Hanako and Hisao –Road to Tokyo Conclusion Update!

[Hoitash]

Part II:

A chill ran down my spine as one of the monkey’s leapt mere moments after Kenji dove for the car. I figured the monkey would land in the car and Lilly would have to beat it back with her cane –after offering it some tea, of course- while Kenji would slam into my door and break several teeth and his glasses. Nothing could break that thick skull of his, though –except maybe Emi’s.

The chill settled itself into general anxiety as Kenji managed to successfully leap past Lilly into his seat. Lilly promptly slammed her door shut, just in time for the leaping monkey to crash into the door’s window. Everyone in the car jumped at the sound, while the monkey, snarling and staring daggers at Kenji, slowly slipped down to the ground with a thud.

I turned to glare at Kenji as the other monkeys quickly approached, “what. Did. You. Do?”

Kenji, clutching his chest and panting with his sunglasses askew, slowly rasped out his response, “Miki…. made… eye contact.”

“Fuck!” I snapped.

Most primates considered eye contact as a challenge. Why these monkeys thought a kitten was a suitable target for six of them, I had no idea. More likely they had wanted to eat her, and Kenji had run rather than offer her up as food.

“Miki!” Emi scolded, “Did you upset the macaques?”

“Meow,” Miki mewled.

Before anyone else could say anything, they were upon us. The five remaining monkey’s leapt onto the car and started pounding and screeching on the windows, as if we were in some cheap sci-fi channel original movie (i.e, all of them.)

“Start the damn car already!” Emi snapped.

I turned the ignition. Nothing happened. I pumped the accelerator and tried again. Again, nothing.

We were in a sci-fi original movie, all right.

“It won’t start,” I declared, raising my voice over the monkey’s racket.

Two of the monkeys were pounding on the front glass, hopping up and down on the hood in rage. Two more were pounding and screeching on the hatchback glass, with the fifth on the roof pounding and hopping incessantly. The glass appeared to be holding, but for how long I had no idea. When that happened, well, hopefully there was a hospital with a lot of rabies shots in stock nearby.

I scanned the car to see how everyone was doing. Hanako had curled into a ball and covered her ears, muttering every meditative chant she could think of under her breath as she kept her eyes screwed shut. The sight was enough to make me want to open my door and personally rip the head off of every one of those damned macaques with my teeth, but I doubt I’d last long against a couple hundred kilograms of primate. And Hanako wouldn’t have approved; pacifism can be a real pain in the ass sometimes.

Lilly was also covering her ears, her furrowed brow and contrite expression the only sign she was under any discomfort at all. Well, that and the pair of rosary beads she was furiously fingering in her left hand. Kenji was drinking from his emergency flask, his glasses still askew, and his scarf-sash loose around his knees. Emi was curled around Miki protectively, and I had no doubt who would take out the most monkeys if they broke through- if she had to, she had two very handy clubs available. Kwan was likewise wrapped around Emi as a human shield of sorts.

I honked the horn slowly, adding the din to the monkey’s racket. The macaque’s paused for all of two seconds, blinking in confusion briefly before resuming their assault. I tried honking in short bursts, but they didn’t react at all to it. I tried to start the car again. It sputtered weakly a few times, but refused to turn over.

“So,” I said, mostly to myself, “anyone got any ideas?”

Kenji put down his flask and shrugged, “ritual slap on the left?”

I rolled my eyes and groaned, “You have got to be kidding!”

Kenji’s mouth twitched, “I never kid about my work. Do you have a better idea?”

“That will never work!” I snapped.

“Again, you got a better idea?” he asked.

Yeah, tossing the cat out the window as a distraction. Something told me that would not please several passengers, and besides, with two notable exceptions described later, I wasn’t one for animal violence. So I sighed, slammed my head against my right palm, and slowly nodded.

“Fine,” I grumbled.

Angling my left hand against the left side of the dashboard, I quickly inhaled, exhaled, and proceeded to smack the side of the dash hard enough to make my hand hurt. Grunting in pain, I turned the ignition and was astounded when the Ford roared to life.

“Omnissiah be praised!” I shouted.

“Get us the fuck outta here!” Emi snapped.

“Not yet,” I stated.

