text:
gaelicspirit —
Gaelicspirit ( gaelicspirit) wrote,
Gaelicspirit
Location: office
Music: Movin' Out by Aerosmith
Stay, 1/2, PG-13, Dean, Sam, GEN
Title: Stay
Author: gaelicspirit
Characters: Dean, Sam
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: Set in Season 1. Timeline is one week after the events that take place in Shadow.
Summary: Sometimes it's not the leaving that's hard.
Disclaimer: They're not mine. More's the pity.
a/n:This story was written a little over a year ago for the Rooftop Confessions 3 zine, March(ish) of 2008, printed by GriffinSong Press. If you read it there, I thank you! Many thanks to the GriffinSong Press for the opportunity. Rooftop Confessions 4 was just printed and includes stories by some fantastic writers. I am honored to have a story included.
"Our situation hasn't exactly improved."
"Just... gimme a second to think."
"That's gonna take... more than a second." Sam ground the last bit out through teeth clenched against currents of hot pain shimmying down his arm.
"Ha fuckin' ha," Dean panted, forcing his tired, stiff fingers to release the metal gate that lined the interior door of the old elevator and, turning on his heel, dropped down beside Sam's sprawled form. "Lemme see."
Before Sam could protest, Dean had grabbed his wrist, pulling his bloody arm toward him, turning it gently in the wan light, his fingers like bands of iron, his actions a dichotomy of might and contrition.
Gritting his teeth, Sam watched his brother's face in the muted, yellow light drifting down from the bare bulb in the ceiling of the elevator car. The light wasn't effective for much besides casting shadows in the corners of the small space and toying with Sam's imagination. Dean frowned, his eyes raking over the slash on Sam's arm, his brows meeting in pissed-off agreement over the bridge of his nose. Sam felt his overheated body chill at that expression.
"Bad?"
"Well, it sure ain't good," Dean muttered, flashing quick green eyes up to Sam's face. The marks left by the daeva's attack last week had nearly healed, but the purpled paths they'd left behind rippled as Dean's forehead creased. "Don't move."
Sam nodded wearily. Dean stood, shrugging out of his long-sleeved flannel shirt with quick, sure movements, then bent and with steady, concise motions, began to wrap Sam's arm.
"Damn, Sammy," he whispered. "Bitch did a number on you."
Sam stiffened, cursing under his breath against the flash of heat, instinctively pulling away from Dean's sure hands as his brother wrapped the black and tan material around the deep cut that ran from the top of his shoulder to his elbow, effectively filleting the skin nearly down to the muscle and soaking his arm, hand, and chest with warm, sticky blood.
"Hold still," Dean commanded, his voice tight.
Dean gripped Sam's arm, trying to close the wound and wrap it tight at the same time. Sam felt water gather in his mouth, fought back the acidic bile that struggled to the surface in reaction to the pain.
"Ah! Damn, Dean!"
"Sorry." Dean's voice gentled and his touch became lighter as he continued to wrap.
"Wh-what hit me?" Sam swallowed, flicking his eyes up to Dean's tense face.
"Fingernails, I think," Dean growled.
Watching Dean's hands, Sam tried to replay the last few minutes in his head, trying to figure out how he'd let the spirit get that close. His thoughts ricocheted, settling on quick sensations, scattered sounds: the burning slice down his arm, Dean's yelled command to go, move, the roar of the shotgun. Then he was pushed, forced, shoved into the elevator car, landing in a tangled heap of legs, pain, and blood.
Sam blinked, shifting his gaze up to Dean's face. The light in his brother's green eyes had turned almost feral; the person Sam usually saw reflecting there was shadowed by fury. When he was younger, Sam had thought the look in Dean's eyes was anger at him—he thought Dean had been upset with him for bobbing when he should have weaved, dodging left instead of right, basically messing up.
It took watching his father react the same way when Dean had been hurt for Sam to see that it was fear and not anger fueling the heavy voice, the rigid jaw, the sharp eyes. Fear of loss. Fear of losing.
"You're supposed to keep this red stuff on the inside, you know," Dean said, his voice softening at Sam's low groan of pain.
"S-so they tell us," Sam quipped back. "Somebody forgot to tell the spirit."
"This should hold it for awhile," Dean said, nodding with satisfaction at his field dressing of the wound. "But we gotta get out of—"
Just as Dean tied off the end of his make-shift bandage, the elevator car shook, hard, knocking him sideways, off his feet. Sam shot wide eyes around the narrow space, holding his wounded arm against his stomach, his other arm sweeping out to press flat against the wood paneling framing the walls.
Dean rolled quickly to his knees, a curse quaking his lips, silenced by caution. Sam slid his eyes over his brother's crouched form. Dean balanced on the balls of his feet, one hand stretched out toward Sam, the other braced against the floor like a runner in starter position. Dean's eyes bounced quickly around the car, shooting up to the ceiling, then back to the gate-lined elevator door.
"Where's the shotgun?" Sam breathed, afraid to speak any louder.
"Bitch knocked it out of my hands."
"Right after I shot at her." Dean looked at him out of the corners of his eyes, and Sam realized that by shoving him into the elevator car to get them away from the spirit, Dean hadn't had time to retrieve their only weapon.
Sam dragged in a trembling breath, heat from his wounded arm sliding over him like vertigo. He rested his gaze on Dean, working to steady himself, his head, his eyes, the hard thrum of his heart. Dean somehow looked… wrong… without a gun in his hands. The elevator car shook again, and Dean went to one knee. They both held still, silent. The barely-healed cuts on Sam's cheek suddenly itched, but he didn't dare move to scratch them. Dean was his benchmark; he wouldn't move until he saw his brother do the same.
The bulb above them flickered, snapping and fizzing as their only source of light lost its valiant fight for survival. The old elevator car was plunged into pitch. Sam heard Dean pull in air. Sam tried to open his eyes wider, hoping to see something... anything. Trying to see Dean.
Black ate black.
Darkness built upon darkness and soon Sam's eyes watered from the need to blink. He licked his lips, shuttering his eyes, wetness seeping from the edges and gathering on his lashes. It was completely silent, save for his heartbeat. He couldn't even hear Dean breathing over the clamoring sound.
Sam felt sweat trickle slowly down the back of his neck, tickling the hairs there and slipping silently beneath his T-shirt collar to chase the length of his spine. He tightened his shoulders. The darkness seemed to grow, absorbing reality. There was no sound. No light. No air... the darkness was killing the air, sucking it up and pulling it away.
He was suffocating.
A sure, steady hand gripped his lower leg and Sam jerked.
"Easy." Dean's voice was low and calming. "Just take it easy, Sammy."
And suddenly Sam could breathe again. Dean kept his hand on Sam's leg, his powerful fingers—so like their father's, Sam realized—tightening reflexively as he shifted. Sam could feel Dean move slightly as he searched for something.
Two quick shnicks and Dean's face was illuminated by the warm light from his Zippo. Sam felt weak from the uncanny relief of just seeing his brother's face. Seeing his brother's eyes reflect reassurance back out at him. Sweat glistening as it ran down Dean's temple to smear the grease and dirt gathered on his left cheekbone from where it had impacted with a wall less than an hour ago.
"There you are." Dean grinned.
Sam smiled back, feeling the tremble of fear on the edges of his lips. "It's doing this. The spirit."
Dean let the lighter go out.
"Probably," he said, his voice casual in the darkness.
Sam held still, not wanting to inadvertently dislodge Dean's hand.
"Dean," Sam said, cursing the weak shiver of air that wrapped around his whisper. "Those people—"
"They're okay for now," Dean replied, and Sam heard his voice sway as he turned his head in the direction of the elevator door.
Don't go, Sam wanted to call out. Stay. Stay right here. But he said nothing.
"As long as they stay inside that salt ring, anyway."
"That Allan guy—"
"I know," Dean interrupted. "He could be a problem."
Dean's sigh was heavy. The slight increase of pressure on Sam's leg carried with it the weight of responsibility Dean had shouldered so many years ago, going it alone without realizing there was someone else there able to carry the load. That weight increased when innocents were endangered. Even if those innocents were arrogant, loud-mouth, bastards like Allan Foley.
"You think he'll step out of the circle?" Sam asked, swallowing, suddenly thirsty.
"I have no idea," Dean replied wearily. "We told him—all three of them—what would happen."
"Hell, they saw what would happen," Sam said softly, thinking of the fourth member of the party they had been trying to get out of the building.
The small group of people had recounted to Sam and Dean how they had all watched helplessly as the spirit had grabbed Sean Andrews, one of the building contractors renovating the old five-story hotel into apartments. Sam remembered the realtor, Jen, describe how, with a choppy tilt of its head, the spirit had burrowed with talon-like nails into Sean's chest, stopping his heart with a vicious clench of its fist.
The elevator car jerked violently a third time, and without warning dropped several feet, sending Dean lurching to his side, across Sam's legs. Sam's stomach bounced nauseatingly to the base of his throat before settling back into place.
"Shit," Dean spat out, trying to untangle himself from Sam in the dark. Sam heard something crack against the wall next to him. "Son of a bitch."
"You okay?"
"No, I'm not okay," Dean complained. "I've had it with this fuckin' spirit."
"Well, we're not exactly in a position to do much about it right now, man," Sam pointed out.
"Like hell," Dean said, his voice low, dangerous, and Sam felt a chill as Dean's hand left his leg. He held his breath, listening as Dean used the wall to Sam's left to gain his feet.
"Dean, we don't know where the bones are," Sam called out. "We got a hundred year-old, renovated building, three people trapped on the fourth floor, and we're stuck in a broken elevator."
"Thanks for the recap," Dean snapped, and Sam heard his voice traveling away from him as he felt along the walls toward the door.
The threadbare industrial carpet that Sam rested upon absorbed very little sound and Sam listened as Dean's boots marked off space. He knew Dean was trying to figure out how much area they had to work with inside of the elevator car. He'd always counted on Dean's constant motion... and the purpose within the movement.
"Sam." Dean's voice came out of the darkness to rest on Sam's ears, pulling him from his reverie. Near as Sam could figure, Dean was standing next to the elevator door in front of the control panel.
"Those letters... the ones on the tail-end of the coordinates Dad sent us..."
"O-T-I-S," Sam supplied.
"Yeah..." Dean's tone was soft with thought.
Sam tilted his head in an automatic gesture of question even though he knew Dean couldn't see his own hand tickle his face in this blackness. He quelled the instant rush of resentment that he'd been struggling against since receiving the coordinates just five days after John had left them, beat-to-hell and bleeding, in the alley behind the apartment building in Chicago. Left them because he was vulnerable with them.
Bullshit, Sam rebelled silently. You just didn't want to stay…
"Otis is the name of the spirit, right? Thought we already discussed this." Sam's tone carried the hard edge of his thoughts.
"Yeah, well." Dean's voice reflected back to him in a muted timbre as he turned his back to the elevator doors and faced Sam. "Don't know about you, but I saw a chick."
Sam blinked, thinking. "Yeah... it's definitely female."
"You know any girl Otis'?"
Sam shook his head, his thoughts jumping like a stone skipped over a still pond, searching for the end point, reaching fingertips of logic toward the solution.
"There's a plaque... thingy above these buttons," Dean said. "Feels like letters..."
"Holy shit," Sam breathed, feeling Dean standing close.
"Didn't some dude named Otis invent the elevator?"
"Elisha Otis," Sam said softly. "Invented the pull system."
"It's the friggin' elevator, Sam."
Sam nodded in agreement, knowing instinctively that despite the pitch-darkness Dean felt it as he felt every response, every refusal, every rebellion, every reaction that Sam had ever made throughout his lifetime. Dean simply listened to him on a different level than the world, than John, than even Jess had.
"Dad was trying to tell us—"
Sam didn't get to finish his sentence.
The car shook again and Sam braced himself against the wall for another plummet, but this time the elevator shot up, fast, hard, jerking to an abrupt stop. Sam bounced roughly against the floor and heard the distinct crack of a body hitting the ceiling then felt the impact as something—an arm?—crashed across his outstretched legs.
Sam ducked, swearing, as the burned-out light bulb and a square of ceiling tile fell away, dropping on top of him. He shook the glass out of his hair and shoved the tile away from him—in the opposite direction than he'd heard Dean land.
"Dean?"
"Hey, Dean, you okay, man?"
The darkness felt suddenly thick around him, as if the jarring elevator had shaken murk from the corners, filling the space inside with nothing, yet leaving no room for them. Sam leaned forward cautiously, reaching out and down with his good arm, searching for his brother. His long fingers tracked down the dusty denim of his legs until he felt the warm skin of Dean's limp arm.
"Dean?" he whispered again, shifting so that he could grip Dean's arm, shaking it. "C'mon ..."
Dean's arm twitched under his hand.
Sam felt along Dean's arm to his brother's T-shirt-clad shoulder, wincing as the increased movement reverberated fiery pain through his own wounded limb, causing his fingertips to quake. His hand found Dean's neck, his hair, his ear, his cheek. Blood, unmistakable in its slick stickiness, flowed freely from a gash that Sam could feel paralleling Dean's eyebrow.
Dean twitched under Sam's exploration once more and this time the movement was accompanied by a low groan.
"Hey, man," Sam whispered, relief making him weak.
"Son of a..." Dean moaned.
"Can you move?"
"Yeah," Dean forced out through clenched teeth.
Sam kept his hand on Dean, sliding it from his brother's face to his shoulder, down his arm, and then finally breaking contact as Dean slowly pulled himself to a sitting position, slumping against the wall next to Sam.
"This isn't an elevator," Dean muttered, and Sam felt him shift, his bare arm resting against Sam's. "It's a fuckin' Jiffy Pop popper ..."
"The spirit's haunting the elevator," Sam pointed out helpfully.
"No shit, really? I'm so glad you're here to tell me these things," Dean grumbled.
Sam ignored him. Knowing that Dean's sarcasm usually increased in direct correlation to his level of pain, Sam continued, "If the spirit is focused on us, maybe those girls will be okay up there with Allan."
"Asshole," Dean muttered. "One of these days we're gonna bleed because we're saving someone who actually deserves it." Sam heard him pull his knees toward his body. "I could handle that. Bleeding for assholes is getting old."
"What about the girls ...Jen and Carina?" Sam heard Dean sigh. "We're bleeding for people like them, Dean."
"Always the silver lining with you, isn't it?"
He felt Dean move again in the darkness and heard the shush of his cotton T-shirt rubbing against the wall of the elevator as his brother stood.
"Whoa." Dean's exclamation was heart-lurchingly weak.
"Gimme a ...gimme a minute," Dean muttered.
Sam reached out to his side and found Dean's legs. Fear stabbed low in his gut at the tremble he felt there.
"Why don't you sit back down?"
