finger with a golden ring on it. "Look. This ring is hers, it was the one handed down through her tribe ancestry" She put the finger aside and grabbed what was left of the upper arm and began wiping the blood away. "Yeeeaaah, it was Keno alright" she verified as she recognised the matching tattoo on the arm, holding it up for Kadaji to see.

She almost f***ing laughed out loud. But at the same time she felt a slight remorse that her main rival was now gone, slaughtered at the hands of another. Vanity had wanted to end Keno herself really but to kill fellow Illuminati was forbidden unless you were given permission or contracted to do so. So she had always just made do with publicly humiliating her and out doing her at every chance she got. She even wondered for a moment if she would give so much effort now that she had no Keno to contend with. "Is this what you brought me here for?" she asked Kadaji with a slightly confused look on her face. 
Kadaji nodded at her. "I wanted you to see first-hand what you'll be up against"

Vanity’s' face filled with surprise. "What I'll be up against?" Oh God please don't tell me I have a contract to avenge the death of Keno. she thought. If so, she couldn't quite decide if it was irony or insult.
Again Kadaji nodded. "Yes you are to find the being that did this to Keno and bring it back to us...alive" 

"Alive! Are you f***ing joking?!" the question was rhetorical, Kadaji was never one to joke. She exhaled heavily and shook her head. "So why did we search the place. Why not just bring me straight to this room and show me seeing as you seem to already know about all this"

"Well you will need some form of lead wont you? A creature like this is not easily traced or found you know" he said with a serious expression. 

"A creature like what?" she said looking back at the pools of blood and the shattered bones she was still half leaning over.
"You tell me" he said. "What do you think caused this?"

"Knowing all the different sh*t we deal with, it could be f***ing anything!" she said as she began to scrutinise what was left of Keno and look around the room and investigate her immediate surroundings a bit more. "Well, I'd say it was big, powerful and fast. Possibly some kind of were-creature. I'd say Lycan at a first guess due to what looks like coarse strands of Lycan fur amongst this blood and also a little between her fingers. It was alone I'd say due to the pattern of claw and teeth marks that are left on the pieces that are still barely intact. Whether or not it took her by surprise is hard to tell coz she's fired off shots and thrown knives but none seem to have hit and the bullets in the wall aren't silver. Her tonic vials are empty which suggests she anticipated a fight or attack but like I say the bullets aren't silver so I don't think she'd have willingly gone up against a Lycan without loading silver bullets first, especially considering her fear of them, but I doubt a different were-creature would have gotten the better of her like that, seeing a Lycan she would have panicked and may have missed her aiming due to that" she paused for breath and continued. "There are shards of light orb on the floor, but the light was already on when we came in so she must have thrown it in first or she may have dropped it during the onslaught, if she dropped it, that could have been what startled the creature and made it leave in a hurry maybe. But I dunno coz different breeds of Lycans attack differently, but the heart has been left in tact...ish" 

She rubbed at her forehead with the back of her arm and huffed. "F*** knows" she said. "But I'd say Lycan. Dunno what kind though, never seen one leave a mess like this before. But as I say, it might have left in a hurry. Not disturbed by anyone else though or it would have been reported and the place would be swarming with police and forensics by now"

Her mind was swirling with all kinds of ideas and possibilities. What are the chances of that? she thought to herself. What ARE the chances of Keno dying at the hands of her worst fear? F***ing madness it is. Was it coincidence? A set up? If a set up, then who could she have been set up by? An anti-Illuminati group? Most groups didn't exorcise their activism through the use of creatures though. Perhaps it was the Illuminati themselves, maybe an Illuminatus that had gone renegade? Her head was practically hurting with theories and ideas, she hated the beginning aspects of things like this, she preferred to be just handed a contract that already outlined most things required etc.

On cue Kadaji handed her a contract chip and she clicked into her ISS (Information Storage System). It was a welcome distraction and she scanned and scrolled through the info that came up on the screen. 

"Well f*** me sideways" she said as she spotted the name of the creature to be brought back alive. "Merrick f***ing Cross. So he does actually exist then"