I narrowed my eyes and glared at the nearest macaque, making him shriek louder and pound harder as our eyes met. Grinning maniacally, I slammed on the accelerator. The car groaned and roared as it lurched and sputtered forward, the stench of melting rubber and heating asphalt filtered into the car as a cloud of smoke churned out from behind us.

“Everyone hold on,” I ordered, still grinning like a maniac.

The car zoomed off onto the road with a roar. The macaque on the roof slipped off, and I saw it spin and tumble in the rear view mirror before it composed itself and bolted for the forest. The two monkeys on the hatchback lasted longer, clinging to it with one hand each before they eventually lost their grip and fell back, though I couldn’t see what had happened to them. The two on the hood were still there, of course; physics was a double edged sword. Fortunately I could use the power of science to defeat them.

If an object experiences no net force, then its velocity is constant: the object is either at rest (if its velocity is zero), or it moves in a straight line with constant speed (if its velocity is nonzero). This is why Newton is the deadliest son of a bitch in space.

When a first body exerts a force F1 on a second body, the second body simultaneously exerts a force F2 = −F1 on the first body. This means that F1 and F2 are equal in magnitude and opposite in direction. This is what made the Mystery Science Theater 3000 episode of The Deadly Mantis possible.

So I slammed on the break, using my right hand to hold Hanako back so she wouldn’t slam into her seatbelt or the dashboard. I then barked a laugh as the two monkeys went hurtling for the pavement in front of us. That laugh died quickly when I glanced at Hanako.

She was sobbing to herself, still curled in a ball, her eyes shut tight against the world. She was muttering to herself in a way I recognized; she was having a panic attack, one where instead of a shutting down to the outside world, she withdrew into herself in an incoherent mass of silent blabbering. It was rare for her to do that, and seeing her in such turmoil made me see red.

Those macaques had made my Hana cry. They had made my beautiful, bashful girlfriend into a sniveling, platitude spouting wreck. My stomach churned in rage and my eyes became a blood-red haze of anger

“Everyone hang on,” I commanded.

I grinned a smile that was more a triumphant snarl and slammed on the accelerator. My heart thumped once in protest as the car lurched forward before steadily accelerating, spewing smoke behind us as we zoomed towards my intended targets. In those moments, I did something that you might consider cruel and vindictive, but, I do not, did not, and will not apologize for what I did.

One of the monkeys leapt for the safety of the forest, while the other just sat dumbly as oblivion loomed ahead of him. Oblivion I granted him, and the front fender slammed into the macaque at several dozen kilometers an hour. The other macaque suffered a much more satisfyingly sickening death, getting caught under the left tire with a thump, and grinding and squelching against it for half a kilometer before slipping off into the forest.

With the battle over and the monkeys thoroughly thrashed, I made a U-turn to return to the highway, glancing behind me to see how everyone was doing as the adrenaline slowly left my system, and my heart begrudgingly calmed down to its regular, erratic beat.

“Good job man,” Kenji said. Cranking open his window and sticking out his head, he shouted, “let that be a warning to you fucks! Mess with the best, die like the rest!”

“Hanako,” I said, my grinning snarl shifted into a look of calm concern, “you okay?”

Hanako was still muttering to herself, so I repeated the question a little louder. She stopped chanting and slowly lifted her head. Looking at me, I noticed her eyes were red and her lip trembling slightly.

“A-are th-they g-gone?” she rasped out.

“They’re gone,” I replied, “you okay?”

Hanako swallowed and nodded, “s-sorry for m-making y-y-”

“Don’t,” Kenji interjected, making both of us jump, “you have nothing to apologize for.”

“He’s right!” Emi called from the wayback, “it was Miki’s fault, poor thing.”

“I’m sure she didn’t do it intentionally,” Lilly added, having lowered her hands from her ears when the monkeys had stopped screeching and pounding, “do I want to know what just happened?”

“Hisao was awesome, that’s what!” Kenji declared, grinning and offering his flask to Hanako.

Hanako glanced bleakly at the flask and shook her head. Kenji nodded and turned to scan the car, “anyone up for a victory toast?”

“Sure, why not,” Kwan said, taking the flask as it was passed to him and slamming a shot’s worth.

“If you could leave some left,” Lilly spoke up,” I wouldn’t mind a bit for my tea.”

I figured she had been pretty rattled, more so then she had let on, at least. I glanced at Hanako, who was going through a breathing exercise, her eyes glazed over and still leaking the occasional tear. I fished in my pocket for a tissue and handed it to her.