"'Cause we're not gonna be able to just ...will ourselves outta here," Dean said, his voice clipped. "Unless you picked up another superpower I don't know about."
"Not lately," Sam said, breathing a bit easier when he felt Dean's leg steady.
"Okay," Dean said, taking a breath. "So ...Dad was trying to tell us that the spirit was tied to the elevator."
Sam felt the muscle in his jaw flinch. "Would have been nice to know before we, y'know, hid in it."
"Nah, Sammy, you were right. This is perfect."
"How do you figure?"
"If it's focusing on us, it'll leave them alone. And we can get rid of it."
"Get rid of it?" Sam's voice was incredulous. "We lost our weapons, we used all of our salt to protect those people back there, and we have to destroy an elevator car. That we just happen to be sitting in."
"I take that silver-lining comment back."
"Face it, Dean." Sam slumped back into the corner, gingerly pulling his wounded arm across his body. "We're screwed." He could feel fresh blood warming the flannel material Dean had so carefully wrapped around his wound.
"No way, Dude. When I'm screwed, I know it."
Sam blinked silently in the darkness, letting the quiet speak for him.
"Shut up," Dean grumbled. "You know what I meant."
"So what's the plan then?" Sam challenged.
"I don't know," Dean tossed back. Sam could hear him moving around the car again. "I'm making this up as I go along." Implied in his pinched tone was the plea to work with me here, Sammy.
Sam sighed. "Okay, well ...aside from the fact that it's tied to the elevator, what do we know about this spirit?"
"It—she—was killed by that Doctor Whosit ..."
"Doctor Rand."
"Yeah, him, back when this building used to be a hotel. We knew he brought a patient with him to stay—just assumed it was Otis."
Sam sighed, rubbing the heel of his hand against his right eye. He was tired. He hadn't slept well since... since the Benders grabbed him. Since they burned Dean. Since they made Dean choose. Sam shivered. He couldn't help but think that sleep might have come easier if John had still been with them. If they hadn't separated. If he had stayed despite what Dean had said.
It was suddenly too quiet.
"You okay, Sammy?"
"Yeah," Sam lied.
Sam opened his mouth, but closed it again almost immediately. How could he tell Dean something he didn't truly understand himself? How could he explain how in one moment the broken puzzle of his fucked-up life had coalesced into a complete picture with the sight of his father's rugged smile, the feel of his father's arms, and then shattered again with the words you've got to let me go and the image of taillights receding in the distance?
Dean had been just as broken by John's departure as Sam—more so, Sam suspected, as Dean was the one to point out that John had to leave. That staying would only bring him pain. And Sam knew that for Dean, bringing their father pain was worse than anything he would suffer in the meantime.
Sam swallowed, deciding to change tactics. "So, this doctor killed the patient how? By throwing her down the elevator shaft?"
"No, don't do that." Dean's voice pitched low, and Sam heard him lean against the wall to his left. "Spill it, Sam."
"'Cause you're the let's-talk-this-through one."
"You never... spill it."
"Doesn't help me."
"How do you know if you've never tried?"
"It's Dad, isn't it?" Dean said, slicing through the bullshit, through the evasive maneuvers, vectoring in on the target of truth as Sam knew he would.
Sam nodded silently in the darkness. Dean was quiet a moment. Sam knew Dean's head had to be beating a rhythm of pain unique as his own heartbeat. He cringed in empathy. The silence continued for almost a full minute, then Sam heard Dean pull in a breath, deep, as if it might be the last one he took.
"It's my fault, Sam."
"What?" Sam leaned forward in surprise, forgetting his arm for a moment. He hissed at the sharp reminder of his wound and melted back against the wall.
"I called him. I fell for Meg's trap and called him."
"I didn't stop you," Sam pointed out.
"He left me to go hunt this demon, Sam," Dean said quietly. "It was the possibility of finding the demon that brought him to Chicago. Not me—er, us."
He left me ... Sam blinked at that. Dean hadn't spoken about John's decision in any other terms than we have to find him. Sam had often found himself wondering how the departure had ultimately happened. Had there been words of anger and betrayal reflecting the night he'd left for Stanford before the moment John disappeared? Had Dean had any idea that he would wake up alone one morning?
"It's not your fault," Sam said quietly. "He was never gonna stay, Dean."
"I sent him away, Sammy." Dean's voice was soft and resigned.
Sam bounced his eyes around the darkness, wanting, needing to see Dean. But all he saw were the images his mind cruelly tossed before his eyes. John's tired smile when home from a hunt after days away. John's tense face when he and Sam were toe-to-toe about something so important at the time that Sam had felt the words rake his insides with sharp edges as they tumbled into reality. Dean's quiet eyes as he calmed Sam down, talking until their Dad's face lost the lines of anger around his eyes and mouth.
I just want us to be a family again...
"Dean, it's not your fault, okay?" Sam shifted his stiffening back, pulling one leg under him, keeping his arm steady. "You did what you were supposed to do. What he trained us to do, man. You called him because we thought the demon was there."
"It's not the first time I called him. Asked him to come."
The words were soft, the voice low, but something behind them screamed at Sam. A wordless scream that sounded like his brother's soul was bleeding.
"Well, yeah, I know, I mean, hell, I called him after the Rawhead—"
"I called him from Lawrence," Dean interrupted.
"You...you did?"
"Yeah." Sam heard Dean shift against the wall. "I didn't... I was pretty sure it wasn't, y'know, our demon in the house, but... it was something and... I didn't want to face it without him."
"Jesus, Dean, I—"
"But the thing is... I did. We did. You and me."
Something new slid into Dean's tone, pulling Sam's head sideways in question.
"After Jess... Sam, you could have gone. You could have left me. But you didn't. You stayed."
"Well... I had to."
"No, you didn't. You're a good hunter, Sam. You could have gone after the demon, just like Dad. You could have gone your own way."
I would never have made it, Sam thought. Not without you. He sat silently, listening to the quiet sound of Dean's breathing. Matching his own breath to his brother's rhythm. In wonder at the honesty darkness could entice into the open.
"Sammy, you and me..." Dean paused. "You were right when you said it's never gonna be like it was before. I didn't realize... that could be a good thing, y'know?"
"It's my fault Dad's not with us because... because right now... it's more than just him being vulnerable when he's with us. We're better off without him."
"What?!" Sam couldn't have been more surprised if he'd suddenly found himself nailed to the carpet.
He heard Dean sigh, as soft as a confession. When he spoke, his voice was tight and Sam could imagine the grimace of pain folding his brother's green eyes together as blood flowed from his forehead.
"He came to us when he thought it would help him, Sam. Not when it would help us. I mean... don't get me wrong. The man is a hero. And I miss him, man. I miss him like hell. But… he's gotta want to stay. He's gotta believe that we're stronger as a family. Or he'll... break us."
Sam was denied his chance to reply by the violent shake of the elevator car. His silent question of whether Dean was on his feet or not was answered when he heard his brother hit the floor with a curse. Sam clutched his arm to him, his teeth clenched against the bone-deep ache spreading from his wound, across his clavicle and into his jaw.
Cold began to seep into the elevator car. A familiar cold. A chill that warned of old death, of danger.
"All right! This chick is toast!" Dean spat harshly, his voice directed toward the floor.
"Dean?" Sam whispered.
"I'm gonna show this bitch how we do things downtown," Dean growled.
Sam heard him grunt with effort as he stood.
"I'm going topside."
"What? No, Dean, you can't go out there—"
"You stay here, you hear me?" Dean's voice had an edge to it that demanded obedience.
But Sam rebelled. "What the hell are you gonna do, huh? You can't shoot her… can't burn her bones..."
Dean was panting. Sam strained to pick up any visual of his brother. The darkness deprived him of even the tiniest glimpse.
"What are you doing? Dean? Dean!"
"Climbing the walls," Dean gasped. "Spidey makes it look so easy."
"And then what?" Sam felt sweat gathering at the base of his throat and along the waistband of his jeans. He felt his fingers tremble from pain. He felt his breath hitch.
Dean was leaving him.
"Ya think Spidey can see in the dark?"
"Fuck Spidey!" Sam yelled. "You're not going out there without me!"
"Hey." Dean's voice was once again commanding. "Listen to me. Sam? You listening?"
"Yes," Sam replied sullenly.
"Here's what we're going to do. I'm getting out through the top... somehow... and I'm heading back to the girls and Allan. They're gonna get you out of here, okay?"
"I'm coming with you." Sam shifted his weight to his good arm, leaning forward. He tried to ignore how harshly his body shook with even that little movement.
"You can't, Sam. Not with that arm."
"What about you?" Sam asked plaintively.
"I'm gonna take out this elevator car..."
"How the hell..."
"I'll let you know as soon as I figure it out," Dean muttered.
"This is one of the stupidest ideas you've ever had, man," Sam complained.
"Ain't gonna argue with you there." Dean's voice was strained.
Sam heard the shink of Dean's Zippo and suddenly the room was once again warm—not by the meager flickering light from the flame dancing in Dean's hand, but by the sight of his brother's eyes.
"You look like shit, Sam." Dean grinned.
He was standing, braced, on the rail that ran along the middle part of the elevator walls, his neck bent at an uncomfortable-looking angle to get his head under the still-intact ceiling tile. Blood traveled down the side of his face as if it knew the path—Sam wondered if the crack against the ceiling tiles had simply re-opened the wound inflicted by Meg less than a week ago.
"Thanks." Sam shook his head, unable to tear his eyes away from the light that framed his brother's face.
"These tile thingy's," Dean grunted, keeping the Zippo lit and pushing up on one with his shoulder. "They move pretty easily..."
"Careful..." Sam grabbed the rail above his head, pulling himself to his knees, shifting toward Dean's balanced figure.
Dean glanced at him once. "You stay here. I'll be back. I promise."
"Dean—" Sam's chin trembled. He pulled a breath in. He let the air back out. He stared at Dean.
"I promise," Dean repeated.
Sam started to push himself to his feet, his legs trembling like a new colt. He couldn't let Dean go out there—alone—and face this thing. He had to find a way to fight. He saw Dean open his mouth with the obvious intent to force Sam back with words. He wasn't given the chance.
An arm suddenly snaked down through the hole in the ceiling tiles that had been created by Dean's ricocheting body and reached toward Dean's neck. The skin was grayed and mottled; long, yellowed nails curled like talons as they dug into the exposed flesh beneath Dean's chin.
Sam had time to gasp at the sight of the purplish face and hideous jaundice of the eye that peered out at him from beneath dirty strands of black hair before the Zippo went out, dropping, dead, to the floor of the elevator car. Dean's cry of surprised pain was cut off as Sam heard the spirit pull him up through the loose ceiling tiles and onto the roof of the elevator car.
"Dean!" Sam yelled after his brother. The car shook with the struggle that ensued above him. Sam clutched his arm, working to get to his knees, needing to help and helpless to do so.
"DEAN!"
Dean was gone.
And Sam was alone.
The feel of the cold, decaying flesh on the hand around his neck enticed Dean's stomach into performing pirouettes as he twisted to break free from the spirit's grasp. He could hear Sam calling for him, his brother's terrified voice fueling his fight. In a moment of chance, he worked himself loose; the spirit's nails leaving grooves down the side of his neck.
The opened entrances to the elevator shaft in the partially-renovated building filtered pale light down on him from above and up to him from below. Dean grabbed the thick cable that suspended the car in the shaft and looked wildly around for the spirit. He spied her perched on one of the steel supports across from and above him.
"Nimble little minx, aren't you?" Dean muttered, gingerly touching the wound on his neck, thankful that the spirit hadn't had either the time or the leverage to fillet his neck as neatly as she had Sam's arm.
The scratches stung and blood seeped from the wounds, but he'd been lucky. More than lucky; the spirit had given him more than furrows in his neck when she'd released him—she'd given him an idea on how to get out of the elevator shaft. The trick was going to be doing so without joining her in death while also keeping her away from Sam.
Dean turned slightly, wiping his blood-smeared hand on his jeans, and reached for the steel support beam behind him, maintaining his grip on the cable that held the elevator in place. He was forced to stretch; his arms spread wide, his teeth clenched as he worked to keep his balance. The chill that had permeated his thin T-shirt inside the elevator car wrapped around him with sudden vehemence and Dean had one moment to rock back to a solid stance on top of the elevator before the spirit dropped the car down the empty shaft once more.
Dean heard Sam's cry from below him and he flattened his body on the cold steel hoping that when the car jerked to a stop he wouldn't tumble off the side. The car continued to fall and Dean shifted his hope from don't fall off to the car stopping before he and Sam became smears on the basement grunted when the spirit jerked the car to a stop just shy of the bottom floor, then pulled it up toward the top floor with equal speed.
"'S not... a... fuckin' yo-yo..." Dean gasped out as the pressure of movement pinned him against the roof.
The car came to a stop with a head-rattling jolt.
Dean groaned. "This has been fun and everything, but..." He pushed himself to his knees, working to steady his spinning vision. "I'm ready to get off this ride."
The spirit was in front of him before he could gain his footing. She hissed, her fetid breath making him gag. Stumbling to his feet, he stepped back, the heel of his boot tipping off the edge of the elevator car. Dean flung out a hand on pure instinct, gripping the steel support beam above him. Using that grip to his advantage, he turned, stepping off of the rail car, and pulled himself toward the open doors leading to the fifth floor of the old hotel.
His arms began to tremble as he pressed his elbows against the edge of the flooring, maneuvering his suddenly heavy body out of the shaft and into the empty hall. He desperately swung his legs up, gasping, clawing his way forward until he was able to roll onto his back, blinking in the dim neon light filtering in from the street outside.
The hiss of anger was his only warning before the elevator shot up past the opening and then once again plummeted down before bouncing up toward him. Dean winced.
Sammy...
"Hey! Hey, you freaky bitch!" he yelled into the opening for the elevator shaft. "I'm gonna burn you, you hear me? The elevator fun ride is closing down!"
The elevator slowed to a gradual stop on the floor below him. The distinct smell of rot and decay wafted around him, mingling with an unnatural cold.
"Yeah, that's right," Dean whispered. "Stick with me, honey. We'll go out with a bang."
Pushing himself to a wavering stance, he stumbled over the construction materials left behind when the renovation from hotel to apartment building was halted after the unexplained deaths of several contractors. Using one arm as a guide along a dimly lit corridor, he searched for the stairwell. He knew he wasn't on the right floor. They'd left the girls and Allan on the fourth floor, and there hadn't been any construction materials on the fourth floor. He just didn't know how far he had to go to find them.
This demon is a scary son of a bitch. I don't want you caught in the crossfire, I don't want you hurt...
The memory of his father's rugged voice came to him, unbidden. Dean shook his head roughly, the image of John's smile suddenly teasing the edges of his hazy vision. He'd been so happy to see his dad, to feel for himself that John was in one piece, that he'd completely missed what John hadn't said. The meaning behind the words that Dean usually heard loud and clear: I don't want you with me... this is my fight and I don't want you with me...
Dean came across a door, tried the handle. Locked. A sharp-edged shove from behind caused him to stumble past another door. He pulled up short, looking over his shoulder. A small sign reading stairs flanked the door.
"Not such a clever girl after all," Dean muttered, pushing through the door.
A big, black number five painted on a white-washed wall greeted his eyes. He launched himself at the downward stairwell, taking them two at a time. His thoughts tangled his tongue, but he kept talking as if by allowing the words to escape into the open he was fueling his tired legs, propelling his beaten body down the stairs and toward a possible way out for Sam.
"Gotta get Sam out get the people out destroy the car how the hell am I gonna destroy an elevator car? Never mind worry about that later—AH!"
Just as he reached the fourth floor, something grabbed the back of his shirt, pulling him roughly back and slamming him against the stairs. Dean blinked in the shadowed passage of the stairwell. The spirit of Doctor Rand's patient stood over him. With a quick, choppy motion, she straddled him. She sat on his chest, impossibly having weight, and reached for his sternum.
"Oh, hell no," Dean gasped out, and in desperation, he swung his sweaty arm sideways, slicing through her image as though it were smoke. When she vanished, he took a breath, not bothering to wonder if the salt on his skin had actually been enough to momentarily dislodge her, and lurched to his feet.
Pulling the door open he practically fell into the hallway, trying to remember thedirection of the room where they'd left Allan and the girls inside of the salt ring.
"Righty-tighty, lefty-loosey," he whispered, glancing both ways. "No, wait, that's jar lids..."
He picked right and started a slow jog... into a dead end.
Turning, he nearly ran headlong into the spirit, her stilted, stuttering movements raising goose bumps on his flesh.
"Sorry, sweetheart," he muttered. "A little short on time here—"
This time he didn't even feel her skin, her nails, her touch. He was simply in the air one moment then slamming against a closed door the next. The door gave way with the force of his body and he fell to the dusty floor, gasping for the breath that had been driven from his lungs. The spirit twitched into the room, swinging her leg over him once more.
"Guh, damn—"
Dean coughed as his lungs fought for air. His mind was spinning; he couldn't focus on one image, one thought, one sensation. His chest felt flattened, a crushing weight pressing him to the floor. He closed his eyes against the vertigo; his head had completely split open and he was cold, achingly cold.
Suddenly, a white-hot searing sensation shot through his chest, instantly clearing his head, bringing his world into focus. His eyes flew open, wide, and he gasped with the perfect wholeness of pain. She was killing him. She was reaching for his heart; she would crush it while it beat in his chest. And then she would go after Sam.
Like hell...
With a monumental heave, Dean rolled violently to his side, the spirit riding him as though she'd been a rodeo queen while alive. Dean screamed, pain wracking through him as her silent grip drove closer to his skin through his T-shirt. The unexpected blast that suddenly knocked the spirit free rocked him into shocked stillness. He curled slowly onto his side, pressing one hand against his chest and closing his eyes as he tried to remember how to breathe.
What the hell? Had Sam gotten out of the elevator? Found the shotgun?
"Y-you okay?"
It was a woman's voice, trembling more from adrenaline than fear. Swallowing, Dean rolled to his back, blinking through blurred eyes at the figure of the slightly plump, very disheveled realtor standing in the doorway of the room, Dean's sawed-off shotgun gripped in her hands and pointing at him.
"Can you...d-drop the barrel," he managed.
Jen Cooper stared at him another moment, then looked down at the gun in her hands. "Oh!" She lowered the barrel to the ground and took a hesitant step forward. "Holy shit," she breathed, soft brown eyes raking over him. "You look—" She stopped, swallowing as her eyes blinked from his face, to his chest.
"I've had ...b-better days," Dean interrupted, attempting to sit up. He was still having trouble pulling in air. There was an unyielding stitch in his side every time he breathed that he knew from experience meant something was cracked... or worse.
"I'll say." Jen stepped further into the room, carefully reaching for his shoulder, and helped him roll to a sitting position. "Did I... is it... dead?"
"Was already dead," Dean pointed out, pressing his hand flat against the floor and slowly curling his legs beneath him. "But you made it go away, so, uh, thanks for that."
"Well, you were hollering to high heaven," Jen said, bending over to hook an arm under his shoulder and heave him to his feet. "Scared the shit out of us."
"You left the circle," Dean said suddenly.
"Good thing, too," Jen commented, staring up at him. Dean saw that her short, graying ponytail was crooked and there were streaks of black tracing the lines at the corners of her eyes.
"They okay?" Dean asked, his eyes darting toward the open door.
"Carina's a mess," Jen said, keeping her strong hand on his arm as he turned toward the doorway. "Allan's busy worrying about how he's going to sell apartments in a haunted building."
"Friggin' asshole," Dean barked quietly.
"Nicely put." Jen handed him the shotgun when he paused in the doorway, looking down at her.
Dean gripped the still-warm barrel and breathed a genuine sigh of relief. Finally, something to fight back with.
"C'mon," he said. "We gotta get you guys out of here."
He took a step forward, wavering on knees that shook from abuse and oxygen deprivation. His vision went white and he lurched sideways. He felt Jen grip his arm, easily shoving her shoulder under his arm.
"S'okay," Dean slurred as the room tilted beneath him. "M'okay."
"'Course you are," Jen agreed sarcastically. "You look like you stuck your head in a garbage disposal and let it chew down through to your shirt, but I'm absolutely sure you're okay."
His vision steadying once more, Dean glanced down at her. The realtor had struck him immediately as a soccer mom, but he now could see she was the type that would be coaching the coaches on how to play the game. She moved him through the door and he returned his focus to the darkened hallway. Turning left, Jen led them down the hall to the room where he and Sam had left the straggling party of survivors.
The room was relatively empty save a large floor sander, two industrial-sized lights, a stack of leftover lumber, the dead body of Sean the contractor, and the two other people Dean was counting on to help him save Sam. Carina, the twenty-something prospective apartment buyer that had clung to Sam, weeping uncontrollably as he offered her comfort, sat in the center of the circle, arms wrapped around her knees, body rocking quickly back and forth. The fortyish building owner, Allan, who Dean wanted to plug on principle alone, paced the edge of the circle, muttering to himself.
They both stopped moving and looked up when Dean and Jen breached the doorway. Carina gasped, clapping a hand over her mouth when her large gray eyes landed on Dean's bloody face. Allan ran a meaty hand over the top of the strands of greasy black hair that had long ago lost the battle for full-coverage of his shiny, white pate.
"Where the hell have you been?!" He demanded of Dean, his blue eyes pinpricks of panicked anger. "Do you have any idea what we've been through? No cell phone reception in this place, no way to call for help. And you leave us in here with that—" he gestured without looking to the still, bloody body of the contractor in the corner of the room, "—and tell us to wait inside a fucking magic circle of salt—"
"Hey!" Dean barked. "Shut the hell up."
Allan blinked, his teeth clicking loudly as he closed his mouth.
"Are you okay?" Carina's voice trembled softly from the floor. She had yet to untangle the knot of her body.
"Does he look okay?" Jen asked harshly, obviously hesitant to release Dean's arm.
He looked over at her and nodded. "I'm okay," he assured her. "You can let go."
Jen did so slowly, her fingers extended toward Dean's bare arm when she pulled away as if wary of him listing before her eyes once more. Dean stepped to the side, putting a bit of distance between himself and his rescuer.
"Go." He jerked his head toward Carina.
Jen nodded, stepping over the salt ring and crouching down beside the frightened girl, wrapping a comforting arm around her shoulders.
Allan watched, his upper lip curling in a disgusted snarl. "I've had enough of this shit. I'm out of here."
"Stay where you are," Dean commanded, his voice low. He didn't look at Allan, merely shifted his shoulders square, tightening his grip on the barrel of the shotgun.
"Or you'll do what exactly?" Allan challenged, stepping forward, his bulk twice the width of Dean. The toes of his shoes edged the salt ring loose. "You and that other guy ..." Allan raked his eyes down Dean's frame with obvious contempt. "Nothin' but trailer trash hustlers ..." He glanced once over his shoulder at Jen and Carina who stared back at him in shock. "I mean look at them, Jen! I've been telling you this whole time that they got no idea—"
Dean's eyes were empty of all emotion when Allan turned back around. Whatever he had started to say died on Allan's lips in the wake of Dean's stare. Dean felt the muscle in his jaw coil across his jawbone, threatening to crack his teeth. He'd heard worse insults than this his entire life—directed at him, Sam, their father—but he was tired and he was bleeding and he hurt and his brother was still in very real danger and he didn't have the patience to deal with this.
"Listen," Dean said, his tone dangerously controlled. "I may not put on a tie when I go to the office, but right now I'm the only thing standing between you and a shit-ass nasty way to die, so why don't you cut me some freakin' slack?!"
Allan swallowed, taking a step back from Dean.
"What can we do?" Jen asked quietly.
Dean shifted his eyes from Allan to Jen, automatically softening them as he took in the quiet glare she was directing to the back of Allan's head. Taking a breath, Dean used the heel of his hand to wipe some of the blood out of his eye.
"Okay, well, your shot dispersed the spirit for a bit," he said, glancing around the room, "but I don't know for how long, so—"
"Are you kidding me?" Allan interjected. He stepped across the salt ring, bumping Dean's chest with his own, leaning his sweaty face forward into Dean's. Dean didn't budge. "Dispersed the fucking spirit, huh? All you had to do was shoot it and we could get out of here?"
"Allan—" Carina started, but Jen shushed her.
Dean lowered his chin, his eyes cold and deadly. "Don't do that again."
"Why not?" Allan challenged, raising a wiry eyebrow. "What are you gonna do about it, big shot? Huh? What could you possibly do to me?" He reached out and pushed two fingers into Dean's chest right above the shredded marks left behind by the spirit's nails.
Dean felt an instant calm rush through him like liquid gold. It swarmed his legs, belly, arms, and brought his right hand up in a fluid, accurate swing, cracking his fisted knuckles against the underside of Allan's jaw. The big man dropped like a felled oak, a huff of air breaking free from his flat lips.
"That," Dean said, shaking his throbbing hand. He looked at the girls. "I need your help to get Sam out of here."
Jen nodded, instantly on her feet. Carina stared at Allan.
"Is he okay?" Carina asked.
"I could give a rat's ass at the moment," Dean snapped, his eyes finally finding his duffel on the floor behind Carina. "My brother is bleeding and trapped in a haunted elevator. My job is to get you guys out of here—get him out of here—and destroy that spirit."
"Hand me that bag," Dean ordered.
Carina seemed to break free of her trance and grabbed the bag. She stood, approaching Dean. He reached out for it, setting it on the pile of lumber and pulling it open. They'd left most of their weapons down in the Impala, bringing only what they thought they would need for this supposedly simple salt-and-burn.
Should have known better... when has anything been simple for us...
He pulled out the remaining shotgun shells—four in all—and reloaded the gun that was gripped tightly in his hand like a lifeline. Grabbing his .45 from the bag, checking the clip and nodding in satisfaction that he had a sufficient amount of bullets, he looked over at Jen who stood waiting for orders, unconsciously shielding Carina's seemingly fragile form with her strong shoulders.
"Take this," Dean said, thrusting the shotgun toward her and simultaneously shoving the .45 into his back waistband. Jen grabbed the barrel of the shotgun, shifted the grip to her hand, pointing the barrel toward the floor. "This spirit isn't going to take much longer to, uh, pull itself together, so you need to listen and move fast, okay?"
The girls nodded mutely, their eyes riveted to his face.
"Sam's in the elevator. I'll get the door open for you, but you need to get him out of here, down the stairs, and away from the building."
"What if it..."
"You see the spirit," Dean bit out, feeling the heat of pending battle flash behind his eyes, "you smell anything rotted, you so much as feel a shiver, you shoot. You got me? You shoot first, ask questions later."
"But what if it's you?" Carina asked. "Or Allan?"
"It won't be." Dean shook his head, casting his eyes around the nearly empty room.
Gotta torch that elevator ca ...think, Dean, think... He bent over, groaning a bit as his chest protested and his head throbbed, and grabbed an errant screwdriver, spinning it in his hand like a knife and holding it gripped in a slashing position. What I wouldn't give for my Bowie...
"But, what if it is?" Carina insisted, tears on the edge of her voice.
"Well, if it is, you won't kill us, okay?" Dean snapped. He rubbed his chest over his torn shirt. "Believe me. But you will harm the spirit." He looked hard at Jen. "Do not hesitate."
Jen nodded her head mutely in agreement.
"Okay." Dean took a breath. "First things first." He turned toward the doorway. "People before spirits."
"You gonna just leave him here?" Jen asked, stepping over Allan's unconscious body to follow Dean out of the room.
"For now." Dean nodded, his sharp eyes peering both ways down the corridor before stepping free of the room.
Carina squeaked at that. Dean suppressed the overwhelming urge to roll his eyes.
"I won't let him die," he promised. "Let's roll."
Part Two can be found here: http://gaelicspirit.livejournal.com/42156.html>
Tags: author: gaelicspirit, fic
FIC: MacGyver (2016), The Card, PG-13, Mac, Jack, Matty, Riley, Bozer, Desi, James - Gen
Title: The Card [link to story on AO3] Or… Five times Mac needed Jack but wouldn't admit it, and one time he did. Fandom: MacGyver, 2016…
FIC: MacGyver (2016), Solid Ground, PG-13, Mac, Jack, Matty, Riley, Bozer
Title: Solid Ground [Link to story on AO3] Fandom: MacGyver (2016) Author: gaelicspirit Characters: Mac, Jack, Full Team, OC – GEN Rating:…
FIC: MacGyver (2016), Sight Unseen, PG-13, Mac, Jack, Riley, Bozer, Matty, James
Title: Sight Unseen [Link to story on AO3] Fandom: MacGyver (2016) Author: gaelicspirit Characters: Mac, Jack, Full Team, OC – GEN…