“Here,” I said, “If you need me, I’m here. Like always.”

Hanako smiled weakly and took the tissue, “I kn-know.”

I smiled and nodded, and left her to rebuild herself. It hurt to see her like that, but there was only so much I could do, and only so much she’d let me do, too.

I chuckled and glanced back at the road behind us, “guess I’m comin’ back as a macaque in the next life, huh?”

Hanako gave me a confused look –having not noticed my violent assault- then sighed and rolled her eyes, “it d-doesn’t w-work that w-way.”

“Everyone okay?” Kwan asked, which reminded me I had forgotten to, being understandably distracted.

“Looks like,” I responded, “how far behind are we now?”

“Tell you in a bit,” Kenji said, already flipping through his maps and itineraries.

“Meow,” Miki mewled.

“Oh!” Emi yelped, “Your litter box!” Emi reached behind her to grab the oil pan, which had somehow managed to remain undamaged following Kenji’s effort to steal second. On the way back she paused to peck Kenji on the cheek, “thanks for saving Miki.”

Kenji blushed and coughed lightly, glancing down at the floor and muttering, “just lookin’ after the passengers.”

Emi smirked and repeated the gesture with Kwan, “and thanks for being willing to fight to the death for Miki and I. Even if I didn’t ask you to.”

Kwan shrugged, “you never have to ask. Wait, to the death?”

I smiled as I continued to drive us back to the highway. Everything was okay, although the car was a bit roughed up. Hopefully Oji wouldn’t be too upset, though the story might be worth it just to see his reaction.

“H-Hisao?” Hanako asked a few moments later.

“Yeah?” I asked back.

“Um, i-if w-we ever g-go to Kyoto, I think we c-can skip the m-monkey reserve,” she said.

I grinned and nodded, “duly noted. Can you give me a hand figuring out the rest of the route for my shift? I kinda lost track in all the excitement.”

Hanako smiled and nodded, and I knew then how much stronger she had truly become, and me along with her.

+++
Next Chapter

No animals were harmed in the making of this chapter.

The apes I’m using in my efforts to genetically engineer an army of Orangu-Men for conquering Yukon is an entirely different matter, however.

If you’re wondering what the US Marine Corps was doing in the middle of Europe during World War I: public relations. The USMC was constantly on the chopping block for budget reasons, and so whenever a chance for a fight presented itself, they went. Pretty much the entire Marine Corps (all six hundred-ish of ‘em) were present at the Battle for Mexico City, for cryin’ out loud (hence “from the halls of Montezuma”.)

They also formed the White House band. Um, where were we?

Next time, Tokyo, Tokyo, it’s a helluva town! The Promised Land is reached, and the group’s adventure can finally start. Though even with all the excitement so far, the actual city might be more than they were prepared for.

[Mirage_GSM]

The car groaned and roared as it tried to move forward but couldn’t as it was still in park. The stench of melting rubber and heating asphalt filtered into the car as a cloud of smoke churned out from behind us.

Now I don't drive an automatic, but I'm pretty sure that's not what happens when you hit the accelerator while in park mode.

several dozen kilometers an hours.

Probably just a typo

Hmm. Seems I missed Iwatayama when I was in Kyoto, but one week is not nearly enough to see everything there...

[Hoitash]

The car groaned and roared as it tried to move forward but couldn’t as it was still in park. The stench of melting rubber and heating asphalt filtered into the car as a cloud of smoke churned out from behind us.

Now I don't drive an automatic, but I'm pretty sure that's not what happens when you hit the accelerator while in park mode.

...pardon me one moment while I tend to that (I fail as a Michigander for forgetting how a frikkin' car works...)

Okay, that should work better (and obey the laws of an internal combustion engine. Or brake systems. This is why I'd rather walk.) Thanks for that; that was just embarrassing...

Hmm. Seems I missed Iwatayama when I was in Kyoto, but one week is not nearly enough to see everything there...

They are much cuter when they're not trying to eat your face.

[Mirage_GSM]

The car groaned and roared as it tried to move forward but couldn’t as I had planted my left foot firmly on the brake. The stench of melting rubber and heating asphalt filtered into the car as a cloud of smoke churned out from behind us.

Well, as long as the tires are not actually... you know... moving, there's no reason for either them or the asphalt to heat up.
The only thing that would heat up in the scenario you described are the brakes themselves.
The smoking tires would probably come into play the moment the brakes are released.

[Helbereth]

“You’ve been drinking more tea then water,” Kwan observed.

than*

successfully leap passed Lilly

I'm fairly certain you want 'past' the adverb, not 'passed' the adjective or verb.

slammed into the macaque at several dozen kilometers an hours.

hour*

being understandable distracted.

understandably*

Why isn't Kenji wearing a brown, snap brim fedora and a whip? Dun-da dun taah!

[Hoitash]

Well, as long as the tires are not actually... you know... moving, there's no reason for either them or the asphalt to heat up.
The only thing that would heat up in the scenario you described are the brakes themselves.
The smoking tires would probably come into play the moment the brakes are released.

Well, he does have his foot on the accelerator, so the tires are moving, but you're right, slamming on the accelerator from a cold stop would certainly generate a lot of smoke. I'd imagine a classic car would not take kindly to such antics, however (especially one with an apparently very pernickety machine-spirit.)

edits

D'Oh! Thanks for those .

Why isn't Kenji wearing a brown, snap brim fedora and a whip? Dun-da dun taah!

You know, if you keep giving me crack fic crossover ideas, I'm only going to end up ticking off Silentcook more . Although the Warehouse has been neglected as of late. When I'd fit it in, I have no idea... next summer, maybe. Eh, I'll find a way. Thanks for the idea .

[Mirage_GSM]

No, as long as he has his foot on the brakes, the tires are not moving.
If the tires were moving, the car would be as well. That's their function.

[Hoitash]

No, as long as he has his foot on the brakes, the tires are not moving.
If the tires were moving, the car would be as well. That's their function.

...I fail at basic auto comprehension so hard. Pardon me while I go fix that and then possibly commit seppuku with a fountain pen.

...Okay, that should work. If not, I swear off auto ownership.

...so, how would one make the tires move while still being in place? Emergency brake?

[forgetmenot]

...so, how would one make the tires move while still being in place? Emergency brake?

The car needs to be in gear and your foot needs to be off of the brake in order for the tires to move. Generally speaking, if the tires aren't very grippy, you can spin them by shifting into low gear and mashing the accelerator (provided your engine has a decent amount of power). This only works for a moment, as it causes the tires to heat up very quickly and grip the pavement better.

Source: I play too much Forza.

[Mirage_GSM]

...so, how would one make the tires move while still being in place? Emergency brake?

Park your car with the front against a wall. (Be sure not to have it in reverse.) Then hit the accellerator.
I doubt what forgetmenot said would work very well either outside of computer games. Tires with that little grip would probably carry you out of the next curve you drive. Also you don't usually get that many horsepowers in cars outside the formula 1 - certainly not antiques like they are driving here.
When you see stuff like that, it's most likely Hollywood Physics.

[Hoitash]

When you see stuff like that, it's most likely Hollywood Physics.

That would explain a lot. So I can somehow blame this fracas on The Fast and the Furious. Good to know .

[octovaitor]

One day in the distant future, a young primate attempts to cross the asphalt roads of Japan. Perhaps to hunt for berries, or avoid a wild kappa, or find another ape to discuss the finer points of hurling excrement, only to see an enormous metal behemoth on the horizon, faster than any natural predator he knows. His father, Daddy Monkey, leaps to save his child, but alas, is too late. He had not warned his son in time.

For the road is now feared by all except the most foolhardy of primates. On moonlit nights the elders will gather their kin around them and tell their young ones the story of Ookikus Maximus, the only monkey who survived an assault from the metal monster, under the control of some foul demon.

Ookikus Maximus was the monkey who fled, and the metal monster tamer was Hisao Nikai, known as "Oook-ook-M'ook-Klook", or "The Smiling One".

[Hoitash]

One day in the distant future, a young primate attempts to cross the asphalt roads of Japan. Perhaps to hunt for berries, or avoid a wild kappa, or find another ape to discuss the finer points of hurling excrement, only to see an enormous metal behemoth on the horizon, faster than any natural predator he knows. His father, Daddy Monkey, leaps to save his child, but alas, is too late. He had not warned his son in time.