Wings is a song about the use of words for truth and meaning. Michael Menager sings, "I don't want to get caught with just the daily news. I want to learn the tongues that the angels use." At the launch of his debut studio album he performed this song among a range of deeply considered, reflective, and witty originals.
See the band also performing Clean Exit.
And more from ABC South East Music.


text:
Rex Murphy: Drop the poses Trudeau. You owe this country a real explanation
Don't talk fatuously of the 'bigger picture.' There is no bigger picture than whether you are morally entitled to govern
Fortuna, the wayward goddess, has abandoned her dalliance with Justin Trudeau. What he wins from here on, if he wins at all, will be on his own work, not her flippant favour.
The socks and the selfies are inert now, those props are dated, all their quaint magic gone. Even the rolled-up sleeves and the loosely knotted tie (his let's-all-get-to-work look) come over now as a parody of the posing politician, the silk-vest patrician at the steel plant vainly affecting to identify with the sweating hard hats on the shop floor.
None of it is working anymore. The familiar gestures are all too self-conscious, the slogans dated and flaccid, the whole play-acting schtick is dead and worse — boring. And the speeches! Monday night's in Toronto (to launch the election-year global-warming roadshow during a -19C cold alert ) verged on the manic; parts of the opening in particular were something you might have heard in the ancient Sunday morning revivalists' broadcasts back in the Dark Ages of early television, Jimmy Swaggart or Garner Ted Armstrong raging against the darkness. It was eerie.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau poses for a selfie at an International Women's Day event in Toronto on Wednesday March 7, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young
The two-minute concessionary acknowledgment of Jane Philpott's resignation was insultingly perfunctory, swaddled in all the usual pompousness of "diversity" and "listening to other views," utterly out of touch with the gravity and import of her departure, and the moral indictment of his government in which she framed it.
Here's where we are. After these two key resignations, on a principle as central as the rule of law, after accusations that he and his administration wished to bend or break that rule of law, Mr. Trudeau has either to drop out altogether, or, start acting like the full man, and directly, without intermediaries, face the challenge that confronts his government.
Drop the poses. Choke off the slogans and pieties. Leave the jacket on. Sit down and speak to Canadians in detail on the moral and legal questions these two most serious ministers have put to him. Cut the theatricals. Don't talk fatuously of the "bigger picture." There is no bigger picture than whether you are morally entitled to govern.
Jody Wilson-Raybould and Jane Philpott take part in a cabinet shuffle at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on Jan. 14, 2019, prior to both quitting cabinet. Sean Kilpatrick/CP
Drop, too, the jobs cloak. There are too many unbuilt pipelines and an entire region that has been shedding jobs by the tens of thousands, while your government was writing Bill C-69, dancing at global-warming summits aimed at shutting down the oil industry, and writing new hymns to job-killing carbon taxes, for you now to pose as a job creator, and to shamelessly posit that saving SNC-Lavalin's jobs was worth mauling the rule of law.
Ms. Philpott's exercise of her choice is, in its way, even more explosive than Ms. Jody Wilson-Raybould's. The latter was harassed over months; she was the focus and centre of the pressure campaign to desert her responsibilities as attorney general. The impact on her was direct. All that pressure, the special pleading and the veiled threats could understandably colour her judgment. Not to say, actually, that they did — but as a postulate, let us consider that.
But then we come to Ms. Philpott, arguably (pace Chrystia Freeland) the most adult, accomplished, unabrasive minister in Trudeau's entire cabinet, welcomed in the early days as a lustrous ornament to his "new way of doing politics" and regarded since her arrival and service in many portfolios as singularly efficient and superbly competent.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Liberal MP Jane Philpott take part in a cabinet shuffle at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on Jan. 14, 2019. Sean Kilpatrick/CP
This is the woman who resigned yesterday. Not some whining, marginal backbencher, with far less talent than ego, nursing a grudge over getting passed by.
Ms. Philpott, in one manner of speaking, was outside the contest, but being in cabinet, having been there when Ms. Wilson-Raybould presented to it, and to caucus — we may presume she's heard the full tale. And having heard it, both sides, she concludes she has to resign; that the price (too high) for staying in this cabinet after what has been done to Jody Wilson-Raybould, is the sacrifice of her personal integrity and a scar on her conscience.
Philpott's resignation, intrinsically linked to the case made by Wilson-Raybould, is a bolt of winter lightning to the central nervous system of the Trudeau government.
Philpott's resignation … is a bolt of winter lightning to the central nervous system of the Trudeau government
Does anyone in the Prime Minister's Office now actually believe that hauling out the knackered horse of climate change, placing Catherine McKenna in its tendentious, preachy saddle to tag-team with Justin, is going to — in that woeful cliché — change the channel?
If they do, they are delusional. They haven't just drunk the Kool-Aid, they've poured it in the hot tub first, had a full splash-bathe-and-back-rub, and drunk the leavings.
I have a thought. Seeing what remains of their commitments to changing the voting system, abandoning omnibus bills, being open and transparent, remaining dedicated to the rule of law, unlocking Alberta's oil — seeing where the Trudeau government is on all of these abandoned/mismanaged files — why should anyone think that even on its golden child of an issue, climate change, it is really any more serious or committed than on any of the others? Climate change might just be the last big pose.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau participates in a discussion at the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada convention in Toronto on March 5, 2019. Christopher Katsarov/CP
A word on Gerry Butts' longed-for appearance Wednesday morning: Why is Gerry Butts appearing? He doesn't even work there anymore. Why all this drama for an ex-employee when the CEO is still on the premises — and he's the one, the only one, who has all the answers.
Gerry is of course welcome to come by later. Enough for now though with the surrogates and deputies. Two serious women of unsullied integrity, who committed their fortunes to joining your government, have told the public that morally they could stay no longer.
Mr. Trudeau owes them the courtesy of an answer, and the country of which he is the prime minister, a candid and complete accounting.
Kelly McParland: Justin Trudeau wanted strong women. He sure got 'em
Matt Gurney: A brutally clear Philpott leaves no room for Liberal spin
John Ivison: By resigning, Jane Philpott teaches Trudeau what it really means to do politics differently
Christie Blatchford: Women were invited to Trudeau's cabinet table, but expected to play by old boys' rules