For the road is now feared by all except the most foolhardy of primates. On moonlit nights the elders will gather their kin around them and tell their young ones the story of Ookikus Maximus, the only monkey who survived an assault from the metal monster, under the control of some foul demon.

Ookikus Maximus was the monkey who fled, and the metal monster tamer was Hisao Nikai, known as "Oook-ook-M'ook-Klook", or "The Smiling One".

I approve . I'd imagine Kenji would, too, though I'm not sure how Hisao would take the news. He'd probably leave an offering or something at a shrine to the Three Monkeys to salve his conscience. Then he'd get there and see a little shrine made of sticks of him driving the car and smiling like a Titan on a human binge surrounded by berries.

[Helbereth]

Nikai

Nakai*

I approve of everything else contained therein.

[Hoitash]

“The fluff will continue until morale improves.” – Tastychainsaws

Previous Chapter

Chapter Nine (Hanako): When we Remembered Zion


Metropolis. Capital. Prefecture. The sheer scope and size of Tokyo was enough to make me whimper in anxiety; over thirteen million people walking, driving, cycling, working, living, and every single one of them a potential panic attack.

On the other hand, actually getting there had been more of a problem than I had expected, so in a weird way, finally seeing the massive sprawl of skyscrapers and towers was a bit of a relief.

“Anyone else appreciating the irony that we just drove six hours to go somewhere half of us live?” Kwan asked from the back seat as we approached the enormous sprawl of urban development that was Tokyo.

“The thought did occur to me,” Hisao remarked as drove, “although I guess it couldn’t be helped.”

After hours of passing by small towns, highway exits, and fields and forests, entering the bustle and noise of the city was a shock. A shiver rippled down my spine and I slumped down into my chair as we entered the Rat Race to find the hotel.

I glanced behind me to see how Lilly was handling the sensory influx, but her head was leaning against Kenji’s shoulder and she was snoring like a deflating tire. Kenji’s head was darting everywhere he could, his cap somehow staying in place as his glasses jerked and jumped. Despite his extremely frantic movements, he kept his shoulders stiff and unmoving, and Lilly remained calmly asleep.

Kenji’s ability to act the gentleman was kind of creepy, but his aura of confidence –and the confident grin he flashed my way when his head twisted towards the front of the car- helped reassure me. I sat up a little straighter as I helped Hisao work his way through the city streets. Considering how much trouble he had just walking around, I needed to be as focused and alert as possible to make sure we didn’t accidentally end up in Yokosuka. It’s almost happened before.

“I think we’re almost there,” Hisao declared.

“Alright, folks,” Kenji said, “timing is critical at this juncture! Those fucking monkeys got what they deserved for slowing us down, but we can ill afford another such incident.”

“Five more minutes, Father,” Lilly mumbled.

Kenji stopped his rambling speech to stare at the woman’s head, “hey Blondie, up and at ‘em!”

“Please don’t call me that,” she sighed, slowly lifting herself off of Kenji’s shoulder, “what time is it?”

“Almost three,” Hisao said, “we’ll be at the hotel in a few minutes. Kenji, game plan?”

Why did he have to encourage him?

Kenji cleared his throat before gearing up for another speech; if he didn’t find crowds as intimidating as I did and think they were puppets of ancient conspiracies, he could’ve gone into politics, “Nothing is actually planned until dinner, so once we check in and unload the car, everyone get some rest and relax. We have meal vouchers for tonight, so we can eat at the hotel before heading out.”

“H-heading out?” I asked.

“We have something special planned,” Kenji replied.

I raised and eyebrow and turned my head to glance at Kenji, “We?”

Kenji’s reply was a smirk and a shrug.

I slowly turned to Hisao, whose carefully crafted neutral expression didn’t fool me for a second, “W-what are you plotting?”

Hisao raised an eyebrow and turned slightly to look at me with one eye, “plot? I, Hisao Nakai, do not plot. I formulate and experiment.”

I smiled and rolled my eyes at the pompous defense, “S-still, you two have something planned, don’t you?”

Hisao nodded once, “nothing major, trust me.”

I slowly nodded. Trusting Hisao I could do. If he said I shouldn’t worry, then I wouldn’t… for a while.

We arrived at the hotel a little while later, Hisao easing us in front of the entrance to the lobby. Since I won the contest, everything was in my name, so I had to check us in. I sighed and slowly exited the car, taking Hisao’s hand as he helped me up and closed the door behind me.

“Kenji’s gonna grab a trolley and the others’ll load up the bags,” he said, “He and Emi’ll check on Miki in shifts, though if anyone wants to come by, they can. I can park the car when you’re done checking in. You ready?”

He had said all that rather fast, and I suspected he was nervous about how I’d handle checking in. I wasn’t looking forward to it, but I knew I’d have to. If I could buy my own damn groceries at that point, I could check into a hotel.

I placed my hair in front of my scarring and adjusted my flat cap before nodding, “r-ready.”

Lingering a moment to smile at me, he led me through the sliding glass doors and into the lobby.

The lobby looked like pretty much any hotel entrance: polished wooden check-in counter on one side, a concierge’s desk tucked into a corner, a small lounge area, some bathrooms, and a door that led to the hotel restaurant, the outside seating for which was somewhere to the right of the lobby’s entrance. I stared at the tile flooring and smiled at the blue and black checkered design. The tile pattern was oddly reassuring, and I found myself subconsciously stepping on the black ones as I made my way to the check in counter. Clutching the raffle envelope in one hand, I felt Hisao give my other hand a reassuring squeeze. I glanced up to smile at him. He returned the smile, and I looked up to acknowledge the haggard looking young man behind the counter.

“Hello,” he said after a brief bow, “checking in?”

I nodded stiffly, “yes, t-two rooms with s-sleeping rooms and th-three futons each, under the name Ikezawa.”

The young man smiled and nodded, not appearing to react to my stuttering or scarring, “ah, the raffle winner; news travels fast –there’s a welcome basket waiting for you in the rooms. Just one moment, please.”

The young man ducked down and returned with the paperwork for checking in. It wasn’t until I had finished the paperwork and received the key cards for the rooms that I realized Hisao had wandered off, most likely to get some coffee. And he quips about Lilly’s caffeine addiction.

I took the cards and guest passes for the hotel’s amenities with my left hand, “th-thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” the clerk said, still either not noticing my scarring or not reacting to it, “have a great day, and enjoy the concert.”

“I will,” I declared, and turned to leave.

When I turned around I froze; the hotel lobby was now filled with people checking in. Most of them were my age or even younger; occasionally an older person herding a small gaggle of teenagers as a chaperone. Hisao was by the small lounge, so I focused on his head and stiffly marched towards him, sidling around the newly arrived crowd as best I could; apparently I wasn’t the only one staying around for the concert, if my guess was right.

He turned to face me and we met halfway, “everything set?”

I nodded and handed him the parking pass, which he took with his free hand, the other holding a Styrofoam cup of coffee.

“Now we just need to unload the car and we’re good to go,” he remarked.

I nodded and followed him outside, keeping pace as we passed the sliding doors again.

Kenji, Emi, and Kwan were loading up a rickety brass trolley, while Lilly held onto Miki the Cat, keeping her concealed and safe from prying eyes at the same time. When she wasn’t sneaking an affectionate lick from the kitten, that is. Lilly had taken a liking to the cat, though I always figured she was more of a dog person. Although I based that theory mainly on her blindness- not a lot of Seeing Eye cats out there.

“That you two?” Kenji asked when he noticed us approaching. He leaned forward to get a closer look at us, still dressed like an Imperial Commissar. When he recognized us he grinned, “Everything ready?”

I nodded, “t-two hotel rooms with futons for the traditional style bedroom.”

“Interesting room mix,” Kenji observed, “so who gets which room?”

“They’re both identical,” I said, “each have a b-balcony, and apparently a welcome basket because of the r-raffle.”

“We could just flip a coin,” Emi said, holding up a hundred yen coin for emphasis.

“Everything set up for Miki?” Hisao interjected.

Emi nodded, pocketing the coin, “yep; she’s got food, water, clean litter box, even a blanket! I’ll go check in on her before dinner, so you’re gonna have to tell me where you parked!”

“Perhaps I should go with you,” Lilly said to Hisao with a mild smirk, “then I can tell you both how to get to the car.”

“Ouch,” Hisao said, placing a hand over his chest for emphasis, “if that weren’t true, I’d be offended.”

With a smile aimed my way he led Lilly to the shotgun seat, before settling in to the driver’s seat to park the car. Which left me without the two people in the group that I knew best.