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Q: Making a shell server I am planning to make a public shell server.
What things should I modify to secure my server.
Please tell me general things to check

A: Google is your friend:
http://www.wikihow.com/Secure-a-Linux-Server

A: I'd look into setup up a chrooted jail for your "shell" users so that they only have access to what they need and they cannot "get out" into the real filesystem, as the "root" of their filesystem is  restricted to just their "jail".

A: In order to helpfully answer this, we need to know more about your user base and the activities you want to allow. How much do you know and trust your users and what are their expectations for stability, flexibility, and functionality?
No matter what, one of your the largest issues is going to be identity assurance — how do you know the people who are using user accounts are the people who are supposed to be? And in that, passwords are your enemy. At minimum, require SSH keys for login, and if this is a big deal, seriously consider RSA SecurID, Yubikey, WiKiD, or some other form of two-factor authentication system.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Q: AndroidManifest.xml implied vs explicit permissions ( uses-feature vs uses-permission ) I have some permissions in my app such as
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.CONTROL_LOCATION_UPDATES" />
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION" />
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.ACCESS_MOCK_LOCATION" />

and I am under the suspicion that they aren't actually necessary.
According to the Android documents, they all imply that
<uses-feature
    android:name="android.hardware.location"/>

is true and required.
so, for instance, if I took out two out of three of those commands, all of my A-GPS related calls will still work the exact same way?
There doesn't really seem to be much literature about this, except for people repeating the android documents.
Ultimately, I think that implying that android:required = true for so many elements of the code is limiting the amount of devices I can access.
 <uses-feature
    android:name="android.hardware.location" android:required="false"/>

will open up to the app to many more devices, and I can use conditionally logic within the app to allow some features to execute.
But my main problem is that android.hardware.location covers SO many of the <uses-permission/> features. There is no android.hardware.location.ACCESS_MOCK_LOCATION or android.hardware.location.CONTROL_LOCATION_UPDATES , only android.hardware.location
a couple assumptions here, but the android developer documents really don't elaborate, except reveal that those separate uses-permissions imply that one single uses-feature is required. when it necessarily is not intended to be required and I just want to make sure my android sdk calls have permission to run
questions:
1) if I took out two out of three of those uses-permissions, would all of my A-GPS related calls will still work the exact same way as if I had all of those individual permissions set?
2) does android.hardware.location get more specific? I have seen android.hardware.location.NETWORK but where can I see what all of the possibilities are?

A:
so, for instance, if I took out two out of three of those commands, all of my A-GPS related calls will still work the exact same way?

Well, two out of those three permissions should not be necessary. ACCESS_MOCK_LOCATION has nothing to do with GPS, but with your own mock location provider. To quote Cyril Mottier:

Please guys, remove the ACCESS_MOCK_LOCATION permission from your manifest prior publishing your app. Forgetting makes you an amateur.

And normal SDK apps cannot hold CONTROL_LOCATION_UPDATES -- that is only available to apps signed with the firmware's signing key or installed in the firmware itself.
Hence, a normal SDK app can remove both of those for production, and can remove CONTROL_LOCATION_UPDATES for development. If you are not using mock location providers in your app, you can remove ACCESS_MOCK_LOCATION in development too. Most likely, you should have never added those two permissions to your app in the first place.
None of this has anything to do with <uses-feature> though.

I can use conditionally logic within the app to allow some features to execute.

Absolutely. You can use hasSystemFeature() on PackageManager to see if you have android.hardware.location, before bothering dealing with LocationManager.

But my main problem is that android.hardware.location covers SO many of the  features.

The verb "cover" makes no sense here to me, or to the extent it does, you have the direction reversed. <uses-permission> elements may imply <uses-feature> elements, but not the reverse.

if I took out two out of three of those uses-permissions, would all of my A-GPS related calls will still work the exact same way as if I had all of those individual permissions set?

See above.

I have seen android.hardware.location.NETWORK

You may have seen android.hardware.location.network.

I have seen android.hardware.location.NETWORK

In the documentation for <uses-feature>: http://developer.android.com/guide/topics/manifest/uses-feature-element.html


text:
Mining and quarrying (42)
Contributing Institutions (12)
Kansas State Historical Records Advisory Board (KSHRAB) (12)
Segregation and desegregation (3)
Places - Counties - Cherokee
15 Mine in Crawford, Kansas
Two photographs of 15 Mine, in either Cherokee County or Crawford County, Kansas. The mine could have also been called Camp 15. Two men stand in front of the mining out buildings.
8,000 students affected, state officials see no trouble adjusting schools to new rule
Creator: Topeka Journal
This article discusses how the state of Kansas will work to conform to the ruling made in the Brown v. Board of Education decision on May 17, 1954. The U.S. Supreme Court had ruled that the segregation of schools based on race was unconstitutional. Many cities in Kansas, including Topeka, Atchison, Salina, Wichita, and Pittsburg were already working to integrate their schools. Topeka had an estimated 625 African American students who would be affected by the court's ruling, and the article lists the numbers for other cities and towns in the state.
A. Hood & Sons Implement Company, Columbus, Kansas
This is a photograph of the building which housed The A. Hood & Sons Implement Company, 116 West Pine Street, Columbus, Ks. In 2007, Jason & Lisa Hulvey purchased the building and the Evan's Drug Store business from Evan McNemar.
Albert Myatt and Sherman Johnson , prisoners 9326 and 9124
This photograph shows inmates, Albert Myatt, prisoner #9326 and Sherman Johnson, prisoner #9124. Albert Myatt was received at the Kansas State Penitentiary on April 21, 1900 from Cherokee County, Kansas for robbery. Inmate Sherman Johnson was received at the penitentiary on November 25, 1899 from Oklahoma for larceny. Aliases for him includes Walter Coles.
A.M. Coville to George W. Martin
Creator: Coville, A.M.
In this letter to Kansas State Historical Society Secretary Geroge W. Martin, A.M. Coville relates his knowledge of the Kaw Indian White Plume. Coville explains that when he first met White Plume in 1875 he "claimed to be over 90 years old, and he certainly looked to be 100. His hair was white his face wrinkled and features shrunken." Coville also mentions that White Plume had survived an attack with the "Plains Indians" in which he had been scalped, surviving only by being rescued by his tribesmen.
An appeal for help in behalf of the colored refugees in Kansas
Creator: Rust, Horatio Nelson, 1828-1906
This flyer, distributed by the Southern Refugee Relief Association of Chicago, Illinois, describes the dire situation of the African-American refugees relocated in Kansas. The secretary of this association, Horatio N. Rust, had taken this opportunity to pass along information relayed to him by Elizabeth Comstock, an aid worker in Topeka. Comstock was thankful for the donations of food and other goods, but asked for more assistance in feeding, clothing, and sheltering these refugees. The flyer also includes short excerpts of letters by agents of the refugee association who had direct knowledge of the emigrants' situation.
A.S. Wilson to Henry J. Allen
Creator: Kansas. Governor (1919-1923 : Allen)
A.S. Wilson, an attorney in Galena, Kansas, writes to Governor Henry J. Allen to indicate his interest in a law that would allow second class cities to separate the schools based on "white and colored children." He included a petition with signatures with the letter.
Basketball game, Treece, Kansas
Creator: Atkinson Studio
This photograph shows the Junior-Hi Midgets basketball team playing a game in Treece, Kansas. The photograph was copied from an album loaned by the family.
Baxter National Bank, Baxter Springs, Kansas
A photograph showing the Baxter National Bank in Baxter Springs, Kansas. This bank was robbed by Jessie James in May 1876. At the time the photograph was taken, the structure was called the Douthit Building.
Baxter Springs as a military post
Creator: Thompson, Hugh L.
This pamphlet recounts the history of Baxter Springs, Kansas, as military institution during the Civil War. It also describes the murder of the Rev. John Baxter for whom the town was named. It describes the attack on General James G. Blunt and his forces at Baxter Springs on October 6, 1863. The author, Hugh L. Thompson, wrote the account from memory and claimed to be the "only man who was sent there at all times when the U.S. troops occupied the place." Thompson was a member of the 3rd Wiscosin Cavalry Volunteers, Company C.
Berry Garment Manufacturer's Inc., Columbus, Kansas
A photograph showing the employees of Berry Garment Manufacturer's Inc., in Columbus, Kansas. The business was located at 422 N. Kansas Avenue.
Boy with tricycle, Treece, Kansas
This is a photograph of Joey Leatherman with his tricycle, Treece, Kansas. The photograph was copied from an album loaned by the family.
Brewery and residence, Baxter Springs, Kansas
Photographs of a brewery and residence located on the site of the original spring in Baxter Springs, Kansas.
Bridge near Baxter Springs, Kansas
Creator: Grantham, J. W.
This is a postcard showing a horse drawn carriage on a bridge near Baxter Springs, Kansas.
Businesses, Galena, Kansas
Photographs showing the interior of two Galena businesses.
Businesses on Pine Street in Columbus, Kansas
This is a photograph showing businesses and people on Pine Street in Columbus, Kansas.
Business street scene, Empire City, Kansas
A group of people posing for a photograph in Empire City, Kansas. A saloon is visible in the foreground.
Carona mining camp, Cherokee County, Kansas
Photographs of Carona, Kansas. Carona, originally named Carbona, is located in Cherokee County approximately 3 miles west of the town of Scammon. The post office in Carona was established in 1905 and closed in 1988. A settlement continues at this site as well as a few businesses. Photographs include images of the public school, union hall, and store.
Cherokee County exhibition
Creator: Cherokee County Breeders' Association
A poster for the Cherokee County fair. There is no year given but the dates are from October 11th to October 14th. Highlights of the fair include: $2,500 in premiums; good races daily; and shows of mechanical arts. Fair officers are A. T. Lea, president, and D. C. Nichols, secretary.
Cherokee County organization records
Creator: Kansas. Secretary of State
In order for an unorganized county to be recognized by the state of Kansas, a certain number of householders/legal electors had to petition the governor. The governor would appoint a census taker. Initially, unorganized counties were required to document that they had at least 600 inhabitants in order to be recognized as a county by the state legislature. Over time the number of residents needed to organize a county changed to 1500 and later to 2500 residents. The census was submitted to the governor who then issued a proclamation indicating that the requirements had been met, appointing county commissioners and a county clerk, and naming a county seat. Not all of these documents are available for each county. Included in this file are letters about the population of Cherokee County, issues on where the county seat should be located, and boundary line issues between Labette County and Cherokee County.
Children in Treece, Kansas
Three photographs of children and their mother in a yard at an unidentified house in Treece, Kansas. The photographs were copied from an album loaned by the family.
Children playing on a World War I memorial cannon in Columbus, Kansas
This is a photograph showing children playing on a World War I memorial cannon located on the fairgrounds in Columbus, Kansas.
Civil War monument in Baxter Springs, Kansas
Creator: Galloway and Robertson
A photograph showing a Civil War monument in Baxter Springs, Kansas. This monument is dedicated to the soldiers killed in the Battle of Baxter Springs, October 6, 1863, and other engagements in the vicinity.
Clarence Fry, prisoner 9675
This photograph shows inmate Clarence Fry, prisoner #9675. He was received at the Kansas State Penitentiary on March 2, 1901 from Cherokee County, Kansas for burglary and larceny. This was his third term at the penitentiary.
Colonel P. M. Hoisington to the Adjutant General of Kansas
Creator: Hoisington, PM
In this letter, Colonel Hoisington, of the 4th Infantry, Kansas National Guard, informs the Kansas Adjutant General of supplies and cost related to the use of volunteers during the 1919 coal strike in southeast Kansas. Volunteers were brought in to work in all areas of the coal mining industry. The governor's goal was to assure that individual families, towns, and businesses received coal shipments in a timely fashion.


I just got arrested for DWI. What happens next?
What do I say when the judge asks me if I am guilty or not guilty?
Do I have to go to arraignment if I already have an attorney?
As a general rule, always assume that you MUST go to court. Your bond depends on you showing up!
With that said, most courts in Virginia take the sensible position that if you already have an attorney, you don't need to go to court to hear that you have a right to an attorney!
When retained, we will fax a letter to court (1) saying that you are represented, and (2) asking for a trial date. With most courts, we will hear back from the clerk that you do not need to come for arraignment. Then, we call you to let you know. If you call the office, we will let you know if the court you're in requires an appearance.
If I'm required to appear, will you come with me?
Once your name is called, your arraignment will usually take about 30 seconds. If you are the third or fourth person in a row to be arraigned, some judges just ask "public defender or hire your own?" since you've already heard the spiel for the last three defendants. Most people do not need an attorney for the 30 seconds that arraignment takes. If you are still not sure, ask us and we will arrange for an attorney to be there.
Always plan to arrive early. Everything that can go wrong, will go wrong, on your court date – extra heavy traffic, lack of parking at the courthouse, long lines to get through the metal detector just to name a few. If you're late, the judge can charge you with another crime. It happens.
Don't take your cell phone or other electronics into court. With a few exceptions, you will not be allowed to take a cell phone or other electronic device into a court. Some courts have lockers for phones, but most deputies will send you back to your car. WARNING: the locals will know all the favorite "hiding places" where people try to stash their phones!
Check the docket for your name once in the courthouse. Ask the deputy when you go through the metal detector where the "docket" or court schedule is posted. Deputies are usually very helpful. Check for your name and that you are in the proper courtroom.
Relax. You are in court and on time.


A friend introduced me to Morello cherries a few years ago. I didn't know what they were, but he told me that they could be used to make cherry pies. The next time he visited Trader Joe's in Woodbury, Minnesota, he brought me a jar of the dark red cherries as a gift.
The pie cherries I knew were bright red cherries that my mother bought every summer from traveling fruit vendors. Thanks to the Internet, I learned that the cherries I was familiar with were Montmorency cherries. They belong to the Amarelle family of sour cherries, but I also found out that Morello is the name of another large family of sour cherries that make delicious jams, crisps and pies like those made with Montmorency cherries.
Amarelle cherries were brought to America by settlers from England long before the Revolutionary War, and the Montmorency variety became the most common sour cherry planted by settlers as they moved west from the Atlantic. Morello cherries, on the other hand, are recent immigrants.
The dominant variety grown in Hungary, the Balaton cherry, was introduced first to cherry growers in Michigan by Dr. Amy Iezzoni, a professor at Michigan State University, in 1984. It is now the most popular commercial Morello cherry in the the United States, but some other varieties of English Morello cherries such as the Kansas Sweet and Northstar are grown in backyards or smaller orchards.
Morello cherry trees flower a bit later than Amarelles, which means that Morello trees have an advantage in areas subject to late frosts. For someone who likes to cook and eat, however, the biggest advantage of Morello cherries is that canned Morellos make wonderful cherry pies and crisps any time of the year. You can buy them online or at some supermarkets. In our area, Aldi and Trader Joe's both carry them.
Here is how to make a delicious cherry pie with Morello cherries.
Soften three tablespoons of butter in a small bowl. If you use unsalted butter, add an eighth teaspoon of salt to the butter when you soften it.
Line a nine-inch pie plate with a crust and crimp the top edge. If you don't already have a recipe you prefer, you'll find my recipe for pie crust here. It makes two crusts, so you can line two pie plates and freeze one to use later when you are in a hurry to make a dessert. Take the crust out of the freezer, pour in the filling, and in just a few minutes you'll have a pie in the oven.
Drain the juice from the cherries into a two quart saucepan and reserve the cherries. Mix the corn starch into the sugar in a small bowl. Whisk the sugar and corn starch into the juice and set the pan over moderate heat. Use the whisk or a fork to stir the juice often as it heats to make sure that you get a smooth sauce.
Reduce the heat as the juice thickens and becomes clear, and stir in the lemon juice, almond extract and butter. Stir the cherries into the thickened juice, bring the mixture back to a boil and simmer the filling for a minute. Remove the pan from the heat and let the filling cool a bit while you finish the crumb topping.
You can mix together the flour, oatmeal, brown sugar and cinnamon in a medium-sized bowl while the juice is cooking. Once you have set the filling aside to cool, cut the softened butter into the dry ingredients until you have a uniform mixture.
Pour the filling into the crust, sprinkle the crumb topping evenly over the filling and put the pie on a baking sheet on a center shelf in the preheated oven. Reduce the heat to 375º and bake for thirty-five to forty minutes. When the topping and crust are lightly browned, remove the pie from the oven to cool on a rack before serving.
NOTES: Be sure to put a baking sheet under the pie, as it, like many cherry pies, tends to run over a little as it bakes.
A scoop of good vanilla ice cream goes perfectly with a slice of cherry pie.


There is only 1 Dojo listed in Newtonhill. This page shows 20 Martial Arts Schools found within 10 Miles of Newtonhill. Based on the information available from these Dojos, Sooyang Do, Judo, Tae Kwon Do, Shotokan Karate, Kick Boxing, Self Defence & Self Protection are the most offered Martial Arts in Newtonhill area. Most of these schools offer self defense classes for men, women and children near Newtonhill.
Chart based on information available from Martial Arts Schools in Newtonhill area.
Distance is shown approximately from the downtown area of Newtonhill. For a list of Martial Arts Schools near you, Search with your complete address. Click on a Dojo name to view details. Clicking on 'Map' next to a Dojo will show the school on the Map.
See Martial Arts Schools in places nearby Newtonhill: Portlethen, Stonehaven, Aberdeen, Dyce & Balmedie.
Are you associated with a Martial Arts School, Club or Dojo in the Newtonhill area? Please make sure it is listed with dojos.co.uk.


Every donation, no matter how big or small, helps us continue to help people in the Canterbury region who would otherwise not receive their medical treatment. You will receive a receipt automatically if you donate via these buttons.
To make a credit card donation of a different amount please complete the donation form with your details and post to the address listed on the form.
Or you could use internet banking. The Canterbury Charity Hospital Trust's bank account number is 02 0800 0190893 00. Please email rosie@charityhospital.org.nz with the date, name, address and amount so we can send you a receipt.
Buying copies of our Sylvester books is another way to help raise funds for the Charity Hospital.
If you want to make a meaningful gift to Canterbury Charity Hospital Trust, there is an easy way to do it – just name the Canterbury Charity Hospital Trust in your will. This is not an out of pocket expense that will affect your current standard of living. The money comes out of your estate, after your death. However the gift is going to be given is something you can cherish right now.
Your solicitor will be able to advise you on how to make the request.
If you make a bequest to Canterbury Charity Hospital Trust, please make it known to us so we can thank you today for your gift to the people in the Canterbury region in the future.
Please phone (03) 360 2266 to speak to someone to discuss how to make a donation.
To support Canterbury Charity Hospital Trust by cheque, please complete the donation form and post to the address listed on the form.
Regular gifts are vital to the Canterbury Charity Hospital Trust as they allow us to plan for the future, safe in the knowledge that funding is secure. Every regular donation no matter how big or small helps us continue to give information and support to the people in the Canterbury region who would otherwise not receive medical treatment.
Even small regular donations quickly add up to significant contributions. Regular giving helps us reduce administration costs and assists us with long term planning.
If you would like to give a regular donation, the bank account number the Canterbury Charity Hospital Trust is 020800 0190893 00. Please include your name and address. A tax receipt will be automatically sent to you at the end of the financial year.


text:
Market infrastructure & trading
OTC derivatives regime
Investor identification and OTC securities reporting
Listings & takeovers
Part XV - Disclosure of interests
Publicly offered investment products
CFTC exemption to deal directly with U.S. customers
Business continuity/contingency information
Investor compensation
SFC corporate matters
Use of External Electronic Data Storage
A. Managers-In-Charge of Core Functions (MICs)
Q1 :
What should be the criteria for identifying MICs for the purposes of the circular to licensed corporations on the use of external electronic data storage (Circular)?
The key consideration when selecting an MIC for the purposes of the Circular should be whether the person has the authority within the organisation and its corporate group to give effect to and secure the discharge of the key responsibility of the MIC, which is to ensure that the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) has effective access to the licensed corporation's Regulatory Records which are in electronic form upon demand and without undue delay. The knowledge and expertise criteria stipulated in paragraph 7(g) of the Circular reflect the SFC's expectation that the selected MIC should have a general understanding of how electronic Regulatory Records are stored with external electronic data storage providers (EDSPs), in order to give effect to the discharge of the MIC's responsibilities. The MICs identified for the purposes of the Circular need not possess in-depth technical knowledge or expertise.
What happens if it is not feasible for a licensed corporation to appoint two MICs in Hong Kong for the purposes of the Circular?
The SFC recognises that it may not be feasible for some licensed corporations to identify two MICs ordinarily resident in Hong Kong for the purposes of the Circular. In such circumstances, the licensed corporation should discuss its situation with the SFC. On a case-by-case basis, the SFC may consent to one MIC or one responsible officer (RO) ordinarily resident in Hong Kong to be named for the purposes of the Circular, provided that the licensed corporation can satisfy the SFC that effective arrangements would be put in place to ensure that the MIC's or RO's delegate ordinarily resident in Hong Kong has sufficient authority, knowledge and expertise to discharge the functions and responsibilities of the MIC or the RO, when the MIC or the RO cannot personally attend to these duties.
The SFC expects that where the SFC consents to only one MIC ordinarily resident in Hong Kong to be appointed for the purposes of the Circular, that MIC would ordinarily be the MIC of the Overall Management Oversight function, unless the licensed corporation satisfies the SFC that another MIC is in a better position to assume this role1 and has the authority, knowledge and expertise to discharge the duties set out in the Circular.
The SFC would only consider consenting to the appointment of an RO ordinarily resident in Hong Kong to discharge the duties of an MIC set out in the Circular if the licensed corporation satisfies the SFC that no MIC ordinarily resident in Hong Kong has the authority, knowledge and expertise to discharge those duties.
What does possession of all digital certificates, keys, passwords and tokens mean under paragraph 7(g) of the Circular?
The requirement under paragraph 7(g) of the Circular that each MIC must have in his or her possession all digital certificates, keys, passwords and tokens does not necessarily refer to actual physical possession of these items. Consistent with the considerations and policy rationales set out in the response to Q1 above, the MIC should satisfy himself or herself that he or she has the authority and ability to give effect to the discharge of the MIC's duties, including the ability to gain possession of or procure all relevant digital certificates, keys, passwords and tokens, necessary to discharge the MIC's functions under the Circular. The MIC should put in place procedures to ensure that the MIC and any delegate can discharge all responsibilities under the Circular in full compliance with the licensed corporation's internal data security policies or restrictions and any other laws or regulations which apply.
B. EDSP Undertaking
When is an Undertaking from the EDSP required? What are the acceptable alternatives to the EDSP Undertaking?
The requirement to obtain an Undertaking from the EDSP only applies if the licensed corporation keeps electronic Regulatory Records exclusively with a non-Hong Kong EDSP. If a licensed corporation contemporaneously keeps a full set of identical electronic Regulatory Records at premises used by the licensed corporation in Hong Kong approved under section 130 of the Securities and Futures Ordinance (SFO), the EDSP Undertaking is not required. Similarly, if a licensed corporation keeps electronic Regulatory Records exclusively with a Hong Kong EDSP, no EDSP Undertaking is required; instead the licensed corporation can provide the Notice with the Hong Kong EDSP's Countersignature as per paragraph 9(a) of the Circular.
The Circular sets out the SFC's expectations for the usage of EDSPs and its approach to assessing the suitability of the premises of an EDSP for keeping electronic Regulatory Records. In addition, as an alternative to the Undertaking from the EDSP, the SFC will accept an undertaking from each of the two MICs appointed for the purposes of the Circular or, with the consent of the SFC, one MIC or one RO (MIC/RO Undertaking), substantially in the form of the template in Appendix 1 2 to these FAQs, on the conditions set out in Q10 below.
Licensed corporations may also approach the SFC to propose or discuss other alternatives which may satisfy the SFC's regulatory objectives and requirements.
C. Keeping of electronic Regulatory Records with affiliates
Is the Circular applicable to a licensed corporation which keeps electronic Regulatory Records exclusively with non-Hong Kong corporations within the same group?
The Circular was not drawn up with the scenario of a licensed corporation keeping electronic Regulatory Records exclusively with its non-Hong Kong affiliates in mind. However, some licensed corporations subsequently indicated to the SFC that they have already kept electronic Regulatory Records exclusively with their affiliates outside Hong Kong without seeking the SFC's prior approval under section 130 of the SFO in respect of such premises. These FAQs are applicable to these circumstances so that licensed corporations may keep electronic Regulatory Records exclusively with their affiliates, whether in or outside Hong Kong.
If a licensed corporation chooses to delegate or outsource the keeping of its electronic Regulatory Records to affiliates, whether or not these affiliates are in Hong Kong, the licensed corporation is expected to properly manage the risks associated with the delegation or outsourcing arrangements. Licensed corporations are reminded that, consistent with the SFC's usual stance on the use of outsourcing, a licensed corporation may delegate certain activities or functions to another entity, such as an affiliate, but its regulatory responsibilities cannot be delegated away. Furthermore, a licensed corporation which keeps or processes information electronically using EDSPs engaged by its affiliates is expected to comply with all the general obligations stipulated in section E of the Circular, with the exception of paragraph 21.
In addition, paragraphs 7(d) to (h) and 8 of the Circular, as clarified by these FAQs, will apply equally to a licensed corporation keeping electronic Regulatory Records exclusively with its affiliates, regardless of where the affiliates are incorporated and irrespective of whether the record keeping is further outsourced to EDSPs. In this context, the references to "EDSP" in the relevant paragraphs of the Circular should also include the licensed corporation's affiliates.
What should a licensed corporation do if it has already kept electronic Regulatory Records exclusively with its affiliates outside Hong Kong?
Prior to the issuance of the Circular, it was not the SFC's practice to approve premises outside Hong Kong for the keeping of Regulatory Records under section 130 of the SFO. If a licensed corporation has already kept electronic Regulatory Records exclusively with a non-Hong Kong affiliate under an arrangement with that affiliate, whether or not such affiliate has engaged any EDSP for the keeping of the licensed corporation's electronic Regulatory Records, the licensed corporation should approach the SFC forthwith to discuss its situation and seek approval under section 130 of the SFO for the premises of the non-Hong Kong affiliate, data centres or other premises used by such affiliate or the EDSPs engaged by such affiliate (as the case may be), for the keeping of electronic Regulatory Records. If the licensed corporation has arrangements with more than one non-Hong Kong affiliate, it shall apply for approval in respect of each of the affiliates. An application for approval should be accompanied by an MIC/RO Undertaking substantially in the form of the template in Appendix 12 to these FAQs, and subject to the conditions set out in Q10 below.
For further details about the application to be made under section 130 of the SFO, please refer to the FAQs on Premises for business and record keeping3.
Licensed corporations are reminded that under section 130(3) of the SFO, a licensed corporation shall not, without the prior approval in writing of the SFC, use any premises for the keeping of records or documents relating to the carrying on of the regulated activity for which it is licensed.
Each application will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.
Can a licensed corporation apply for approval under section 130 of the SFO to keep electronic Regulatory Records exclusively with its affiliates (whether the affiliates are incorporated in Hong Kong or elsewhere) if it has not already done so?
Yes, the licensed corporation should approach the SFC to discuss its situation. Each application for section 130 approval will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.
Licensed corporations are reminded that physical Regulatory Records are still required to be kept in approved premises in Hong Kong.
If a licensed corporation has successfully obtained approval from the SFC under section 130 of the SFO for the premises (including data centres) of its affiliates, or the EDSPs engaged by such affiliates, for the keeping of electronic Regulatory Records, does it need to apply to the SFC again for section 130 approval if these same affiliates or these same EDSPs use additional or different data centres or other premises (collectively described as new premises) for the keeping of the licensed corporation's electronic Regulatory Records?
No, separate approval will not be required in such cases if the new premises are outside Hong Kong. It is the responsibility of the licensed corporation to ensure its compliance with the relevant requirements at all times irrespective of where electronic Regulatory Records are kept. It is also the responsibility of the individuals who executed the MIC/RO Undertaking referred to in Q6 above to ensure that they are able to comply with the undertaking to the SFC before using any new premises outside Hong Kong. The licensed corporation is, however, expected to update the Access Map (referred to in Q10 below) with any changes as soon as practicable.
On the other hand, if the new premises are in Hong Kong, an application should be made under section 130 of the SFO for specific approval.
New approval is also required if the licensed corporation intends to:
Use a different or an additional affiliate; or
Directly engage a different or an additional EDSP,
regardless of where the affiliate or EDSP is incorporated, for the keeping of its electronic Regulatory Records.
D. MIC/RO Undertaking
Under what circumstances can the MIC/RO Undertaking be used by a licensed corporation seeking approval for premises for the keeping of its electronic Regulatory Records under section 130 of the SFO?
The MIC/RO Undertaking can be used:
As an alternative to providing the Notice with the Hong Kong EDSP's Countersignature under paragraph 9(a) of the Circular if the licensed corporation keeps its electronic Regulatory Records exclusively with a Hong Kong EDSP;
As an alternative to the EDSP Undertaking if the licensed corporation keeps its electronic Regulatory Records exclusively with a non-Hong Kong EDSP;
If a licensed corporation keeps electronic Regulatory Records exclusively with its non-Hong Kong affiliates, whether or not such affiliates engage any EDSP for the keeping of the licensed corporation's electronic Regulatory Records; or
If a licensed corporation keeps electronic Regulatory Records exclusively with its local (ie, Hong Kong) affiliates, which in turn use EDSPs or other non-Hong Kong affiliates for the keeping of the licensed corporation's electronic Regulatory Records.
For the avoidance of doubt, the references to the EDSPs engaged by the affiliates for the keeping of the licensed corporation's Regulatory Records in items (3) and (4) above can mean both Hong Kong and non-Hong Kong EDSPs.
Q10 :
What are the conditions under which an MIC/RO Undertaking can be used in a section 130 application for the scenarios mentioned in Q9 above?
The conditions for accepting the MIC/RO Undertaking are that:
The MIC/RO Undertaking should be given by each of the two MICs appointed under paragraph 7(g) of the Circular or, with the consent of the SFC, one MIC or one RO who is ordinarily resident in Hong Kong as per the response to Q2 above;
The licensed corporation maintains a document which provides an overview of how electronic Regulatory Records are stored exclusively with affiliates and/or EDSPs (Access Map). The Access Map should broadly identify the types of electronic Regulatory Records which are stored exclusively with each affiliate or EDSP, and the physical locations (ie, the jurisdictions or, if such information is available to the licensed corporation, the addresses) of the data centres or other premises where the electronic Regulatory Records are stored;
The licensed corporation ensures the Access Map is accurate, up-to-date and available for the SFC's review within two business days upon request;
The licensed corporation ensures its operational resilience and performs a daily backup of electronic Regulatory Records to ensure that a set of complete and up-to-date records are maintained which are sufficient to account for the following:
(a) Client transactions;
(b) Outstanding client positions4; and
(c) Client assets held by the licensed corporation or its associated entity.
The daily backup should be maintained in a secure and reliable manner, with the use of encryption and offsite storage where practicable. Periodic testing should be conducted to validate the effectiveness of the backup restoration procedures to ensure the prompt availability of the backup data for business continuity where necessary; and
The licensed corporation ensures that up-to-date Regulatory Records which are sufficient to account for outstanding client positions and client assets held by the licensed corporation or its associated entity are readily accessible by the licensed corporation, including in the event of any operational or financial failure of the EDSP or the licensed corporation's affiliate keeping such Regulatory Records. Details of such access should be set out in the Access Map. If a licensed corporation is an exchange participant, a clearing participant or a client of an exchange participant or clearing participant, and it has at least one client which is not its affiliate, where practicable it should keep records in Hong Kong of all of its non-affiliate clients' outstanding positions arising from transactions executed on a recognized stock market or recognized futures market or held at a recognized clearing house, together with records of their client assets held by the licensed corporation or its associated entity, to ensure the timely settlement of client transactions as well as the prompt execution of client instructions, in the event of any operational or financial failure of the entity keeping such Regulatory Records.
If at any time after having provided the MIC/RO Undertaking to the SFC, an MIC or RO becomes no longer able to comply with its terms, he or she (or the licensed corporation) must notify the SFC immediately and the licensed corporation must immediately provide a new MIC/RO Undertaking to the satisfaction of the SFC.
For the avoidance of doubt, if the MIC or RO who provided the MIC/RO Undertaking is to be replaced by another MIC or RO for the purposes of the Circular, the licensed corporation should arrange for the replacement MIC or RO to sign and provide an MIC/RO Undertaking to the SFC as soon as practicable.
E. Audit trail
Can the SFC clarify the types of information required to be kept in the audit trail under paragraph 7(e) of the Circular?
The key consideration for formulating a policy for maintaining an audit trail for the purposes of compliance with paragraph 7(e) of the Circular is whether the information in the audit trail will enable the licensed corporation and the SFC, with reasonable expediency, to identify each user responsible for the creation, modification or deletion of electronic Regulatory Records. The audit trail should ensure that each of such users can be uniquely identified.
The Circular and this answer are not intended to diminish or extinguish a licensed corporation's record keeping obligations under any other legal or regulatory requirement. Accordingly, if a licensed corporation currently maintains an audit trail for the purpose of demonstrating compliance with any other applicable legal or regulatory requirement, it should ensure that it can provide such an audit trail to the SFC upon request, and maintain an audit trail which includes read access logs where practicable.
F. Implementation timeline
Q12 : When are licensed corporations expected to implement these requirements?
Where any licensed corporation's electronic Regulatory Records are kept exclusively with an EDSP or an affiliate before the date of these FAQs, without prior approval in writing from the SFC under section 130 of the SFO in respect of the relevant premises, the licensed corporation should:
Without undue delay, notify the SFC's Licensing Department of the Intermediaries Division; and
Apply for approval under section 130 of the SFO as soon as practicable.
1 For example, if the MIC of the Overall Management Oversight function is not ordinarily resident in Hong Kong.
2 MIC/RO Undertaking (Appendix 1) – word version
MIC/RO Undertaking (Appendix 1) – pdf version
3 Available at: https://www.sfc.hk/en/faqs/intermediaries/licensing/Premises-for-business-and-record-keeping
4 These include positions arising from unsettled trades in the cash market and derivative contracts which have not been terminated.
Last update: 10 Dec 2020


Lift Kit JK RHD 4 Door Dualsport XT 2.5"
The new system is rounded out with everything else needed to complete the package. This includes a custom rear track-arm, front stabilizer end link relocation brackets, bump-stop extensions and brake line relocation brackets. Combined with the springs and shocks, these components allow AEV's DualSport 2.5" XT Suspension System to deliver classic AEV on and off-highway performance, exceptional reliability and a lower, more user-friendly lift height.
Recommended Tire Size: We recommend pairing 33", 34" or 35" tyres with this lift kit.


Rumbleway Farm is a small family farm that practices sustainable agriculture. We raise pasture fed free range chickens, turkeys, beef cattle and pigs to provide you with meat and poultry that are safe and good for you and your family.
At Rumbleway Farm products are available for sale year-round at our Farm Store. Fresh poultry is available May through October.
Meats and Poultry are available at our Farm Store year round along with Jams and jellies and home canned goods.
Eggs, Cheese and Butter can be found in our refrigerated section.
A unusual Dinning Experience saturdays at the farm. Served family style and open to everyone by reservation.
Classes with guest chefs with limited seating. A hands on experience for the seasoned cook and novice.